Quote:
Originally Posted by dissentowner
I have never seen Alexander Nylander not fight through checks, not try to win pucks along the boards, or not go to the dirty areas to score goals. He is nothing like Huselius. Are you sure you are not thinking of his brother? That is a much closer description of Willie than Alex.
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Well then maybe the concerns are overblown. But he looked soft to me in the U18s and I'm not the only one who got that impression. If he was harder on the puck you'd think he'd be even more impactful and have put up even better numbers. He shows flashes and those flashes have brilliance. But I think the Flames put a lot of stock in players who compete hard and make a difference every shift they are on the ice. I think Tkachuk is a guy who competes at a high level and is a difference maker consistently. Nylander seems to disappear for stretches and then show you a highlight of the night.
And some players cannot play their game at the NHL level when the defenders are overall better. Baertschi for example has somewhat similar size to Nylander and was a high skill player who wasn't really a banger. We've seen how easily his skill can be neutralized at the NHL level by big, strong defensemen who shove him off the puck easily. Will Alex Nylander be strong enough and be strong enough on the puck to be able to beat defenders along the boards? That is very much a huge question mark on him IMO. If he isn't then he indeed can become a Huselius type player, a guy who has to play with sublime skill but on the perimeter. How is Nylander going to respond to Shea Weber crushing him into the boards? How is Nylander going to respond to getting destroyed in front of the net? Will that make him shy away over time?
Hemsky was a high skill but slight player. Do we want an Ales Hemsky? Is that the missing piece to make us a contender? I'd rather add a different style of player ideally.
Does anybody know where I can find some game footage of Nylander at the World Juniors?