No Habs' in HF's Top 50 NHL prospects

[Watsatheo]

Originally Posted by Clipitar

Having Oleksiak and Klefbom ahead of Tinordi and Beaulieu screams anti-habs bias to me, but I guess that's just me being a homer...

Why? Both were drafted higher than the Habs duo.

[Miller Time]

not great, but not so far fetched either...

Leblanc's been injured
Beaulieu, as good as he looked in camp, wasn't the top dman on his junior team last year
Gallagher surprised everyone by his camp performance, but it's still just one camp
Bournival's a nice player but not legitimately a better prospect than any of the guys picked in the top 50
Tinordi had a very marginal season last year for a 1st rounder, no surprise that he didn't make the list

bottom line is that all 5 of those guys have as good, if not better long-term NHL potential than many of the guys on the list, but in terms of pure top-end potential, legitimately not greater than the 50 guys picked there.

lucky for us, NHL wins aren't given out on the basis of how many prospects crack that list

[macavoy]

Originally Posted by hototogisu

I guarantee Leblanc will have a longer NHL career than some of the names listed there.

Fringe top 6 players / 3rd liners don't belong on a "top" list. He's likely to follow a Plekanec / Kessler career path probably without as much offensive side as those two.

Avtsin belongs in a top 50 list before Leblanc if your going on potential and I don't think Avtsin will ever be a first line player.

[macavoy]

Originally Posted by Teufelsdreck

I'm with the posters who say they don't care. In the past the Habs have had a number of prospects who were in the top 50 but didn't succeed in the NHL. In addition, many prospects who are lightly thought of at first have long pro careers.

prospects / jr teams are cyclical. We just had Price, Subban and Patches graduate, you can't expect to have elite prospects after you just had 2 elite prospects pan out and a mid range blue chipper.

[Clipitar]

Originally Posted by Watsatheo

Why? Both were drafted higher than the Habs duo.

Well, I said I was being a homer!

But the draft ranking difference is pretty thin. I prefer Tinordi to Oleksiak (hopefully team USA feels the same this year), but I understand many felt Jarred had a rough year adjusting to the OHL while Oleksiak hasn't had the opportunity to screw up yet. I definitely prefer Beaulieu's upside to Klefbom who I imagined being a mid-20th pick rather than #19. Both have similar upside though, I recognize that.

Again, please note I'm being a homer here!

[HarlemsFinest]

what other teams, if any are also absent from this list?

[Monctonscout]

Originally Posted by Clipitar

Well, I said I was being a homer!

But the draft ranking difference is pretty thin. I prefer Tinordi to Oleksiak (hopefully team USA feels the same this year), but I understand many felt Jarred had a rough year adjusting to the OHL while Oleksiak hasn't had the opportunity to screw up yet. I definitely prefer Beaulieu's upside to Klefbom who I imagined being a mid-20th pick rather than #19. Both have similar upside though, I recognize that.

Again, please note I'm being a homer here!

Oleksiak is trying out for Team Canada not Team USA.

[Beakermania*]

Originally Posted by Watsatheo

Why? Both were drafted higher than the Habs duo.

Klefblom was drafted higher than Beaulieu? I must have been watching the wrong draft.

Putting him ahead of Beaulieu is a mistake by HF IMO.



That said, our current prospect pool, after the graduations of Subban, Eller, Pacioretty is missing blue chippers. It has a lot of depth, but no players you look at as future first liners.

Now I think Beaulieu is that Blue Chipper and he should be in the top 50, but I understand where HF is coming from here in not ranking any of our prospects.

[Clipitar]

Originally Posted by Carey Price

Oleksiak is trying out for Team Canada not Team USA.

True that. Wrongly assumed he was American because he played so many years in the USHL.