Quote:
Originally Posted by Armchair Quarterback
"He's only 22", wait and see, etc., ok, fine. I can do that. But didn't we have a post on the main page of this site a few months ago saying that his presence on the team changes our outlook? That we can expect this team to be better, faster?
Seems to me that the people really fired up about a signing like Hamilton are the first to downplay expectations when he gets called out for, let's be honest, sucking.
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I think the excitement was partly about getting a shiny new toy...you'll always have excitement when your team acquires a very promising young player.
I also think that most people looked at Hamilton as an amazing #3 defenseman, who would most likely step into the top pairing with Brodie, once Gio started to fall off.
I think right now, Hamilton is young, trying to adjust to a new system, and trying to adjust to a much different style of play in the west vs. the east. If he weren't being subbed in for Brodie, but playing on the second/third pairing with pp time, I think he would be looking a lot better.
Could we have another Bouwmeester situation here? Maybe, but it's far too early to panic. Let's see what he looks like when he's not being asked to carry the mail as much with Brodie coming back.