David Quinn met with the media prior to Tuesday’s game and spoke about Lias Andersson, Brett Howden and more (NYR):
Where will Lias play, “He will be in the middle between Vesey and Quickie.”
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On Lias being called up, “We’ve been talking about it for a little while, he’s been playing really well in Hartford, doing all the things we asked him to do. With Howden’s situation we felt it would be a good time to call him up, we are short of centers and it was the perfect time but we have been talking about it for a little while. He’s earned this opportunity.”
What did he do in Hartford, “He has gotten into better shape, been more consistent, doing the things that made him a great player. We don’t live in a very patient society, people lose sight of the fact that he is 19, second-year pro and he has played a lot of good hockey for us already and will play more going forward. He is a big part of our future.”
Could Lias stay up when Howden returns, “Yes.”
Update on Howden, “still day to day but looking very good.”
Will it just be one game for Howden, “should be.”
On Henrik Lundqvist, “I always knew he was a great goalie but I don’t know if I knew he was this good. On top of what you see on the ice, I’m not sure people appreciate what he does away from the rink, his work ethic, conditioning, competitiveness. It’s everything that you look for in a player and it’s no mystery to me why he is playing at this level at his age and why he is, in my opinion, going to play at a high level for years to come. I know people may get sick of the Tom Brady analogy, but there is no reason he can’t be the Tom Brady of goaltending.”
Did you consider moving Chytil into Howden’s spot, “yes. Like I have said before, a lot of these decisions are 51-49. We will see what happens. Spooner will play on the right with Filip, it’s not just about one player, it’s about balancing the lines.”
On potential minutes for Lias here vs in Hartford, “we talk a lot about minutes and opportunity but it’s a double edged sword, you don’t want to just throw guys out there because they are young guys. Entitlement can creep in and they gotta understand they need to earn their keep too and we expect Lias to give us a full effort tonight and his minutes will take care of themselves.”
On Howden, “he played an honest game, he has some skill. The perfect example is how he got hurt, it was an all-out sprint to the net. There was no gliding, it symbolizes how he’s played since he’s been here.