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Originally Posted by jayswin
I guess I'm a little confused then. You said it sounded like he had maturity issues and that stalled his progression as he had it easy in junior. That is THE definition of busting isn't it (not saying he's there yet)? Maybe I have it wrong, but to me a player that has the tools and then isn't able to put it together due to work ethic/training/attitude issues is what the term bust was made for.
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Yeah, but he still has time to not bust. For him, (this is my speculation based on coaches interviews) sounds like his step back was due to not-knowing vs not wanting to know, between which there is a large difference. He had a great 1st pro season, and a so-so second season. He's off to a decent start this year. The coach always seems positive about him whenever he speaks of him.
He could still become a top 6 player, he could still become a bottom 6 player. Or he could be a career AHLer. 22 is too young to be talking about busting IMO.
The reason we don't hear about him much is that we as fans tend to discuss the shiny new toys with more interest. Every new draft class brings new surprises and intrigue. So guys like Poirier and Klimchuk get forgotten, but the team brass is still aware of them of course. Eventually though, those shiny new toys actually show to be better, so he's running out of time.