I hope Cowen fits into the top pairing in 2013-14. Everything about his game is great except his skating. Everyone else seem to love his skating, but his top-end speed is slow, and for some reason he doesn't move his feet when engaging defensively. He relies on hi reach and leans toward the attacker. I hope it's just my uninformed perception.
With the exception of Suter (someone we never would have gotten) the crop of UFA D sucked this year.
2012/13
Methot/Karlsson
Cowen/Gonchar
2013/14
Cowen/Karlsson
Methot/Ceci
I am happy with where our D is going.
There were a few players I would have been just fine with. That said, I like Methot and have high hopes for Lundin to be decent until a prospect can break through. I like the idea of some more physicality on the back end and hopefully those two can help the whole team lower the GA. We'll probably score less next year, but we'll lower the GA quite a bit too I'd wager.
I hope Cowen fits into the top pairing in 2013-14. Everything about his game is great except his skating. Everyone else seem to love his skating, but his top-end speed is slow, and for some reason he doesn't move his feet when engaging defensively. He relies on hi reach and leans toward the attacker. I hope it's just my uninformed perception.
Sounds more like technique than just skating. I think his agility and turn are just OK so far.
Sounds more like technique than just skating. I think his agility and turn are just OK so far.
Agreed. Cowen is excellent at accelerating and catching up to the speedy guys for his size and role but once he tries to turn or pivot, he slows down dramatically.
We are lacking his ability to put the puck in the empty net.
We have yet to score one.
Spezza scored one against Florida.
This trade has worked out well for both sides. Columbus' defense is pretty loaded and Columbus fans have been saying that Folingo has been one of their best players in pretty much every GDT.
I hope Cowen fits into the top pairing in 2013-14. Everything about his game is great except his skating. Everyone else seem to love his skating, but his top-end speed is slow, and for some reason he doesn't move his feet when engaging defensively. He relies on hi reach and leans toward the attacker. I hope it's just my uninformed perception.
As a lanky but large framed 6'5 230 at 20...he's got a good 3-4 years to shake off awkwardness, fill out, and improve core strength which will tie into agility as well. Already in Binghamton early on you could see he was smoother on his feet this year and it was transfering to his ability with the puck as well.
For a big guy his skating is quite good, his top speed is pretty good, or at least not an issue. I remember him chasing a streaking forward down by about 50 feet last year and demolishing him on the boards. But as far as little movements, agility, foot quickness, that's probably a work in progress but just speaks to more room for improvement with a player that is already very good considering age.
Don't think you're all wrong at all here, but I think it's normal considering Cowen's build and you'll probably see differences as they work on him in the coming years. With the borderline enlightenment going on in the athletic development field...a player like Cowen has so much potential because the core strength/stability, hip strength and stability can be built very effectively and I don't think these are areas he was blessed with like some players. This is the type of stuff they did with Turris to make him a little quicker and more explosive so far this season and I can see the difference.
Agreed. Cowen is excellent at accelerating and catching up to the speedy guys for his size and role but once he tries to turn or pivot, he slows down dramatically.
There are few to no defencemen that don't slow down when pivoting.
There are few to no defencemen that don't slow down when pivoting.
They slow down but Cowen enters some sort of quick-sand anti-time moving vortex. He improved on it a lot over the summer, I could tell in the first few games he played in Bingo.
As a lanky but large framed 6'5 230 at 20...he's got a good 3-4 years to shake off awkwardness, fill out, and improve core strength which will tie into agility as well. Already in Binghamton early on you could see he was smoother on his feet this year and it was transfering to his ability with the puck as well.
No comment on how good he will be, but Chara is a good example of a big man needing a few years to develop to this potential. When the Islanders through him in with the Yashin deal, he wasn't even thought of as highly as Cowen is now.
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Paul MacLean: "My expectation is to win, and that's what I do."
They slow down but Cowen enters some sort of quick-sand anti-time moving vortex. He improved on it a lot over the summer, I could tell in the first few games he played in Bingo.
I think his bigger problem was Phaneuf-syndrome. Would commit to the big hit at the blueline without reading the play properly.
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