Horton

I know all of you hyoe Horton so much, but c'mon. Everyone talks about how great he is and he freakin can't score in an empty net. IMO he should have probably gone back to juniors and dominated with the emergence of Weiss. If he could start scoring, regardless of the "adjustments" he has to make, then I would support him, but he has had at least 10 wide open nets or crossbars that he's hit. I'd rather see him on the third line center.

A lot of us have said he should've gone back to juniors (including myself). But the reality is that it wouldn't have been as beneficial as if he could've gone to the AHL. Its the same catch-22 that we had with Weiss last yr. He obviously wasn't ready for the NHL last yr but it made him a better player and then he went down to the AHL to gain some confidence back. I like Horton on the RW though as opposed to center. The funniest thing about missing that shot last nite was he took the shot too soon which is opposite of what the coaches have been preaching to him about shooting faster. Remember, he's an 18 yr old rookie, no one should expect him to do anything more than what he's done thus far...adjust to the game, learn some of the intricacies, and continue to bang the body. Hopefully, FL doesn't try to force him to play all the games because he could even learn something from the press box.

A lot of us have said he should've gone back to juniors (including myself). But the reality is that it wouldn't have been as beneficial as if he could've gone to the AHL. Its the same catch-22 that we had with Weiss last yr. He obviously wasn't ready for the NHL last yr but it made him a better player and then he went down to the AHL to gain some confidence back. I like Horton on the RW though as opposed to center. The funniest thing about missing that shot last nite was he took the shot too soon which is opposite of what the coaches have been preaching to him about shooting faster. Remember, he's an 18 yr old rookie, no one should expect him to do anything more than what he's done thus far...adjust to the game, learn some of the intricacies, and continue to bang the body. Hopefully, FL doesn't try to force him to play all the games because he could even learn something from the press box.

I think he has played quite well lately, besides missing some chance. I think people expect too much too soon from him. This is hockey and power forwards usually take some time to develop. I think eventually he will start hitting those chances he has been missing as the season goes along. I like how he is not intimidated at all by anyone (i don't think you can say that about many rookies) and uses his body. I also like him better on the wing and I think he has put up respectable numbers for an 18 yr old (2 goals 3 assists and +4). I am patient with him at this stage and as long as keeps working hard. He is one of the few physical players we have that drives the net well. I think he is learning the game well and will continue to improve.