He looked super engaged last night. Even ignoring the goal, he was making checks, blocking pucks and winning board battles.
I realize that's not indicative of someone who is worth $10.5 a year, but if that's what youre fixating on, you're missing a possible resurgence in his game. In his prior two seasons, he rarely did those little things away from the puck. He looked lost, ineffective, unfocused and unwilling to engage.
But now he is increasingly engaging with a real sense of purpose in all areas of the game and all over the ice. And I think doing all the little things right is generally the precursor for big things start to come together. That's my hope anyways.
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