L.J. Mooney: a serious knee injury helped him fall in the draft

But of course, talent has never been an issue with Mooney. We knew he was brilliant on the ice, but there were factors that caused him to fall in the draft regardless.

The most obvious, of course, is his size. He’s (really) not big, and in an NHL where the Panthers’ big players have just won back-to-back Stanley Cups, small players aren’t popular.

However, as we learn from a report by Nicolas Cloutier (TVA Sports), there are other reasons for all this, including a serious knee injury sustained last year.

Nick Fohr, who managed Mooney in the U.S. National Development Program, acknowledged that this injury, sustained early in the season, bothered Mooney during the year. You have to wonder how much it slowed him down, but it was a factor.

And it goes back to another reason mentioned by Cloutier: the fact that the forward has difficulty avoiding big checks. This is a particular strength of Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson, but also of most smaller players.

It makes sense, after all: these players usually learn to compensate for their small stature by being good at avoiding hits, which limits their chances of serious injury. But in Mooney’s case, that’s a shortcoming.

Hopefully, the kid ‘s knee won’t be a problem in the future, but more importantly, he’ll learn to be better at avoiding shots. He’s capable of playing physical, but his small stature means he’s more at risk of serious injury in the event of a good check.

Maybe guys like Caufield and Hutson could help him with that, you know…

Overtime

– Nice read.

– This was circulated at the time. Nick Suzuki would never have arrived in Montreal if that transaction had taken place.

– Read more.

– Will he be traded by the end of the month?

– To watch.