A lot of players we draft aren't going to make it.
The question is, which ones? Out of the last 30 guys we drafted we are probably lucky if 3 or 4 are legit. Again, who are they. Hate to give the wrong ones away.
Since we don't have a crystal ball, you'd like to give the players you have invested in time to make those decisions. Unless a crazy deal in your teams favor comes along, it's best to stay the course.
And please, every team overvalues mostly everything in their organization and undervalues the others.
Just keep scrolling down the threads.
Fans make the worst GMs because real GMs don't hate everyone else.
Well you said two of your d prospects as top 4 potential and then essentially crowned them the ability yo reach it by saying they likely will. Yet they havent shown anything to prove they have that potential.
Same with Kapanen supposedly not being in the lineup because Toronto is so deep. No, its because Kapanen is a run of the mill prospect who isnt NHL talent enough to break their roster. What, hed play 4th line on most teams he makes?
Thats what I mean by overrating their prospects. Its fine if you want to give them time to grow and see if they work out but to put them into a conversation with Larsson like as if they could possibly take his roll in the next few seasons is just silly. If you dont want to move for Larsson then thats fine too. But Larsson proved he had top pair potential when he made the league at 18 and was strong defensively. Lilligren (?) and Dermott were given their potentials by the opinions of professionals, not by NHL play.
Biggest current examples I can give: Jesper Bratt and the Islanders’ two goaltending prospects. Jesper Bratt was a 6th rounder with whatever upside because no one talked about him quite frankly. Comes into training camp only to make the team and then be our second highest scorer by the halfway mark. He has top 3-6 potential because hes proven that at the NHL level. On the flip side in the bit of a same situation as this thread basis, the Islanders have two very strong goaltending prospects. Instead of moving for a goaltender they may trust one of them to lead the way next year. They claim they have starting goaltender potential but what does that mean until they get NHL games in? Does that make Garth Snow crazy for trusting in an unproven goaltender just because of upside? I think it does but thats just me.
Tl;dr: I dont put much stock into draft/skill potential, I think true potential comes from what you show in the league you’re trying to stay in/make.
Note: and no, not every prospect needs to kill it to have potential. If Jesper Bratt came into the league and scored 10 points in 8 games and then cooled off and was sent down, youd say the kid has top 9 potential from his skill and play.
