Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix
I would much rather have Raymond as the 13/14th forward rather than a player with actual potential like Granlund, Shore or even Hathaway. I don't get why people are so offended by his presence, other than the "potential" cap implications beyond this year.
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I think most are fine with him being a healthy scratch regularly over a real prospect.
Why are people so offended by his presence? Because Raymond hasn't done enough to earn himself a spot on the roster. He's been outplayed by every single forward remaining and was outplayed by Hathaway as well. Also probably because he doesn't really fit our identity and he doesn't make us harder to play against. He possesses speed and a shot. But he can't win battles along the boards or in front of the net, he doesn't protect the puck well, he can't cycle and is very inconsistent and streaky. When he's not scoring, he's not helping the team win. All the other forwards he's competing against have much greater intangibles, physical play and two-way games.
I think most fans like the makeup of our team without him better. With little Hudler and Gaudreau occupying some of the top winger spots on our team it's in our best interest to have as much size and physicality as possible on the other lines. Raymond is soft and non-physical. He just doesn't really have a place or a role unless we sustain multiple injuries. So yes, I guess most of us are fine with him being the 14th forward and barely playing but that isn't exactly ideal either.