I beg to differ on Ferland's fighting abilities. He is a fighter much in the same way as PL3 or whatever his name was. He will grab on, and the opponent ends up throwing more punches. Then Ferland usually ends up unwinding with heavy punches - with frequent knockouts. He absolutely has knockout power, and I laughed so hard at Canuck fans bragging on how Bieksa tuned him. They have no clue how close Bieksa was to having his lunch fed to him had the refs not intervened.
Will Lucic win? Probably - he is more experienced. However, if Lucic isn't aware that Ferland has knockout power, Lucic will fall. Simple as that.
Now, aside from the fisticuffs, great signing. Ferland has very good speed, kid can really dangle too (just wait until he gets more comfortable out there) and has a beauty of a shot. Decent playmaker too. He checks so many boxes in a list. I said it a couple of years ago - Ferland will be a fan favorite for years to come. He has already started becoming one after he obliterated the Canucks in the playoffs, but once he starts scoring those timely goals, and starts sticking up more for guys like Bennett (who will just agitate as well) or Gaudreau (who some guys will just try to take liberties with to get him off his game), he will really come into his own.
I don't know if statistically he will ever be a 'franchise type' player, but I think most posters here within a couple of years will feel he is irreplaceable and definitely part of the core. This season will be even more fun to watch I think.
|