Heavy Shot and Heavy Feet, When Will Nathan Legare be NHL Ready?

With a heavy shot and a pair of preseason goals, Pittsburgh Penguins 2019 third-round draft pick Nathan Legare made quite an impression at training camp. The Penguins traded back into the third round to draft the 18-year-old right wing from Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the QMJHL. He left camp with an entry-level contract and a seat near the top of the Penguins prospects.

However, things have not gone well for Baie-Comeau Drakkar this season. The team finished the now-canceled season as the 15th of 18 teams in the league. While Penguins first-round choice Sam Poulin excelled this season and tortured opposing defensemen, Legare appeared to regress.

In full disclosure, we didn’t need to watch many games to see the atrophy in Legare’s game. He wasn’t the same player we saw, who stood above other Penguins prospects in training camp.

For video review, PHN selected the Feb. 24 Baie-Comeau Drakkar match against Val-d’Or in which Legare was the No. 1 star. The good news for Penguins fans is Legare had five points that night, including a hat trick. So, let’s breakdown film on Nathan Legare:

Nathan Legare Pros and Cons