Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashasx
I mean, Saad is a good player, but how does this really make sense?
Maybe Saad is a better player when the puck is in his defensive zone, but Panarin is a possession monster. The puck is always in the opposition zone when he's on the ice.
How does that mean Saad is a better player to help win the Cup?
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The puck may be on the offensive zone with Panarin because that's where he usually starts.
I've watched Panarin play quite a lot, and he's a very poor defensive player. Come playoff time, I'm not sure what you'll get from him.
And FWIW, Saad actually has more shoots on goal than Panarin this year. And that's with very little PP time.
I get that the gap this year between the two players is pretty great, but I think a lot of it is attributable to their team support this year and bad luck on his shooting percentage. I'd like to say he'd be a great fit on our first line, but that unlucky SH% seems right in line with what Calgary is going through this year.