I agree that it would be pointless to play the kid in a checking role but when you see his line mates chucking water bottles and shaking their heads it makes you wonder. If you can't see his limitations then you're just not looking. How long does the team wait?
Comparing him to Grimaldi is silly, their games are night and day different.
As far as your opinion on Condon, while I don't agree with letting your line mates effect your play I'm pretty sure there are a number of gophs who would prefer not to play with Cammy. Do you honestly believe he's a good fit where he is now? Fasching and Rau want to work down low and grind, their skill sets allow them to be very good in traffic and along the wall, these are qualities Taylor is lacking. I think Taylor possesses a skill set unlike any kid I've watched, time will tell if it translates into a quality college player.
Gotta say, I haven't seen the type of behavior from his line mates that you are describing. Just haven't seen it.....At all.
I haven't been shy about recognizing the weaknesses in Cammy's game. In fact, I think I mentioned that his lack of physical play will be what holds him back from taking the next step to play in the NHL. I'm pretty sure he knows this too. Which isn't all negative because it also means he'll be a 3-4 year player in college.
That said, I'm also not obtuse enough to completely discount the strengths the kid brings to the team. You cannot teach the vision and hockey sense that the kid has. I've seen on numerous occasions him make passes that most players at this level won't make.
Like I said before, he's a true freshman. And considering the fact that, as a true freshman, he's put up 5-9-14 (for reference, Hudson Fasching has put up 6-11-17), I think some of the criticism is completely over-the-top.
How long do we wait? Beyond this season. He is a developing player with strengths and weaknesses like every other young player that plays college hockey. And while he has weaknesses he will need to work on, he is producing.
Give the kid a few years in the weight room and a few years to mature as a player. He's a dynamic talent that for the first time in his career has to work thru some adversity. The worst thing you can do is put him in a position that hampers that development.
Yes, I do think he is a good fit where he is now. Why? Because he would be a HORRIBLE fit in a bottom 6 role and it would be a horrible idea to take him out and not let him develop. Again, the kid is on pace for 30 pts as a freshman. Think about that for a minute.
