Quote:
Originally Posted by nik-
Maybe not to that degree, but there were a lot of people who conveniently flipped the switch on Sven the moment his game was criticized by Burkie.
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That's not completely accurate. There were some people on this forum that noticed some problems long before Burke spoke out after rookie camp, and those people got jumped on for fabricating stuff. Interestingly enough those same issues were exactly what Burke spoke of after rookie camp. Many of the things that these people saw continue to be problematic. It is not an "I told you so" moment, it is just the way things are.
The problem with Baertschi is he was the first big hope for many of the fans post-Iginla. People pinned do much hope on him, and got so emotionally invested in the kid, they have had a hard time seeing the player for what he is. When people do point out the obvious they are hammered with being a Baertschi hater, which is as far from the truth as you can get. People are making observations based on what they see. That is the benefit of not getting emotionally invested in the prospects.
I think some of what we see is similar to the Jankowski affect, but opposite. Jankowski was an off the board pick by a GM that certain people hated. As a result Jankowski can do nothing right, even when he is excelling in the system he finds himself. Baertschi, otoh, was considered a great pick and has had the benefit of that status. People are more than willing to give him all the time in the world, while at the same time calling a player who hasn't even turned pro a complete failure. People have become emotionally invested in the failure of Jankowski so they can have yet another thing to hold against Feaster and Weisbrod. Just as strange behavior.
Personally I am hoping all our prospects turn into stars. But I do recognize that is unlikely. All I care about when I watch these kids is growth in their game. That is why some guys get more praise than others and why some may seem to get pushed aside. There is a very small window for players to prove their worth and they get judged accordingly. Fair or not, that's the reality of the NHL.