I mean…no line rushes mean no line rushes. So this seems a lot like one of those “Cole Smith takes line rushes with O’Reilly and Forsberg” moments where everyone freaked out after extrapolating from a 15 minute practice.
For Wood, he’s a 20 year old who is jumping 3 leagues. He also doesn’t really show Top 6 talent at the moment. He’s 6’3, 200 pounds and is a very poor skater and avoids physicality. He’s not NHL ready by any stretch.
This was his first “practice” with the team. He’ll probably play tomorrow. Everyone should take a moment to enjoy that he’s in the league at 20 rather than getting pissed that he’s not taking rushes with Stamkos.
I don’t hate Wood starting on the 4th line for his first game. Why not dial down the pressure to let him get his feet wet? I know people want to give him top-6 minutes, and I am all for giving the kid minutes to see who he is…. but starting him on the 4th line will give him a chance get his feet wet without any pressure.
The team may not have any pressure, but if you think that anyone (whether you are a first round pick, or undrafted) doesn’t put pressure on himself in their NHL debut, then you are not being realistic. Wood has the size we want on the 4th line, so let him get comfortable without expectations. I will also point out that McCarron has been playing as well as anyone on the team since the trade deadline, so Wood playing with McCarron and Smith would give Wood two veterans to lean on. Our 4th line is probably the most stable line on the team at the moment.
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https://preview.redd.it/3uc5f9qxz1te1.png?width=737&format=png&auto=webp&s=418c5124aa916a2954b8a6e8d84d366533d01c5c
We need to give him 2nd line minutes.
I mean…no line rushes mean no line rushes. So this seems a lot like one of those “Cole Smith takes line rushes with O’Reilly and Forsberg” moments where everyone freaked out after extrapolating from a 15 minute practice.
For Wood, he’s a 20 year old who is jumping 3 leagues. He also doesn’t really show Top 6 talent at the moment. He’s 6’3, 200 pounds and is a very poor skater and avoids physicality. He’s not NHL ready by any stretch.
This was his first “practice” with the team. He’ll probably play tomorrow. Everyone should take a moment to enjoy that he’s in the league at 20 rather than getting pissed that he’s not taking rushes with Stamkos.
I don’t hate Wood starting on the 4th line for his first game. Why not dial down the pressure to let him get his feet wet? I know people want to give him top-6 minutes, and I am all for giving the kid minutes to see who he is…. but starting him on the 4th line will give him a chance get his feet wet without any pressure.
The team may not have any pressure, but if you think that anyone (whether you are a first round pick, or undrafted) doesn’t put pressure on himself in their NHL debut, then you are not being realistic. Wood has the size we want on the 4th line, so let him get comfortable without expectations. I will also point out that McCarron has been playing as well as anyone on the team since the trade deadline, so Wood playing with McCarron and Smith would give Wood two veterans to lean on. Our 4th line is probably the most stable line on the team at the moment.
we like to call this the tolvanen method