Player Discussion: Alex Barré-Boulet
- Thread starter VinikToWinIt
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TheDaysOf 04
[ 2 6 ] [ 4 ]
What's so great about ABB, is you've taken an unsigned kid and in a few months in the AHL, blown up his value as a prospect just like Conacher did many years ago. But if he does do anything significant at the next level just remember, Montreal won't even offer him a NHL deal.
Brockon
Cautiously optimistic realist when caffeinated.
ABB is looking like a steal of a 7th round entry draft pick for my fantasy dynasty league. Stat sheet wise, he looks really impressive right now.
I'd like to see him start in the AHL next year and serve as a call up for 2 reasons:
A) Seattle expansion draft exemption if he doesn't appear in over 9 NHL games this season.
B) At 5'9, 168 lbs, I'd like to give him a bit more time to add more muscle to be better able to handle the NHL. Johnson is 5'8 and 183 lbs for comparison. Another 5-10 lbs on ABB will make a difference, in terms of ability to win board battles and not get pushed around.
I'll add that I'm just pulling for an undrafted smaller guy to succeed, after putting in years of effort chasing his dreams, despite not being drafted in any of his eligible years.
I'd like to see him start in the AHL next year and serve as a call up for 2 reasons:
A) Seattle expansion draft exemption if he doesn't appear in over 9 NHL games this season.
B) At 5'9, 168 lbs, I'd like to give him a bit more time to add more muscle to be better able to handle the NHL. Johnson is 5'8 and 183 lbs for comparison. Another 5-10 lbs on ABB will make a difference, in terms of ability to win board battles and not get pushed around.
I'll add that I'm just pulling for an undrafted smaller guy to succeed, after putting in years of effort chasing his dreams, despite not being drafted in any of his eligible years.
Dump and Chase Demon
Registered User
The Lightning's org seems to do a really impressive job at developing underated+undersized but speedy prospects.
Hopefully ABB follows the footsteps of fellows Johnson, Point and Gourde.
I must say I am a little jealous of Tampa's mix of superstar/depth/playstyle
Hopefully ABB follows the footsteps of fellows Johnson, Point and Gourde.
I must say I am a little jealous of Tampa's mix of superstar/depth/playstyle
Brockon
Cautiously optimistic realist when caffeinated.
The Lightning's org seems to do a really impressive job at developing underated+undersized but speedy prospects.
Hopefully ABB follows the footsteps of fellows Johnson, Point and Gourde.
I must say I am a little jealous of Tampa's mix of superstar/depth/playstyle
I'm just happy that Tampa is in a different conference than my Blues, I'd love to meet up in the playoffs against you guys!
I don't think the expansion draft is going to be an issue for ABB, Seattle has lots of juicy choices other than him.
BowDownToVasilevskiy
Registered User
How about the cup final this year? My prediction before the season was a Blues - Lightning final.I'm just happy that Tampa is in a different conference than my Blues, I'd love to meet up in the playoffs against you guys!
Brockon
Cautiously optimistic realist when caffeinated.
How about the cup final this year? My prediction before the season was a Blues - Lightning final.
If that happens, Binnington should win the Vezina and Hart for willing the Blues out of the bottom 5, then carrying them to the playoffs
If that happens, Binnington should win the Vezina and Hart for willing the Blues out of the bottom 5, then carrying them to the playoffs
How quickly do you think Tim Tebow could learn to play hockey?
Stormbreaker
Registered User
- Apr 2, 2012
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Knock knock.. who is there ? St. Louis ring a bell.The Lightning's org seems to do a really impressive job at developing underated+undersized but speedy prospects.
Hopefully ABB follows the footsteps of fellows Johnson, Point and Gourde.
I must say I am a little jealous of Tampa's mix of superstar/depth/playstyle
Stormbreaker
Registered User
- Apr 2, 2012
- 16,844
- 9,950
Kid looks great. May be another Al Murray gem.
I hope Yzerman has a gentlemen’s agreement to stay away from Murray when he joins Detroit.
LightningStrikes
Champa Bay Lightning
- Nov 24, 2009
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TheDaysOf 04
[ 2 6 ] [ 4 ]
Do you mean will he make the NHL this season? Probably not. He was 6th in AHL scoring his rookie year and 5th in scoring last year. Offensively, you really can't ask for more. He is the best player on the Crunch. But on a defending Stanley Cup Champion team with a set top 9, it just makes it really hard for him, or anybody, to find a lineup spot. What's available is on the 4th line, and I just don't think he can fit there. Unless someone gets hurt, imo his best bet is next season when his ELC is finished and there's more room on the roster.
Kuch is out as we all know. Stammer is back of course but ABB could play in the top 6 theoretically with Kuch being out.
CupsOverCash
Registered User
- Jun 16, 2009
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My guess is that it will depend on his camp and how some of his competition does compared to him.
If Kuch was healthy, two top 6 forwards would be gone. That may have opened up a top 9 role, at least a shot at one. But probably no room now, but he’s probably gets tapped to fill in at some point this year.
These Are The Days
Oh no! We suck again!!
Yeah this is his year. I'm not trying to jinx anything but this team just does not stay healthy. ABB is gonna slot in and surprise some folks. The AHL isn't gonna do this kid any good. I know the whole "playing time" argument takes effect here but the Lightning have proven that argument both can and will take years off any NHL opportunity whatsoever
TheDaysOf 04
[ 2 6 ] [ 4 ]
I understand the thinking of having ABB try to recoup some of the offensive production you lose with Kuch sidelined, but I don't think it actually makes sense. We're returning with essentially the same exact top 9 we won a cup with. Just plug in Stamkos for Kucherov. Adding someone into the top 6 shakes things up and bumps someone else down to the 3rd line. Why break up the Goodrow - Gourde - Coleman line? Playing Gourde or Goodrow on a 4th line seems like a waste. If you demote a guy like Johnson to the 4th line, then you just eliminate whatever offense Johnson can give you and that seems to go against the problem you were trying to solve originally.
Another problem with inserting a rookie into a position like that is we just don't do it. Verhaeghe was the AHL scoring leader, and he had to start on the 4th line. Volkov too has been a 4th line guy, and he also has top 6 potential. He's got a better chance of getting a crack there first, no? So that complicates things for ABB. Now can he make the team as a 4th liner? Skilled, undersized guys like Marchessault & Gourde have done it in the past, but he doesn't exactly play like those guys.
I'd really like to see ABB make it as a NHLer, but just like Cal Foote, I'm not ready to hand him anything. He has to win a spot. He has to prove he's ready. AHL stats aside, he didn't get a call up all last season. And when we saw him in the summer during the training camp before the 2020 playoffs, he didn't really show he belonged in the scrimmages and they decided not to take him into the bubble. Now a good amount of time has passed since then, but we gotta see it. And he has to leap frog over guys like Volkov and Joseph who have both played for Coop.
Another problem with inserting a rookie into a position like that is we just don't do it. Verhaeghe was the AHL scoring leader, and he had to start on the 4th line. Volkov too has been a 4th line guy, and he also has top 6 potential. He's got a better chance of getting a crack there first, no? So that complicates things for ABB. Now can he make the team as a 4th liner? Skilled, undersized guys like Marchessault & Gourde have done it in the past, but he doesn't exactly play like those guys.
I'd really like to see ABB make it as a NHLer, but just like Cal Foote, I'm not ready to hand him anything. He has to win a spot. He has to prove he's ready. AHL stats aside, he didn't get a call up all last season. And when we saw him in the summer during the training camp before the 2020 playoffs, he didn't really show he belonged in the scrimmages and they decided not to take him into the bubble. Now a good amount of time has passed since then, but we gotta see it. And he has to leap frog over guys like Volkov and Joseph who have both played for Coop.
Byrddog
Lifer
- Nov 23, 2007
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He will be 24 this year he was slow to develop two full years in the AHL so it is now or never. One of two things is going to happen he will light it up and stick or struggle and be traded. He will not see extended time in the top 6 here even with Kuch out and when Kuch is healthy where does he slot? If he was 21 or 22 then it would be different who knows how it will work out but we are going to see maybe in 9 days.
Sky04
Registered User
- Jan 8, 2009
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How is it now or never when we have a 5m forward on our team who broke into the league at 26 and spent 5 years in the AHL. Plenty of time left to make it
Byrddog
Lifer
- Nov 23, 2007
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And you still believe in the tooth fairy too. For every 1 player that breaks into the league after age 25 there are hundreds who fail. You can cherry pick individual cases all you wish that does not change facts. A forward needs to break into the league by 23 and a defenseman by 24. Forward production peaks at 27 and then starts to regress defensemen peak at 29 and then tail off. The numbers we taken from a study done by Hockey News about 5 years ago it used player stats from 1910 to the current year. The average forward retired at 30.5 years of age and the average defenseman retired at 31.
More food for thought only 2 in 10 players that are drafted will play 200 games in the league.
Odds not great for NHL draft picks – Guelph Storm
This is another good article that points out the fallacy of the opinion on draft picks and young players. Now are there gems out there that make it or go undrafted there sure are but this all falls on scouting. If one looks at Gourde and Johnson you have to think that our scouts have done a pretty good job or got extremely lucky. Again this is the exception rather than the rule. Every year the league is littered with marginal players most of which are now called role players. From a talent standpoint the league is already too large yet there is an expansion next year.
The Bolts roster right now is loaded with as much talent as any team I can remember in the last 40 years including the Gretzky years in Edmonton. But we are in a position right now in two years many of these guys in the pipeline are going to be on this roster due to CAP alone. Heck right now we have two on the roster that are not NHL guys Volkov is really a career AHL guy and Joseph had one year with 53 points in Syracuse and is not going to magically be a 40 point guy in the NHL. But we are going to add to them on the roster more young unproven players as the cup window goes down.
Sky04
Registered User
- Jan 8, 2009
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I don't need to believe in the tooth fairy, I just need to look at the fact that this team historically has pushed out NHL caliber forwards over the age of 23, all of whom were top producers in the AHL like ABB is. In the last 4 years alone we've produced 3 forwards over the age of 23 into the NHL that are still playing, Gourde, Verhaeghe and Marchessault
Your whole argument is just bad, using generics and averages makes no sense when you have a known quantity. This isn't a random, fresh draft pick, it's the most productive prospect in our talent pool over the last 2 years that happens to be on a team that soon needs cheap scoring. Your entire last paragraph helps his case, that is unless you go by that imaginary "23 year old" cut off line that you drew up.
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