Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
Not everything went wrong. Some players had career years production wise (Backlund, Coleman, Dube, Toffoli, Zadorov). You can't count on that sort of thing every season. In order to improve, players who had down years will need to step up, but other players will have to maintain their production, or others will have to step up as well.
I wouldn't say I am pessimistic, but I am unconvinced because there are just too many question marks.
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Players like Coleman and Toffoli having career years were the result of the Sutter system. What's the net points lost vs gained from the Sutter system? The fact only guys with a jam it into the net style of play were succeeding is not a positive. That only speaks to how absolutely stifling the system was.
I don't count Dube in there as he's an example of a young guy on the rise. If anything, he was held down by the Sutter system. He's one of many young players who I expect to surprise this year.