Did any credible scouting outlet have misgivings about Lafreniere or Yakupov ?

[Brookbank]

Seeing that everyone is in the mood, and all the armchair scouts have their pencils sharpened , was there any credible draft outlet that had misgivings about Alexis Lafreniere or Niel Yakupov ? Or any other sizable draft underperformer in recent years ? It would be interesting to see what said outlets are saying about the 2023 class.

Lafreniere is still an NHL player so I dont want to be unfair to him. But he was a surefire of a #1 by a large margin and it hasn't turned out that way.

Edit: There was red flags with Yakupov. I added him because it seems unfair to single out Lafrenier. But Lafrenier is the one we are most interested in as far as this question goes

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[EverTheCynic]

Pretty sure Brian Burke said his team had a "Do not draft under any circumstance" caveat for Yakupov.

 

[joestevens29]

The oilers ohl scouts didn’t even want him

 

[gsharpe]

I did remember reading things about Yakupov but I'm hoping someone can find articles that are from before the actual draft. That was a weird draft. I remember a lot of rumors that the oilers might have taken Murray. That wouldn't have been much better.

As for Laf. I think that was a slam dunk as it could be. I don't remember anything other than skating. And even then it was supposed to be better than Tavares.

 

[gsharpe]

Btw, is Martinook going to be the best playoff skater from the draft? Or is it Tanner Pearson? Weird draft

 

[Draft Guru]

I remember watching @Scouching on YouTube's video breakdown of Lafreniere (just looked for it and it's not there...but there's 7 profiles from the 2020 draft that are hidden, assuming that must be one of them) - he was pretty critical from what I recall. His biggest red flags were skating and too many instances of just not moving his feet. Lots of floating.

 

[McShogun99]

I knew a scout for Columbus and they had Murray as their top pick. They didn't like Yakupov's maturity and a few other things. That's probably the closest I got to inside NHL knowledge.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

I am not a scout and am regularly very wrong, but I never got the hype for Laf. Looked like he just matured/developed early and seemed a 3rd line NHLer playing against lesser competition. Didn’t see special skills or ways he’d improve, just looked like a more complete player at a younger age who might not grow much from there.

I did like Yak, however, mostly because he was exciting, like how being chased by bees is exciting. It ain’t necessarily good, but it’s something.

PS- I had the same feeling on Wright as I did on Laf watching the world juniors. Bedard looked special, Wright didn’t. NHL teams wizened up to that one in time, however.

 

[The Nuge]

Pretty sure Brian Burke said his team had a "Do not draft under any circumstance" caveat for Yakupov.

Ya but that was because they had an absolute lunatic who wanted to challenge a kid to a fist fight because of a perceived slight despite there being a language barrier.

I did remember reading things about Yakupov but I'm hoping someone can find articles that are from before the actual draft. That was a weird draft. I remember a lot of rumors that the oilers might have taken Murray. That wouldn't have been much better.

As for Laf. I think that was a slam dunk as it could be. I don't remember anything other than skating. And even then it was supposed to be better than Tavares.

Ya it’s a fact. The scouts agreed on Murray (to the point they told Murray they were picking him). Katz overruled them and made Yak the pick

 

[Martin Skoula]

Yakupov is easier to see the upside case for. Decent size, good shot and skating, I can see how if he has a good attitude and IQ you can get a 30-40 goal sniper out of him.

Laff was good at being stronger than most teenagers and had good vision?

 

[Brookbank]

I did remember reading things about Yakupov but I'm hoping someone can find articles that are from before the actual draft. That was a weird draft. I remember a lot of rumors that the oilers might have taken Murray. That wouldn't have been much better.

As for Laf. I think that was a slam dunk as it could be. I don't remember anything other than skating. And even then it was supposed to be better than Tavares.

Yeah. I am just reading some of the scouting reports. Skating wasn't listed as an issue. It was an asset. Laf is a strange one indeed. There doesn't seem to be a single point of failure.

From The Draft Analysis

Lafreniere is an excellent skater in all directions, but his powerful stride allows him to separate from opponents in open ice. It’s rare to see a winger nearing 200 pounds of any age to be able to turn on the jets immediately following a physical battle, but Lafreniere’s foot speed, long stride, and expert anticipation places him in open ice with a numbers advantage multiple times a period, let alone an entire game.

 

[ORRFForever]

With all the information available, I never thought I would see a 1OA bust in my life.

 

[Brookbank]

Yakupov is easier to see the upside case for. Decent size, good shot and skating, I can see how if he has a good attitude and IQ you can get a 30-40 goal sniper out of him.

Laff was good at being stronger than most teenagers and had good vision?

If you pull up *any pre 2020 scouting report, it is packed full of positives. The complete package. Basically elite at everything including hockey sense, skating, athleticism, passing, shooting ect.

I have an asterisk by any because I don't know if there's one that had anything negative to say.

Maybe the whole 2020 class was so weak that it made a 3rd liner look elite ?

 

[Breakers]

"I had someone in the scouting community describe his style to me as a guy who looks like he's being chased by bees."

- Ray Ferraro (When Asked about Yakupov before the start of his rookie year)

 

[Martin Skoula]

If you pull up *any pre 2020 scouting report, it is packed full of positives. The complete package. Basically elite at everything including hockey sense, skating, athleticism, passing, shooting ect.

I have an asterisk by any because I don't know if there's one that had anything negative to say.

Maybe the whole 2020 class was so weak that it made a 3rd liner look elite ?

I mean a regular 3rd liner would be elite at everything in juniors too. Most of those skill sets are just average NHL level, I guess they thought the combination was more than the sum of its parts?

 

[thrillhous]

Pretty sure Brian Burke said his team had a "Do not draft under any circumstance" caveat for Yakupov.

Brian Burke would say absolutely anything to make himself look better in hindsight.

 

[Brookbank]

I remember watching @Scouching on YouTube's video breakdown of Lafreniere (just looked for it and it's not there...but there's 7 profiles from the 2020 draft that are hidden, assuming that must be one of them) - he was pretty critical from what I recall. His biggest red flags were skating and too many instances of just not moving his feet. Lots of floating.

If you happen to find it, post a link. It would be fasinating to see

 

[ManofSteel55]

Pretty sure Brian Burke said his team had a "Do not draft under any circumstance" caveat for Yakupov.

One of his scouts wanted to fight Yak, ha ha.

 

[Brookbank]

I mean a regular 3rd liner would be elite at everything in juniors too. Most of those skill sets are just average NHL level, I guess they thought the combination was more than the sum of its parts?

Yeah. Maybe we have solved this Lafrenier riddle. He was a solid NHL 3rd liner in junior and he's still a 3rd liner now. It is just that he looked elite in a weak year. There was nobody to compare him against.

 

[bam09]

If you pull up *any pre 2020 scouting report, it is packed full of positives. The complete package. Basically elite at everything including hockey sense, skating, athleticism, passing, shooting ect.

I have an asterisk by any because I don't know if there's one that had anything negative to say.

Maybe the whole 2020 class was so weak that it made a 3rd liner look elite ?

This was Pronman's "negative". Listed his skating as a 55 in the end - above average.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Ya but that was because they had an absolute lunatic who wanted to challenge a kid to a fist fight because of a perceived slight despite there being a language barrier.



Ya it’s a fact. The scouts agreed on Murray (to the point they told Murray they were picking him). Katz overruled them and made Yak the pick

Yeah what a weak, awful draft.

 

[Breakers]

what could possibly make you want to fight a prospect if you were apart of management team


inappropriate joke?

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

"I had someone in the scouting community describe his style to me as a guy who looks like he's being chased by bees."

- Ray Ferraro (When Asked about Yakupov before the start of his rookie year)

This quote always makes me laugh

what could possibly make you want to fight a prospect if you were apart of management team


inappropriate joke?

I think it was just to demonstrate how frustrated he was.

 

[Burkeocet]

I remember a coworker telling me Laf was lazy and didn’t have it in him to be a star. I understood at the time, the concern was he was a B level 1OA. If he went today, he might have ended up 4th. Still, a team with 2 LW’s ahead of him drafted him and he doesn’t play well as RW. He could probably grow into a legit top 6 winger with the room. He’s not getting that on the third line.

I also remember a lot of speculation that Murray would go ahead of Yakupov then. I still think had he have stayed healthy, he woulda been a really solid top 4 D. Maybe not a #2 OA but certainly not a Griffin Reinhart

 

[Voight]

Pretty sure Brian Burke said his team had a "Do not draft under any circumstance" caveat for Yakupov.

He was also blasted for saying he would've picked Rielly over everyone else including Yakupov, even if the Leafs had the #1 pick that year.