The court of public opinion has wavered on Sonny Milano many times over. This isn't news. Milano had been labeled a defensive liability and a player that will never meet the lofty offensive ceiling expected of him.
A strong training camp may have changed some of that thinking.
His strength was on display when fighting for pucks and he was seen passing the puck with ease (and skill) all throughout the preseason. The potential has always been there for Milano, whom the Blue Jackets drafted No. 16 overall in 2014. The pieces are coming together in his game, the label of being a project is beginning to wash off of him and his rookie season is now upon him.
Where does he land when it comes to assists?
OVER: 25 Assists
On the opening night roster, Milano is currently slated as a top-nine forward on a team that scored at a franchise record pace last season. He is going to be given offensive opportunities that weren't given before, strictly out of necessity. The Blue Jackets need an offensive punch and the prospects they have outside of Milano are low-level or don't project as highly as him. They need him to contribute.
It makes it easy to see why Milano is going to put up a lot of points in his first (potentially) full season. Even by osmosis, he is going to find a way to put up points when being on a line with goal scorers. He played with Nick Foligno during the preseason and the captain has hovered between 40-50 points even during bad years; Milano has the ability to keep up with Foligno and that's good news for the Long Island native.
Productivity equates to playing time, and that will only grow if Milano shows he's up to the task.
UNDER: 25 Assists
Betting on a rookie isn't smart. They're going to take their lumps. Unless you're a generational talent, you're likely to get scratched or you're likely to get benched. With a dynamic game like Milano's, there is a real possibility that he drops a puck off at the blue line and it gets returned for a goal against or he doesn't track back to disrupt a counterattack that he may have inadvertently contributed to. In fact, I would be surprised if it doesn't happen multiple times this year.
Milano is the definition of risk, but there's inherent reward in investing in players like him. You get the bang for your buck but you also can get shortchanged; even though "safe is death" in Columbus, it doesn't mean that players are going to get free reign to do what they want. Milano is going to move all up and down the lineup, and could even see a fourth line role if the team is ever fully healthy.
Heck, even when using a translation of .74 ppg from AHL to NHL like NHLe states, it places Milano at just over 30 points and under 25 assists total. This is also suggesting that Milano doesn't improve season over season.
There is too much unknown with Milano right now, which makes it difficult to forecast his potential output. His boom-or-bust potential may leave him as a player that is on the outside looking in throughout the year.
Official prediction: 22 assists, UNDER
