Recently, Markus Naslund's stock (quite like the Canucks') was dropping faster than Bre-X. And it seemed that Naslund's heart "fell" out of a helicopter.
While Markus continously teases us with his talent and his sparked play, his smooth skating and awesome stickhandling, his inconsistancy prevails and reminds us that he is only one of those 'coulda woulda shoulda didn't' type players that has never reached his full potential, (much like Bret Hedican). Either that or he'll take as long as Marty Gelinas to develop into a consistent scorer. Mind you playing on a line with one of the greatest players in history, Mario Lemieux, doesn't look bad on his resume. After all, he did score 20 goals playing with Lemieux, (although I could probably accopmlish the same feat. It IS Mario Lemieux.)
So being that, Naslund's inspired play of late has surprised many, including me. All of a sudden Naslund is starting to play more consistently and he has been more noticeable throughout recent games, which is something for the Canucks to look forward to. A scoring winger looks good on any team. However the Canucks have been known to give chances and opportunities, and when Naslund received the role due to injuries of under-achieveing superstars Pavel Bure and Alexander Mogilny, Naslund, specifically in the last couple of games, has picked up the slack and seized the opportunity at success. But if Naslund fails to continue his play after Mogilny and Bure return next season, he will be left hanging by the threads of his gloves. For the time being, however, Naslund is playing exceptionally well. Making good passes, making smart plays, and most importantly putting the puck in the net, which is his prime asset to this team. He's only one goal away from 20 and has got 2 games left to reach it.
Yet Markus still makes my head spin with his inconsistent play. Only time will tell of his development, but there is still potential. Markus, (Like the Canucks) control their fate. Excluding Naslund's current surge of consistency, he is an on again off again type player. Perhaps Bre-X might seem like a more stable investment, don't count on it. Naslund has a bright future and he is showing signs of what he can do now.
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