Quote:
Originally Posted by Aarongavey
I guess my other question is how much of Lindstrom’s production is driven by McKenna. That guy is an elite 16 yr old player in the WHL. Below is how he compares with some other somewhat recent 16 year olds.
McKenna - 62 GP 32 goals 66 assists 98 points (projected)
Bedard - 62 GP 51 goals 49 assists 100 points
McDavid - 63 GP 25 goals 41 assists 66 points
Bedard was also 6 months older than McKenna is for his 16 year old year. I get nervous when a player is playing with a generational talent (at least at the junior level) in McKenna. I think a question of who is driving who in Medicine Hat is valid. There certainly has been no drop off for McKenna since Lindstrom got injured, before the injury he averaged 1.28 PPG and since the injury he has averaged 1.88 PPG. What definitely is noticeable is how Lindstrom has skyrocketed in the rankings since McKenna joined the team this year.
|
Excellent post!
My argument would be that Lindstrom was talked about as being a sure-fire first rounder last season. His 42 points in 61 games in 2022-23 (without McKenna for the most part) tells me that Lindstrom was destined to be a ppg or above in 2023-24, even without the benefit of playing with McKenna. And even if Lindstrom was only a ppg player this season, he would still probably be a top-10 pick, based on his physical gifts, and play-driving qualities.
Does Lindstrom even play on a line with McKenna?