But in the weeks and months before then, many sources reported that both players were leaning towards staying. Blog reports and word of mouth are not particularly reliable sources, but in this case they were unanimously correct in expecting Nash and Greening to stay.
With that in mind, I'm starting to hear from sources that Riley Nash will be departing Cornell after this season. For example, here's a report from an expert on Oilers prospects:
Obviously I'm not going to say where I heard [that Nash is leaving Cornell], but I have heard it from a few people. I think Nash was ready for the AHL this year. Of course lots can change between now and next year though.
As I've said before, I'd be shocked if Nash stays for his senior season. Most of what he could have learned by playing at Cornell -- penalty killing, defense -- he's learned in his first three years. Nash has looked great over the last three weekends, but overall he's had a pretty disappointing junior season. His production is down from his first two seasons. Fact is, Cornell's light schedule and low-scoring offense means that Nash simply isn't getting that many opportunities to practice putting the puck in the net.
We've seen how well Nash plays with Greening, and how badly he plays with forwards who are not Greening. If Nash heads to professional hockey, he'll be playing on a line with players of a higher caliber than Patrick Kennedy and Greg Miller; I think he'll come a little closer to meeting the lofty expectations people have for him.
That said, Nash still has plenty of work to do to get to the NHL, including gaining a lot of weight. For many reasons, I think that Greening will get there before Nash. But expect both Nashes to depart Cornell after this season.
One thing Nash has going in his favor is the fact that he's heading to a struggling team. People don't realize this, but this makes a big difference when it comes to getting playing time at the NHL level. For example, take my NHL team, the Washington Capitals. Karl Alzner (5th overall pick and captain of the gold medal winning Canadian junior squad) and Mathhieu Perreault (top scorer in the Q two seasons ago) are still yet to earn full roster spots, even though they are standout players at the AHL level and would be regulars on 75% of nhl teams. Lots of other caps standout prospects have not even been able to crack the Hershey roster because of the team's strength. Depth matters, so maybe Nash is not in such a bad position.
ReplyDeleteGood point. See this article:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/11497/oilers_organizational_depth_analysis_fall2009/
VandeVelde is having a pretty good season for NoDak, and Robby Dee has 12 goals for Maine.