Quote:
Originally Posted by Tapioca
CoHo has hockey sense and great vision - the stuff you can't teach. He puts the puck into the right areas and it's unfortunate that his current linemates don't have the talent to direct the puck towards the net.
The main problem that CoHo has is his skating, specifically his speed. His skating isn't simply good enough for the NHL. Either he needs another summer with Gary Roberts or a dedicated skating coach. He will never be as quick as Hansen, but considering the improvements that the Sedins have made in their skating over the years, he still has some room for improvement.
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CoHo's skating isn't terrible really, if you look at it now and when he's previously played with the big club it has improved dramatically. Blazing speed isn't necessary to be successful in the NHL, I think the Sedins have both proven that. There's been plays where his skating has really impressed me actually - for example, there have been a couple plays against Chicago/Nashville where he's fed the puck off to a line mate, crashed the net with good foot speed and had a really good opportunity for a deflection/rebound. From what I've seen from him in his limited ice time, he has impressed at times. He's been playing with Oreo and Glass a lot too, so goals aren't really expected to come from that line anyways.
Obviously there's work to be done with him, as there is any player, but I foresee him playing in a top 6 position soon enough. People seem to forget the depth that the Canucks have and thus throw Cody under the bus saying he isn't good enough, he isn't fast enough etc - but look at how GOOD our team actually is. With our lineup, it's no wonder he isn't playing in a top 6 position, even more so when Malholtra is slotted in. Things may change if at some point, CoHo is set to play on the wing, but only time will tell.
Anyways, people have called numerous draft choices of ours busts (Sedins, Kesler, Grabner) and they've all developed in NHL calibre players. Cody wasn't drafted first or second overall, so we can't really expect him to jump right into the game and start producing like others previously have. Keep up the faith, watch him develop and I have no doubt he'll turn into a wonderful player for the Canucks one day.