Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick M.
If we can’t make a big deal, Dube and Valimaki had better show a lot of growth and Andersson needs to be the player we thought he was. I also hope that Hanifin has more offence to give.
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In many ways I agree with you in terms of wanting to see growth in their games. Sometings to consider perhaps:
-Valimaki and Andersson play (outside of goalie) the most difficult position because of the consequences of mistakes.
-When Dube is added to the list it creates a pause because that is a lot of pressure on
very young guys (with the aformentioned already dealing with the difficulty of position). Yes they are big boys and pros but having a focus on all their shifts - waiting to critique - is not good for the psyche/confidence of any player. You want your players to be confident so they execute.
The team needs to ensure that they do everything to support their young guys ie make sure you put them in positions to succeed by playing them with players that can take the pressure off - on and off the ice (hopefully fans have patience as the ills of social media have already been shown to affect young athletes).
For me, I've already seen all those guys play at a high level in the NHL (varying amounts of time) so I see bright futures (immediate and down the road).
Kylington (excited for him too) spoke about Sutter, his system and how it's easier for the defencemen because they know the routes the forwards have to be in and I think the defence will really improve from the start of last year.
Again though, I really want to see support for the young defencemen and pairing them up with complementary players/skillsets so they can return to that high level of play.