Something I think Parekh will bring that the flames desperately need in their system is a defenceman that gets pucks to the net consistently. It’s a skill thee are t few defencemen have. Even good defencemen like Weegar and Andersson can struggle with. And if you watch Parekh’s highlights, he is very good at creating those lanes to get the puck to the net and actually hit the net. I think Hughes is the best in the league at this right now. That skillset can be so valuable.
It was really evident last night. The flames were trying to run their offence from the point and they were missing the net so much it was frustrating. It took Bahl stepping in closer to finally get a decent shot on net from the defence.
I’m sure it will be years before Parekh develops into a top pairing defensemen (if at all) but I really, really hope they make him the primary defenceman on the powerplay earlier than that. They really could use it.
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