Quote:
Originally Posted by The Cobra
They aren't particularly good at hockey. If you give minutes to a player who's only real skill is toughness, you might find yourself losing.
People dream of Gudbranson laying out McDavid or McKinnon etc.
Let's hope he's not on the ice vs. those types of players, as they will skate circles around him. Same goes for Zadorov, although as bad as he is, he's certainly much better than Gudbranson and should be in an NHL lineup, most likely getting 5-6 minutes. He'll get more than that right now, unless one of the youngsters can push him down, which would be the ideal situation.
I think Calgary's ability to be a decent team depends a lot on Valimaki et al taking a step forward. I think there is a decent chance of that, if they are given the opportunity.
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Literally no one said this. And virtually no one expects it.
Hockey is a team game. Becoming harder to play against means a lot more than having a fighter or laying out McDavid. It is a style of play that affects everyone on the ice.
The Flames have been so soft that even guys like Puljujarvi have been running around the ice like they own it against us. Playing tougher keeps the opponents honest. It isn't going to slow down the MacKinnons, but it will affect how teams play against us.