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Max Pacioretty...Has He Earned Redemption? + Kreider (NYR/BC) Update |
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If you're following
my twitter feed, you'd know that I'm in Durham, NH tonight for the Hockey East regular season finale between UNH and Boston College, which also happened to be for the Hockey East regular season title and the #1 seed in the tournament (BC won 4-3 in a heck of a battle.), but on the drive up with some colleagues (and fellow UMass alums) we started talking about Max Pacioretty and how it finally seems like he's come into his own and fulfilling some of the potential that we all knew he had.
All three of us agreed that he wasn't ready to go pro after his freshman season at Michigan, despite how spectacular it was, and it showed in his struggles to keep up with the big boys in both the NHL and AHL. He simply wasn't strong enough to win the one-on-one battles and because he didn't come out strong and be the player we all thought he was capable of being from the get go, he started to get a bad reputation. He was just 19 and every bit a prospect, but many Canadiens fans wanted - and quite frankly, expected him - to be more of a game changer and were disappointed when he wasn't.
Three years later, things have changed. He's bigger and stronger and contributing more offensively (It really couldn't be better timing that he scored twice today and in two very different ways) and I think it all comes down to comfort and confidence. When he made the jump he really didn't feel like he belonged. He knew he was good and had what it takes to be really good, but he just wasn't quite up to par with the big boys and it effected his confidence - something he had in spades in Ann Arbor - but now....things are different.
Now, he's better able to utilize his speed to create separation. He's more equipped to win the battles down low and along the boards and he still has every bit of skill that made him a first round draft pick. He's still got work to do - mainly on bringing a more consistent effort every day - but he's definitely turning into the player we thought he could be and, more importantly, he feels like he's turned into the player we thought he could be and it shows.
What do you guys think? Are you happy with the way he has developed? What are you now expecting from him? Has he redeemed himself in your eyes?
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Update on Rangers prospect and BC forward, Chris Kreider, who broke his jaw in last night's game by taking a clearing attempt to the face: He will see a specialist tomorrow, have surgery some time this week and will be out 4-6 weeks. The NCAA Regionals are three weeks away and the Frozen Four and National Championship is five weeks away. Should BC make it that far, I fully expect him to play.
Julie
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@JulieRobenhymer
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