Playing Style
Näslund was known as a highly skilled offensive player with good skating and puck-handling abilities. The most prominent aspect of his game was his wrist shot, which was known to be one of the most accurate in the league and accounted for a large portion of his goals. He also earned many of his points on the powerplay. Regarding his skill level and creativity, his first Canucks head coach, Marc Crawford, heralded him as one of "a handful of players in this game who can take a play where there's nothing...and turn it into a scoring chance".
Näslund's prime coincided with the contributing performances of his linemates Bertuzzi and Morrison. His finesse and goal-scoring abilities were complemented by Morrison's playmaking and Bertuzzi's strength and aggression as a power forward. They were known for playing a fast and entertaining style. As a result, head coach Marc Crawford implemented a highly offensive coaching strategy.
As captain of the Canucks for eight years, Näslund was a self-professed "leader by example" with his work ethic and play on the ice. He was often criticized by the media and fans in his final few seasons with the Canucks for not being sufficiently vocal or emotional as the team's captain. Former teammates in Vancouver have described him as a quiet leader that spoke when needed nonetheless. They have also commended him for his integrity, professionalism and the caring manner in which he treated everyone in the organization. In particular, fellow Swedes Daniel and Henrik Sedin have singled him out as a player that mentored them early in their NHL career. New York Rangers general manager Glen Sather reiterated the guiding influence Näslund had on young players coming into the league.
These criticisms began especially in light of his decreasing offensive production following the 2004–05 NHL lockout. The decline was often attributed in the media to him becoming more defensively responsible under new Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. Bertuzzi's absence following the 2005–06 season was also seen as a negative factor for Näslund individually. It was further proposed that the physical effects of his concussion, as a result of Steve Moore's hit against him in 2004, as well as the emotional toll of Bertuzzi's subsequent retaliation against Moore strained his playing efficiency.
Read more about this topic: Nazzy
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