Speculation: Which of our top defensive prospects ends up a bust?

[Jaded-Fan]

Or put another way, which ends up being the worst of the bunch, if not busts outright?

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[Dangles78]

All of them....just not (all) for the Pens

 

[MonsterSurge]

Pouliot.


MAATTA <----

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Maatta. One man's well-rounded is another's vanilla. Hasn't impressed me all that much whenever I've seen him.

Maybe I just caught him on some nondescript nights.

 

[IHWR]

Pouliot but that's not a knock on him. I think the other three are all fantastic prospects and the top 3 the Pens currently have.

 

[Sivek]

I'd say Despres in the sense that I think he has the highest chance of not becoming a special player, but can't call him bust since he's in the NHL already at a young age.

Think Pouliot has the highest chance of the group of completely wiping out and never becoming a full-time NHL d-man.

 

[Al Smith]

I realize these are all first rounders, but given the love that Harrington gets around here, shoiuld he be included in this also?

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Not sure who ends up being a bust but not thing is for sure Pouliot is the one that's going to have the most pressure

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I realize these are all first rounders, but given the love that Harrington gets around here, shoiuld he be included in this also?

No, because there's clearly no chance he busts.

 

[Darth Vitale]

Why does this poll exist... seriously? Common. I've had just about enough of everyone's neg-head downer **** when it comes to our D prospects and their non-forward status. Let's let them all play at least one season in the NHL before we try to prognostic who will become a smudge of excrement on piece of tissue that's floating among a million gallons of sewage as it surges out to sea. (see also: thumbprint on a skyscraper)

 

[Uemoda]

Despres for me. His decision making has always been questionable for me.

Pouliot/Maata is a reasonable choice, seeing as they both have a lot of development to go. But Despres just has never looked as good as his days with the Sea Dogs. He's been underwhelming for me.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

All depends on what your definition of bust would be.

Despres probably isn't going to be a special player, but he's already looking like a NHL defender and should be counted on to be a #4 guy fairly soon.
Pouliot has probably the highest ceiling and lowest floor of the bunch, so he sorta wins by my definition by default.
Morrow's game has been tweaked and it all depends on how he builds on that...it's hard to read into his play this year because of how much is changing yet...but there is a very real chance that he doesn't take to things.
Määttä is a pretty safe prospect in my eyes, even though he's far from NHL-ready...but like Despres he probably doesn't have much of a shot of being a legitimate first pairing guy. He just has such a quietly efficient game that I can't see him struggling to adapt to the pro game. Mind you I was adamant that Määttä would be a top 10 pick before the draft, so obviously I've thought highly of him for a while.

Pouliot has the highest chance of busting of the group...but I really don't think he's going to bust. I do believe all four of these guys are going to be solid NHL defenders...just probably not all playing up to their ceilings. I'm voting Despres just because his decision-making worries me. I can see that putting him into a career as a great third pairing/okay second pairing guy.

 

[Uemoda]

No, because there's clearly no chance he busts.

He's more of a lock to be a long-term NHLer than any of them (minus maybe Morrow). His skillset will translate well...even he doesn't peak and if it's as a 6th defenseman. He's incredibly versatile.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

Why does this poll exist... seriously? Common. I've had just about enough of everyone's neg-head downer **** when it comes to our D prospects and their non-forward status. Let's let them all play at least one season in the NHL before we try to prognostic who will become a smudge of excrement on piece of tissue that's floating among a million gallons of sewage as it surges out to sea. (see also: thumbprint on a skyscraper)

Sideways... yes. What a great movie. Kudos to your good sir for the reference

 

[mgd525]

maata. Nothing on him really stands out. DP has a chance for well but he looks like if nothing else he will have a future as a number 5 or 6 pp QB worst case.

 

[Black Label]

I won't buy into all the negativity about our prospects. The only one I've really see play a lot is Määttä since I've seen him play quite a bit for Finland. The whole Finnish team kind of flopped this year, and he didn't look stellar by any means, but even if he never makes it as a top pairing defenseman I can see him cracking an NHL roster. He plays a very understated game that flies under the radar. Guys like Määttä are needed on every D corps in the league. I actually think he is the safest bet to have a long career in the NHL out of all of our prospects. I don't think he has top pairing potential or anything, but he could be a solid 3-4 Defenseman for years.

 

[ColePens]

This is a difficult question. I can eliminate Morrow/Despres because I think they could both be on the roster now and only have room to grow. I would say they are everything as advertised, if not more.

The other two are just drafted so we still have quite a ways to go.

 

[Dangles78]

maata. Nothing on him really stands out. DP has a chance for well but he looks like if nothing else he will have a future as a number 5 or 6 pp QB worst case.

This post screams "I've never seen either of these players".

Maatta is having a fine year. However, I don't think his defensive game has progressed this year, but his offensive potential is showing a little more. This was something scouts questioned.

I've seen plenty (and I mean plenty) of Maatta the last couple of years.

The fact that you say nothing stands out about him doesn't mean he is the most likely to bust. Everyone knows that he doesn't have one area that he excels at. He's a steady, yet a raw player. His hockey IQ alone will allow him to become a top-4 defender. Hopefully he establishes more of a physical game to his repertoire.

As for DePo...sure the worst case is he'll become a MA Bergeron but his hockey IQ and defensive instincts suggest otherwise. This kid is strong and defensively sound. He's just not complete. He will never punish the opposition, but I'm confident he'll piss off other players like Lids did.

You can be an effective defender by playing only a positional game.

 

[jmelm]

Maatta or Despres. They both worry me equally because of their bone-head decisions at times. Despres has more size, but Maatta has more offense, well-rounded game, and unquestionable work ethic.


Maatta has done a hell of a lot for a person of his age, but at the same time, I'm not sure if he'll ever be able to excell at the highest of levels as he moves up the pro ranks, and may get just destroyed by high-end opponents.


I guess we'll see very soon on Despres, as the Pens are putting him into sink or swim mode right now, whether his play really merits it or not. We'll have to wait longer to find that out about Maatta, however.

 

[SkullSplitter]

I voted for the last one just to be a pessimist.

 

[Ugene Magic]

It could end up taking 6/7 seasons before we get the final results.


Can we just have them play musical chairs for us?

 

[mgd525]

This post screams "I've never seen either of these players".

Maatta is having a fine year. However, I don't think his defensive game has progressed this year, but his offensive potential is showing a little more. This was something scouts questioned.

I've seen plenty (and I mean plenty) of Maatta the last couple of years.

The fact that you say nothing stands out about him doesn't mean he is the most likely to bust. Everyone knows that he doesn't have one area that he excels at. He's a steady, yet a raw player. His hockey IQ alone will allow him to become a top-4 defender. Hopefully he establishes more of a physical game to his repertoire.

As for DePo...sure the worst case is he'll become a MA Bergeron but his hockey IQ and defensive instincts suggest otherwise. This kid is strong and defensively sound. He's just not complete. He will never punish the opposition, but I'm confident he'll piss off other players like Lids did.

You can be an effective defender by playing only a positional game.

Lol, in your post everything you said is exactly why I would bet on DP having somekind of a long career over Maata. DP has a very unique skill set. That will give him a better chance to stick in the league since his downside is just a PP QB. I'm not saying that's all he will be or that Maata isn't going to be a good NHLer. I know Maata is good positionaly and is a smart player, but so are alot of players. Get what i'm saying ? Not many players at all have DP's ability to run a pp. So if both go to worst case imo DP will still be an nhler for that fact.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Not sure who ends up being a bust but not thing is for sure Pouliot is the one that's going to have the most pressure

I'd agree with this, especially with the hoopla over where the Pens drafted Pouliot. Fair or not, I think Pouliot will have to turn into a legitimate top pairing PP QB to avoid being considered a disappointment, whereas the others can simply be "good" players and still not be considered bad picks.