Quote:
Originally Posted by Table 5
He's physically not ready...his injuries prior to the season were a pretty good sign of that. He has the skills and the desire, but his body is not there yet.
What's the point for rushing anyway? There's already a logjam of young guys on this team to cheer for as a fan, and more ready guys like Poirier waiting in the wings.
Enjoy what you have, and be patient with the next wave. Let's not Nugent-Hopkins the guy.
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I essentially agree with all of this, but I do want to quibble with the last point. I do not agree that the Oilers damaged Nugent-Hopkins by keeping him in Edmonton for the full season in his rookie year. The problem was that they foisted him into a top six role prematurely, and did not do enough to protect him once he did make the team. I honestly don't think he would be any better today if he had spent an extra year in Juniour, because Oilers. One could make the arguement that he would be a better player today if he played for literally any other team, but that is another matter.