William Nylander Discussion

[Mess]

Lou Lam speaks out

The biggest question is who will make up the 23-man roster by the time training camp ends. The Leafs, of course, will have the likes of prospects Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen in camp fighting for spots.

The team has promised a patient approach with their youngsters and it didn’t sound as if Lamoriello was going to vary from that plan.

“You are always going to play the best players,†said Lamoriello. “But I’ve always said a young player really tells you when he’s ready. You don’t really tell him. He has to have something special.

If not, you’re doing an injustice, not only to him but to the organization. Only time will tell. You never say never to anything. In my opinion, it’s very difficult for a young player today, as an 18-year-old, to make the team".

Full Story: http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs...tml?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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[ULF_55]

Lou Lam speaks out

“You are always going to play the best players,†said Lamoriello.

Many of us having been saying this all along.

Merit, not entitlement.

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

Sounds good to me - this says that the boys on PTO's don't necessarily have a better chance than our prospects

 

[mallory67]

What I saw in that 3 game tourney was a Nylander ready for the next step. He was dramatically out witting and out playing the other players on the ice.

Watching him I felt he was being held back by poor teammates. I am not sure that would be the case on the Marlies this year with veteran pros like Leivo, Carrick and Brown etc. playing beside him. But with the younger guys at this tournament you could tell Nylander was being held back.

FYI: I thought the same of Marner though to a lesser degree. Marner was making incredible pass attempts that were being bobbled by teammates and I think a pro like JVR would have a field day with Marner.

Would like to see how Nylander does at camp playing with some big names like JVR, Lupul, Kadri.
But playing with pros is only going to make Nylander better by taking some load off.

 

[TheProspector]

What I saw in that 3 game tourney was a Nylander ready for the next step. He was dramatically out witting and out playing the other players on the ice.

Watching him I felt he was being held back by poor teammates. I am not sure that would be the case on the Marlies this year with veteran pros like Leivo, Carrick and Brown etc. playing beside him. But with the younger guys at this tournament you could tell Nylander was being held back.

FYI: I thought the same of Marner though to a lesser degree. Marner was making incredible pass attempts that were being bobbled by teammates and I think a pro like JVR would have a field day with Marner.

Would like to see how Nylander does at camp playing with some big names like JVR, Lupul, Kadri.
But playing with pros is only going to make Nylander better by taking some load off.

Leivo, Carrick and Brown are 3rd line guys in the NHL at best. Nylander is a near-certain 1st liner, and so far for his age, is already one of Sweden's great prospects of all time. This is like putting a 6.2L LT4 supercharged Corvette V8 in a 1992 Pontiac Sunfire. It doesn't fit, and even if you were somehow able to jam it in there, it just wouldn't work that well.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Leivo, Carrick and Brown are 3rd line guys in the NHL at best. Nylander is a near-certain 1st liner, and so far for his age, is already one of Sweden's great prospects of all time. This is like putting a 6.2L LT4 supercharged Corvette V8 in a 1992 Pontiac Sunfire. It doesn't fit, and even if you were somehow able to jam it in there, it just wouldn't work that well.

Carrick i'd describe as a 4th line guy.

Leivo is a 3rd, maybe 2nd line guy. He has some talent.

Brown - Likely 2nd line...he produces.

They might also bust at the NHL level - just think some of the projections are selling 2/3 of them short.

 

[CreeksideStrangler]

cant gauge guys on a rookie tourny. Sure Nylander is our most developed and skilled rookie atm. Training camp and preseason will give an accurate projection as to if he is ready for the big club. He has played in the top swede league for a couple years already and it shows

 

[Cor]

Hopefully they leave room for him on Legends Row. Right in front of Mike Babcock

 

[guitarist37]

I hope Nylander plays for the married this year just so I can afford to go watch him play hehe

 

[Cor]

I hope Nylander plays for the married this year just so I can afford to go watch him play hehe

Who is getting married?

Are you?

Congrats!

 

[HarrisonFord]

Hopefully they leave room for him on Legends Row. Right in front of Mike Babcock

Who is getting married?

Are you?

Congrats!

Someone's salty today

 

[WTFMAN99]

Wifey holding those dollas.

 

[Pyrophorus]

I've always said let them play their way onto the NHL roster.

 

[Leafin]

Nylander had some chemistry with Kadri in preseason last year. Could be a potential pairing to see if they click. 2 extremely talents forwards.

 

[Pi]

Previous thread a lot of people said he needs to be good defensively and not a liability but there is no such thing on the Leafs.

No matter how good the player is...every single Leaf is going to be terrible defensively because of the overall unit. We won't be Buffalo/Oilers 14/15 level bad but we will be bad.

 

[LeafsNation149]

Nylander had some chemistry with Kadri in preseason last year. Could be a potential pairing to see if they click. 2 extremely talents forwards.

They want to develop him as a center

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Lou Lam speaks out

Lamoriello speaking the truth. I don't know where people got the that Leafs were going to arbitrarily send players ready for the NHL, to the AHL to save ELC years on contracts.

Glad Lou is here to set this organization on the right path of way of thinking.

Merit will decide who makes the Leafs.

 

[JayDog17]

They want to develop him as a center

Kadri could play wing for him.

 

[Menzinger]

Lou's comments also suggest it's going to be tough for rookie prospects to crack the roster.

Regardless, team execs never completely reveal with true transparency what goes into their decision making processes. Saying one thing and doing another isn't exactly unheard of in the NHL community.

 

[Leaftors]

can't wait until training camp, excited to see him in action in preseason as well.

 

[TheProspector]

Carrick i'd describe as a 4th line guy.

Leivo is a 3rd, maybe 2nd line guy. He has some talent.

Brown - Likely 2nd line...he produces.

They might also bust at the NHL level - just think some of the projections are selling 2/3 of them short.

I agree that Brown has the highest ceiling of the group. He looked better than Ryan Strome, Kyle Wellwood, Chris Kelly, Max Domi or Mark Scheifele at the same age in their same-aged last OHL year for Brown, and his AHL year was better than Lars Eller, Marcel Hossa, Brock Nelson, Mike Ribeiro, Jonathan Cheechoo, Devin Setoguchi, Kris Versteeg, Scottie Upshall or Steve Bernier's at the same age.

I actually think Brown's pretty likely going to be a 'tweener -- 2nd and 3rd lines.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I agree that Brown has the highest ceiling of the group. He looked better than Ryan Strome, Kyle Wellwood, Chris Kelly, Max Domi or Mark Scheifele at the same age in their same-aged last OHL year for Brown, and his AHL year was better than Lars Eller, Marcel Hossa, Brock Nelson, Mike Ribeiro, Jonathan Cheechoo, Devin Setoguchi, Kris Versteeg, Scottie Upshall or Steve Bernier's at the same age.

I actually think Brown's pretty likely going to be a 'tweener -- 2nd and 3rd lines.

I could see that as well. Depends how the coach utilizes his top 9 probably. I think Brown is a beauty, he and Nylander actually had good chemistry last season, and I think if they build on that further, we might have 2/3 of a 2nd line ready.

 

[Pyrophorus]

Previous thread a lot of people said he needs to be good defensively and not a liability but there is no such thing on the Leafs.

No matter how good the player is...every single Leaf is going to be terrible defensively because of the overall unit. We won't be Buffalo/Oilers 14/15 level bad but we will be bad.

I can understand, after having years of these "defensive coaches", they didn't work out.

Babcock appears to be another, just have to have faith, afterall he is getting paid huge bucks.

 

[Wafflewhipper]

Either Marner or Nylander could make the leafs. They don't have to play center. So many different combinations can work on any team. As long as they play a 200 foot game reliably they are skilled enough for top six or top 9.

Play them if they out play others. Simple as that for me at this point.

 

[2022 Stanley Cup]

Either Marner or Nylander could make the leafs. They don't have to play center. So many different combinations can work on any team. As long as they play a 200 foot game reliably they are skilled enough for top six or top 9.

Play them if they out play others. Simple as that for me at this point.

IMO I don't even want Marner to me on the team in the 2015-16 season. He is an 18 y/o kid with tons of talent but he can use more seasoning and strength training.

In any normal circumstance I wouldn't even want to see Nylander until after the TD but his dominance that he has shown over the last year+ makes me want him on this team immediately if there is a spot at C for him.

In the future I wouldn't mid having Nylander and Kadri as our 1,2 centers respectively and having Marner as a winger but only time can decide what happens to Marner's positioning.