Prussian_Blue
Registered User
phaneuf_fan_3 said:He was hyped huge on these boards at the start of the season...
Link?
phaneuf_fan_3 said:I dont mind him and actually like his game...but he didnt go forwards in the draft rankings throughout the year...
So what? He was rated very high to begin with, and the individual draft rankings (CSS, McKeens, etc.) are subjective and vary greatly.
phaneuf_fan_3 said:I dont think that many teams would take him over Staal or Toews at this point...if any teams and thats what your saying you would do as a Blues fan.
That's right -- although, if you'll notice, I did infer that Staal would be a consideration for me as well, "a big, skilled, playmaking center" -- and I explained my reasons in my original post, but I'll add a little more clarification here.
In the playoffs (WCHA tournament and NCAA tournament), Toews was decent, with 5-6-11 totals in 8 games. Plus-7, 0 PIM, 1 PPG, 0 GWG.
In the OHL playoffs, Staal's got 4-1-5 totals in 10 games, with a minus-1 and 8 PIM. 3 PPG, 1 GWG.
In the WHL playoffs, Mueller is 5-4-9 in 9 games,with a plus-8 and 4 PIM. 2 PPG, 2 GWG.
Staal isn't stepping up when it matters. To be fair to him, he's very young, and his team has other top-notch players to pick up the slack.
Toews stepped up in the playoffs, but was pretty much a non-factor in UND's loss to BC, when he needed to step up a little further and get the Sioux to the championship game.
To be honest, I don't see the big deal about Toews. He's got good numbers, sure, but the three times I saw him play, he didn't impress me greatly. Admittedly, I was focused on TJ Oshie -- and since you're in Brandon, I'd be very interested in your take on Ryan Reaves -- but Toews didn't stand out and grab my attention in those games.
Mueller is a point-per-game playoff performer, leading his team, has a solid plus/minus, and has accounted for 40% of Everett's game-winning goals in the playoffs so far.
Based on that, it's hardly out of the realm of possiblity that Mueller would get some consideration as a very high pick. I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but scouts do tend to watch how players perform in crunch time...
P_B