Loved hearing Sutter talk about being ready for Huberdeau's passes. Not just ready to receive them, but ready and positioned to continue the play. He was saying Huberdeau doesn't just put the puck into an area, but puts it exactly where it needs to be shot from... and players need to be ready for that.
I've said this quite a bit, but there's a certain skill set that allows a player to play with elite players. Conroy on his own wasn't elite, but he had that ability to play with elite players and continue the play without letting things die on his stick. Same with Brendan Morrow, and many others like them. Kevin Stevens used to get 40 a year just by being in the right spot for Lemieux to bounce the puck in off him.
That's what I love about Lindholm. He's an elite player who can also play with other elite players. Same with Gaudreau and Tkachuk. I think that's what made them an almost perfect line. It's like all three of them have both sides of the hockey brain. The side that's concerned with what they're doing, but also the side that's aware of what their linemates are doing.
Anyway, you don't have to be elite to play in the third spot on the top line. You just have to be someone who can keep the play going. Even if you yourself can't start it or finish it, as long as you can at least not kill it, that's a valuable skill to have.
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