Quote:
Originally Posted by Lone Rogue
People have a ton of problems with Latendresse and all of them I find to be ridiculous.
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We have to keep him? Sure. But saying that his downfalls are not important is not true and doesn't mean we want him out. Again, there's a difference between hoping a player improve and wanting to trade him 'cause he's not perfect.
He needs to be faster. And if it wasn't that important, he wouldn't take powerskating lessons, which he did and will do again this year. Will he ever be lightining fast, of course not but that's not what we're talking him. He's not only slow but he has a strange stride to go with that. I believe his mechanic needs to have some work done. Clearly, this is the greatest example that the way he skates makes him OK in the first 25 second of his shift, but makes him slower the last 25 seconds of it. And again, what's wrong with having something to work on.
I agree with you for all the other points. He needs experience and playing time to work on all these other things. Mostly, being more opportunistic. Clearly, the kid is not at ease with the body he has. He's definately not mean, has all the trouble in the world to look in an opponent's eye when he's battling with him. So personnally, I don't expect anymore to see him delivering thunderous checks, it's not his game. But at the very least, and it will come with experience and playing time, I expect his big body to be useful so as to protect the puck better, to be able to receive punishing hits without falling, being strong and big in front of the net, and score the garbage goals he loves to score.
But all those, again, will come with time. But skating will come with practice and lessons.
