Parekh needs to learn to become an overall dman. Compared to Buium he's got way more holes in his game. They are not trying to develop him into MA Bergeron, they are trying to develop him into an elite dman. That means he has to be able to defend as well as generate offense. So yes I see that as part of the development path.
I have a hard time commenting on your perception of the system, because your descriptions are vague. I don't know what you mean by "play faster more open hockey" and how you are measuring it. I don't know how much you watch these teams you are referencing, but a lot of your complaints I hear from fans of those teams, including how their young players are being deployed.
I largely think it's a perception issue more than reality. Not aided by the fact that right now, no question, the Flames are playing some of the most boring, worst hockey we've seen in these parts for a long time. But they aren't going to score 1 goal a game for the entire season. But they will probably be bad.
This is what bottoming out looks like. I worry if we can't even seemingly handle 10 games of it. Because there might be a few years of this.
Go look at the standings from last year. All the teams near the bottom have one thing in common: they suck at scoring.
It's not a system issue. It's not a coaching issue.
Talent creates offense and goals
Lack of talent is hard to over come.
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