Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
This is really important and I think gets often over-looked, and the moment that sticks in my mind the most was an interview with Deryk Engelland when he was still here in Calgary.
He just said that its hard to play your way into a game when you're not getting any minutes. You cant get engaged, you cant find your rhythm you cant get into the groove or the ebb and flow of the game when you're trotted out there for 45 seconds and then sit on the bench for 10 minutes and go completely cold.
And then Engelland got minutes and look what happened. Imagine that.
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This is why playing good players on the 3rd line here is ok. Johnny Monny Tkachuk and Lindholm rarely play 20 mins or more in a game. They never play the full 2 mins on a pp or the first 1:45 unless they keep the zone the entire 2 mins.
Guys like Mangipane, Bennett, Dube, Valimaki, Hanifin, Backlund, Lucic all get real time on the PP. At times as fans we wish they don't but going into this year I'm excited to see what Dube, Mangipane, Bennett and Valimaki can do this year. The first 3 may not always get huge ice but they quite often get good ice in all situations so far in their careers. Has it helped their development? I guess Oiler fans and media think not. Edmonton is no good.