Certainly we thought Kyle would be a little further along than the other two (Jacques and Winchester). He hasn't yet established himself, but I think he's going in the right direction. |
He could be a first-line centre in the NHL if he wants to be - if he becomes a better skater and a bit more complete. That's going to take time, though. You don't become a first-line centre in the NHL in a year or two. It usually takes three or four years. |
He had a good training camp and we wanted to get it out of the way. We wanted to sign Robbie early and avoid the deadline, and now we've done that. |
He's added to his grittiness and become a much more complete player and he's going to have to keep working on that. If he improves on his defensive responsibilities as well, then he's going to become a really good player. Really those are the only areas that are going to stop him from playing in the NHL. |
He's got great speed, good offensive awareness and great vision. He's just got to get experience, become an elite player at the college level. He'll play in the World Juniors, I suspect, next year and hopefully, he'll become and elite player at that level, too. |
He's got to become a better skater and he's got to get stronger. If he gets stronger, he'll become a better skater. He knows that and he's working on that and it's not going to happen over night. It's going to be a gradual thing. |
He's shown he's capable of being a good AHL goalie, for sure, and a good depth goalie. |
His assets are strength and speed. There's no doubt he can skate at this level. He's actually an above-average skater at this level. He just needs experience at this level. |
His progression has been good. |
If he passes the medical, we hope to sign him. We've been working on this for awhile. |
It means nothing for this year as far the NHL goes. Now, he can just focus on hockey. |
It's a good chance for them to assess themselves at this level. It's a process for them. |
It's an important day for an early settlement. You can always settle when you get to the hearing, but if we're going to settle early we're going to settle (today). |
The short-term goal is him being in our top-nine forwards. We think he can do that. Once he gets there, then we can, perhaps, talk about a longer-term deal. |
We both have to move full steam ahead here and prepare for arbitration if we can't get something done. We have to settle this or start preparing our briefs. They're due on Tuesday. |