Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Let's not act like players such as Dube and Valimaki aren't getting their chances this season. They have played tons of games and will play many more. Stone is not taking away development time from Valimaki in the least. Of all the thing sgoing wrong this season, young players getting an occasional scratch isn't one of them.
To anyone who suggests there is a double standard between say a Gaudreau and a Dube, well this is professional sports. Results matter.
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And more to the point: Gaudreau responded well to criticism levied at him by Sutter and played quite well last game (for the most part). Dube did not respond that well, and he made some really big errors that were unforced. An yes, taking him out over Gaudreau is the easier thing to do, but young players have time in the pressbox all the time. It's not unheard of.
Gaudreau is a vet and one of the top 2 or 3 players on the team, so the only thing putting him in the pressbox does is alienate him by intentionally singling him out. You hope that by pressing his buttons to compete harder he does it on his own. Looks like it worked a little last game...we'll see if it continues or not.