Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
This has only ever happened very rarely, and I do not believe it has happened at the NHL level for many years now; this suggests to me that there are fundamentally sound reasons for why players are not shuffled from the blue line up-and-back after juniour. It is probably not something we will ever see again in our lifetimes.
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Good assessment. The point of attack for defense generally begins with less resistance, and by the time multiple bodies are encountered the player is up to speed, generally possessing an advantage on defenders. Forwards routinely gain possession in traffic, and require the ability to process and evade from a speed equivalent stature. A player may be able to adjust, but it would require a significant learning curve for most players. Poirier looks good when attacking defenders at top pace, but taking possession in traffic with shorter ice ahead is a vastly different landscape.