Seth Rothman @RothmanHockey 28m28 minutes ago Anthony Duclair is a man amongst boys at World Juniors. #Rangers need to find a way to keep him in NHL. Nothing left to learn in Juniors.
That will be a very interesting decision for Sather/AV after the JWC's are done. Bring him back or send to juniors. Right now he has a shot in the top 9. If we add a frorward though he won't. Very interesting decision.
I used to put a lot into the WJC. Now, I don't. If your prospect is playing there it means they are talented. However, it is no guarantee they will be a good NHL player. Dawes dominated at the WJC's, scored when he first came up to the NHL but never had the fire to sustain it. Still can't figure that one out. Talk about a guy who wasted his NHL career.
Duclair, from what I've seen so far this tournament... Pros: Strong on the puck Good pace Good passing and play-making skills Good stick-handling Good physicality Cons: Shocking finishing touch Not always involved Lacks size
I would be a proponent that if he's not going to get top 9 minutes that he should go back to Jrs and be on the ice, but if he's going to be on the team next year (and probably should) then it may not be a bad thing to have him be in NY in any capacity and learn about the game without the pressure of having to perform.
They're doing ok without Duclair, so no need to force the issue it's better to have him playing somewhere and maybe recall him during the playoffs as a spare.
Was watching Duclair in the semi's. He doesn't always back check hard and he tends to float at times away from action in the corners. If he plays with a consistent effort, he can be 25 G 30 A down the line in his sleep. He has Kreider syndrome at times. His head is up his ass.