Prospect Info: 4th Overall, Bowen Byram, Defence

[Foppa2118]

On the bright side, we can officially put to rest this idea that the Avs "rush" their prospects.

Byram was the perfect test subject for this. If they were gonna rush anybody, it would have been him.

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

Such a hater... looked like Lidstrom and Chelios out there!

Such a hater comparing our new young guns to 50 year olds. Or is Chelios in his 60s now?

 

[henchman21]

Such a hater comparing our new young guns to 50 year olds. Or is Chelios in his 60s now?

Somewhere Chelios is contemplating a comeback...

 

[Foppa2118]

Such a hater comparing our new young guns to 50 year olds. Or is Chelios in his 60s now?

Chelios at 60 > Byram at 18 (or maybe the guy's a freak)

 

[The Kingslayer]

If he's not still with the Avs on opening night I'll be pretty surprised. This front office wants him here and I think they'll take that into the season. No idea what happens from there.

Not surprised hes going to Vancouver. Its not even a knock on Bo its just now we have some depth at D. Guys like Rosen and Timmins have been better. Im looking forward to seeing him at the World Juniors.

 

[Foppa2118]

Yup, the general consensus here was that he could use a step up from the WHL but the NHL may be too big a step for him. He's close to NHL speed and readiness, just needs another year and he should be ready to go.

He is actually pretty close. I think those first couple games where he made some defensive mistakes got in his head. After that, he played overly safe, and looked a little afraid to be aggressive offensively. That's a sign he's not quite ready though.

Byram can still benefit from junior though IMO, he hasn't outgrown it that much. He can still benefit from working on his defensive play, without sacrificing offense. He's going to play a two way role in the NHL, and it's much easier to work on this in junior, than it is in the NHL at his age.

Playing in the pressure packed WJC and another year in the WHL playoffs/MemCup will be a good learning experience for him as well. I'm actually really looking forward to seeing if he can dominate in the WJC. Realistically though, he'll still be pretty young for that too at 18 still.

Depending on when his season ends, we might even see him get the Makar treatment and sign for the playoffs. Though I think that may be doubtful because I don't think the Avs want to burn a year of his ELC. He's unlikely to contribute as much at 18 as Makar did at 20.

 

[El Travo]

I'll give you a "like" as a sign of good faith but you really need to take a step back to collect your thoughts after this...

I regret nothing.

 

[avsfan9]

Awesome move. World juniors are going to be exiting to watch with him and Newhook.

 

[henchman21]

Awesome move. World juniors are going to be exiting to watch with him and Newhook.

And Zhura

(Actually Ranta will probably steal the show and flash the most)

 

[Avs_19]

I have faith in Niederma.....I mean Byram to put up huge numbers again.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

(Actually Ranta will probably steal the show and flash the most)

Will he actually become something you think? I think this is the most positive I've ever seen you about him

 

[Avs_19]

Expecting the same offensive impact is expecting a lot. 70 points in a full season is probably realistic, but 24 goals is going to be tough to duplicate. It isn't all that uncommon for a draft eligible player to have a huge offensive year in juniors and take a slight step back the year following. I give you Jake Bean:

D-1 5g 34a 39p in 51 games
Draft Year 24g 40a 64p in 68 games
D+1 8g 37a 45p in 43 games
D+2 12g 36a 48p in 57 games

If you're expecting 25g and 60a from Byram, you're very likely to be disappointed.

I prefer to look at a guy like Ivan Provorov than Jake freakin Bean.

 

[henchman21]

Will he actually become something you think? I think this is the most positive I've ever seen you about him

Really?

HFAvs Prospect Polls #9
GDT: - 2018 NHL Entry Draft l June 22nd & 23rd l "Don't screw this up, Avs!" Edition

Ranta has supreme physical skills and when you're near the top of an age group, that can really allow a player to shine. He's just kind of a dummy and that will limit him if he doesn't grow out of it.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Really?

HFAvs Prospect Polls #9
GDT: - 2018 NHL Entry Draft l June 22nd & 23rd l "Don't screw this up, Avs!" Edition

Ranta has supreme physical skills and when you're near the top of an age group, that can really allow a player to shine. He's just kind of a dummy and that will limit him if he doesn't grow out of it.

Okay, yeah, that top quote in particular makes my take look bad.

For some reason I had in my mind that you were a little more pessimistic about him. I just keep seeing his stock go up and up. Exciting stuff.

 

[Patagonia]

He is actually pretty close. I think those first couple games where he made some defensive mistakes got in his head. After that, he played overly safe, and looked a little afraid to be aggressive offensively. That's a sign he's not quite ready though.

Byram can still benefit from junior though IMO, he hasn't outgrown it that much. He can still benefit from working on his defensive play, without sacrificing offense. He's going to play a two way role in the NHL, and it's much easier to work on this in junior, than it is in the NHL at his age.

Playing in the pressure packed WJC and another year in the WHL playoffs/MemCup will be a good learning experience for him as well. I'm actually really looking forward to seeing if he can dominate in the WJC. Realistically though, he'll still be pretty young for that too at 18 still.

Depending on when his season ends, we might even see him get the Makar treatment and sign for the playoffs. Though I think that may be doubtful because I don't think the Avs want to burn a year of his ELC. He's unlikely to contribute as much at 18 as Makar did at 20.

With all the drama on the Rants contract, burning an ELC a year early might not be a bad option. I was previously against such a deal, but reconsidering for special players, burning an ELC could be an excellent option to lockup players long term a year sooner.

Consider Rants went from 34, 84, & 87 (7 fewer games). If he signed last season, he contract would likely be $7.5M-$8.5M range. He's looking at a raise of $1M-$2M more per season. The additional season is a huge risk should the player breakout.

 

[BrickNHL]

See you in the Memorial Cup finals, Bo

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Awesome move. World juniors are going to be exiting to watch with him and Newhook.

Doubt Newhook makes it

 

[Foppa Frossa]

Hopefully he uses the year in the dub to work on his defense. I don't care as much about offensive totals.

 

[Ararana]

Not surprised hes going to Vancouver. Its not even a knock on Bo its just now we have some depth at D. Guys like Rosen and Timmins have been better. Im looking forward to seeing him at the World Juniors.

I agree it was the right move but even after a full day of processing I'm still hella surprised the front office was able to resist the temptation. Maybe Makar forced them to learn something?

 

[cgf]

On the bright side, we can officially put to rest this idea that the Avs "rush" their prospects.

Byram was the perfect test subject for this. If they were gonna rush anybody, it would have been him.

Hopefully that's what happened and they weren't just distracted by Timmins' shininess...

 

[cgf]

Okay, yeah, that top quote in particular makes my take look bad.

For some reason I had in my mind that you were a little more pessimistic about him. I just keep seeing his stock go up and up. Exciting stuff.

Maybe you're mixing Henchy up with me on this? Cause I'm not convinced that Ranta can be trusted to tie his own skates without supervision.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

Maybe you're mixing Henchy up with me on this? Cause I'm not convinced that Ranta can be trusted to tie his own skates without supervision.

Who knows. I've lost my mind.

 

[Foxtail]

With all the drama on the Rants contract, burning an ELC a year early might not be a bad option. I was previously against such a deal, but reconsidering for special players, burning an ELC could be an excellent option to lockup players long term a year sooner.

Consider Rants went from 34, 84, & 87 (7 fewer games). If he signed last season, he contract would likely be $7.5M-$8.5M range. He's looking at a raise of $1M-$2M more per season. The additional season is a huge risk should the player breakout.

Agreed

 

[Foxtail]

Awesome move. World juniors are going to be exiting to watch with him and Newhook.

And Annunen

 

[The Kingslayer]

I agree it was the right move but even after a full day of processing I'm still hella surprised the front office was able to resist the temptation. Maybe Makar forced them to learn something?

If we didnt have Rosen and Timmins playing well I think we might have seen Bo suit up for sure.