"I have no doubt in my mind that he can be a really good player," Button said on The Red & White Authority podcast last month. "Hendrix had some concussion issues and he hasn't really played since Nov. 21. If you're satisfied with the medical report on him and I have no reason to believe teams won't be based on what I know that he's gone through and what I've learned, I think Hendrix Lapierre is an outstanding player. He reminds me of Patrice Bergeron. He controls the game. I was talking earlier about Byfield and the age group, I can tell you this, at the Hlinka Gretzky Tournament, which is a significant tournament, it's age group-specific, Hendrix Lapierre, Cole Perfetti and Yaroslav Askarov were the best three players there. There was nobody else that was in their category. Hendrix, to me, you have to do your work on him from a medical standpoint when you look at it. A healthy Hendrix Lapierre, and I believe he will be fully healthy, no doubt in my mind he's gonna be a top-line player in the NHL."