Filip Forsberg: Sophomore Slump?
By Ryan Ritchie
Will Filip Forsberg be able to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump? Believe me, it’s a very real phenomena in professional sports. And unfortunately there’s no real way to predict it either.
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Some experts believe this can be explained in the sense that for a player’s rookie season, opposition has little to no experience playing against them.
They don’t know their style, tendencies, etc. By year two, there’s enough video or tape and experience that teams are better well equipped to handle them.
It would make sense. Pro athletes would tell you that in order to excel at a sport and excel at a high level for a long time, is by knowing how to transition your game and make adjustments.
On the other hand, when you’ve got off the chart skills, that can prove to be very difficult to contain.
I don’t think we will ever truly understand the phenomena behind the sophomore slump though, or how to predict it. It’s just a part of the game fans have learned to accept, and of course hope their teams players can avoid it.
Curiosity about what people thought about Filip Forsberg‘s chances of facing a sophomore slump, I stumbled across a piece on Today’sSlapshot.Com (which can be found here)
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The writer believes Filip Forsberg will not suffer a sophomore slump and goes on to explain why he thinks that will not be the case. I tend to share the same opinion, but for a few different reasons.
I’ve held a long liking for what Filip Forsberg brings to the game. He first caught my eye back in junior playing for Sweden.
On draft day, I had him really high on my mock draft. I remember watching the draft with my dad when the Maple Leafs stepped up to the podium. By this point I had him sold on Filip Forsberg.
Instead, the Leafs decided to continue its history of drafting d-men high and took Morgan Reilly.
Now it’s hard to complain considering Reilly has had a good start to his career and looks like he could blossom into something special.
It was just a tough one to swallow at the time because the Leafs were in dyer need of top-end offensive talent. Regardless, I’ll still sleep better at night than Washington fans (cough Martin Erat cough)
Even though Filip Forsberg suffered through somewhat of a slump towards the end of 2014-15, he still managed to lead the Preds in points with 63 while averaging just over 17 minutes/game.
Fortunately, he will not suffer the dreaded sophomore slump for the following reasons:
Apr 21, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Nashville Predators left wing
(18) reacts to being called for a penalty during the second period against the Chicago Blackhawks in game four of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
James Neal – Neal only put up 37 points last season for the Preds. Just to put that in context. That’s the exact same number he put up during his rookie season with the Dallas Stars. That’s also three less than the 40 goals he scored for Pittsburgh in 2011-12.
There’s almost no way James Neal duplicates that dismal performance, so expect a breakout season alongside Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg who generated some great chemistry last season.
Increase in Ice Time – Like most rookies, Filip Forsberg had to earn his ice-time last season under coach Peter Laviollette. He began the season in the 16 minute range and finished in the 18 minute range while seeing increased special teams time over the course of the season.
With a full season of likely getting the most minutes among forwards, brings with it more opportunities to be on the ice to make something happen.
Increase in Scoring – Not only does it appear as though the Preds could be poised to score more goals this season, but it looks like the entire league is poised for an increase with the introduction of 3-on-3 overtime.
It’ll will help generate more goals on the stats sheet instead of those shootout goal stats that never get truly accounted for.
If the Predators want to call themselves true Stanley Cup contenders, then they’re going to need some true star power outside of Shea Weber. Roman Josi has emerged on the back end, but I think some experts question the lack of true top-line talent.
They’re more thought of as a cast of excellent second liners. But in his sophomore season, we should see Filip Forsberg elevate his game to yet another level, and could very well be a point per game player.
What do you think hockey fans? Is Filip Forsberg for real? Can he cement his name as one of the leagues elite forwards? Let us know what you think.
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