Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
I know there are probably a handful of contributing factors, but I think it only matters to a point.
Mangiapane’s ATOI is the highest it has been in his career. Lindholm is a minute off the pace of the last few years but is still on track for his third best season (and closer to his second best than his fourth). Kadri is playing the second-highest average minutes he’s played in his career and will probably come out with his third highest point total.
The question I keep coming back to is why Huberdeau, who is a supposed to be an elite level player, is impacted by (seemingly all of) these factors 10x more than the next guy.
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Huberdeau has had a terrible season - everyone agrees. But I think there are a myriad of reasons for that - some on him, many external. Ice-time is one. Linemates are another. Changing teams is a challenge. Completely changing your style of play, at 29, is extremely difficult. Struggling with your new team, in Canada, when you're supposed to be 'the guy' must be an incredible burden.
My point is that there are lots of problems, and Huderdeau is getting more of the blame than he deserves. And for the blame that should fall to him, I think much of it is beyond his control. And I think one of those things is ice-time, and when someone brought it up, you dismissed it.