McKinnon (Just the complete package)
Lindholm (Looking forward to WJC to really confirm this)
Galchenyuk (I'm predicting a Marian Hossa like development, it will take some time, but when he arrives will becoming invaluable.)
Jones (No 2012 Ds are very close really)
Yakupov (I remain on my 2012 predictions that Gal will end up being more valuable than Yakupov over a 10 year career)
Barkov
Monahan
Rielly
Murray
Fucale
Lazar
Drouin
I'm known to go a bit more for the "total lifetime value" vs "performance at prime" in my prospect assessments.
I find MacKinnon and Yakupov are very similar players in terms of size, speed and skill set. Not that MacKinnon is bad but a lot of guys are catching up to him, like Drouin who is a dynamic playmaker.
I find MacKinnon and Yakupov are very similar players in terms of size, speed and skill set. Not that MacKinnon is bad but a lot of guys are catching up to him, like Drouin who is a dynamic playmaker.
Main difference between Yakupov and MacKinnon is general IQ, hockey sense and character, MacKinnon simply dominates Yakupov in all three categories. Yakupov is a better scorer with better acceleration. Nobody is catching up to MacKinnon, imo, he is as solid as anyone can be at this point in the season for 1st overall. (Taylor Hall type domination)
When all is said and done, I'm really not sure Drouin will be in the top 5. He's just a bigger risk. (See Teuvo)
Main difference between Yakupov and MacKinnon is general IQ, hockey sense and character, MacKinnon simply dominates Yakupov in all three categories. Yakupov is a better scorer with better acceleration. Nobody is catching up to MacKinnon, imo, he is as solid as anyone can be at this point in the season for 1st overall. (Taylor Hall type domination)
When all is said and done, I'm really not sure Drouin will be in the top 5. He's just a bigger risk. (See Teuvo)
I would give Yakupov the edge on character. He came to Sarnia and adapted very well to the culture, style etc. MacKinnon wouldn't go to Baie Comeau who drafted him, Team Canada was less than happy with him at the U18 and he's had a few meetings with the coaching staff in Halifax. MacKinnon may have a slight edge as a playmaker with Yakupov having a better shots, both guys are shoot first type players.
My love for the talent of Johnathan Drouin aside which forward might be the Habs best pick in the 1st round :Valeri Nicushkin plays extremely well for a kid in a man's body. Sean Monahan another player ready made for the NHL,followed very closely by Elias Lindholm,he may be the shocker when watching Sweden's entry for the U/20 WJHC's. Then defencemen that the Habs could pick :Nikita Zadorov,Ryan Pulock and Rasmus Ristolainen all three for the same reasons.Still my heart is with Drouin and unless the Habs pick out of the top five their choice should be Drouin.Drouin would look great wearing Frank Mahovlich's old #27 Habs jersey,maybe the only talent to wear that # with that level of talent since.
It hasn't been our small players dispearing in tough games, Cammalleri was great in the playoffs and Gionta and Koivu always did more than their part. It was not having enough "tough" players surrounding them who would use their size.
Plekanec disappears frequently in the playoffs, Jan Bulis required search and rescue, Mike Ribeiro was constantly playoff invisible, Joe Juneau as well, Latendresse though not small was invisible in the post season...
As for lately - what wingers were there to use their size? Kostitsyn? Lol... Moen? Tries hard. Eller, Pouliot, Darche... All soft soft players.
My love for the talent of Johnathan Drouin aside which forward might be the Habs best pick in the 1st round :Valeri Nicushkin plays extremely well for a kid in a man's body. Sean Monahan another player ready made for the NHL,followed very closely by Elias Lindholm,he may be the shocker when watching Sweden's entry for the U/20 WJHC's. Then defencemen that the Habs could pick :Nikita Zadorov,Ryan Pulock and Rasmus Ristolainen all three for the same reasons.Still my heart is with Drouin and unless the Habs pick out of the top five their choice should be Drouin.Drouin would look great wearing Frank Mahovlich's old #27 Habs jersey,maybe the only talent to wear that # with that level of talent since.
Why "should" the Habs pick Drouin? I don't understand that comment. Could you please explain?
Why cut and run? You made it sound like the Habs had little choice in the matter, I'm just wondering why that is? Simple question.
It mainly depends on who is available.
Unless some teams completely derps, or barring no player emerging until the draft, Drouin will be the BPA by #6 at the very most (and I'm NOT CONVINCED on Monahan, that I still rank ahead of Drouin at the moment, but I could really change my mind).
Hence, Drouin must be picked at #6 if he's available. Wouldn't pick him ahead of MacKinnon, Barkov, Jones and Lindholm at the moment, and see above for Monahan.
Main difference between Yakupov and MacKinnon is general IQ, hockey sense and character, MacKinnon simply dominates Yakupov in all three categories. Yakupov is a better scorer with better acceleration. Nobody is catching up to MacKinnon, imo, he is as solid as anyone can be at this point in the season for 1st overall. (Taylor Hall type domination)
When all is said and done, I'm really not sure Drouin will be in the top 5. He's just a bigger risk. (See Teuvo)
That is completely false. MacKinnon is quicker and faster. And the better scorer with softer hands. Yak is stronger/more physical and a better playmaker right now.
Plekanec disappears frequently in the playoffs, Jan Bulis required search and rescue, Mike Ribeiro was constantly playoff invisible, Joe Juneau as well, Latendresse though not small was invisible in the post season...
As for lately - what wingers were there to use their size? Kostitsyn? Lol... Moen? Tries hard. Eller, Pouliot, Darche... All soft soft players.
This is nonsense. Plekanec shuts down Crosby, Backstrom, and Ovechkin in the playoffs. He doesn't necessarily put up eye-popping points, but he hardly disappears.
Plekanec disappears frequently in the playoffs, Jan Bulis required search and rescue, Mike Ribeiro was constantly playoff invisible, Joe Juneau as well, Latendresse though not small was invisible in the post season...
As for lately - what wingers were there to use their size? Kostitsyn? Lol... Moen? Tries hard. Eller, Pouliot, Darche... All soft soft players.
In game 6 against Boston Eller suffered a dislocated shoulder... he finished the game and played like a warrior, worked the boards like Sundin in his prime. Ain't nothing soft about The Great Dane.
In game 6 against Boston Eller suffered a dislocated shoulder... he finished the game and played like a warrior, worked the boards like Sundin in his prime. Ain't nothing soft about The Great Dane.
No. He doesn't truck people at center ice or devour babies whole. He's obviously a small, soft, puff pastry based hockey player.
This is nonsense. Plekanec shuts down Crosby, Backstrom, and Ovechkin in the playoffs. He doesn't necessarily put up eye-popping points, but he hardly disappears.
Agreed. If anything, his strong play is consistent in the playoffs. He might not put up points every game, but Pleks overall game makes up for the lack of production (which is rare).
In game 6 against Boston Eller suffered a dislocated shoulder... he finished the game and played like a warrior, worked the boards like Sundin in his prime. Ain't nothing soft about The Great Dane.
True that. He may not be a hitting machine, but Eller is extremely good with defensive play and he is very good on the boards and in the cylcle game.
Agreed. If anything, his strong play is consistent in the playoffs. He might not put up points every game, but Pleks overall game makes up for the lack of production (which is rare).
His point production in the playoffs isn't actually bad either, he might not take it into overdrive offensively like Cammalleri did but he's been over .5 PPG every year in the playoffs except for 2009 when the Habs were swept, in which he was coming off a weak season to begin with and the team as a whole was terrible in the playoffs except Kovalev and Koivu.
Considering he plays more defensively in the playoffs to begin with, I don't see how anyone could look at his numbers and say he disappears.
His point production in the playoffs isn't actually bad either, he might not take it into overdrive offensively like Cammalleri did but he's been over .5 PPG every year in the playoffs except for 2009 when the Habs were swept, in which he was coming off a weak season to begin with and the team as a whole was terrible in the playoffs except Kovalev and Koivu.
I know of this. He is mainly up against the toughest competition, so he isnt relied on entirely like Cammy to put up points in the playoffs.
This is nonsense. Plekanec shuts down Crosby, Backstrom, and Ovechkin in the playoffs. He doesn't necessarily put up eye-popping points, but he hardly disappears.
Once.
His playoff resume is average at best for a guy who's supposed to be a number one center, and a premiere two way forward in the NHL. Re-writing history to reflect one good playoff run isn't accurate. He was often questioned for lack of production in the playoffs prior to the big run a few years ago, but I guess people tend to forget.
Quote:
Never before had an NHL player written his own headline so well.
Never before had an NHL player written his own headline so well.
Two years ago Tomas Plekanec was playing in the playoffs for the first time as an established top-six NHL forward.
He was coming off a breakout 69-point season, centring one of the most dangerous lines in the league between Alex Kovalev and Andrei Kostitsyn.
But once the playoffs began, Plekanec disappeared, notching only a pair of assists through the first three games of the Canadiens' first round series against the Boston Bruins.
"The last two games," Plekanec said between Games 3 and 4 of the series, "I played like a little girl out there."
That is completely false. MacKinnon is quicker and faster. And the better scorer with softer hands. Yak is stronger/more physical and a better playmaker right now.
MacKinnon is more agile and better laterally, I don't think he has the spark of Yakupov going forward from 0 speed. Yak is stronger and more physical...I certainly hope so he's 19 and MacKinnon is barely 17. They have 23 months between them.
