Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
I don't have a problem with the Hamilton trade or the contract. However, I do think it's legitimate to have concerns about his play. Yes, he's 22. But he has been in the NHL for three seasons. Playing in his own end shouldn't be an absolute gong show. And I don't care how new you are to a system, you can still lay on the body and play with a bit of edge. This 'new system' meme that has recently appeared on this forum is just a way to dismiss those concerns.
Hamilton won't be this bad forever. But he probably won't be as good as a lot of people thought he would be when the trade went down, either.
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That really does remain to be seen, and will not be known for a very long time yet.
For me at least it has not been just a "new systems meme" even though that is how it is often interpreted. It is the fact that he is barely an adult, having had to uproot and move to a new city and go to work for a new organization where he quite possibly doesn't know anyone. Does he have any family or close friends in town? I think he quite likely does not. He seems like a pretty shy kid, and maybe even a bit awkward. How does his own underlying personality affect the move he has just made?
There are certainly young men his same age who can and do make these sorts of life-altering adjustments without missing a stride, but it is foolish to expect every kid to respond the same way. I am calling for some latitude and patience because none of us has any idea how the whole set of new circumstances has affected him: this has quite likely been the most significant event of his young life, and I don't doubt for a moment if it has taken a toll.