THE ONES WHO ARE CONSTANTLY ADJUSTING OR EXPERIMENTING

There are certain punctilious behaviors that stand out more than others. Leo Komarov's affinity for trying new sticks or technology is one that has not gone unnoticed, nor is his habit of sitting in his stall with his skate in-hand at eye-level as he carefully examines the blade of steel.



"It's probably not when everybody has been saying," Komarov further explained. "[With sticks] I always get a couple samples and then it takes a few weeks to test it out, but skates have to be perfect."



At the start of the season, Komarov spent the summer at home in Finland training with Aleksander Barkov and Patrik Laine. The Isles versatile winger/occasional centerman returned with a few of Barkov's custom sticks. After sufficient use and approval, Komarov proceeded to make the switch and mirror the captain of the Florida Panthers.



"I've been using the same curve for a really long time," Komarov said. "I switched it this summer. I switched it to a little bit rounder. It's the one [Barkov] has. It's bigger this year. It used to be pretty straight though."

While Komarov may be flexible and open-minded with his sticks, he's set in his ways after pinpointing the precise dimensions desired for his blades' daily filing.



"Skates have to be perfect," Komarov said. "I get them sharpened every day and as needed during intermissions."



Clutterbuck is another one when it comes to experimenting with sticks. These days, with companies offering a variety of different composites, flexes, toe shapes, curve depths and finishes the selection process can be tedious and time-consuming.



"Last year I changed sticks like six times," Clutterbuck said. "It's just the way that it looks, it feels and the way the puck comes off. It's like getting a new set of golf clubs. You go to the golf course and hit a ball and decide which one you like most. Last year, there was something about the curve that was off, and I just didn't like it. Normally, I wouldn't change sticks that much, but I didn't like the new one. So, I had to find a different stick that I liked and that was in-season and it looked like I had 90 different sticks. I never ended up getting what I wanted until this summer and I haven't really touched my sticks since then."



Clutterbuck is known for his wicked wrist shot, so when other sharpshooters boost another stick or speak highly of tweaking something specific, the winger's curiosity is piqued.



"If you like what you like you get set in your ways, right?" Clutterbuck said. "But that's the problem too because then all of this new stuff comes out and everyone's pumping it, but sometimes the old stuff is better. I'm always willing to try the new stuff, but I don't always stick with it."



Unlike Clutterbuck, Eberle isn't as contingent on the actual anatomy of the stick, but rather is reliant on locating the perfect union between the stick itself and how Eberle is feeling at that precise moment.



"Sticks I'm funny with," Eberle said. "I have different heights. Some days you feel taller than others. That's all it is. You've got to find the right one. I just have three different heights. It's miniscule though, we're talking millimeters or centimeters in difference. On a certain day, eventually you'll grab a stick and it clicks and you're like, 'That's the one!' It's hard to explain, but yeah [I do it] during warmups. If you watch, Barzy does it too, we just keep going back and switching them out until I find the one that I want. But you notice it. Once you grab the right one, you'll immediately know it."

