Quote:
Originally Posted by blankall
And this is what happens when a largely AHL team plays a largely NHL team. It's the reason why the AHL is filled with ultra talented guys who would skate circles around the average person, yet cannot get a sniff of regular NHL play.
The legit NHL players will always stifle the AHL players, and its the ability to break through that stifling that defines whether a player is capable of NHL play.
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I think this is a hyperbolic take.
Yes, the average level of play in the NHL is much higher.
However, the average NHL 3rd or 4th liner in this age is not miles ahead of the average AHL 1st liner.
I think a player such as Dillon Dube is a prime example of this. Here's a near-20 goal scorer with a some high-end speed and a well-rounded skills package, but was he head and shoulders above anyone else last night? No.
Now, put Dube on a line with Jonathan Huberdeau, a bonafide NHL star, and there's a good chance they would thrive together.
The NHL has a lot of great talent, full of savvy and plenty of tools.
But it also has a lot of complementary players filling out the rosters of even the best teams. Especially at the "third forward on a line" and "third pair D" spots.
All it takes is one star type talent to turn a weak line into a suffocating line, all-else equal. And most playoff teams have four such players, some even six spread across three lines. At that point it comes down to chemistry, opportunity, and fit. A guy like Dube is simultaneously a proven NHLer (inconsistencies and all - that's normal!) and yet not someone who can separate from the "pack" so decisively - precisely because the pack is better than the credit it is given. Often times the key for these individuals is adjusting to the pace of play and for that patience is needed. Even a guy like Andrew Mangiapane needed over half a season (!) to really get his footing at NHL pace, and most would argue he is trending towards a star player right now.
Of course, taking that next step from "3rd forward" to "line-driver" or "third pair D" to "top four pair-carrying D" is difficult. Even a Blake Coleman type is a tier above a Dillon Dube when you get into it.