Alright...
Been watching practically the entire Hockey East tourney and got some reports. First off, let me say that in regards to Bowers and Tkachuk comparisons and all that jazz, Brady is definitely a level higher than Shane. If I was going to compare the two personally, Tkachuk has more individual talent while Bowers has strengths mostly geared towards the team. Ultimately, individual talent is more relevant and no doubt in my mind Tkachuk will be the better player in the future. I suggest that when it comes to numbers being relatively close, Bowers get much softer minutes being played on BU's 3rd line while Brady is on the first line with Jordan Greenway and I believe Cloonan. I am not trying to make Bowers look negative here, just trying to be a realistic, so next year will be a more telling season for Shane in how much potential he has with more important minutes.
Tkachuk is a complete tank and in terms of throwball, he is built like a TE. Being just 18 years old is quite remarkable how tough and strong he already is. I doubt we get Tkachuk due to how brutal Senators are, but if they finish around 6th or 7th, picturing a line of Greer - Tkachuk - Morrison would be bullshark-testosterone-drool-worthy. Brady does suffer from some bad skating though, definitely cannot showcase his skill set while trying to smash his way through defenders on the forecheck (Matthew is much more mobile of a player and is more of a havoc because of that).
Bowers on the other hand is a very powerful skater and will absolutely fit into Avs style. Additionally, Shane is an EXTREMELY determined player and wants to do as much as possible to contribute in teamwork. He's that type of guy who works so hard that it rubs off on other players, as those guys do not want to look less lazy than he does. He also possesses a good range of IQ always making smart plays' with the puck, but his other offencive tools are still a work in progress. His defencive game is as good as advertised and should become the second best two-way forward on the Avs after Landeskog if he keeps developing. I mentioned in the past that he reminds me of Backlund and still think that, but for the people who love Ryan O'Reilly, he is a very similar player. I do believe there will be a limit on his offencive capacity, but getting a 3rd line ROR is definitely a solid player.