Is Tuomo Rutuu that good?

[Kashmir]

There is a lot of hype around him. Will he be an offensive force in the NHL?

He's still undraft in my pool and he's high on my rookie list. So, is he the next offensive phenom or just a very good two-way player?

Offensively speaking, would you rank Horton, Staal, Zherdev or any other rookie above him?

[Teemu]

his stock is rising and falling all of the time, so its hard to tell if he will live up to your expectations. Ruutu is liek forsberg, but with alittle less offense and a little more defense. I see selkes in his future.

The only one of those three i think has the potentional for more points is Staal.

[fullmetalninja]

With all do respect Teemu... I don't agree at all.

Tuomo has much better offensive instincts than Mike Peca(who people have compared him to as his "downside"). He's not forsberg- but he's closer than I thought he would be.

He won't shoot the puck as much as JR did in Chicago. But everything else is there.

So to answer your question... yes he is that good. If he can stay healthy(and in my mind that's the only if because of the way he plays), he will be a #1 center in this league for a long long time.

-fullmetalninja

Originally Posted by Kashmir

There is a lot of hype around him. Will he be an offensive force in the NHL?

He's still undraft in my pool and he's high on my rookie list. So, is he the next offensive phenom or just a very good two-way player?

Offensively speaking, would you rank Horton, Staal, Zherdev or any other rookie above him?

There was an interesting article in the Chicago Tribune about Ruutu and his first exhibition game. A comparison to Forsberg was dropped. This comparison was confirmed by Forsberg's former teammate, Jocelyn Thibault. I don't know if that can be said after just one pre-season game, but it's a good first impression nonetheless. You can find a link to the article on hpmagazine.com ... I think it's the second or third story on the front page.

[Johnny Wishbone]

I saw Ruutu play in the WJC and I thought he was the best F in the tourney, by far. He is always in the action, is a good checker, good skater, etc....he has it all. He has a huge drive.
I think he will be a Star NHL player before too long and his best comparison is Forsberg IMO, but whether he can be that good is another issue.
I will be tuning into CHI games just to see him!!! I'm very excited to see what he can do on the NHL level. He is exciting!

[dulzhok]

The biggest concern will be injuries. I don't think there's a propsepct out there with more injury concerns than Ruttu.

[Reign Nateo]

Originally Posted by dulzhok

The biggest concern will be injuries. I don't think there's a propsepct out there with more injury concerns than Ruttu.

Adrian Foster?

[Colin27]

He looked good in the his preseason debut-scoring a goal, etting under Jamal Mayers skin and really making his presence felt. Even Quenville said ater the game he will be handful. But it was just one game, and a exhibition game at that, but good to see him in the indianhead

[iamcaper]

I see him as having the offensive style of a bigger Theo Fleury and the defensive style of a smaller Bobby Holik. He's a very in your face style player. I just hope he can stay healthy. That's the biggest question mark for Ruutu right now.

[#37-#93-#27*]

Ray Ferraro compared him to Peter Forsberg. Is he really that type of player? (Not caliber)

[Teemu]

Originally Posted by dulzhok

The biggest concern will be injuries. I don't think there's a propsepct out there with more injury concerns than Ruttu.

Igor Grigorenko? :p