C Mathew Barzal - Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL (2015, 16th, NYI)
- Thread starter LiamM
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It was probably the kneecap injury from horsing around in the locker room. Good for a laugh, though. And good to see that he can laugh at himself.
http://video.oilers.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=827954&catid=4&startTime=65s
Darth Milbury
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He is not in the same league as Provorov though, that is for sure. Provorov could have easily gone #3.
- May 17, 2011
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Someone who watches a lot of WHL hockey disagrees. I like Provorov a lot, and he may very well be ahead of Barzal, but to say they aren't in the same league is puzzling. http://whl-from-above.blogspot.ca/2015/05/final-whl-rankings-2015-nhl-draft.html?m=1
Darth Milbury
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Same blog predicted that barzal would go sixth to NJ. Having read that blog for a few years, he's not been right all that often.
Sometimes it's just a perfect storm (I immediately thought of Parise dropping to 17 in 2003). With the Devils at 6, I was advocating trading down a couple spots. Best case, you'd still have your choice of Zacha/Barzal. Worst case, Barzal would be there.
As much as teams might take BPA, it's reasonable to think that clubs might value certain positions depending on what their depth chart looks like.
7. Flyers have Giroux, Couturier, and Laughton plus had Schenn playing wing. In terms of BPA, I think most had Provorov over Barzal at that point.
8. Columbus had drafted a ton of forwards in recent years, so it seemed predictable that they'd target a defenseman. Thought they'd be interested in moving up for Provorov, but from their draft videos it seemed like they were more than content with Werenski at #8.
9. I thought Barzal to San Jose made sense. With their playoff shortcomings, maybe they valued a little more grit in Timo Meier's game?
10. Colorado has Duchene and MacKinnon (albeit I think he is slated at wing for the moment). I figured they'd be targeting a wing or D depending on how the first 9 picks played out.
11. Florida has Barkov/Bjugstad down the middle. Similarly, I thought they'd be looking wing or D.
12. I thought Dallas might be interested, but they took a different home run swing with Guryanov. If it weren't for Boston, maybe this pick would be under more scrutiny.
13-15. Maybe Boston thought it was set with Bergeron/Krejci/Spooner and decided to target wingers over Barzal.
rockhouse15
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- Jul 23, 2011
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Rather than just needs I think there was a run on big forwards after the Zacha pick that pushed guys like Barzal, Connor, and Konecny down the draft. It went Zacha, two d-men, and then 4 big forwards before whatever the hell Boston did. Then once the upper level bigger forwards went the other smaller forwards went pretty quickly. I would be that if there was another team before Boston that Svechnikov probably would have been next the way big forwards were being taken in the first half of the 1st round.
Sometimes it's just goofy. If the Islanders or Jets had been picking higher, I wouldn't have been surprised if they took Barzal/Connor. When Anaheim got Cam Fowler at #12 in 2010, I think they had him #3 on their list. There was just the perfect storm where the teams picking 4-9 were seemingly also targeting forwards.
He looks NHL ready and very, very skilled. What the hell was Boston doing? three times you pass over this kid? He's a future star.
But he won't get a crack this year. Next year though I don't see how he's not in the NHL.
But he won't get a crack this year. Next year though I don't see how he's not in the NHL.
Curufinwe
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- Feb 28, 2013
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Yes, a lot of us were nervous that Hextall might pay an unreasonable cost to move up. But when Arizona took Strome we were pretty confident Provorov would fall to us, unless NJ made a deal with another team who wanted him at #6.
SI90
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Looking at Philly I think they made the right pick with Provorov. I also belice Werenski would have been a decent pick for them.
For NJ I think Barzal was a fit but Zacha is big skilled and seems more of a"Devils" type of player.
As someone mentioned, sometimes you get the perfect storm where the teams on the clock just happen to have a certain guy ahead of the guy dropping. Fowler being a great example.
I remember isles fans were drooling over Fowler and believed he was going to be the pick @ #5
As far as Barzal, he's a perfect mix of skill, smarts, grit, and determination.
I'm not sure what the Thunderbirds are expected to do this year but I hope Barzal lights up the Dub and finds himself in a nice playoff run. Also excited to see him in the World Juniors.
For NJ I think Barzal was a fit but Zacha is big skilled and seems more of a"Devils" type of player.
As someone mentioned, sometimes you get the perfect storm where the teams on the clock just happen to have a certain guy ahead of the guy dropping. Fowler being a great example.
I remember isles fans were drooling over Fowler and believed he was going to be the pick @ #5
As far as Barzal, he's a perfect mix of skill, smarts, grit, and determination.
I'm not sure what the Thunderbirds are expected to do this year but I hope Barzal lights up the Dub and finds himself in a nice playoff run. Also excited to see him in the World Juniors.
Oh_so_saad
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Barzal will be a leader in points barring no injuries. The guy reminds of Ryan murray playing his final year in the dub. His creativity, positioning, and skating make him clearly noticeable among the WHL level. His only downside that i really notice in the local preseason classic was lots of turn overs. I suspect that to be rust though and a combination of other 16 years olds and young guys trying to crack the line up.
He is a crafty player
SI90
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- May 17, 2011
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You realize that "blogger" watches much more WHL hockey than you, right? Don't see how draft position is even remotely relevant. You're telling me you predicted San Jose taking Timo Meier?
Really? I have the opposite impression. I thought Barzal is what the prototypical "Devils" forward was, patrolling high in the neutral zone from side to side, looking for a turnover. I'm not sure that what was prototypically Devils is what is prototypically Devils, now.
R S
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- Sep 18, 2006
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Nevermind. Not worth my time!
(on second thought...you do realize that I predicted Provorv 7th overall to Philly in my draft rankings...right?...plus nailed the top 5 100% correctly in my mock draft...and me saying Barzal should go 6-9th is looking pretty astute now as Barzal is hanging around at Isles camp still, proving the value they got in him on draft day.)
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Darth Milbury
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So are you suggesting that I can't have an opinion different from that blogger because he watched more junior hockey than me?
Boston management is crazy about "Boston Bruins type players." They want players like Bergeron, Marchand and Lucic who grind it out in the corners and play with a lot of strength. DeBrusk fits that mold perfectly, and Claude Julien was already giving high praise for his work on the boards and protecting the puck.
As for Senyshyn, I think they just worked themselves into a frenzy about his potential. He does have good size (6'2, 200), and he is perhaps the fastest forward in the draft, however I think they glossed over a lack of high end skill. In the end, perhaps they would prefer a Chris Kreider type player who puts up 45 points to a Scott Gomez/Saku Koivu type player that puts up 70 (which Barzal projects as).
Estlin
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I know that it continues to be fun to crap on Boston for passing on Barzal (and Connor) in the draft, but this is the main reason why. Boston is very deep at center with Krejci, Bergeron and Spooner. Behind them are Khokhlachev, Heinen, Donato, JF Karlsson and Kuraly. Barzal would have been redundant. What the Bruins need are scoring wingers, which is what Sensyshyn and Debrusk are.
Darth Milbury
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Darth Milbury
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Or maybe Boston had professional scouts that see what posters here don't? I watched Garth snow get laughed at on this board for passing on luke schenn and filatov, and trading up to get de Haan and Nelson. Heck, there was a thread deriding isles for taking Okposo over Mueller, and there were also those who thought we went off board with Strome.
I'm a fan of the Barzal pick and love that he fell. But, I doubt Boston is going to look back with huge regrets. They'll get quality kids out of the deal.
- May 17, 2011
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Nah, I'm not saying that at all, and you know that.
I'm just curious what your basis is as to why you think Provorov is in a whole different league above Barzal.
- May 17, 2011
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I'm not saying he's "the source", you just don't have any analysis to back up what you are claiming.
John Pedro
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I wanted Barzal so badly at 6 overall. I didn't know much about Zacha back then. After watching Zacha on the preseason, I realized how good he's and the potential to be one of the best players in this draft.
He's got it all. He's fast, protect well the puck, good defensively, can shot, good IQ, nice hands and he's fairly physical.
In short, I'm pretty happy with Zacha and I think most Devils fans are too.
Just an awesome deep draft.
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