In the vast majority of games that Pelletier played, he was near the top of the team in terms of xGF%, CF%, whatever metric you want to look at. He is not and will never be a superstar, but he excelled in his role and if anything should have been given a longer leash up the lineup. I'm not sure what else fans or coaches could have expected.
Look at the Kraken two days ago, They dressed a rookie in his first ever NHL game for game 5 in the playoffs against the defending Cup champs. He rewards the team with a goal.
Does anybody ever see the Flames giving a 21 year old player like that an opportunity in a game of this magnitude?
Darryl iced a worse roster down the stretch when the team needed a spark the most. For me, that is when he sealed his fate.
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