Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
The slam adds nothing to the game for sure. That said I've been of the opinion for a while that he's very slight and it was probably a matter of time until he got hurt. Also lets not forget when Gaudreau started in the NHL I/we heard a lot from Oilers fans that he was going to get killed. Fortunately Johnny is pretty shifty and keeps his head up but he's also got a lower center of gravity than this kid. Still there's always moments with Johnny where I hold my breath.
I really do fear a little for this kid as I don't think this is anywhere close to the worst hit he's going to take. I really hope the coaching staff is instructing him to keep his head up at all times and pick his spots when he goes into the corner. He's in an uncommon spot that he's talented enough to play but maybe not physically developed enough to withstand the punishment.
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I like this response in particular for it's honesty, and I would hope that this is something we can all agree about. With this in view, I think a return to my original questions is pertinent...
In particular, I am interested to know from others whether this fear about Pettersson's safety in the NHL is enough to prompt moderate changes to how incidents like this are handled from how they have been handled in the past. If there are more players like Pettersson playing in the NHL today than in the past, and if we can expect even more in the future, then does the League need to respond with a lower tolerance for certain plays and actions that increase the danger of serious physical injury for small-sized players?