God knows what his potential is. I've heard everything from "AHL 'tweener" to "top line power forward". The funny thing is, I've seen all those versions of him, and I still can't decide who he actually is. That's the infuriating thing about him, he teases you constantly with elite potential, but only plays at that level for maybe 20% of the season at most.
Will the real Micheal Ferland please stand up?
He is one of the biggest enigma's of a hockey player I have ever watched. You just don't know what you're going to get from him on any given shift.
The good thing is that he is relatively inexperienced with playing hockey after starting rather late. We will see if any consistency in his play emerges over time.
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He has the potential to be a power forward but for me the jury is still out. He's horribly inconsitant with his play and hopefully as he gets older and gains more experience we may the get to see his full potential.
I truly believe Ferland has above average hands, has a creative side to him but his timing is still developing. I think Ferly has displayed strong mental fortitude and has a leadership quality to him.
Consistency and finding a way to use his large frame and strength with finesse is what he needs to put together.
If he can, I see more a Johan Franzen type player. And that worked very well for Datayuk. I'm not comparing Johnny and Ferly to Datayuk and Franzen, but a similar style game is possible.
With Monny riding shotgun and perfecting his all ready string defensive game, that line has serious potential.
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I really believe Ferland has more development. I look at development simply as "a player is developing until he no longer is".
Who here can say that last season Ferland didn't take a step forward in his overall game? Sure, consistency is key, but his baseline went up and his 'peaks' definitely went up as well. Why are people going to say: "That's all the room he has left to grow, and he is what he is now."?
He is what he is when he is 'that' for a couple of seasons in a row. He is progressing every year, and until he stops, I expect him to progress every year.
Ferland is not your typical player. Started late. Battled fitness issues. Battled addiction issues. Got his head on straight and is now climbing steadily as a player. Nobody at this point can really say. He may end up being a legitimate top line winger. He may end up as just a pretty good bottom 6 player. I would bank he ends up somewhere in the top 6.
Ferland - as he is today - is a very valuable piece for the Flames. His speed, IQ, physicality, his shot, his passing ability, his board work, his defensive acumen - these make him a very versatile player that can play all up and down the lineup on either wing, and in any situation, and not hurt this team.
Also, I like the fact that he is such a clean player given the type of game he plays. He went through like half the season without taking a minor penalty. That's awesome.
Agree with all this.
There is no question that he is still developing. And it is true that he is still, in some ways, inexperienced.
Is he inconsistent? Absolutely.
But he also has tremendous skills: speed, size, shot, aggressiveness...
For me, the thing with Ferland's game is that he is still experimenting. He is still learning and discovering what he can actually do in this league. We see him try things, and sometimes get into trouble. But we also see him suddenly start doing things that simply weren't part of his game prior to that.
His potential is massive. And I believe that there is a point coming where he puts it all together. If he does, it will be glorious. I don't know if he can become Bertuzzi-good, but he can definitely be an impact player. And yes, even a top line player.
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He's had 4 years of professional hockey experience, I think we can do away with the inexperienced commentary.
2013-14 - 25 game shortened season due to injury
2014-15 - 32 games in the AHL, 26 in the NHL; again, shortened due to injury
2015-16 - 71 games - first full season after he finally solidified his spot on the team after that playoff run.
2016 -17 - 76 games - just finished his second full season, one in which saw him being the most productive winger rotated through that top line.
Now, you can choose to look at '4 seasons of pro experience', but I don't think many do. I see 2 full seasons and 2 half seasons plagued with injuries that coincided with him having personal issues. I think he hardly qualifies as a vet, and I stand behind my statement that until he plateaus, you are seeing a player develop and improve in the NHL.
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I love the way Ferland plays. I see him as a key piece of the team, in no small part because of the character he contributes. Players who bring a certain character and help build a team culture are valuable beyond their stats, though I think Ferland has the talent to keep improving on his stats as well. I see him as a future first liner or strong second liner, but either way as key part of a strong playoff team.
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On this team Ferland has the hardest shot(and can get it through traffic cleanly), the best accelleration, good vision, reliable two-way play despite the occasional giveaway, is a good screener, is simply excellent at takeaways, and he's clearly still developing rougher aspects of his game (backhand, tapping in rebounds, and deflecting point shots). I don't see a finished package at all.
I see no reason he can't be a 25/25 guy at some point before he starts to slow down physically. I don't think he's got "elite" upside or anything, but I don't see why he can't be a poor man's version of Jamie Benn. Style-wise it's actually who comes to mind for me as no one else in the league really has the same package.
One thing I would like is for Ferly to get more PK/PP time over guys like Bouma/Frolik respectively.
I agree with essentially this entire post, but is it fair to claim Ferland has "good vision"? I'm not sure I can ever recall me impressed by a Ferland pass. Maybe I'm wrong.
I agree with essentially this entire post, but is it fair to claim Ferland has "good vision"? I'm not sure I can ever recall me impressed by a Ferland pass. Maybe I'm wrong.
I think Ferly's offensive vision is actually quite underrated. It's usually nothing flashy but I've always been impressed by his ability to pick up a puck in the offensive zone and make a subtle little move to find the lane back to the point. He nails it almost every time.
I agree with essentially this entire post, but is it fair to claim Ferland has "good vision"? I'm not sure I can ever recall me impressed by a Ferland pass. Maybe I'm wrong.
Vision is not exclusively a term that describes ones passing abilities (although it's partially part of it), to me it's how one reads and sees the play develop.
Ferland is very rarely not in the right spot on the ice or doing the right thing based on how the play is unfolding, so I think he's got pretty damn good vision. That said, to your point, I think the only time I would have questioned his vision this was at the start of this season during his first stint up on the Mony and Johnny line. During that time, he was consistently making terrible or ill advised passes that seemed counter to the flow or development of the play. Certainly valid to question his vision after seeing that, but based not he fact that hadn't occurred previously, or since (including his latest stint on the top line) would lead me to suggest that wasn't a vision issue, but rather him trying to feed his top notch line mates and actually making plays that were counter to his instincts or what his good vision was telling him to do.
Widely reported that the coaching staff had to remind him to just play his game for his second stint with that line and it went well, so I think his vision is pretty good out there.
Vision is not exclusively a term that describes ones passing abilities (although it's partially part of it), to me it's how one reads and sees the play develop.
Ferland is very rarely not in the right spot on the ice or doing the right thing based on how the play is unfolding, so I think he's got pretty damn good vision. That said, to your point, I think the only time I would have questioned his vision this was at the start of this season during his first stint up on the Mony and Johnny line. During that time, he was consistently making terrible or ill advised passes that seemed counter to the flow or development of the play. Certainly valid to question his vision after seeing that, but based not he fact that hadn't occurred previously, or since (including his latest stint on the top line) would lead me to suggest that wasn't a vision issue, but rather him trying to feed his top notch line mates and actually making plays that were counter to his instincts or what his good vision was telling him to do.
Widely reported that the coaching staff had to remind him to just play his game for his second stint with that line and it went well, so I think his vision is pretty good out there.
Ferland's first stint with that line wasn't this season at all. It was last season when Hartley had them together and Ferland was incredibly snakebit and Ramo was starting to cool down. Despite that, he actually made a lot of plays that resulted in fine chances, but nothing was going in for the line. He didn't turn the puck over all that much - he just wasn't playing with a gunning mindset as he had probably the lowest shooting percentage for a forward in the NHL last year. I think what you saw was just a confidence thing more than anything.
He didn't play with Johnny/Monny again until February this year.
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Last edited by GranteedEV; 05-28-2017 at 04:27 PM.
This will basically be his third full season in the league, I'm very happy with his development thus far. The irony is people like to bitch and moan about Calgary's inability to draft and develop, yet guy's like Ferland are a perfect example of them doing it right. If he plays on the top line for the whole season, I'm expecting 40 points. He skates fast, hits like a truck and has a laser beam for a shot. He's got the ability to handle the puck in traffic moreso than most. More dirty goals, deflections in front, rebounds and a bunch of making the opposition goalie's life difficult is the next logical step.
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Patience. Ferland showed this year that he can ride shotgun on that top line and produce. He's developing into a strong top six forward. People need to remember that development still continues in a players first few years in the league. Players don't show up in the NHL and they are fully cooked. They still have to learn the NHL game and how to do things in the NHL game. Ferland is well on his way to becoming a player in the ilk of Gary Roberts. The Flames just need to continue to play him with Monahan and Gaudreau and then reap the rewards.
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I like Ferly, and I think for a team that needs to get bigger to combat the likes of the Oilers, Ducks, etc. it's imperative that guys like him are kept.
I don't know that I pencil him into #1 RW, but he's a top 9 guy that can be successful in offensive situations and free up ice for his linemates due to his physicality.
Quick observation though: I see a lot of posters saying he brings speed? I see a lot of tools with Ferly, but speed not being a + attribute to my eyes. If anything, if his foot speed was a little better I think he could be a premier player. I think his lack of speed does limit his upside somewhat.
...Quick observation though: I see a lot of posters saying he brings speed? I see a lot of tools with Ferly, but speed not being a + attribute to my eyes. If anything, if his foot speed was a little better I think he could be a premier player. I think his lack of speed does limit his upside somewhat.
Seriously? for a guy his size Ferland is fast. Like virtually all big players his first step is not as quick as a player like Backlund, but when he is in stride he can skate with anyone.
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Seriously? for a guy his size Ferland is fast. Like virtually all big players his first step is not as quick as a player like Backlund, but when he is in stride he can skate with anyone.
He's a decent skater I agree, but comparably I look at a big guy like Kassian and see him as a better skater than Ferly. I wouldn't say it's a weakness per se, but it's not a + attribute.
