Quote:
Originally Posted by JTech780
How so?
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Because Kulak's hockey sense is not lacking at all. Heck he was drafted for his hockey sense. Plenty of guys can skate, but knowing the right gap to hold like Kulak does, reading the forecheck and making plays, and generally exuding the poise that Kulak does are what makes him a quality prospect.
Does he have adventurous giveaways sometimes? Yes, and that's okay. That should be encouraged - Jake Muzzin, Mark Giordano, and even Erik Karlsson were all guilty lf that sort of thing at the same age. You don't want dumb, soft plays with the puck but you definitely want efficient, precise decisions behind your net and sometimes you will get burned playing that way. I am actually perplexed that you think his hockey sense is not NHL caliber. His creativity and maybe his puck skills are not of the type that he's a guy you want manning your top power play but as a two-way defenseman his hockey sense and his stickwork are his best attribute even more than his skating. He is a student of the game who has modelled himself after video of Ryan Suter when he could have picked a flashier NHLer.
He's rough around the edges... he's a dman entering his third year pro the first of which he only played 26 AHL games. Most top fours around the league, who were not top draft picks, were not that much further along at the same point. You don't go within a calendar year from getting unfairly demoted to the ECHL to outplaying guys like Wotherspoon to win an NHL roster spot for day one of the season just by skating fast.