Prospect Info: Tyler Biggs?

[ChrisCall]

This topic is a train-wreck.

 

[LordKmus]

Anyone who expected Tyler Biggs to be a Milan Lucic, Cam Neely, or Jeremy Roenick type of player was serious miss-informed and will be very disappointed. Being drafted in the first round unfortunately means some fans expectations of him are beyond reasonable.

Tyler was drafted to a bottom size forward with size and contribute offensively. He had the size, the smarts, and the grit to be a good 3rd line power forward. Somewhat like a Clarkson type of player (the 30 pt Clarkson, not 30 goal Clarkson).

The fans claiming him to be a bust point out that he is not dominating the AHL offensively. They claim that he is playing the 3rd line and not living up to expectations.

What they fail to realize is that the leafs are grooming him for a bottom 6 position. Hes taking defensive zone starts, he is asked to play a third line / difficult to play against style role. Hes on the PK, hes creating some offense, hes hard on opposing players. They are not putting him on the #1 line on the Marlies and asking him to score 40 goals. Sure he had some games he was sat, but most NHL players have been sat a game or two in their careers especially early on.

I think Tyler is far from a bust at this point.. We just need to reassess our expectations for him.

Well said, comrade.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Well whatever Biggs is, this is an extremely important year for him to take a step forward, 21 is the age where you should be making management think of promoting a player to the NHL. He, Percy, Leivo all need big years.

I just hope Nonis does not deal any more players we have painstakingly drafted and developed, this is more concerning to me.

 

[HockeyNightInBelfast]

I get all the chatter here about him not being a bust as he s to be developed as a bottom 6 player. I suppose in a way he was "buried" this past year behind others & it's disappointing he did not necessarily distinguish himself from anyone else on the Marlies 13/14 roster to get a regular spot.

As Interactif has said, this is a pretty damn important year for him as well as is the case for 3rd year pro Brad Ross.

They look set to have key roles if they can earn them as do McKegg & Carrick.

Expect to see Broll, Ashton, Granberg & Holland promoted.

1st year pros Conor Brown, Rupert, Finn, Nilsson & Knodel will be very interesting to watch too.

Biggs - hopefully he has a comeback year in Year 2 much like what Carrick did this past year after a tough first year of pro.

One might say he has more tools than Carrick, the question will be does he have the desire or will he just be another Kyle Beach?

 

[ITM]

I wanted Jenner as well, but I can't help but lol at this thread. Hindsight army out in full force.

WE COULD'VE HAD JENNER, GIBSON AND SAAD!

Yes. I'm sure if we had kept the picks, those would've been the exact players we drafted, and they would've all developed at exactly the same pace, and been equally as effective as they were with Columbus/Anaheim/Chicago.

And to think of how many times we passed over Ondrej Palat!

But I don't think it's an exaggeration to say, when Gibson and Jurco were available, that many were likely pulling their hair out as Biggs was picked and Detroit traded down. Rumour was they traded down because Biggs was selected, but I think it was more to the realization that Jurco wasn't on as many radars as may have been suspected.

It's a comfort to know those days may be over with a new mandate to draft prospects with "unteachable" foundations.

 

[nuck]

But I don't think it's an exaggeration to say, when Gibson and Jurco were available, that many were likely pulling their hair out as Biggs was picked and Detroit traded down. Rumour was they traded down because Biggs was selected, but I think it was more to the realization that Jurco wasn't on as many radars as may have been suspected.

It's a comfort to know those days may be over with a new mandate to draft prospects with "unteachable" foundations.

Jurco was the 20th ranked N/A skater by Central Scouting (Biggs 22nd) so not a hidden gem. I don't think it was a clever move by the Wings. More likely that they felt there was a large group of induistinguishable prospects and he was just the one that was there. Nobody's drafting has been so astute they would risk losing a top 20 prospect to grab a later pick. The Wings took Landon Ferraro ahead of Ryan O'Reilly and Tom McCollum ahead of Voynov. I would say they have not shown much special draft insight in recent years.

Keeping in mind that Biggs was not an off the board pick, people need to quit dwelling on it. He was picked close to where he was ranking. Win some lose some. Only in hindsight is it obvious. They could have traded down to the much higher rated Duncan Siemans or Joel Armia. If you look at the group that went from 11-21, most of those clubs should have taken Jenner and Saad as well and would do so in a re-draft.

Its a crap shoot and the Biggs deal far from the biggest personnel gaff the club has done in the last three years. Lets complain about the Leafs not drafting Karlsson and Hamonic in 2008.

 

[daveleaf]

I find it hilarious that some guys will go on end here defending the pic of Biggs by saying he is only 21. At 21 he has not even sniffed the NHL, at 21 he is a marginal 3/4th line player. Yet guys will go on and defend the bone headed move by Burke to trade those pics to get this no talent player that really should have been a low second round or third round pic at best. We could have had Jenner and Gibson. With those players this franchise would have so many more options with assets. They would have no issue trading Reimer last year and getting full value for him. They would have had another young forward in the lineup and pushing guys like Lupul etc for playing time and eventually forcing a trade to bring other assets in.

Some guys on here don't get it. You don't trade two picks in the top 50 to get a kid that needs 4-5 years to develop to turn into something. That is what the 4-6th round and beyond is for. You trade those pics for a sure fire player that will walk into your line up. So continue defending the pic, other teams laugh at the Leafs when it comes to drafting and dealing there pics and they have since the late 60's. Welcome to Leaf land.

 

[crump]

Draft is a crap shoot. Sometimes you gamble and lose. Except the results are not immediate. Sometimes you don't know if you win or lose for years.

 

[Stephen]

Some guys on here don't get it. You don't trade two picks in the top 50 to get a kid that needs 4-5 years to develop to turn into something. That is what the 4-6th round and beyond is for. You trade those pics for a sure fire player that will walk into your line up. So continue defending the pic, other teams laugh at the Leafs when it comes to drafting and dealing there pics and they have since the late 60's. Welcome to Leaf land.

If it takes Biggs another 4-5 years to develop into a fourth liner in this league, Chicago will have gotten over 500 games worth of second line duty out of Saad in the same time frame. You do the math on what is and isn't a bust.

If he doesn't shape up in a dramatic way next year, I'd look to ship him out and recoup on the investment fast.

 

[sommervr]

Biggs didn't get buried with the Marlies. Spott is a very good coach and has been utilizing his players very well. He tried Biggs on the third line, bumped him up with Leivo on the second line for a bit and tried him on the pk. He was terrible and didn't earn any of those minutes and ended up a healthy scratch under Spott much of the rest of the season.

Spott is in tough with Biggs and has to balance playing an organizational mistake and winning hockey games. In the end he came down on winning games and scratching Biggs.

I am sure Biggs will get another chance next year and will wash out again. He doesn't have even an AHL toolbox

 

[Menzinger]

They should have left him in college to develop: I've got a feeling that bouncing between the different leagues definitely didn't help his development.

 

[sommervr]

As far as Biggs being a tough guy: the AHL has guys running around that are 6-6 to 6-8 playing that role. Last shift I remember him playing last year he noped out of some giant Norfolk goon that was running around. I don't think that was a coincidence.

This guy couldn't even make Clarkson Water Bottle Junior Deputy in training

 

[CaymanIslands]

If thats the case then leafs better start drafting big power forward prospects because no team goes far without at least 2big physical wingers in top 9

 

[thewave]

Biggs is who I would have traded for Frattin just saying.

 

[SprDaVE]

You win some, you lose some. Are we expected to draft a NHL player every time in the first round, especially one that is NHL ready 3 years after drafted? Are we the only team in the history of the NHL to move up in a draft only to select a player that is probably worst then a few players we opted not to select?

Biggs had a tough season this past year but I think his overall game did get better and Spott did say a lot of good things about his attitude on and off the ice. But with that said, he needs to do more. This upcoming season, it will be a big one in his development.

No need to cry over it. Let's just wait, see and then move on.

 

[daveleaf]

You win some, you lose some. Are we expected to draft a NHL player every time in the first round, especially one that is NHL ready 3 years after drafted? Are we the only team in the history of the NHL to move up in a draft only to select a player that is probably worst then a few players we opted not to select?

Biggs had a tough season this past year but I think his overall game did get better and Spott did say a lot of good things about his attitude on and off the ice. But with that said, he needs to do more. This upcoming season, it will be a big one in his development.

No need to cry over it. Let's just wait, see and then move on.

No. We just wrote the textbook on how to screw up drafts and draft pics. History doesn't lie.

 

[Leaf Lander]

I don't know how this guy went in the first round.

****ing Burke.

Isn't he an American?

 

[Holymakinaw]

No. We just wrote the textbook on how to screw up drafts and draft pics. History doesn't lie.

This is a lame comment, and totally wrong.

Luke Schenn is a good NHLer. Nazem Kadri is a good NHLer, Tuuka Rask is a VERY good NHLer. Morgan Rielly is a good NHLer. Carl Gunnarsson, Jiri Tlusty, Nik Kulemin, Viktor Stalberg, Anton Stralman, Alex Steen, Carlo Colaiacovo, Matt Stajan, Ian White are all good NHLers.

We draft just fine. It's the developing/keeping of those guys that's been the problem.

And many Leaf fans are sure impatient once again, with young guys like Tyler Biggs, and would like to see him gone, simply because he's not Milan Lucic yet at the age of 21.

 

[Razz]

After reading this thread, I'm really at a loss to understand what the expectations are for Tyler Biggs. From the get-go my understanding is that he's being groomed as a defensive bottom 6 forward.

Are we going to go through this all over again when Gauthier fails to put up big points in the AHL as well?

We drafted Biggs to be a grinder and that's exactly what he is. Why not let the guy develop that way? Let's focus on points when Brown, Nylander, etc enter the AHL shall we?

I want Biggs to be the kind of player that punishes people on the boards and wears down opponents. Score sheet be damned. Our team last year didn't fail because we couldn't put pucks in the net. We failed because the team was soft in the defensive zone.

 

[sommervr]

It was never about points with Biggs. He is not going to score that ship has sailed. He is terrible defensively. Can't get the puck out slow on the boards and terrible on the pk. Kenny Ryan was twice the defensive player with twice the heart and look where that got him.

He was scratched all year in favor of guys like Maclaren and Smithson. Crezenzi looked like twice the prospect. Nagy was twice the player and got released.

Just because he is big and slow and can't score doesn't meet he is good defensively. The best defensive forward in the Marlies is freaking Spencer Abbott because he doesn't let the other team have the puck. Look at his stats.

The leafs and their fans need to get a modern notion of what an effective player looks like.

 

[Dangles McGavin]

Anyone claiming to not even be remotely worried about the pick is kidding themselves; Biggs has been a disappointment. He’s not aggressive or intense enough, he’s not a **** disturber. He’s a pretty decent defensive player and he’s okay at fighting but he’s just not great. He could be a very useful NHLer, however, if he continues to focus on his defensive game, and lay the body more. He’s fast, so there’s no reason he can’t throw more hits.

He’s a frustrating player to watch. I do think he’ll be an NHLer at some point though.

 

[pspot]

Biggs and Reimer for Max Reinhart
problem solved

 

[thewave]

It was never about points with Biggs. He is not going to score that ship has sailed. He is terrible defensively. Can't get the puck out slow on the boards and terrible on the pk. Kenny Ryan was twice the defensive player with twice the heart and look where that got him.

He was scratched all year in favor of guys like Maclaren and Smithson. Crezenzi looked like twice the prospect. Nagy was twice the player and got released.

Just because he is big and slow and can't score doesn't meet he is good defensively. The best defensive forward in the Marlies is freaking Spencer Abbott because he doesn't let the other team have the puck. Look at his stats.

The leafs and their fans need to get a modern notion of what an effective player looks like.

Management is out to lunch. Hockey minds all know this to be the case.

 

[Pholus]

He fell in the draft because because teams didn't believe he had the offensive potential to play on an offensive live , so we seemed to be the only one's who thought he'd be a 2nd line player . Burke and co also believed Ryan/Ross had more offensive potential than they were being given credit for at the time of there respective drafts .

To be fair, Brad Ross was drafted as a PPG guy, he just hasn't been able to translate his offensive game from junior to the Marlies. I would say he was a promising prospect up until sometime last year.

 

[Pholus]

They should have left him in college to develop: I've got a feeling that bouncing between the different leagues definitely didn't help his development.

I agree, management talked about how he was a 'long-term project' when they drafted him, yet instead of spending up to 4 yrs at college, he was fast-tracked to the professional game, going to the OHL instead of back for his sophomore year.