Nico Needs to Shoot!!
Posted 11:41 AM ET | Comments 1
When the Devils won the draft lottery this past summer they were given the opportunity to draft the number one center they had been lacking for years. They were going to draft either Nico or Nolan and would be set at the center position on their top line for years to come. Everyone knew they were not getting a generational talent such as McDavid or Matthews, or even Eichel for that matter, but they were getting a player who would serve as a legitimate top line center.
After finally settling on Nico over Nolan, the Devils had their guy. They had a guy who brought a ton of creativity and had the ability to score as well. Expectations were sky high for Nico and he has not disappointed. With 29 points on the season, Nico is on pace for an extremely respectable 50 point rookie season. That is nothing to complain about, even more so when we factor in the fact that he is still only 19 years old.
The question is, as good as he has been, could Nico be even better? I believe the answer is yes. I believe that Nicos' tremendous creativity sometimes serves to hold him back rather than help. In last nights game against Nashville, Nico had a two on one and rather than shoot the puck, he forced a pass which did not get through to his teammate. I believe that Nico needs to realize that while he wants to get his teammates involved, in many cases, the puck is always going to be better off on his stick than on those of his teammates. This is not to say that he should never pass the puck, rather, when he has the chance to shoot, he shouldn't pass it up. Nico ranks second on the team in shots but the disparity between Hall, who ranks first, and Nico is too significant. Nico needs to shoot more and the team will be better off for it.
After finally settling on Nico over Nolan, the Devils had their guy. They had a guy who brought a ton of creativity and had the ability to score as well. Expectations were sky high for Nico and he has not disappointed. With 29 points on the season, Nico is on pace for an extremely respectable 50 point rookie season. That is nothing to complain about, even more so when we factor in the fact that he is still only 19 years old.
The question is, as good as he has been, could Nico be even better? I believe the answer is yes. I believe that Nicos' tremendous creativity sometimes serves to hold him back rather than help. In last nights game against Nashville, Nico had a two on one and rather than shoot the puck, he forced a pass which did not get through to his teammate. I believe that Nico needs to realize that while he wants to get his teammates involved, in many cases, the puck is always going to be better off on his stick than on those of his teammates. This is not to say that he should never pass the puck, rather, when he has the chance to shoot, he shouldn't pass it up. Nico ranks second on the team in shots but the disparity between Hall, who ranks first, and Nico is too significant. Nico needs to shoot more and the team will be better off for it.
leave the kid alone