I take Nylander 2nd, and obviously there is a slight homerish tint to it. But at the time he was viewed as having the highest offensive ceiling in the draft (some viewed Bennett, and possibly Ehlers as being equal), but having arguably the most risk associated with it. He caused a massive divide among alot of scouts who questioned how he was handled, the influence of his dad, his ability to start using teammates more and whether he was better at center or the wing. Since the draft he has answered most of those questions, he has worked hard with the Leafs coaches in all aspects, has shown he is best at center at both the AHL and NHL level. He is strong on faceoffs, has great anticipation, is great at finding teammates (although he can still hold on to the puck a little too long, like most young skill guys) and is deadly in the offensive zone. His defence while it will never be Selke level, is still competent, and he can be a deadly player if used in a proper manner. For example, Patrick Kane and Pannarin this year both had offensive zone starts above 65% which is insane. Its the main reason I hope we get Matthews, as I would love to see Nylander deployed long term like this. No one outside of Draisaitl has proven as much as Nylander this year in regards to being able to play center at the NHL level this year.
Past Ekblad, you can make legitimate claims that any of the top forwards should be anywhere in the 2-9 ranks. going from Reinhart, Draisaitl, Bennett, Nylander, Ehlers, Fabbri, Pastrnak.
Here are my ranking's not including Nylander on how I judged their seasons
1: Fabbri- did everything asked with the minutes provided, was not shielded in zone starts, and was never consistently given minutes with top players, although was on a strong lineup
2: Reinhart-Proved he was adaptable to any situation or role put in. Struggled at the dot when put there, but when used on the wing was an excellent complimentary player to either ROR or Eichel, proving much better than Evander Kane. Very smart all around game, skating is still a slight worry, and he didn't display what was supposed to be his bread and butter which was his supposed amazing vision and passing. That may of been due to sabres lacking elite scoring. Instead though, he showed a willingness to stand in front of the goalie, screen them, take a beating of pucks and defenders to create more goals. If this is a long term aspect of his game, and he never moves to center, but shows more of his elite vision, you have a high quality power winger who can do everything.
3. Draisaitl- Showed an ability to see the game at an elite level, improved his skating and looks to be a center long term. Amazing ES numbers, but was not that great on the PP which is a mystery. I do feel he benefited massively in regards to statistics by playing with Taylor Hall at the beginning of the year when Taylor Hall was playing like a top 15 player league wide. His splits from his games last year, to his games pre-all star break and then post all-star break are massivly different. In his first 40 games this year he was almost a PPG player, in his second 32 he was below .5ppg. Amazing skill, needs more consistency
4. Larkin- Insane speed, with an amazing start. His first 30 games were elite, reflected by his all star game choice, but were clearly unsustainable. Some blame this on the rookie wall and being an NCAA player, and maybe a factor in regards to the size of regression but not the cause. Extremely sheltered all year (just look at zone starts), playing primarily on the wing, with an HHOF capable player in Zetterberg. Was hardly used at centre, and its doubtful his OSIH% stays at the rate it did this year. Can easily put up more points next year, but will have to create more chances, in arguably tougher situations (with no Datsyuk challenging the wings depth), he can depend on the conversion rate staying the same.
5.: Ehlers-Amazing speed, truly gamebreaking. Produced amazing in the second half when played with top line players, struggled when used further down the line up. Can't be the focus of his own line, but when played with Schiefele or Wheeler could easily be a 60 point player next year and 30-30 threat. Went extremely cold at one point
6: Pastrnak-Played a key role on a team challenging for the playoffs, but again battled injuries which has always been a worry for him. Would of been placed higher if this wasn't the 3rd year in a row he has face injury problems. One of the most talented players at the WJC. For the B's sake hopefully his injuries are more a fluke than a long term problem.
7: Bennett-Flashed game breaking skills at point, but a real up and down year, who struggled immensely at points. Still on the slight side if he intends to try to play the game he does, which will be worrisome. Was used as both a winger and center, with more time being spent on the wing, with balanced mixture of usage in regards to zone starts. Did not live up to the summer hype after his solid first round series. Alot of positives (flashes of game breaking skill, plays hard, very aware), mixed with negatives (may be best suited to the wing, game is extremely hard on his body couldn't get a top 6 spot for a long period of time on a bottom 5 team) leaving a lot unanswered going forward.
As for the two Canucks. Never should of been up, McCann had a great start, then disappeared, has elite skating but I don't see a first line player. Virtanen, outside of a stretch post WJC, his year was a disaster, either played dumb or without interest. Both appeared to have their work ethic challenged by team leadership, and Virtanen oddly wasn't even supported by his teammates when facing suspension, eventhough it came with the risk of labelling him a repeat offender. Both should learn a thing from watching the Sedin's and Horvat about how to improve and dedication. Right now I'd clearly take McCann over Virtanen, but it looks like a wasted development for both, and both could be in Utica to start the year. I would take Brock Boeser over both long term.
But, this list is not about fair. At least not mine.
