Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
You and I must have watched a different player, because he absolutely showed more than a sign of it.
This is the NHL. A league where a guy like Gustav Forsling gets waived, and then finds himself on a playoff team's top pair the same season. A league where a guy like Shea Theodore is given with an add to a team like Vegas, because the Ducks didn't want to risk losing Josh Manson.
The idea that Kylington did all these things this offseason that he never did in past offseasons because only Sutter was capable of telling him is a tad ridiculous. Unless you're suggesting Ryan Huska is incompetent at his job, in which case he should not be employed.
The things you can work on during the offseason - fitness, puck skills, strength, were not the issue for Kylington a year ago.
The things you can work on with regular ice time might have been? Reads, decision-making, pace? They might STILL be considering he didn't even make the top 6D out of training camp.
The fact is, no coach prior to this year played him with Tanev or even Hamonic. He looks better this year when paired with Tanev, because Giordano isn't here to take that spot.
Valimaki isn't getting better sitting out of games. Kylington wasn't either. But Valimaki sitting out of a few games while competing for a roster spot is a totally different story from sitting out 80%+ of the season for no reason.
But I guess we protected Kylington from expansion lol. While waiving him to 30 other teams the same season.
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But it isn't all just Sutter, and no one has suggested it is.
Kylington is stronger, stronger on his skates, playing with more confidence, and making better decisions than he was last year.
Sometimes guys just mature and suddenly get it. I think that is the case with him.
I don't think this is about Sutter at all, really. Kylington came to camp ready to go and has taken his game to a new level. He earned his spot in the lineup.