Brian Lee (#9-2005) vs Luc Bourdon (#10-2005)

[Blane Youngblood]

I can't comment on Lee, but I have to disagree about Bourdon. I am very comfortable in saying I believe Bourdon has greater upside than Pouliot.

Upside is Poulliot strong suit. I would say that he's a guy that deserves a 9E. He's got a chance of becoming a 9, but he could also just become a never was.

 

[God Bless Canada]

Lee strikes me as more of a wildcard type of defenceman. I wasn't surprised he went in the top 10, as there is a lot of offensive potential.

Here's all you need to know about Bourdon: he was an all-star at the WU18 tournament, even though he registered only one assist. He's terrific defensively and he's strong physically. He's never going to put up big points, and he's not a great puckmover, but he does skate well and he has an excellent shot that will see him get second unit PP ice time.

Yes, I'm a Canuck fan, but I did have Bourdon rated ahead of Lee entering the draft. I'm not convinced either was the best pick at that point, but I think both teams could potentially be very happy with their picks.

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

Honestly, who has actually seen Brian Lee play? I've only seen the two or three shifts he got at the WJC's. I think we should hold judgement on him until we see him at North Dakota for a few years. The Sens management is very high on this guy and they have a great track record so I trust them.

 

[ZombieMatt]

Well I don't know how much stock I'll put into that since you are a nucks fan.

Well, first of all, I was also the QMJHL writer, and furthermore, I'm probably the harshest on most Canucks prospects.

AND, more importantly, I was confused. For some reason I thought the comparison was to MA Pouliot, not Benoit.

So my apologies for that remark.

 

[Roy G Biv*]

If you were stranded on an island, and had to take a D-man with you: Lee or Bourdon?

Lee definetly doesn't need the sun

 

[Blind Gardien]

If you were stranded on an island, and had to take a D-man with you: Lee or Bourdon?

I would take Bourdon. I think he's more likely to be able to wrestle tigers barehanded, spear a sea bass with a bamboo branch, and crack coconuts on his head. Plus it would give me a chance to practise my french. Lee looks like the kind of guy who would be sitting on the beach eyeing the radical/tubular waves.

 

[Amadeus]

Lee strikes me as more of a wildcard type of defenceman. I wasn't surprised he went in the top 10, as there is a lot of offensive potential.

Here's all you need to know about Bourdon: he was an all-star at the WU18 tournament, even though he registered only one assist. He's terrific defensively and he's strong physically. He's never going to put up big points, and he's not a great puckmover, but he does skate well and he has an excellent shot that will see him get second unit PP ice time.

Yes, I'm a Canuck fan, but I did have Bourdon rated ahead of Lee entering the draft. I'm not convinced either was the best pick at that point, but I think both teams could potentially be very happy with their picks.

You're right. Nonis kept things simple. I like what he's doing with the squads. Richard Park was a good signing at that cheap and so was Carter. I dont know why people dont like him. He's looked like a good GM so far.

I dont know why John Ferguson Junior and Dave Nonis get flamed. Both have been great so far...

 

[Attica]

I think Lee is a 9D for a rating. He could drop down to a 6 (just your average 3rd string guy -- a "Delmore-esque" kind of player) or hit his potential of being one of the best offensive d-men in the league.

Saying Lee has a potential of 9 is about the most ridiculous thing I've seen in this post yet.


The point I'm trying to make is that giving Bourdon and 8.0c and Lee and 8.5c is an oversight on the part of HF.

Bourdon is much closer in his development. From what he has shown in the preseason, he could play on the 3rd pairing, Lee is more of a project, amazing RAW skill, but probably 2-3 years away from the NHL. Bourdon will play in the NHL next year, and can say that with as much certainty as a person in my situation could.

HF has effectively ignored canucks prospects for some time, and it's not surprising.

I believe a more accurate rating would be an 8.0B for Bourdon, and an 8.5C for Lee. HF's rating suggests that Bourdon and Lee are at the same level developmentally, which, with what has been shown in the last few weeks, is factually incorrect.

I think Lee has a better chance at a Norris, but Bourdon has a better chance at a long career in the NHL.

Lee could bust, although unlikely, Bourdon could play this year, and is unlikely to bust. Lee was not rated over 15th in any pre-draft ranking I've read, Bourdon was a concensus top 15 pick, as high as 9, and low as 15. Ottawa took Lee at 9 because they saw a lot of him, and thought he was a good enough prospect to use their pick on. Vancouver took the best/safest pick available.

A high risk / High payoff prospect like Lee isn't usually drafted until near the end of the 1st round. Bourdon has an amazing skillset and is very close to NHL ready. Lee wasn't really a surprise, but it showed that Ottawa isn't afraid of developing a prospect.

I think Lee may score more points, but I think Bourdon will make the bigger impact on his team, he is too well rounded. SUPERB skating, great hitting, offensive ability, defensive awareness, nearly NHL ready.

Both are excellent prospects, and I think, for where they were drafted, they are both steals, and both teams should consider themselves lucky for the position they drafted at, and that such excellent prospects were available.


Yes, I have seen Bourdon play many times, and saw the WJC.

 

[parabola]

Id take Bourdon, because of 3 reasons:

- I am a biased canuck fan
- I believe Bourdon is more NHL ready.
- I like Bourdons well-roundedness.

 

[Tap on the Ankle]

They probably didn't even rank Crosby. I mean, what's the point? They're not getting him. The "Lee in the top four" probably refers to the top four AFTER Crosby. Which would put, obviously, Johnson, Ryan and Pouliot ahead of him.

I don't think so. During the months leading up to the draft, when teams were interviewing prospects, the Sens had Lee ranked so high that they didn't even bother trying to interview him - they felt that there was no chance they'd land a pick high enough to get him. It wasn't until a chance meeting in an elevator by a Sens scout and Lee (during some sort of prospect/scouting convention) that they ended up interviewing him.

So it seems to me that the Sens rank everyone, even the guys they feel they have no chance of getting. They were ecstatic when Lee was still on the board when they picked at #9. Other times the Sens were this surprised by a prospect falling - Hossa, Havlat, Meszaros.

 

[It Kills Me]

Lee is better. But I don't see him being a star. .

 

[Form and Substance]

Well, first of all, I was also the QMJHL writer, and furthermore, I'm probably the harshest on most Canucks prospects.

AND, more importantly, I was confused. For some reason I thought the comparison was to MA Pouliot, not Benoit.

So my apologies for that remark.

Right I was referring to Benoit, not MA. Pouliot's upside is incredible yet he's given a lower rating than shkotov?

 

[Pangu]

All I have to say is that the Sens have a top 3 scouting staff. Its better than Vancouver's and had a chance to pick before them, so that really does not matter anyway. If they put him as the fourth best prospect as they said they did, then I would bet on them being right. They are comfortable both with Dmen and American High School students. One thing that no one has mentioned is that the guy seems to have a very stable character. I mean when he said that it was the most exciting day of his life and barely smiled... I thought "damn, they cloned Redden".

 

[bure94]

Bourdon looked absolutely spectacular against Edmtonton last night. Almost Phaneuf like.

Lee better be really good if he's better than Luc.

 

[Dominator13]

All I have to say is that the Sens had a top 3 scouting staff. Its better than Vancouver's and had a chance to pick before them, so that really does not matter anyway. If they put him as the fourth best prospect as they said they did, then I would bet on them being right. They are comfortable both with Dmen and American High School students. One thing that no one has mentioned is that the guy seems to have a very stable character. I mean when he said that it was the most exciting day of his life and barely smiled... I thought "damn, they cloned Redden".

corrected it, Savard,Timins and Gauthier are all in montreal now with a great hockey mind that is Bob Gainey

 

[The Mars Volchenkov]

corrected it, Savard,Timins and Gauthier are all in montreal now with a great hockey mind that is Bob Gainey

Yes, because every scouting staff contains 3 people....

 

[TruGr1t]

Bourdon looked absolutely spectacular against Edmtonton last night. Almost Phaneuf like.

Lee better be really good if he's better than Luc.

Agreed, this kid has been dynamite all camp. If Lee is indeed better, as many posters here claim, he must be one hell of a prospect and I look forward to seeing what he can do. Bourdon is an absolute monster, he's been throwing massive hits all through camp and had a physical game against the Oilers. In addition the deficiencies in the mental side of his game seem to have been overstated, he's looked nothing but solid defensively and composed every time I've seen him this camp/preseason.

 

[Bileur]

corrected it, Savard,Timins and Gauthier are all in montreal now with a great hockey mind that is Bob Gainey

Sens scouting staff>Habs scouting staff.

 

[Clutch Mediocrity]

Agreed, this kid has been dynamite all camp. If Lee is indeed better, as many posters here claim, he must be one hell of a prospect and I look forward to seeing what he can do.

I don't think anyone considers Lee better than Bourdon, just a better prospect. Obviously Bourdon is at least a tad better right now because he's at a different stage in his development. I mean, I think Kaygorodov is better than Crosby today but there's no doubt in my mind as to who I'd rather have.

 

[ZombieMatt]

I don't think anyone considers Lee better than Bourdon, just a better prospect. Obviously Bourdon is at least a tad better right now because he's at a different stage in his development. I mean, I think Kaygorodov is better than Crosby today but there's no doubt in my mind as to who I'd rather have.

I'm curious as to how they're at different developmental points. They are the same age. Kaigorodov is several years older than Crosby (assuming I agree with your unsubstantiated opinion).

 

[AgentNaslund*]

anyone see Boudorns hit last night. Holy *****, hit him so hard, his helmet came off. seriously, anyone have a link for the highlites.?

 

[SedinFan*]

He decked a couple Oilers last night; am I sure glad the Canucks drafted him.

 

[Peter Griffin]

I think it's fairly difficult to compare these two players at this time. They are both young, very talented defensemen, but they both play different styles. It's almost like comparing Brian Leetch(Lee) with Adam Foote or Scott Stevens(Bourdon). Not saying that either Lee or Bourdon will turn out to become players of that calibre, but those are the types of games they play. At this point it's all a matter of personal preference IMO.

 

[Towelie*]

Bourdon absolutely nuked that Oiler. Hahaha, oilers.

 

[Gophers]

I saw Lee a few times in high school and he could dominate the game on a team filled with dominate players, as for bourdon, i have no idea. I was disapointed when JJ was left off the WJC roster.