Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
Not if he gets passed by multiple players in the system. If the Flames are serious about small players in the lineup, it is important that Baertschi establish himself as a NHL player before the likes of Gaudreau, Granlund and Klimchuk. Once a player is established it is harder for a young guy to take that spot away, especially from another young guy who all of a sudden casts himself in a core role.
|
See, the thing is though, that despite all our strong feelings, and our convictions formed through hours of viewings and by pouring over team releases and scouting reports, we—the fans—don't really have any idea about where Baertschi fits into the Flames' long term plans. We really have no idea about how he compares in the minds of management to his peers. We can guess, but I am willing to venture that our guesses are more often wrong than right. In short, none of us really has any clue whether or not any other players in the system have "passed" Baertschi.
I suspect that management is not all that worried yet about Baertschi's development, or whether or not he has "established himself as an NHL player." He's 21. There is still LOTS of time, and having another four or five talented prospects in the system is not going to change that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
The longer he takes to come around, the harder it will be for him to cut a place out for himself on the big club. Baertschi needs to step up and prove he's better than Gaudreau and Granlund, because it appears they have the inside track on those top LW positions. It is unlikely Baertschi plays on the 3rd or 4th lines, so there is probably one position he has to fight for. I hope he steps it up. We need the talent we saw in his final year in junior.
|
This is nonsense. Baertschi just needs to play his game and work towards what makes him a useful and successful pro. One could argue that Baertschi's problems (which are not altogether serious or unexpected) have much more to do with precisely what you are hoping for—he has already spent too much time dwelling on his "place" within the organisation at the expense of becoming a better player. I would actually counter that the more time he spends worrying about what everyone else is doing, the more time he is wasting and detracting from his OWN development, and his OWN future. He will get there. But everyone just needs to calm the hell down and be patient. Honestly, the worst thing management could do now is take you chicken-little approach, and start to press the kid with ultimatums.