PsychoticHab
Registered User
A D-Man who couldn't even crack toronto's starting lineup could be in our top 4!!
Okay, let's try this again because you seem to have missed something. I SAID that Valiev is more than capable of becoming a #6 D-Man in this league for years to come. With that said, along with a bunch of other defensive prospects the Leafs have, he has the potential to become a #4 D-Man should his development continue to trend upwards. He has the skating and hockey IQ to get there along with the size and physicality to not look out of place in this league (what Jerabek lacked). Nowhere in the original post nor in this post do I say that he WILL be a Top 4 D-Man but I do say that, with continued growth, there is s possibility that becoming a #4 D-Man is in the cards. See the difference?
The reason that Valiev did not crack the Leafs D lineup is that Dermott and Carrick were ahead of him in development. This in no way reflects on the final positions each player will hold once they reach the peak of their careers. Do I mean that Valiev will necessarily be better in the end than Dermott or Carrick? No, but the reason they have the spots now are because they were simply ahead of him in development as it currently stands. For an example of what I mean, this is a similar situation to the reason why Team Canada at the WJC chose to go away from Glass and Suzuki despite the fact that they likely have a higher ceiling than almost anyone on the roster. Simply put, as it stands today, the other players were more ready and complete. Hell, the Leafs just drafted 2 more defensive prospects in Liljegren and Räsänen that simply made some of their "older" prospects expendable for what they needed.