Post-Game Talk: 2019 NHL Draft - Caps pick McMichael (25), Leason (56), Protas (91), Has (153)

[Charles Calvert]

What's wrong with Leason... weaknesses whatever... aka why didn't anyone else take him.

Looking at his size I would guess its skating related.

He's an overager (20) AND a bit of a late bloomer. Some GMs are hesitant for overagers.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

After watching the McMichael's videos, I'm super excited. The guy goes towards the net and will get a lot skilled and garbage goals. He can potentially be a future playoff hero. As for Leason, I can see him scoring scoring a lot of goals and screening a lot of goalies with his size. Leason will fit well in Oshie's spot one day on the PP.

 

[IafrateOvie34]

What's wrong with Leason... weaknesses whatever... aka why didn't anyone else take him.

Looking at his size I would guess its skating related.

Skating is my guess.

 

[Silky mitts]

On the TSN broadcast Burke said the team picking 33 or 34 was going to take McMichael, probably the Kings from the way he said it and the Other pick was traded for Subban, Kings took Kaliyev.

 

[ALLCAPSALLTHETIME]

Pleased with the draft. They got some very good value for picking at #25 and #56 and got two pretty interesting prospects, as well.

I really like the fact that they all seem to have high hockey IQs and are big. CMM could grown an inch or two, even.

 

[RandyHolt]

He's an overager (20) AND a bit of a late bloomer. Some GMs are hesitant for overagers.

Thanks, me personally I would welcome additional info aka a near fully cooked prospect every once in a while....especially a kid with size.

"Yeah he is almost ready for NHL duty, he won't need to be in college 4 years.... yeah lets pass, better not risk it." - GM with countless failed 17 and 18 year old draft picks.

Many many prospects bust during those 17-20 years without ever having a chance even a cup of coffee up in the bigs.

 

[TRASHCAT]

Lol get f***ed terran and zerg mains

 

[Revelation]

Lol get ****ed terran and zerg mains

If we have Has controlling Protas against Anaheim Zegras is gonna be out of the league and curled up under a blanket in a couple years.

 

[RandyHolt]

Back to Leason. I still think its shallow to avoid taking a kid all grown up and more developed. I guess teams think they can easily mold younger players into what they want and based on the old adage, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

If younger and more raw is better we should see GMs from all sports clearly targeting the younger players, over the older.

Guys go back to juniors and fail. They have poor coaches, get injured, regress, tire of the developmental grind and mentally tap out, may get homesick (certainly more than a 20 year old)... as well we know the high fail collective fail rate of all drafted 17 year olds... it must be pushing 90% or

A team in win now mode with a bare cupboard, Leason is such a no brainer pick. Hire Tom's skating coach full time and lets roll.

 

[Sam Spade]

Back to Leason. I still think its shallow to avoid taking a kid all grown up and more developed. I guess teams think they can easily mold younger players into what they want and based on the old adage, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

If younger and more raw is better we should see GMs from all sports clearly targeting the younger players, over the older.

Guys go back to juniors and fail. They have poor coaches, get injured, regress, tire of the developmental grind and mentally tap out, may get homesick (certainly more than a 20 year old)... as well we know the high fail collective fail rate of all drafted 17 year olds... it must be pushing 90% or

A team in win now mode with a bare cupboard, Leason is such a no brainer pick. Hire Tom's skating coach full time and lets roll.

I agree but the rate of overagers who succeed is crappy as well. Teams don't draft them because they don't trust the numbers they put up against kids two and three years younger than them.

That being said, I love this pick, this kid busted his ass and figured it out, he made Team Canada completely out of nowhere, and did really well. Capitals don't have 4 years to wait, this kid could be in D.C. next season if he does his job, that's worth taking a chance on.

 

[RandyHolt]

I agree but the rate of overagers who succeed is crappy as well. Teams don't draft them because they don't trust the numbers they put up against kids two and three years younger than them.

That being said, I love this pick, this kid busted his ass and figured it out, he made Team Canada completely out of nowhere, and did really well. Capitals don't have 4 years to wait, this kid could be in D.C. next season if he does his job, that's worth taking a chance on.

Thanks! BOLDED is the type of thing I knew I hadn't figure out.

That all said, while there is risk at least GMs get to see the kids size strength skating etc, pure measurables that are not skewed by dominating against toddlers.

 

[Langway]

Teams don't draft them because they don't trust the numbers they put up against kids two and three years younger than them.

It's not like he was only facing 17/18 year olds, though, especially in the playoffs when teams tend to be older.

It was more the skating plus his age and also he didn't have an amazing Memorial Cup in his most recent on-ice event. PA didn't win a game. They were a step behind throughout and Leason didn't record a point. He did have his chances but at times he struggled to create an angle to get his shot through. He, like the rest of the team, were a bit flat and maybe gassed. His center Montgomery is a decent WHLer but he's just an organizational guy at best. They were kind of a system team and it wasn't as effective against the very best. But put him with a better playmaker and higher pace around him and he'll find the soft areas. Protas & Leason together was also probably not the best idea in that tournament and they didn't shake the lines up until Game 3 IIRC.

 

[RandyHolt]

I feel like there is too much weight placed upon a kids performance at a short tourney.

Perhaps scouts are looking for big game players but in doing so need to factor in the things Langway touched on. Including teams systems, unknown injuries, simple bad matchups, the role asked of a player vs a specific opponent etc. I want the big body of work for a beanpole that is still growing. If a regular season stud is a dud in a small body of work at the big dance, use that to find value, vs panic and look elsewhere.

TJ Oshie is one that comes to mind. I long have said I value the post season showings over regular season, but its not just about points. The things he does well blood sweat tears etc WILL translate to a proper playoff run, even if he has some points duds on his ledger. The world needs ditch diggers too. And sure enough his trucking of Golden Shower Knights was thing of beauty in that pivotal game 3 IIRC that helped break their spirit and MAF. Direct hands in goals - if he got a point or not it doesn't matter, as long as the scouts see it.

 

[kicksavedave]

It's not like he was only facing 17/18 year olds, though, especially in the playoffs when teams tend to be older.

It was more the skating plus his age and also he didn't have an amazing Memorial Cup in his most recent on-ice event. PA didn't win a game. They were a step behind throughout and Leason didn't record a point. He did have his chances but at times he struggled to create an angle to get his shot through. He, like the rest of the team, were a bit flat and maybe gassed. His center Montgomery is a decent WHLer but he's just an organizational guy at best. They were kind of a system team and it wasn't as effective against the very best. But put him with a better playmaker and higher pace around him and he'll find the soft areas. Protas & Leason together was also probably not the best idea in that tournament and they didn't shake the lines up until Game 3 IIRC.

Leason didn't have a point in the MCup, but he had 25 pts (10G+15A) in 22 games during that whole WHL playoff run, 2nd overall in the WHL. The MCup for PA was only 3 games. Protas was 5th overall in the WHL loffs with 22 pts (12+10) in 23 games.

Would have to watch those three games but its possible that, after demolishing the WHL playoffs, their opponent sold out to stop that line and no one else stepped up to help out.

 

[Charles Calvert]

I have a source who works at Kettler who gives me some juicy info sometimes (he told me about the Jensen trade 2 days before it happened and that Burakovsky would only be moved for a good young player on a cheap deal).

He says that Washington scouts liked Tomasino the best of the available forwards, followed by McMichael. Said they wanted a center. Also said that Poulin and Leason would have been taken if both centers were taken. They REALLY like Leason and think he is a late 1st grade.

There were discussions about moving up to get Krebs with Dallas but it fell apart when Vegas took him. Also says Krebs was the only guy they'd move up to take (not Caufield which I thought was interesting). Tomasino was highest valued of the guys after, but they really like McMichael and felt comfortable staying put. They did not feel comfortable trading down because they didn't think McMichael would make it past Carolina or Boston.

Like I said, they REALLY like Leason and feel like he'll contribute soon. Wasn't stated explicitly, but there was more excitement about Leason than McMichael in terms of ceiling (I thought that was interesting). The skating doesn't bother anyone and can be addressed aggressively.

McMichael just seems like a solid kid to the organization, and they're prepared for a longer development (maybe 2021, but no time table right now). Leason they think 2020 and they're confident (which surprised me honestly).



Also side note, they were not considering Suzuki. Had a 2nd round grade on him.

Just some fun tidbits.

 

[tenken00]

Feel like I haven't been this excited for a GMBM draft class in years

 

[Silky mitts]

Leason didn't have a point in the MCup, but he had 25 pts (10G+15A) in 22 games during that whole WHL playoff run, 2nd overall in the WHL. The MCup for PA was only 3 games. Protas was 5th overall in the WHL loffs with 22 pts (12+10) in 23 games.

Would have to watch those three games but its possible that, after demolishing the WHL playoffs, their opponent sold out to stop that line and no one else stepped up to help out.

He opened the season with 64 points in the 1st 30 games, then they got shut out and then I think was the Juniors, so he finished the WHL season with 50 points in 47 games counting playoffs, 50 points in 46 games after the Juniors if I've got the timeline right. Coaches could have made him more of a focus after the Juniors.

 

[Charles Calvert]

Didn't put this in my previous post, but I asked why Tomasino over McMichael. Scouts think they play similar but that Tomasino is a more gifted skater and a better playmaker in tight, and already a much better two way player.

But McMichael is "a lot meaner" and probably has a better shot. They're more concerned about physical drawbacks at this point catching up with his playstyle. Why 2021 is the absolute earliest they probably consider him in the AHL or higher.

 

[RandyHolt]

Meaner

Thanks for the Kettler Knowledge

 

[Langway]

Would have to watch those three games but its possible that, after demolishing the WHL playoffs, their opponent sold out to stop that line and no one else stepped up to help out.

He did have some chances and a couple of breakaways if memory serves but I don't think it was just a match-up issue. Gregor was the guy really carrying them in that tournament and was equally instrumental in their playoff run. They just didn't have the pace and overall effective structure like they did in the WHL playoffs. It did maybe indicate Leason wasn't able to take the game over individually and probably didn't help his likely perceived ETA as a result. He may have been gassed. It's hard to say but he also likely would have looked better
with more effective pace around him as there will be at the pro level. He did fire away eight shots in their final game they had to win but couldn't convert. He was just okay and compared to Lavoie and some of the other older players in the tournament it probably didn't help him.

The hands at his size are first round quality but otherwise I'm glad McMichael was around and they were able to get Leason in the second obviously. His defensive game is pretty good but skating and also more effective physical play will need to improve to make his mark. He's got a really good stick generally but he's still learning how to use his frame more assertively.

 

[HSHS]

Yeah

Meaner

Thanks for the Kettler Knowledge

some of the write ups talked about his chippiness. Which is nice for his perceived nhl skills set.

I just want to know if he can lick an opponent or cup check them without being noticed.

 

[RandyHolt]

Yeah

some of the write ups talked about his chippiness. Which is nice for his perceived nhl skills set.

I just want to know if he can lick an opponent or cup check them without being noticed.

When we talk about "can he lick an opponent", I would swear lick used to mean fighting. What a freak Marchand is. Its good for the league to have characters, and not all players act like robots, but BMBM is over the top. BM = Bowel Movement.

CMCM FTW.

 

[trick9]

31 Thoughts Podcast: All the news from the 2019 NHL Draft – Sportsnet.ca

Pretty big praise for Leason there. Around ~50 minute mark.

Also mentioned there that apparently Zucker's wife took a run at Wild recently. Right after mentioned the Capitals as one of the teams in on him. Certainly seems like he's going to get traded.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Interesting Zucker tidbit. I wonder if it was more of a gauging of what they perceive his value at and if it was before the Niskanen deal. There’s no way they can take on his salary fully at this point without a significant piece being moved first

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Interesting Zucker tidbit. I wonder if it was more of a gauging of what they perceive his value at and if it was before the Niskanen deal. There’s no way they can take on his salary fully at this point without a significant piece being moved first

Or we overpay for them to retain? I'd prefer a hockey trade as always.