I don't care that much about Ferlands potential. Potential is worthless unless a player actually reaches it, and IMO at 25 the odds of Ferland reaching his full potential are bad, especially since he hasn't exactly been a quick learner so far. His best performance was still two seasons ago against Vancouver. I also think some people here are vastly overrating his hockey IQ. Even 4th liners in the NHL can make really smart plays every now and then.
Currently I think his consistency issues are so bad that I'm not a big fan. Most nights he's pretty much just filler. Not good enough defensively for a shutdown role, doesn't put up enough points for an offensive role, not consistent enough to be a really good energy player. Not bad enough to stand out, but not actually helping you win.
All that said, he does have pretty good tools. Big and strong, good skater (although mostly speed), very good shot, decent IQ, seems to have a good attitude which is important. With all those tools it wouldn't take that much for him to be a lot better, so I get the positivity people feel for him.
Personally, not a fan, and don't see a big future. We might get a couple of 40 point seasons out of him if he gets consistent top 6 icetime, but that says more about Gaudreau-Monahan and Backlund-Frolik than Ferland.
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