Prospect Info: 2012 16th Overall - Tom Wilson, Right Wing
- Thread starter Firestorm
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Handling the puck, shooting the puck both forehand and backhand, passing the puck both forehand and backhand, skating both power and quickness, beating players with something other than size and strength, his play away from the puck both offensively and defensively, his play along the wall, his defensive game, shall I go on...?
Right now Wilson is big, strong, fights well enough, and despite the usual poor angles he takes while going for big hits when he does get a piece of someone they know it. The rest of his game is worthy of a 4th line goon/spare forward. He does absolutely nothing well with the puck on his stick and when he doesn't have the puck he is only very slightly better.
My question is. Does he bring something to the team that we cannot find with the players we already have? Is he the best choice? With his ELC and bonuses he's expensive cap hit wise.
There's usually only one or two 16 year olds on each team. Each team can carry 3 20 year olds. The rest are 17, 18 and 19 year olds. Usually weighted more towards 18 and 19 because the owners want to win and the older players are usually better.
Wilson may look like Lindros and remind Oates of Lindros but he is not Lindros. Lindros went # 1 for a reason.
Now the NHL is a development league?
CapitalsCupReality
It’s Go Time!!
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And also, he might not reach his bonus criteria (whatever they are?) which gives the management more space to work with, since his actual salary is 894,167$, if it comes to that!
More space to work with? Most performance bonuses count towards the cap all season, because unless it is impossible to meet, it still counts towards the cap. Impossible does not mean scoring 15 goals in one game, if there is still a game left to play that goals performance bonus would still be on the books. Unable to meet in terms of something like a GP bonus where the games remaining are fewer than the games needed are the types of performance bonuses which adjust during the season.
In addition, the Caps are already using performance bonus cushion space and LTIR to maintain the current roster. Before Hillen on LTIR, they were using performance bonus cushion space and they still are. They were using performance bonus cushion space with Carrik and Latta's contracts when they were on the roster, too. At this time, they are using performance bonus cushion space with Wilson, Schmidt and Urbom plus Hillen LTIR cap to maintain this roster.
What's true is that Wilson or Schmidt or Urbom or someone else might not meet any or all of their performance bonuses in terms of end of year calculations and possibly not having to push any against next year's cap, but doesn't change things for this season.
Back to Wilson, I'm not a fan of how they utilized him the first nine games or the decision, but I am disappointed in the decision. I've expressed my reasons in this and other discussions on the topic.
I think most agree AHL would be ideal but we know that is not an option.
Back to the OHL discussion, while I agree there would be some possible targeting, as is well-established Wilson isn't a kid with a slight build, I think it is an over-stated concern. I do think there are things he could work on and improve at that level and I don't see how he's avoiding much with the hitting and fights occurring at the NHL level, too. From what I have observed, I think his Plymouth coach is spot on in the assessment he had of Wilson as told to Ben Raby and reported here.
PuckBuddy
Green for Selke
I'm sure playing 6 minutes per game in an energy role with the occasional opportunity to break his hand is the best development route.
I'm sure burning a year off Wilson's ELC in a role that half a dozen other players in the system could do at league minimum is the best salary- and asset-management decision.
I'm sure keeping Wilson up has nothing to do with the front office saving face after the increasingly-painful MP trade and is purely a hockey decision.
I'm sure burning a year off Wilson's ELC in a role that half a dozen other players in the system could do at league minimum is the best salary- and asset-management decision.
I'm sure keeping Wilson up has nothing to do with the front office saving face after the increasingly-painful MP trade and is purely a hockey decision.
Depends on the injury and conditioning. They've been saying he would be ready for camp but he'll be losing summer conditioning if he has a bum wheel. If healthy and ok conditioning would expect him in the NHL.
Based on Trotz's usual pattern, outside of Jones last year, of getting pretty much all of his young players at least half a season in the AHL I would have said he was going to spend most of the season in Hershey even if he was 100% healthy now. Given the ankle injury, which at this point all we know is it isn't nothing, I think it is likely he starts the season in a Bear's jersey.
RandyHolt
Keep truckin'
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Welp, with Ovi still at RW, we are overloaded up and down that right side of our lineup. Its going to be tough sledding for him again this year, barring injury.
We had no RW injuries last year, well because the 3 guys in front of him barely did anything to risk themselves. So he was stuck on 4 all year, even when we were eliminated. Its a small miracle he got PP time in that blowout for his first.
Trotz has a lot of work to do... what to do with Willie may be one of his easier decisions.
We had no RW injuries last year, well because the 3 guys in front of him barely did anything to risk themselves. So he was stuck on 4 all year, even when we were eliminated. Its a small miracle he got PP time in that blowout for his first.
Trotz has a lot of work to do... what to do with Willie may be one of his easier decisions.
Marshall
A ribbon reflector
I'm as big a Wilson fan as you'll find, and I'd be good with him spending the season with Hershey, playing big-time minutes ES and on the PP.
Short-term the player may not adapt the best (see Nate Schmidt's comments), but getting the player bigger minutes - instead of having them rot on the 4th line - is the biggest thing for me. That's development, and I tend to think that Wilson would benefit from Top 6/2nd pp minutes in Hershey.
Now, best straight-up with the player, look them in the eye when you tell them. No non-communicative BS.
Short-term the player may not adapt the best (see Nate Schmidt's comments), but getting the player bigger minutes - instead of having them rot on the 4th line - is the biggest thing for me. That's development, and I tend to think that Wilson would benefit from Top 6/2nd pp minutes in Hershey.
Now, best straight-up with the player, look them in the eye when you tell them. No non-communicative BS.
strungout
Professional Killer
HunterSThompson
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ChibiPooky
Yay hockey!
HunterSThompson
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Considering it is the Fibula he can probably start on a stationary bike in a week or two, depending on the exact break of course. He won't be in hockey shape of course, but neither will OV or Green or Backstrom or Laich...
ChibiPooky
Yay hockey!
it'd be nice to have wilson out there to make up for some of the softness of this team. aside from ovi hardly anyone throws the body around or makes those momentum shifting big hits
which is another thing i hope trotz instills in the team, get used to hitting and taking hits and being more aggresive. our top dmen like carlson, alzner and espcially ****in green should be hitting people way more often, and not these soft little pushes i see green do. hit people for crying out loud. i think trotz will be able to and maybe toughen up this team
cant get constantly pushed around on the ice and expect to win stanley cups
which is another thing i hope trotz instills in the team, get used to hitting and taking hits and being more aggresive. our top dmen like carlson, alzner and espcially ****in green should be hitting people way more often, and not these soft little pushes i see green do. hit people for crying out loud. i think trotz will be able to and maybe toughen up this team
cant get constantly pushed around on the ice and expect to win stanley cups
I hope that is the hidden value in the Orpik deal. If he can teach these guys to stand up for themselves. And help to change the culture of the team. His deal will have value long after he is gone.
Hivemind
We're Touched
The Forsberg trade was ****ing stupid, period. Even if Wilson becomes a 30 goal guy it was stupid.
RandyHolt
Keep truckin'
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I stand by my ahem post that had we retained FF he would have been converted to C / assumed more defensive responsibilities, buried in the bottom 6 or in Hershey for a significant part of the year, incurred scratches, and would not have been in Calder discussions this year.
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