He has shown great finish in both the AHL, and the NHL. Phillips was setting him up, and he was just scoring at will in his last stint in the A. At the NHL he didn't look out of place on the Lindholm line, and on the Backlund line.
The coach obviously didn't like something in his game. I'm guessing that a lot of defensive details were missed time and time again. Either that or Sutter determined that his effort was lacking.
As for production this season. I think it would really depend on how long of a leash he gets from Huska. If he's our 12th/13th forward then 5G, 10-15P. If he gets to play consistently higher in the lineup I think 15G, 35P will be his production.
|