HFBoards - View Single Post - Prospect Info: 2012-2013 Prospect Talk PART IV

blinkman360 · 11-22-2012, 06:33 PM

I used to be under the impression that Strome was drafted to become Tavares' RW, although last season I slowly started to realize that his game fits too perfectly as a center and that, IMO, switching him to the wing may not let us take full advantage of his potential.

This led me to think that, at some point, Brock Nelson would be either used as trade bait or groomed to be the 3rd line center. Now that Nelson's play and value has drastically skyrocketed to "blue-chip" status, I'm very curious to see how the Isles decide to handle the future of their 2nd line center spot.

At this point, I think Nelson's upside is way too big for him to be groomed as our 3rd line center of the future. I also think moving him to the wing makes even less sense than moving Strome there, mainly due to the size he brings from the center position, his ability in the face-off circle, and his 2-way play. IMO, it just wouldn't make sense.

I think this leaves 3 options:

A) trade Nelson
B) trade Strome
C) move Strome to JT's RW, groom Nelson to be the 2C

Personally, I just don't see Strome being traded barring someone ridiculous being put on the trade block, so that leaves options A and C.

I'm pretty confident that Nelson has a ton of value around the league, when you factor in his upside, the fact that he plays a premium position, the fact that he has pretty rare size for a guy who plays that position, and the fact that he is already pretty close to being NHL ready and should be a lock by the start of 2013-14. If the Islanders continue to fail at bringing in a veteran defenseman, even after the arena deal being confirmed, Nelson could surely go a long way in bringing back the kind of player we'd be looking for.

That said, the negatives of moving Nelson would be the amount of stock we'd be putting in guys like Nino, Strome and Bailey to become the players we expect them to become. With a top-6 of Tavares, Moulson, Strome, Okposo, Bailey and Niederreiter, that only really leaves us with Kabanov as a backup plan in case one of them fail. Not to mention Cizikas or Sundstrom as the backup plan options(outside of Nielsen, who's proven he isn't much of a 2nd line center) if Strome fails. Nelson at least provides some insurance in case one of these guys flop, which is very possible.

If we do keep him though, Strome would have to be moved to the wing. I just don't see any other way to make it work. I'm assuming Nino would be used on Nelson's wing since they've shown chemistry together at Bridgeport, while Bailey would slide down to the 3rd line with Nielsen and Grabner. It would be a very young lineup, but definitely one with a ton of potential. The only questionmark would be whether or not we could bring in the type of defenseman we need via the UFA market. If not, we would really only have our 1st rounder and a bunch of good, but not elite prospects to move for it. Can that get the type of player we'd need? Maybe. I just don't see any team trading us that kind of player without asking for one of the big name prospects.

I'm curious how everyone else feels this will play out. Obviously this is a "good" problem to have, but at the same time we need to be sure we make the right decision, whatever it may be. I can't be the only one that's thought about this.

11-22-2012, 06:33 PM	#819
blinkman360 Owen Slater Lives Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 4,759 vCash: 500	Strome vs Nelson I used to be under the impression that Strome was drafted to become Tavares' RW, although last season I slowly started to realize that his game fits too perfectly as a center and that, IMO, switching him to the wing may not let us take full advantage of his potential. This led me to think that, at some point, Brock Nelson would be either used as trade bait or groomed to be the 3rd line center. Now that Nelson's play and value has drastically skyrocketed to "blue-chip" status, I'm very curious to see how the Isles decide to handle the future of their 2nd line center spot. At this point, I think Nelson's upside is way too big for him to be groomed as our 3rd line center of the future. I also think moving him to the wing makes even less sense than moving Strome there, mainly due to the size he brings from the center position, his ability in the face-off circle, and his 2-way play. IMO, it just wouldn't make sense. I think this leaves 3 options: A) trade Nelson B) trade Strome C) move Strome to JT's RW, groom Nelson to be the 2C Personally, I just don't see Strome being traded barring someone ridiculous being put on the trade block, so that leaves options A and C. I'm pretty confident that Nelson has a ton of value around the league, when you factor in his upside, the fact that he plays a premium position, the fact that he has pretty rare size for a guy who plays that position, and the fact that he is already pretty close to being NHL ready and should be a lock by the start of 2013-14. If the Islanders continue to fail at bringing in a veteran defenseman, even after the arena deal being confirmed, Nelson could surely go a long way in bringing back the kind of player we'd be looking for. That said, the negatives of moving Nelson would be the amount of stock we'd be putting in guys like Nino, Strome and Bailey to become the players we expect them to become. With a top-6 of Tavares, Moulson, Strome, Okposo, Bailey and Niederreiter, that only really leaves us with Kabanov as a backup plan in case one of them fail. Not to mention Cizikas or Sundstrom as the backup plan options(outside of Nielsen, who's proven he isn't much of a 2nd line center) if Strome fails. Nelson at least provides some insurance in case one of these guys flop, which is very possible. If we do keep him though, Strome would have to be moved to the wing. I just don't see any other way to make it work. I'm assuming Nino would be used on Nelson's wing since they've shown chemistry together at Bridgeport, while Bailey would slide down to the 3rd line with Nielsen and Grabner. It would be a very young lineup, but definitely one with a ton of potential. The only questionmark would be whether or not we could bring in the type of defenseman we need via the UFA market. If not, we would really only have our 1st rounder and a bunch of good, but not elite prospects to move for it. Can that get the type of player we'd need? Maybe. I just don't see any team trading us that kind of player without asking for one of the big name prospects. I'm curious how everyone else feels this will play out. Obviously this is a "good" problem to have, but at the same time we need to be sure we make the right decision, whatever it may be. I can't be the only one that's thought about this.