Quote:
Originally Posted by Chill Cosby
The funny thing is that Sven (since the start of training camp) is playing the best hockey of his career. The points aren't coming, and that alone is causing those that vastly overrated him as a #1 guy to swing all the way to the other side and call him a bust.
The idea that he's regressed is a joke. He's twice the player he was when he was drafted, at least. What you're seeing isn't regression, it's the Flames drafting other solid prospects that make Sven less of a unique product.
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i am fully aknowledging in speaking without watching him in the minors at all. I do agree that in his time in playing at the NHL level, he looked ok this preseason. However, is there any real evidence of him developing more into his projected potential of being a top 6 scoring winger? Offensively, he looks pretty far removed from the offensive powerhouse he was looking to be when he scored almost 2 PPG in the last year of junior.
I'm all for taking the approach in creating good 2-way responsible players. However, not all players are the same nor should they be developed the same. If the progress you speak of is that he's now better defensively and a 200ft player, but at the cost of his offensive creativity and confidence, then the flames development has essentially failed. There are some players i think you just have to let make mistakes to make their way into the league. Getting some points while being a minus player the first few years may have been a better approach and then eventually coaching a more responsible game may have been a better approach.
I have made the major assumption in this post that the flames organization has pushed the defensive side of the game to the detriment of his offense. If that is not true, then wtf has happened to his offensive game, and is it time we just acknowledge that maybe his offensive ability isn't strong enough (still?) to cut it in the pro leagues?