He is harder on pucks, more physical more regularly, and he has stopped forcing pucks unnecessarily. All my gripes about him as a player are eliminated. All the talk about poor character or lack of effort was just nothing more than uncalled for bitterness from some people in my opinion. Effort and character are two of the consistently strong traits that he seems to have as both a player and as a human being.
I also think that he is playing with two players that fit his playstyle now. Kadri and Pospisil both bring speed and good shots, they can handle hard passes, and they can also make plays (nobody talks about Pospisil's playmaking, but it is surprisingly strong!).
Hope he keeps it up. He has been on heaters before in both seasons as a Flame, but at the same time, he has also had season-long heaters in the past as well. I really think that Florida dumped him because he didn't play the right way, and when he came here, this organization demanded that he play the right way no matter what. Both Sutter and Huska wouldn't bend, and I think it is really paying off. He has added so much more grit and determination to his game, and he is rarely on the wrong side of the puck now 5on5. People will point that he was used on the PK in Florida, but I don't think he was a strong 5on5 player there. I think he has figured out how to produce while being a more complete player.
Hopefully he just continues doing exactly what he is doing. He has been effective, and his production is just coming along for the ride.
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