Quote:
Originally Posted by calgaryblood
Oh give me a break. I'm totally able to understand and comprehend just fine just think we don't need Colborne for our secondary scoring "concerns". He played like hot garbage when the games mattered and only stepped it up under zero pressure which I have no doubt Conroy was alluding to. He's soft, doesn't hit and I've never seen a player get so lucky with their goals as he has in the last month. I don't think the Flames will even re-sign him probably trade him for a fourth rounder.
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I take issue with this particular part. He doesn't blow people up a lot, but he finishes his checks regularly. He's got 119 hits on the year, and has just as many as guys like Weise, Virtanen, Cogliano, Palmieri etc. Those are not really soft players IMO, and neither is Colborne anymore. I feel like this is a preconception that started when he first arrived and Burke made that speech about him not being a hard player, but he's changed a lot since then, and while he'll never be Milan Lucic, he's plenty physical enough for my liking.
My one issue with Colborne has been, and continues to be, on-ice awareness. He lacks great vision, in both the offensive and defensive zones, which makes him a liability defensively, and weak link for his line offensively. With experience he's slowly gotten better, but it's taking quite a while. However, considering his tool-set, I'm totally fine keeping him for another short contract (2-3 years) and seeing where he goes. That combination of size, speed, and skill is not found very often. Plus, he's an amazing shootout specialist.
