Quote:
Originally Posted by blankall
The difference is that Drouin is on another talent level than Sven. No other teams are expecting a player like Druoin to spend years developing two way play, that quite frankly they will rarely use. It's like when Tortorella had the Sedins killing penalties. The Sedins should be taking offensive zone starts and never killing penalties.
When it becomes apparent that you do not have the talent to consistently produce in a purely offensive role, that's when you need the two way game to survive.
I've stated it before, and I actually support Drouin in this. In a league where players hit their primes at 21 and start to fall apart at 26, a player like Drouin cannot afford to spend 2-3 years learning how to play on a 3rd line. Doing so is pure mismanagement.
The fact that it's Yzerman pushing this is even more baffling. Yzerman was given first line minutes in his first year in the NHL and the role of captain after 3 years. I'm not comparing Drouin to Yzerman, but Drouin's roughly .5ppg stats in his limited role surely warranted more exposure on the top lines and not 2nd and 3rd stints in the AHL.
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That sure worked out well for Phil Kessel. He's making millions, but do teams really want him? Are his teams successful?
You talk about Yzerman, yet don't seem to realize that he and the Red Wings went no where until he learned the 200 foot game. Yzerman has made all the mistakes in his own career, and all Drouin has to do is listen and learn.
Yes you are right, players with the talent of Drouin don't need to learn the 200 foot game, they can still make a decent living in the NHL, and there will always be some interest, but they will never be winners and never be the go to guy. They will be complementary pieces (like Kessel) as opposed to core pieces. The Lightning invested a 3rd overall pick on Drouin (and passed on Monahan) and want him to develop into a core piece, not a one dimensional complementary piece.
When you are young, you think you know it all, but the truth is, you don't. No one is born with experience and if you have someone who has been through it all and is willing to give you a headstart, you should probably listen. Drouin is an idiot, plain and simple.