Bakersfield, California is known for many things, and those of us who grew up in the 1960’s with parents who loved country music would count Buck Owens as one of them. Owens wrote intelligent and witty songs (Act Naturally, Together Again) with a tight backing band that used fuzz guitar (Who’s Gonna Mow Your Grass?). Among the most important parts of the Buck Owens sound was harmony singer Don Rich. Owens and Rich had voices that matched perfectly, the proverbial ‘brothers from another mother’ in song.
Since 2015, Oilers fans think of Bakersfield as a city that houses the minor-league hopefuls. The Oilers are a bigger franchise than their market, due to reasons that involve more leisure time than anyone had in the 1960’s and the fact the Oilers (uniquely) deal in generational talents mixed with bewildering decisions often made in a fit of pique. That might be my finest run-on sentence ever. You’re welcome. If the Edmonton Oilers were a daytime drama, the ratings would be through the roof. Heaven and hell in the NHL bought a house in this city just to be close to the action. Today’s subject: Colin Chaulk and the prospects.
The Athletic piece today is about the Oilers eschewing the lefty-righty commandment and running with what works for them. Article is here.
COLIN CHAULK
A lively conversation yesterday on this blog surrounded Colin Chaulk and the job he’s doing in Bakersfield with young Condors. I look at the AHL coach as a developer of talent first and foremost, so the best way for me to evaluate AHL coaches is by counting the number of players developed over the course of a coaching tenure.
Jay Woodcroft coached in Bakersfield for parts of four seasons. He can be credited with helping AHL rookies Evan Bouchard, Ryan McLeod, Kailer Yamamoto, Stuart Skinner, Vincent Desharnais, James Hamblin, Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway and Mike Kesselring find their way to the NHL success. He also helped Tyler Benson and Cooper Marody reach impressive heights as AHL skill forwards.
I count nine complete successes over four seasons, so I think we can safely give him credit for two NHL players developed per year. Now, Woodcroft’s resume has the advantage of time elapsed, so there is more actual proof available to us. He also had two top-10 NHL draft picks and two more first-round selections among his prospects. I give Woodcroft a good grade, I’ll say B+, for his work with the Bakersfield youth.
Colin Chaulk has enjoyed fewer impact prospects since arriving as coach in the middle of the 2021-22 season. I would give him credit for helping Broberg and Holloway though, so that’s high draft pedigree. Also on his list is Mike Kesselring, with the rest of the Chaulk group pushing for the NHL. Most promising are Noah Philp (who isn’t there but awaits the call), Max Wanner, Olivier Rodrigue, Jayden Grubbe and Matthew Savoie.
It’s difficult to give Chaulk a grade without acknowledging the offensive forward prospects who failed (notably Xavier Bourgault and currently Matvey Petrov who is playing poorly) while also admiring the progress of Philp, Max Wanner, Olivier Rodrigue and Jayden Grubbe.
I’ll give Chaulk a C and tell you that the chief success I’ve seen is in the handling of Matthew Savoie. He is getting substantial minutes and outscoring, plus the power-play points will come if the coach keeps running him out there. I don’t give Chaulk the blame on Bourgault’s falter, because Bourgault had a reasonable rookie year but didn’t build on it. He did not get stronger, nor more dynamic, nor more involved in the play.
I look at Chaulk and see a coach who has clear strengths (his development of Wanner has been impressive) and some areas you’d like him to work on (he had a terrible time figuring out how to dole out playing time to prospect wingers Bourgault, Petrov, Holloway, Carter Savoie, Tyler Tullio and others last season) while also acknowledging he was placed in a tough spot. The Oilers should have moved two or three of those kids to the ECHL, but they didn’t do it.
If Savoie fails, Chaulk gets fired and I don’t think anyone would argue with it. However, I see the coach doing everything he can to give the young man a chance. The injuries to Lane Pederson and James Hamblin hurt the coach and his young winger, but that too shall pass.
You do you, and I absolutely know many will disagree, but I think Chaulk is worth keeping. He is getting progress from the two-way and defensive kids (Philp, Rodrigue, Wanner, Grubbe). They are all flourishing. These are the people you want developing down on the farm. This is the job! Bourgault should have been pushing for NHL work by the end of his rookie season. Seriously.
Bourgault is a draft pick I endorsed, but he needed to be far better than he was, that’s a fact. If Savoie fails, you’ll have Chaulk’s job same day. I don’t believe he’ll fail, and if Philp, Rodrigue, Wanner and Grubbe make the grade, then Chaulk will have developed the exact group of players who normally thrive in the AHL when receiving good coaching and opportunities.
Lowdown hits at noon today, Sports 1440. We’ll have Rachel Doerrie (12:40) and Jason Gregor (1:20) as guests, and Declan Krueger’s Declanations will feature Momma MMA and NCAA football. We’ll chat about the Oilers innovation on defense (Nurse-Kulak) and of course you drive the show with your comments. I’m at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section here and on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly. We can be heard at sports1440.ca; iHeartRadio; Radioplayer Canada, we tweet out the show after it’s done and you can catch us on Apple and Spotify.
1) Thank you LT for doing the analysis of Colin Chaulk that required hard work (godot, I didn’t see the W-L record in his analysis, funny thing)
2) Blackwood has not proven anything in this league as a bonafide starter. His last 4 seasons have been around .900 and he started 40+ games last season for a bottom feeder with no pressure. I get the sentiment that this may be an upgrade, but it’s desperation personified. They can trade for Wedgewood, Blackwood, plywood, oak, maple, or cherry for all I care.
I will be right in the end, like I always am! -).
The odds be ever in my favor because I pick (on) the patently obvious the low hanging fruit. Chaulk is awful. Be first to make the call.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag14Ao_xO4c
I called “play lefty with lefty” “play Broberg with Nurse” in training camp last season, and by game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals, I was proven right. And with my lineup the Oilers were three wins to the Panthers two. Broberg and Nurse both solidly plus in those five games.
The Oilers, unfortunately, were a little late to see what was obvious all along…
Long Broberg, Short Ceci was such an obvious trade.
What exactly did Broberg’s less than 35% expected goal share in the playoffs prove right?
McDavid and Draisaitl are still haunting Broberg’s dreams…
and the dreams of every NHL defenseman.
Even my fave, the best defensemen in the NHL, Miro Heiskanen, got turned inside out by McDavid in the playoffs last year.
Getting turned inside out by Davo is a rite of passage for all of the best D.
What Heiskanen didn’t do, was gift both McDavid and Draisaitl breakaways at his goalie. In the same game.
Being right for the wrong reasons is still wrong
Is that like a man being right without a woman there to hear him (he’s still wrong)?
Brad Malone named interim head coach of the Oshawa Generals.
Worst starter in the league just got dumped
He had become unplayable.
Devan Dubnyk incoming and a 2nd rounder for their troubles. Fantastic trade all around for the building Sharks. Worst case hand it to fellow Russian Askarov. Truly a coup.
GSAA
Georgiev -9.4
Blackwood +3.9
It’s been awhile where a team dumped and traded for a no 1 starter in season. Lots of pressure on Blackwood immediately he’s never been in this position.
I think there is very little pressure on Blackwood. The Av’s goaltending could literally it get worse. Blackwood will almost assuredly be an upgrade.
Goaltending is like being a starter pitcher your on a island and if your leaking nobody is there to save you.
He was the defacto starter in SJ this season and last with 19 and 44 starts respectively.
.910 this season and .899.
The key is the .899 with the 44 starts. That’s not much
Just noticed 7 of the 9 games left for Colorado in December are against teams not currently in a playoff position.
Could be a very soft landing
Sakic makes a bold move I give him credit he didn’t pussyfoot around he made a actual trade. The change of scenery may benifit Georgiev who I seen up close a few times a couple of years ago he looked like a 14 year old flexible stick I couldn’t believe his age or how thin he was.
Is this similar to advise a few weeks ago about the flames 6 games against non-playoff teams coming up and their projected rise in the standings vis-a-vis the Oilers – the flames lost 5 of the 6.
Never been in this position?
How quickly we forget how badly he crapped the bed for the devils
A reminder that Colorado also picked up Scott Wedgewood for Justus Annunen
10 days ago.
They’ve now turned over their starting rotation.
Wedgwood in 3GP has a .951 Sv% and a GAA of 1.44
What a great sample size. Not jumping the gun at all, there, cowboy
GSAA
Georgiev -9.4
Blackwood +3.9
Now look at the last five years. Both are way below zero.
This trade is the definition of trading a bad player for a bad player in hopes that a change of scenery will work.
And it might. There’s not much to lose.
But I wouldn’t bet on either one being a long-term solution in either place.
Would be hilarious and not at all surprising if Georgiev outplays Blackwood over the rest of the season. Georgiev’s career save percentage is .907 vs. .904 for Blackwood.
#GoaliesAreVoodoo
@Woodguy55
Goals Save Above Expected per 100 shots against this season and last via @EvolvingHockey
Pickard -0.04
Blackwood 0.85
Skinner 0.47
Would have been a good option for 1B with the ability to be 1A if the past performance predicts the future (which isn’t a slam dunk)
If Skinner didn’t stop pooping the bed the last 4-5 games I think we would of seen a trade of this magnitude. Bowman has no ties to Skinner&Pickard which will result in possibly 2 upgrades this off-season.
https://x.com/JasonGregor/status/1866284152842330145
“Hill has allowed two low-percentage goals, while Montembeault and Binnington (after Saturday) have allowed three. I wonder if that was a factor in Canada’s goalie selection. Although, it might surprise some, but Stuart Skinner has also only allowed three,” Woodley @sports1440
This would increase the Oilers cap by apx $1.35MM which would, without other cap out moves, decrease the Oilers ability to accrue down to zero, even with a 21 player roster.
Effectively that would be the Oilers only move this season except for “money in-money out transactions” – not even getting in to depleting the trade asset bin.
I would love to add Blackwood as the 1B but I’ll take a 4/5 d-man instead.
Perhaps adding all of Arvidsson/Skinner and paying $3 million for Henrique was not a great strategy?
McLeod is currently outscoring him 14-9 for almost $1 million lees.
Crazy how all those goalies that Holland dropped the ball on (Georgiev, Husso, Nedeljkovic, Forsberg) have been sub-.900 for multiple seasons.
And yet ended up with GSAA #51 Calvin Pickard -1.9 and #73 Stuart Skinner -7.0
https://moneypuck.com/goalies.htm
That’s depressing it’s hard to believe we’re at 5 games over 500. If Campbell would of panned out we would’ve had 2 Cups and counting.
Key being multiple seasons.
Going back 3 seasons, 73 goalies have played at least 30 games. Among them:
Skinner .907 T23rd
Georgiev .905 T31st
Pickard .904 T33rd
Blackwood .900 47th (FWIW)
Nedeljkovic .896 T52nd
Forsberg .895 56th
Husso .894 T57th
Oilers play 3 straight Saturday 1pm games at home with the final 2 weekends of the month hosting back to backs with the 2nd back to back also being at 1pm on a Sunday. Ugly.
Any game that is not a 7:30 or 8 PM start is a bonus. Games that finish sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 PM are a schedule killer for me.
Something to listen to on Saturday afternoon while working away on a project in the garage is a total bonus.
Sunday games that start NLT 6 pm align perfectly with work on a Monday morning.
January is going to be rough with 2 x 8 PM and 3 x 7:30 PM start times.
Stauff asks a leading question re: chances off the rush and limiting them.
Coach says that all season we’ve been top 2 or 3 in most defensive metrics and that defending the rush is one of the most important indicators of success – no Stanley Cup champion in the last 5-6 years that have been poor off defending the rush. Last year we were 1 or 2 defending the rush.
The defending is the first part. Last I heard Woodley talk Stu was still last in that for goalies
I hope we don’t regret not going after Blackwood, if they didn’t
Nice to see Perrault score in his first game in Bakersfield. He’s 22 and obviously hasn’t lived up to his draft pedigree. It’ll be interesting to watch this kid possibly but more hopefully pop for a G.M that believes in him. I like these little deals the organization is doing instead of signing burnt out Erne’s they are hunting for actual needles in a haystack.
He made a couple slick plays with the puck.
Avs trade for McKenzie Blackwood,
TSN.ca Staff
Published Dec 09, 2024 at 03:19 PM ET
The San Jose Sharks have traded goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and a fifth-round draft pick in 2027 to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, a fifth-round draft pick in 2025 and a second-round draft pick in 2026 on Monday.
Thanks HH
Guess again.
For starters, I’m funnier and better looking.
As a former male model and someone who is not an actual comedian but has played one on television, I question the veracity of this statement. :0
I’m also a male model. Check the U Line work wear section under ‘Elastic Waist Polyester’
Don’t worry, HH will post this later in the day, book it!
Initially I thought this was a trade for a back-up to push Georgiev. Didn’t realize they were traded for each other. I know Georgiev hasn’t been good this year, but it seems fairly ballsy to trade him. What if it’s the defense? Does anyone have the fancy stats that could enlighten me?
Georgiev rocking an 0.874 with the Avs in 18 games.
Blackwood sporting a 0.909 with the Sharks in 19 games.
I have not looked into underlying numbers, but no way the Avs D is worse than the Sharks.
I don’t watch Colorado at all (except when the Oilers play them), but I wonder how much of the issue really is goalie versus system? Georgiev was better in NY with the Rangers, but not playing as much and playing for a team that was not as highly skilled. He goes across country and craps the bed, but is it really all on him?
My first thought is that is a disappointingly good deal for Colorado given they get to dump Georgiev’s contract in the deal.
A second rounder for Blackwood and the cap dump.
When all is said and done Colorado picked about $900K in cap space.
Per coach, Arvidsson has been skating and is feeling better. Likely to start practicing with the team this week.
We will see Henrique-Arvidsson-Skinner true value come playoff time. I can’t wait for the real season to start.
Did Leon Draisaitl not have the “A” on his jersey against St. Louis?
Good pickup. I went back and checked and right you are. Cutting costs I guess.
I believe the Oilers have three assistant captains (2 for each game) – Leon, Nuge and Nurse.
As a kid I was a Habs fan. From April 1971 to the Cup final game in 1978 I was dialled in to all things Habs. That meant I paid some attention to what was happening down on the farm with the Voyageurs.
In the spring of 2022 I started to watch the Oilers. Now I’m paying a little bit of attention to the Condors (thanks Allan).
The 70s Habs had depth for many reasons. One was how they used the farm —another was how they used their director development, a coach named Claude Ruel. The Habs often drafted highly qualified offensive talent. Ruel’s job (and Voyageur’s coach Al McNeil’s job) was to help these talents become “complete” players, ready to play the game the way Scotty Bowman wanted them to play.
I see an impatience in Oilers fans for talent to step up & into NHL roles. I’m hoping that coaches Knoblauch and Chaulk and GM Stan have patience. I like the decision to keep Philp on the farm to play more. Will it be enough time? How impatient are the Oilers?
That said, it may have been Lowetide on the radio who recently made the case that players should know where they are in the development pipeline. Were Broberg and Holloway aware of an imminent future with this Cup-contender? Or were they kept in the dark? In the 70s a talent like Dryden, Savard, Robinson might be willing to wait and “develop,” knowing there was a good chance for Stanley Cup champagne in the not-too-distant future. But there was no WHA, no big money in Europe, and no offer sheet.
I’m watching hockey again because I think I see in the Oilers the kind of hockey I loved in my 70s Habs. Talented. Fast. Lots of heart. And, offensively brilliant while becoming more and more defensively stable. I like what Lowetide says about the Knoblauchshot-suppression game. I like how Draisaitl is looking more and more like the kind of player Bowman the Elder would turn to in tight moments. I like how Podkolzin’s work ethic is —perhaps— setting a tone, and how he may become a Bob Gainey-type player here. I like how Jeff Skinner is being slow-played: in the Oilers team I imagine, he *must* become defensively responsible.
Thanks for your insistence on paying attention to the farm Al. And your refrain of patience patience patience. Not very dramatic. But it may be a way towards building a dynasty in your city.
ps. Interesting to note that the Voyageurs franchise became today’s Bakersfield Condors.
I don’t have a strong informed opinion on if Chaulk is going a great or poor job of developing the real prospects.
I will say that he doesn’t currently have the benefit of the pedigree and ceiling that Woody had with his prospects.
I do get frustrated with the criticism of Chaulk and the calls for his firing from many based on seeing the pre-game lines and pairings and boxcars.
There is a ton of misinformation out there about a couple of the players and how they are performing and how Chaulk is running things.
I conversed with one yesterday that was fuming asking why Savoie was playing with AHL vets yesterday. I mean, what?
He was playing with Caggiula and Pederson, the best offensive players on the team – one of which has been in the NHL this season. Would playing with Grubbe and Petrov be better? No.
Savoie has been 1RW (or 1C when Philp was up) and PP1 every game this season. Every game.
There is no doubt that Chaulk does take instruction from the NHL team, he has mentioned it various times. If Jackson/Bowman want deployment a certain way, it will be so.
We are a fickle fan base, but there’s a really good point you bring up here.
We talk about the job Woody did, and he was given several several 1st rounders (Bouch, Broberg, Holloway) plus some other decent talent (McLeod, Lavoie, Samorukov) plus some later guys who made it.
Chaulk really has not had that benefit. Yes, Holloway and Broberg were sent back down – as was Lavoie. But Savoie is the first skill guy beyond that group he’s been given to work with so it’s a matter of making the most of what you have.
And it’s also why I said yesterday it really comes back to what the org expects from the coach. I have no earthly idea if he’s doing a good job. I did read last week something from Bruce Curlock that implied impatience with results and that the team may have a decision to make. But I don’t know if that’s in fact the case.
I do think evaluating each area is important because this teams needs to find parts in unconventional ways and needs to hit on some. It’s why the AHL coach is so important.
This could be conjecture, but the numbers seem pretty clear. There is a dearth of offence in the Bake. This could be system, this could be coaching, this could be talent. The org should have a good idea what it is. If the mandate is to make bottom roster guys, they’re doing a solid job with very little to work with imo.
It could be possible that the finest offensive minds in the NHL just don’t stay in the AHL long either. Sorensen had done wonders with Nazar et al. and he’s suddenly up on the big club to ‘fix’ Bedard. (as if the fact his linemate is Foligno isn’t a prime issue).
Lack of talent is probably the main cause, given that the Oilers minor system is pretty poorly rated by those ‘experts’ who do that kind of thing. It’s a reflection of all the draft picks traded (given) away in short term deals.
I remember going to Trappers games in the 80’s. Back then I believe the teams mandate was first and foremost to develop players. Success was determined by how many of the kids made it to the Angels. And many did. With that came a competitive team. If the coach makes decisions on just winning then the kids will fail and ultimately the parent team will suffer.
I like baseball, but I have never been a big follower of the game and so am by no means an expert at spotting talent, especially as a young lad in the 80s, but I did enjoy a handful of Trappers games over the years, and I will say this, I’ll never forget seeing Devon White, had no idea who he was, but I remember watching him run on awe, he was like a graceful gazelle, and I could see his talent shining through even with my untrained eye. That’s really the only memories I have of the Trappers. But they’re good memories.
Made an unbelievable catch to start the triple play that never was in the World Series. You’re correct with his running. As a kid you could see his talent running down fly balls.
The Trappers had some very special players go through town.
Ron Kittle was a beauty.
“Kittle hit 50 homers in the minor leagues with the Edmonton Trappers and has his jersey retired in at Telus Field. He was voted winner of 1982’s Pacific Coast League MVP. He hit ninety home runs in the minors combined from the span of 1981 to 1982.
He made his MLB debut at nearly 25 years old in September of 1982. Kittle was a popular player on the 1983 “winning ugly” Chicago White Sox when they won 99 games and made their first playoff appearance since the 1959 World Series. That season, Kittle was selected an All-Star and won Rookie of the Year honors after hitting 35 home runs (club record for a rookie) and 100 RBI.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Kittle
He was probably there first star player they developed.
I was at Doucie the night Devon White hit his first professional home run. An amazing player, I was so happy when he became a Jay!
I used to love JDP – my dad had seats right behind the catcher – about 10 rows back for years and years and year – was a big Walley Joyner fan!
I know it’s semantics, but like fruit, one should never “over-ripen” a prospect. Unless you want to put it into banana bread.
And what, pray tell, is wrong with banana bread.
Haha. Nothing. Just one example where I could think of where overripe was better than ripe. Now, one could start a whole discussion on whether nuts belong in the banana bread, but I can’t tie that discussion to prospects.
Likewise, under-ripening can also ruin a dish/prospect. The key to solving this dilemma is to answer the question: “How can you tell when a prospect is ripe?” and how definitive can you be?
And on which side of the ledger should we err.
Very true. I have to put my trust in the “experts” in the Oiler system. It’s also complicated by other factors such as the player himself, his agent, where the Oilers are in the “win now cycle”, salary cap, options (KHL, SEL) etc. I’m not convinced that the Oilers botched Puljujarvi’s development. I think lots of factors went into it, including a very aggressive agent and maybe the sad fact he just didn’t turn out to be good enough
I think Pain Bouchard is actually French for banana bread.
Am listening to Blues fans these days – who alternately scoff at the Oilers fans unhappiness at losing two young players, while simultaneously dissing the Oilers as a never-going–to-win-anything team.
Ha.
Blues don’t even make the playoffs.
Pay your offer sheets, shut up and make your high draft picks after falling out of contention.
How many understand how close this team was to winning after having gone down 0-3 in the Finals.
St.Louis has a small but loyal fan base, to this day I don’t believe Grant Fuhr has ever paid for a drink or a meal in Blues country. Without his injury in one of the all-time great playoff goaltending performances they win the Cup.
What if…lol
I like the Blues. Hate to see animosity between the fans.
The only way to shut them up is to win a Cup. It’s nice to have home ice but it’s not like the NBA home advantage. The Oilers have never been a president cup team we step up when the real season starts. Oilers are winning the Cup this year and then Connor is signing a 8 year deal and Bouchard a 5 year deal.
I think the coach can only do so much, give ice time and opportunity to the prospects to help them develop without drowning them with too much, too soon. It is up to the GM to reward player development by giving these prospects opportunities at the NHL level when they have earned it and showing them some respect in terms of contract negotiations and placement within the organization. This is where the Oilers could be better in my opinion.
Bouchard, Broberg, Holloway, Lavoie, all could have been handled better, with better outcomes expected from three of the four. Jury is still out on Philp and Savoie, but both should be called up soon. These are the organizations top prospects and it’s the next step in their progression. They have earned a shot, so give them one
I agree. The AHL team should feel part of the NHL processes/successes. They should be working in tandem.
Holland famously liked to slow-play prospects but that isn’t a winning strategy in today’s game. These kids are too good, well trained, eager etc. We lost two good players this summer in part due to this approach.
Bring up the kids who deserve a look and give them some exposure to see how they respond. They will become considerably hungrier and more coachable in most cases.
Better to lose two young players instead of the old Lowe+MacT method of tossing 18 year olds into the NHL to get themselves slaughtered by aggressive wily veterans.
The idea should be to get players up in time so they don’t end up on IR after receiving some killer hit off of a 28 year old player.
Players develop at different rates, and 18 sure as heck isn’t the age that I finally got hair in places I won’t get into here.
Holloway got plenty of opportunities and did very little with them. The loss of asset value was a big problem but he really wasn’t slow played. 1 year at Wisconsin, 1 year in the AHL with wrist injuries, NHL for 51 games. Small step back during the year where he admitted it was the best thing for his game and confidence.
“Bring up the kids who deserve a look and give them some exposure to see how they respond. They will become considerably hungrier and more coachable in most cases.”
This is what happened with Holloway. They sent him down with specific things to work on to get back to the bigs and then they delivered when he did. They brought him up, and gave him a role.
Development isn’t a straight line but the slow-play narrative on Holloway is untrue imo.
Just checked and Lavoie is 16, 2-2-4, -14 with Henderson. Looks like all the waivers nonsense with Vegas might have killed his North American career.
I know Bakersfield are struggling a touch this year: 7-10-2-1 with 50 GF and 65 GA. That’s in part due to some injuries at both the NHL level causing the up and down swing for guys like Cags.
Henderson are 6-15-0-0 with 58 GF and 84 GA. Just how bad are that team? I don’t know enough about the Vegas depth chart or what’s been going on with Henderson to comment, but as bad as Bake has been, Henderson seems in a far worse spot.
It’s a shame for Lavoie as he seems to have landed in a place that would be infinitely worse for his development as part of Vegas tryin to get one over on the Oilers.
He’s just not that good. Further – he’s never been willing to add to and amplify the parts of his game that would make him an NHLer.
Time to make choices for him. If he wants it time to get active in whatever way
I think the failures of talented players often has a lot to do with not having enough resources directly involved with their development, until Jackson
Some kids are self drivers, some need mentorship and constant contact. Bourgault is one who seems to need direct help in getting things done he needs to do. Or it could be he didn’t want to, like Marody who really wanted to be a country star and said he wasn’t that worried about off season hockey stuff. Nothing to do about that but move on
But even for players lacking enough confidence and/or drive, trying to get them to a high enough level – even if the team doesn’t want them – preserves the asset, they can be used to acquire what you do want
I think you’re right Durag. I think Lavoie thought he was going to get a shot at the NHL and when it didn’t materialize, he was demoralized. Not the first time that has happened.