On the road against McDavid and Draisaitl, I'm okay with Parekh starting in the pressbox. Physically, he is still underdeveloped, even compared to someone like Gridin, and he is going to get punished in the corners (or worse, avoid the battles altogether). He can work on his elusiveness and defensive positioning in practice, and it'll go that much better for him when he hits the ice for a game.
This is a player who might be carrying a big load for this franchise for the next decade. It doesn't have to all happen on Day 1.
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