I agree. All three of these players have a tremendous amount of talent, but Elias isn't getting a lot of recognition for what he's been able to do so far in the SEL. He's in the top 30 in scoring as a 17 year old even with the influx of NHLers and is putting up similar stats as Nicklas Bäckström did at the same age.
What's impressive is his hockey sense and vision but he's maybe not going to stand out as much from the highlights.
1. Barkov. He is dominating in the FEL against men @ 17. I literally can't find a ceiling for this guy.
2. Lindholm. Also performing very well against men in the SEL, I think his floor is a top 6 guy, he is already proving he can hang with NHL players and is only going to improve.
3. Monahan. Could become the best two-way guy out of the draft, but he's much less proven and has less offensive potential than the other two.
I think Barkov gets a bit too much love because of his already polished game. He is about as NHL ready as prospects come, but I feel like his offensive potential is the lowest of the three. Selke caliber defense from the get go so I'm not saying he'll bust, but I have a feeling he doesn't get much better offensively anymore, his game seems to be just that ready.
Nonsense.
His skating and strength will continue to improve and who knows if he's still groving.
The sky really is the limit for this guy. He can be the next Jagr or worst case scenario the next Handzus.
I'm probably as high on Lindholm as anyone here, I'd only take Jones without hesitation ahead of him, I'd take MacKinnon over him as well but not as clear-cut as Jones.
For me:
1. Lindholm
2. Barkov
3. Monahan
I think Lindholm has the highest upside of the three, but the other two have exceptionally low chances of busting coupled with a pretty high ceiling which is pretty attractive as well, the worst case scenario in Monahan and Barkov's case looks a bit better than Lindholm's.
Cool post bro. Must feel like a really cool guy making fun of a 17 year old kid on the internet
Just like the 1800 posts about Jankowski? This is a prospects board, and people are constantly judging kids as young as their early teens in negative ways. Not saying it's right, but it's very common.
And regarding that: big dudes tend not to be the prettiest guys in the world. It happens.
