There seemed to be some sort of prevailing school of thought that whatever magic Keith Kinkaid captured in playing the mid-wife to the Devils' first playoff berth in six years ran out once they got there. As it turns out, someone might want to check the availability of Alice Cooper, because that school is all the way out for the summer. Two underwhelming postseason outings behind an overmatched team aside, the insurance policy turned opportunist is still very much at the top of his game. One preliminary victory over the odds-on favorite to win a tournament of arguable importance might not serve as all that much evidence, but it highlighted exactly why there's plenty of reasons to think of Keith Kinkaid's success as much more than a flash in the pan. The four goals against don't do justice to how imperative his performance was to a team with objectively inferior talent, for there was very little debate as to whose name was coming when it came time to announce Team USA's 'Player Of The Game'. I think everyone's feeling approximately 35x times better about Cory Schneider's future with the Devils after he triumphantly took back his starting job in playoffs. If Keith Kinkaid finishes the World Championships anywhere near as well as he started them then hopefully the calls to trade away half of what could make for an excellent goaltending duo will be sent directly to voicemail. ------
I have absolutely no idea if Will Butcher is going to develop into the type of player that can fill a role as top-4 defenseman for a contending team, but I do know that he hasn't given me a single reason to think that he won't. As was the case towards the end of the year, he had moments where he stood out for all the right reasons against Canada. The shot he rang off the post after creeping in from the point was the result of him breaking up a 2-on-1 moments earlier. He's still got growing to do in his own end, but his calmness with the puck, as well as his overall instincts are second to none. The following feels like a weird thing to say about someone that broke the Devils' rookie record for points by a defenseman, but it's pretty easy to envision a scenario where he's able to contribute more on both ends of the ice next season. I didn't need to see him do so today to come to that conclusion, but it certainly didn't hurt my perception of him as a player. ------
Huh, Blake Coleman quickly forced his way up through a lineup that he just barely made? Why does that sound feel so...so...so...familiar?
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