Quote:
Originally Posted by mrdonkey
One really has to question our development program when kids like Sven come in riding all the promise in the world, and then hit a wall once they turn pro. It might explain why the Flames haven't been able to draft a top 6 quality player in 20 years. Just maybe.
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Not really. Kids hit a wall in their development all the time. That's why sophomore slumps exist.
I do think drafting has to be separated from player development to some degree, although it's very hard to separate the two. There are players who require very little player development. All you have to do is draft them and give them lots of minutes and opportunities in the NHL or have their junior coach develop them. Other players require more guidance without which they never develop. Then it's about opportunities. Under Darryl, the question was whether our prospects' development were stalled due to a lack of opportunities. For a player like Sven, the question is whether the Flames rushed him.
Sven is a player who had clear strengths and flaws when he was drafted. Every draft guide would tell you that Sven is a goalscorer but needed to work on his compete level, physical play, and defensive play. All these things are things Burke called Sven out on. It's nothing new. The problem likely began when Sven was called up to the NHL as an emergency call up and scored 3 goals in 5 games. That gave Feaster and the coaching staff the expectation that Sven would be capable of immediately filling a top 6 role when those weaknesses, while seemingly having improved in juniors, may not have been improved enough to meet NHL standards. What management and the coaching staff should have done was to identify Sven's weaknesses and get him to address those weak aspects of his game. Tell him that they don't care how many goals Sven scores as long as he demonstrates a consistent compete level and steady defensive play. Get him to learn how to compete on a nightly basis and play in all three zones and tell him the scoring will come.
If you look at teams like Columbus and Florida and how they royally screwed the development of their forwards under previous regimes it's clear that rushing top 6 prospects and having them play significant roles despite the fact that other aspects of the games were lacking is generally a bad idea. Personally, I don't think it's too late for Sven. His weaknesses are aspects Sven can easily correct if he's willing to put in the work.