This morning's skatearound saw James Neal return to practice after a maintenance day. Head Coach Gerard Gallant confirmed that he will go with the same line-up which defeated Boston, including Malcolm Subban as his starter, for tonight's tilt against Buffalo.
This means that Jason Garrison, Brayden McNabb, and Griffin Reinhart will sit out again.
Garrison's absence on Sunday was something of a surprise, as it seemed as if the veteran had established himself in the earlygoing, but Gallant suggested that it was a healthy scratch. Garrison appeared unencumbered at skatearound this morning.
Also, Gallant was also asked multiple times about the changes that Goaltending Coach Dave Prior may have made in Subban's game recently, but he refused to elaborate.
Speaking of Subban...
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When the Vegas Golden Knights claimed Subban off waivers from the Boston Bruins two weeks ago, I spoke with
Greg Balloch of
In Goal Magazine about Subban's struggles in the Boston organization, his ceiling, and what the 2012 first-round draft pick would have to do to unlock his potential.
Little did Greg and I know that Subban would become the team's starter just five games into the season because of a Marc-Andre Fleury concussion. Regardless, our recent conversation is still relevant.
HockeyBuzz: Why didn't it work in Boston for Subban?
Greg Balloch: I'm not so sure that it didn't "work out" in Boston for Subban, so to speak. If they had their way, he would have cleared waivers and been assigned to Providence -- still in their possession. They just felt like he wasn't completely ready to take on an NHL job at this very moment.
Unfortunately, due to his age and contract, they were forced to try and slip him through waivers. They definitely value Zane McIntyre as the greater talent in their system, which is a bit surprising since he struggled to begin his AHL career as well -- but really turned a corner last season. With Daniel Vladar also in the mix, vying for playing time, it was simply a numbers game at this point -- and their gamble didn't pay off.
HB: When he was acquired, Subban shared his perspective on the flaws in his game. He spoke of "calming down my game." Do you agree? And is there more to work on than that?
GB: It's funny that he would point to "calming down my game" and being less aggressive, because his explosiveness is one of his greatest strengths.
They tried reeling him back in Boston, but some people think that it actually did him more harm than good -- he was too tentative, so to speak. There is some thought that Dave Prior, the Vegas goalie coach who leans a bit more to the old-school side, will try and loosen the reins a little bit.
There is a level of controlled athleticism that Subban needs to master before he can really make a mark in the NHL, but the talent that made him a first-round draft pick is still there. He does have size, but his specific set of tools makes it difficult to envision him as somebody who sits back and waits for the play to develop around him, like so many other modern goaltenders do. It will be interesting to see the direction that they decide to go with him.
What is Subban's ceiling at this point? And do you think Dave Prior and the Golden Knights are the ones to unlock it?
GB: As I touched on in the last question, Subban's skill has never been in question -- at least in my eyes. He was a first-round pick because of his raw skills and athleticism, which are clearly seen even when he's struggling.
If the Golden Knights are able to identify what he does well, and mold his game around those skills, I think he could still turn into a starting goalie at the NHL level.
Don't discredit what working every day with Marc-Andre Fleury will do for him, as well. Fleury has a very similar skill set in terms of explosiveness and athleticism, mixed with aggressive reads. If the Vegas defence can get used to playing in front of Fleury, they'll see more of the same when Subban is in goal.
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