Quote:
Originally Posted by Five-hole
Don't agree. Granlund has 2nd line offensive upside and isn't a good enough faceoff/possession player to be a bottom 6 forward. He also disappears for long stretches. He's one of those guys with a very precise "round hole" to fit into -- the question is if he's a square peg.
Janko also probably has 2nd line upside IMO, but I think he could play anywhere in the lineup.
I don't know anything about Hickey except that he's getting a lot of buzz.
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Granlund isn't a flashy / explosive primary scorer but that doesn't mean he doesn't have top line upside. He's the kind of guy you sneak to the other end of Getzlaf and Perry or the Sedin Twins and he'll burn you with that shot of his or find the open man with his vision.
As for possession, it's something he needs to improve but it
was his rookie year.
It's said often, but the biggest mistake in handling Granlund is forcing him to play center. He can play the position, but he doesn't thrive playing it. It was made worse because most of the year he was centering the fourth line if he got in.. guys like Bollig who aren't offensive-minded.
Granlund is not Backlund despite the similar sounding name. I see his upside as a pure Detroit-style winger.
The first step for him is getting stronger than he was last season.