Morgan Klimchuk had nine points in 55 hockey games last year. That is not good. He was a first round draft pick, acquired in a trade involving the Calgary Flames’ best ever player. That is double not good.
But the seeds were there. He earned the trust of the coaching staff as a 200-foot player (some would say the best on the team), albeit in a diminished role, but was ready to step up to a bigger top six role. Scoring a whopping 0.11 points per game is major cause for concern and doubt, but you had to believe he would get better with more exposure.