Quote:
Originally Posted by The Cobra
I understand what you are trying to say, I just don’t accept it. Can you not understand that?
players who are good in the locker room ( as their best trait) generally cannot catch on with good teams, because they aren’t that great and good teams generally don't require those type of players. Nor can they afford them.
|
Who said anything about signing a guy whose best trait is that he's good in the locker room?
Kadri and Backlund have a history of making their wingers play better, and in Backlund's case, those wingers have a history of retaining the lessons they learn and being better for it all through their careers. (Kadri seems to have some of the same ability, based on the fact that both Zary and Pospisil improved markedly once they were put on his line and stayed at their new level when moved to other lines. It remains to be seen if Kadri can repeat that with other young players.)
That's mentorship. ‘Being good in the locker room’ isn't.
Players who can do that do not grow on trees, and they aren't twiddling their thumbs every summer looking for one-year deals. When you have such players, you don't just get rid of them because they are veterans, and you don't replace them with any old vet who will sign a one-year deal.