A 3rd line centre from a lottery pick? I wouldn't be happy with that.
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Originally Posted by nitz
You don't shoot for a 3rd line centre with the #6 overall pick. End of discussion.
Edmonton is having the same thing happen with Paajarvi right now. Certainly not living up to draft expectations, and I, for one, have been very disappointed with him.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoofSlashFoig
If Sens are hoping for a Mike Fisher with a 6th overall pick, they have to rethink they're drafting strategy.
Because there are so many 6th overall superstars in the league? You try to draft a star with every pick. That said there are so many players even that get picked 1st overall (still playing in this league!) that never become stars. Getting a good 2nd line player out of the first round of a draft is not a bad thing. You can be disappointed all you want, but unless it's a very top end draft year (look at this year) chances are the 'can't miss' prospects are gone by 6. Then it becomes a gamble.
Personally I wish we had taken Hamilton...I have no idea why we drafted Zibanejad where we did. It was a disappointing draft overall for me as I don't think that Noesen or Puempel are going to be impact players either. Who knows though they are all young and have a long time to develop.
He can skate relatively quickly, but very awkwardly, and he loses his balance often.
He has a great shot, but doesn't retain puck possession all that well and his stick-handling isn't great.
He has good reach, but he's not big enough to hold guys off with his physical bulk yet.
He reminds me a bit of an unrefined Jordan Staal.
Some people have been harping on his hockey IQ, but I think it's actually pretty decent. He has good vision and can find guys with good passes.
He appears tall and lanky out there, with big, cumbersome strides, but he can make quick and decisive turns when he doesn't run into someone.
As a power forward, coming up in the Swedish system, I think it will take him a lot longer to mature than a Canadian who has been playing that style over here.
But his potential is in that vein, rather than as a skilled finesse forward.
Interesting I always wondered how Ottawa slipped under the radar when they picked Zibanejad (instead of Hamilton or Couturier) and Winnipeg got roasted for taking Scheifele for the same potential sin? I guess at the time of the draft Zibanejad must have been ranking around where Ottawa took him?
Either way with picks like Strome, Scheifele, Zabanejad it’s too early to tell yet. Look at Huberdeau, last season people were gnashing their teeth in Florida about whether they should have taken Couturier and it appears Hubs might have passed Couts this year as far as offensive impact or at least he is squarely back in the game. We are going to have to wait and see on a few of these picks, If they don’t pan out then we (Ottawa and Winnipeg) can all flame away.
Defensively he is Mike Fisher but offensive wise he is far better.
At most a 35 goal scorer in this league. Totally deceptive shot who can really wire it with a clapper.
Zibanejad has a long way to go before we can label him 'far better' offensively than Mike Fisher. He also isn't nearly as physical as Mike Fisher and doesn't throw himself in front of shots like Fisher does.
Fisher is very underrated. If Zibanejad became a winger version of Fisher we would be very lucky. Fisher was never the problem on our team -- the problem is that he wasn't a winger and we didn't have a 2nd line centre.
Interesting I always wondered how Ottawa slipped under the radar when they picked Zibanejad (instead of Hamilton or Couturier) and Winnipeg got roasted for taking Scheifele for the same potential sin? I guess at the time of the draft Zibanejad must have been ranking around where Ottawa took him?
Either way with picks like Strome, Scheifele, Zabanejad it’s too early to tell yet. Look at Huberdeau, last season people were gnashing their teeth in Florida about whether they should have taken Couturier and it appears Hubs might have passed Couts this year as far as offensive impact or at least he is squarely back in the game. We are going to have to wait and see on a few of these picks, If they don’t pan out then we (Ottawa and Winnipeg) can all flame away.
Zibanejad was a riser in the draft: he went from nobody to being one of the main topics of the draft as it got closer; Scheifele was a nobody (well as far as early first round picks) the whole time.
Zibanejad is going to get a lot of flack in the near future because he shouldn't be playing top 6 minutes yet but due to injuries he's been asked to do more than I think he can: people are going to say he's a bust and bla bla bla.
He was doing great in the AHL so I have high hopes for him but confidence seems to be a big thing with him: I hope that he doesn't get too down on himself for not being able to produce in accordance to where he's being played. Paulrus seems like the kind of guy who can help him stay positive though.
I've always seen him topping out in the Kesler mold. Wishful thinking, but that's his ceiling as I see it. Minus Kesler's antics, mind.
He seems to be over-thinking the game right now, but should start to produce when he becomes more comfortable with rink dimensions and the time and space allowed at this level.
He does need to work on changing speeds, rather than trying to skate 100 mph all the time, and he'll be a beast when he fills out his frame.
I don't think the Fisher comparison is terrible, but I do think it's lazy.
Bonk, he is a Swedish-Iranian Radek Bonk with a better "motor".
Nice hands, great shot, big frame, skates better, there is more effort or apparent effort.
back in the day Bonk ended up a good shutdown guy who produced well at 55-70pts in his best 5/6 years.
i can see a similar trajectory for Zibinejad, might end up all around better but i dont see him any worse.
Upside of an Olli Jokinen, but some serious risk of actually happening. But not a high risk prospect. Worst case you're talking about 20-25 goal scorer with a great motor and two-way ability.
Still would have preferred Couturier (or Hamilton) but we really won't know for 3-4 more years how they compare, as most acknowledged Zibanejad was less of a finished product at the time of the draft compared to a Couturier.
Like Jokinen, I suspect it will take him a while to find his scoring touch at the NHL level. Jokinen didn't score more than 11 goals in the NHL until he was 23 or so, but took off after that with a 36 goal season and never looked back. Hopefully the Sens are more patient than the Kings and Isles were with Jokinen, and he ends up hitting his stride with the Sens rather than some other team.
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