Quote:
Originally Posted by Sandman
Not sure what happened, but he didn’t seem to gel with Huska right out of training camp last year. You would think impressing Sutter would be a more difficult mountain to climb than impressing Huska, but they’re two very different coaches, I guess.
The polar opposite of Rooney’s situation….
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It may have been a coaching/systems issue, or perhaps just a combination of different things. I believe he had gotten married last off-season. Maybe the contract extension he signed in April 2023? Perhaps he just took a big hit, or had a nagging injury, and got a bit gun-shy? It was really notable how different he played last season, however. I loved the speed, decent shot and grittiness that he had. Everything disappeared
Could be that he just needs a bit more time to realize what it means to play at the NHL level, and how consistent you have to be in effort. Hathaway took a few years to find enough consistency in his game - he had long stretches where he was completely invisible and would get sent down. Perhaps Duehr needs a bit more time, or perhaps he just isn't an NHL'er and will never be. Too bad. He looked like he was going to become a fantastic depth guy.