Go Pens
Joined: Oct. 2020
Posts: 117
Likes: 26
And No way both Lehtonen and Barabanov make the team. No way 2 Russian players come over and start on a contending team in there 1st year in the States. Let alone their 1st year in the NHL. The game is very different, not just the NHL ring being smaller, which is hard enough to get used too. But they have to get accustomed to everything else as well. On and off the ice. Maybe Lehtonen, the way better player of the two, make the team. But that’s still unsure.
For a extremely picky fan base. You guys sure do have a lot of confidence in 2 players that never played a single game in the NHL. And no one has even seen play yet..lol. Especially trusting Barbanov to be a 3rd line winger..on a play-off team. Good luck. I can see Lehtonen, especially being the better of the two, being a D-man on a 3rd pairing. But both of them, that’s a lot of trust. I doubt the coaches or GM have either of them penciled in as starters right now. They can’t possible. Neither of them played an NHL game yet. Mikheyev is way bigger than both of them. Both Lethonen and Barabnov are small and rely on speed. Especially Barabnov. And that’s how the Russian game is played. With the bigger Rink. Softer and faster. We’ll see how they both translate. Good luck though. A lot of faith in two 1st year players.