hard not to bounce back and forth on this trade.... can't seem to stop thinking about it.
There's a lot of connection of many flames fans to Sven simply because he was the face of the next era of the flames. He was the first prospect we've been so excited about, and then that emergency callup just put so much fuel in the fire.
My thoughts on him as we watched him with the big club:
- he's just not big/strong enough (yet?) to win battles, and not be an easy rub out for the avg NHL defenceman
- I didn't see a stand out quality offensively that showed his ability to be an NHL threat (speed, elusiveness, puck handling, passing). I felt when given top6 time with skilled players last year, he'd give up the puck a ton going for a 'hail mary' cross seam pass through Dmen that rarely, if ever, connected
my thoughts on the flames handling of Sven:
- my biggest argument that flames can't be to blame here, is that look at the team the last year or 2, and how many young kids have been up in the lineup that have shown great strides and progress. why is it that the other prospects have flourished in the flames development program and practices, but sven has suffered? It is hard to see him as a victim in all of this, when so many others have grown in the program.
- confidence seems to be a huge issue for him. things seem to snowball and it seems it is difficult for him to work his way out of it.
- when he was drafted, he was applauded for his attitude, demeanor, and work ethic to get better. it's been difficult to see these qualities since his first year turning pro.
as a flames fan, was optimistic that he'd eventually figure it out. Now that he's a canuck, i hope he continues on his current trajectory, and i feel bad for that, but it is what it is.
|