Best comparison I can come up with is Getzlaf-lite, although defensively there's a good chance he's on par. Not to speak in hyperbole, but the guy would be the perfect policeman presence for Skinner and Dalpe, while also being more then capable of putting up 60+ points a season. Sutter and Staal just don't have that nasty streak to them and while it was awesome to see Skinner get up and right after some guys this year, what would be a 6'3/210lber with a meanstreak doing it.
There are a lot of likely prospects at our spot I don't think we can go wrong with. We just need to hope they don't go with one of the ones they most definitely can go wrong with *coughcoughBiggscoughcough*
But quite frankly, we need the player Armia or Oleksiak could be more than we need the player McNeill could be.
I don't necessarily agree with this. A big physical pivot makes the job alot easier for the back end. And it is alot easier to win with talent down the middle than it is with a big winger. The stronger you are down the middle the better the team is. I would love to see a big winger who can score goals but big pivots affect the game alot more. And the big dman would be nice but he is a big gamble and is 4 seasons away
With our recent experience with Osala, I don't know if we touch Armia. I know they are on two different levels in regards to scoring touch, but there are similarities there regarding skating stride and foot speed even down to the frame.
Armia's potential is obviously a lot higher than Osalas. If he pans out, he'll be "Jeff Carter".
McBain - Dumoulin
Faulk - Biega
Joslin - Sanguinetti
Levi
Ward
Murphy/Peters?
I like this, only change I would make is swap Terry in. Just personal preference on my part. At this point I think Terry may make it in a bottom 6 role. I've personally not seen much from Bowman that intriques me, but i'll keep him in there for the time being. Obviously all these guys will likely not make it, but it should give JR a nice set of building blocks to put something together in the next couple years.
What do ya'll think of the progress McBain made this year? Can he still be our number 1 in a few years?
I think he made alot of progress this season despite the fact that it may look like he played much worse than the short preview we got the season before. That said, I've always been in the camp that sees his ceiling as a second pairing dman. Nothing I saw this season would lead me to believe anything different
What do ya'll think of the progress McBain made this year? Can he still be our number 1 in a few years?
To me it depends on how you qualify a number one. In Carolina, I think yes he can become a number one here. In many other locations, I highly doubt it. I don't think he'll ever be a guy in the conversation for a Norris or anything like that but it's not incredibly unrealistic to see him as developing into a guy like Wade Redden was for Ottawa or JM Liles for Colorado. Skilled PMD with not a lot of physicality but a pretty sound defensive game. It worries me that we see the best of him only in the second half of the season, but that could just be an age thing that he will grow away from.
That is pretty rare air in regards to offensive ability. I don't see McBain being that competent on the powerplay to the extent that he could be considered a specialist like Rafalski was during his prime, but in regards to being a defensive oriented but not physical puck mover..... he falls in line with that kind of player.
I think McBain's ceiling is being a Paul Martin like d-man. He's never going to be an elite top pairing d-man but he has the potential to be a decent top pairing guy, IMO. I think he's a smart hockey player and I expect his defensive play to improve as he becomes more experienced. He could play a little more physical, but positioning and technique are where his primary strengths will be.
Interesting development. Flames prospect and former first round pick Tim Erixon has until 5 PM tomorrow to sign a contract or he goes back into the draft. I wonder if JR is paying attention here. He would be able to play immediately.
I like Erixon as a prospect, but I'm not sure I'd draft him. A European that appears difficult to sign? Doesn't sound like a JR type guy either.
There are tons of reasons out there as to why he's not signing, but regardless he would be under team control for the foreseeable future. We have something of a history of taking reentry prospects (Zigomans, Zepp, Vagner, Fiedler), so the history is there but it's just a question of if we think we can get him over here. There are a lot of days between the draft and when his exclusive rights expire and I don't know the rules, but I imagine we could talk to him and see where he's at prior to using a pick on him. A defenseman as skilled as he is that is ready right away would be a hell of a lot to pass on. Plus, we just traded for another supposed malcontent in Riley Nash last year around this time. JR loves NHL ready players come draft time. They don't get much more ready than this kid.
If we were going to go after him aggresively then i would imagine JR has already called Feaster to inquire about his rights. I would be all for acquiring the kid as long as it isnt with the 12th pick.
Do we have any idea why Erixon is giving Calgary the bird?
