Prospect Info: Alex Nylander (2016, 8th) – '17-18: Rochester #92 (AHL)

Weaves

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Yes, Grigs was not developed in Roch, but he did spend 25 games in the nhl at 18, and at age 19 he played 18 games in the NHL, which dwarfed (maybe) his development, similar to Nylander playing the AHL at 18 & 19 which maybe(likely) hurt his development.

Not only in rushed development, but the comparison in their skill set, and the comparison in fans expectations, I think will lead to comparable trajectory.

Again, hope I am wrong, don't rush him to the NHL until he EARNS it in his play, not just a couple weeks at a camp in September.

He did EARN it. You are free to define what you feel is "earn it" but our GM said, legitimately, that jobs were open for grabs and Nylander was the best bubble player in the pre-season. He needs to play, period. We have so much dead weight on the roster, anyways.
 

davej0122

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If this organization never actually gives Nylander a chance to play with our skilled forwards for more than 3 games a season, that is an absolute failure. Please spare me the "he hasn't earned it" - he should have been on the team to start the year, period.
Well certainly not "period." He has shown in the AHL now, why he wasnt ready be in the NHL then. His only job is to produce, and compete. WAYNE SIMPSON and DANNY OREGAN are out producing him....

Nylander had an opportunity to say Botts/Housely you made a HUGE mistake but not keeping me up at the start of the year... and Nylander didnt. He has been mediocre and if anything has justified Botts and Housely's decisions.

So, not "period"
 
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Weaves

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Well certainly not "period." He has shown in the AHL now, why he wasnt ready be in the NHL then. His only job is to produce, and compete. WAYNE SIMPSON and DANNY OREGAN are out producing him....

Nylander had an opportunity to say Botts/Housely you made a HUGE mistake but not keeping me up at the start of the year... and Nylander didnt. He has been mediocre and if anything has justified Botts and Housely's decisions.

So, not "period"

Period.

You need to understand the Nylanders -- they are guys who will always flourish playing with talent. Look at William, a player who looks like a superstar playing with AM34 (and no data to suggest he is as good away from him as with him). Alex was NEVER drafted to drive his own line, and sure, maybe he is not as talented as William was. You cant look af the AHL as the be-all-end-all of evaluation. With that said, with the lack of talent on the wings we have, i dont see any logical arguement for not giving him a 10-15 game stint with eichel or Mitts.
 

Aladyyn

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Evan Rodrigues, age 22
72 GP, 9G, 21A in the AHL

Evan Rodrigues, age 23
48 GP, 9G, 21A in the AHL

Evan Rodrigues, age 24
48 GP, 7G, 18A in the NHL

And yes, Tage making the team instead of Alex was a mistake. The guy eliminated his one flaw in the preseason and didn't get rewarded, that stuff messes with a young player's head you can't convince me otherwise.
 

Samsonite23

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Period.

You need to understand the Nylanders -- they are guys who will always flourish playing with talent. Look at William, a player who looks like a superstar playing with AM34 (and no data to suggest he is as good away from him as with him). Alex was NEVER drafted to drive his own line, and sure, maybe he is not as talented as William was. You cant look af the AHL as the be-all-end-all of evaluation. With that said, with the lack of talent on the wings we have, i dont see any logical arguement for not giving him a 10-15 game stint with eichel or Mitts.

Alex isn't William. They aren't clones. They have different skill sets.

Not to mention William looks farrrr from a superstar right now.
 
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Weaves

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Alex isn't William. They aren't clones. They have different skill sets.

Not to mention William looks farrrr from a superstar right now.

Correct, they are different players - but I feel they both are those kind of "skilled" players who have more upside at the NHL level playing with an elite centre. Like Patrik Laine, difference in talent aside.

And that is my point with William. I know he has missed time but he is clearly not as effective away from AM34.

Don't see why Buffalo continues to punish Nylander when they have a history of calling up players with similiar statlines and less pure talent - Girgs, Grigs, Rodrigues, Bailey, Baptiste -- yet never give nylander a CHANCE. Its infuriating.
 

Sabresfansince1980

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Correct, they are different players - but I feel they both are those kind of "skilled" players who have more upside at the NHL level playing with an elite centre. Like Patrik Laine, difference in talent aside.

And that is my point with William. I know he has missed time but he is clearly not as effective away from AM34.

Don't see why Buffalo continues to punish Nylander when they have a history of calling up players with similiar statlines and less pure talent - Girgs, Grigs, Rodrigues, Bailey, Baptiste -- yet never give nylander a CHANCE. Its infuriating.

Handing entitled kids that are used to their dad making everything ok for them a starting job on an NHL team before they have worked enough to develop their game effectively is actually pretty infuriating.
 

OkimLom

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Well certainly not "period." He has shown in the AHL now, why he wasnt ready be in the NHL then. His only job is to produce, and compete. WAYNE SIMPSON and DANNY OREGAN are out producing him....

Nylander had an opportunity to say Botts/Housely you made a HUGE mistake but not keeping me up at the start of the year... and Nylander didnt. He has been mediocre and if anything has justified Botts and Housely's decisions.

So, not "period"

25 year old O Regan and 28 year old Simpson are outscoring 20 (soon to be 21) year old Nylander in a league where the older players usually can be found leading the teams in scoring. Colored me shocked. Even 24 year old CJ Smith is a bit older in hockey years than Nylander. Yes, you want to see Nylander's talent come through, but Nylander is in his "3rd" year of playing in a professional system (where a good portion of one was riddled with injuries), whereas you are seeing guys who have played in system-centric leagues are doing well in the AHL, another system-centric league.

His problem is that he lacks consistency, something you learn in the AHL. He will get there, I've seen improvement in his overall game vs previous years. It just takes patience.
 
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La Cosa Nostra

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If they fade from the race over the next 10 games there is zero reason he should not be up here for an extended 20 game look. Especially when we ice Sobotka, Thompson, Girgs, Larsson etc.

But most likely Nylander will be a bust and is fitting he is the last major draft pick of Tim Murray. At this point I would use Nylander to try and find someone to take Okposo off our hands. Gladly would give up Nylander and the STL 2nd for someone to take Okposo.
 
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Weaves

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Handing entitled kids that are used to their dad making everything ok for them a starting job on an NHL team before they have worked enough to develop their game effectively is actually pretty infuriating.

Do you just throw things against a wall to see what sticks? Effort level was an issue with Nylander, he improved at it, should have won a spot on what was promised by our GM to go to the most deserving candidate, then was shafted instead. Whats infuriating is that Sabres fan have endured dozens of games with Bailey and Baptiste (neither of who i ever were impressed by) - yet Nylander getting an actual shot is apparently the worst thing ever. Insanity.
 

Aladyyn

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Correct, they are different players - but I feel they both are those kind of "skilled" players who have more upside at the NHL level playing with an elite centre. Like Patrik Laine, difference in talent aside.

And that is my point with William. I know he has missed time but he is clearly not as effective away from AM34.

Don't see why Buffalo continues to punish Nylander when they have a history of calling up players with similiar statlines and less pure talent - Girgs, Grigs, Rodrigues, Bailey, Baptiste -- yet never give nylander a CHANCE. Its infuriating.
I think William is specifically so good with Matthews, who is quite different from your usual top tier center. With someone like Eichel I'd say Alex fits way better than Will for example.
 
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Weaves

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If they fade from the race over the next 10 games there is zero reason he should not be up here for an extended 20 game look. Especially when we ice Sobotka, Thompson, Girgs, Larsson etc.

But most likely Nylander will be a bust and is fitting he is the last major draft pick of Tim Murray. At this point I would use Nylander to try and find someone to take Okposo off our hands. Gladly would give up Nylander and the STL 2nd for someone to take Okposo.

I agree. He may bust in the end, for sure. But we will NEVER know unless he get a shot with our skilled guys. Happy to deal him for the right piece or to dump Okposo though - im not a massive Nylander fanboy that thinks he is in Dahlin Tier or anything :)
 

Weaves

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I think William is specifically so good with Matthews, who is quite different from your usual top tier center. With someone like Eichel I'd say Alex fits way better than Will for example.

For sure. Mitts also may not be a terrible match, pretty sure they gelled pretty well in a couple of pre-season games (FWIW, anyway). I would rather gamble on nylander than the corpse of Pominville or Girgs shotgunning his RW.
 

Sabresfansince1980

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Do you just throw things against a wall to see what sticks? Effort level was an issue with Nylander, he improved at it, should have won a spot on what was promised by our GM to go to the most deserving candidate, then was shafted instead. Whats infuriating is that Sabres fan have endured dozens of games with Bailey and Baptiste (neither of who i ever were impressed by) - yet Nylander getting an actual shot is apparently the worst thing ever. Insanity.

No, I made a pretty pinpoint comment that hit on target...no mess on a wall. You don't improve your effort level for three weeks in camp and expect that to earn you a NHL job, when before and after is still a big question mark. It's also nothing more than your opinion that Nylander even earned a spot due to camp. I wouldn't be upset if he got some games in Buffalo, just so he can see how much he needs to work on his game and develop more, but nobody should be crying because he hasn't had that chance yet. Saying he's a player that plays better around talent is the weakest excuse I've ever heard of. All kinds of players produce more around great talent, that doesn't mean they are deserving of that TOI, or developing into the player they should be. If a player shows he needs to be in the NHL, they will play well at each level and improve along the way. Short of that, there's nothing to complain about or talk about.
 
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KeepKane

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Do you just throw things against a wall to see what sticks? Effort level was an issue with Nylander, he improved at it, should have won a spot on what was promised by our GM to go to the most deserving candidate, then was shafted instead. Whats infuriating is that Sabres fan have endured dozens of games with Bailey and Baptiste (neither of who i ever were impressed by) - yet Nylander getting an actual shot is apparently the worst thing ever. Insanity.

This is the 1st year of his 3 year ELC so he has plenty of time. I thought he played well in pre season but so far we have only called up Smith from the forward ranks. Bailey and Baptiste were already shipped out leaving Nylander to most likely be the next call-up (sans Wilson maybe). Botts kept Guentzel down over half a season in Pitt when he led them in goals in the playoffs in 16-17. Just a point of reference, not a comparison.
 
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DJN21

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No, I made a pretty pinpoint comment that hit on target...no mess on a wall. You don't improve your effort level for three weeks in camp and expect that to earn you a NHL job, when before and after is still a big question mark. It's also nothing more than your opinion that Nylander even earned a spot due to camp. I wouldn't be upset if he got some games in Buffalo, just so he can see how much he needs to work on his game and develop more, but nobody should be crying because he hasn't had that chance yet. Saying he's a player that plays better around talent is the weakest excuse I've ever heard of. All kinds of players produce more around great talent, that doesn't mean they are deserving of that TOI, or developing into the player they should be. If a player shows he needs to be in the NHL, they will play well at each level and improve along the way. Short of that, there's nothing to complain about or talk about.

Beautiful post. Nylander hasn't earned a single thing in this organization outside his draft slot and pedigree.

Funny how we look back and say guys like girgs, or greg orenko were rushed yet slow boiling nylander is a bad thing??

Kid is a bust in my eyes. But I've been beating that drum for awhile so I'd expect my response to be appropriately relocated to "opinionated". And I'm fine with it because I can't lose. If nylander doesn't figure out how to try to hockey for a full game then I am right. If he does then he helps my team....easy cop out.
 

Aladyyn

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Beautiful post. Nylander hasn't earned a single thing in this organization outside his draft slot and pedigree.

Funny how we look back and say guys like girgs, or greg orenko were rushed yet slow boiling nylander is a bad thing??

Kid is a bust in my eyes. But I've been beating that drum for awhile so I'd expect my response to be appropriately relocated to "opinionated". And I'm fine with it because I can't lose. If nylander doesn't figure out how to try to hockey for a full game then I am right. If he does then he helps my team....easy cop out.
Casey Mittelstadt? Tage Thompson?
 

Sabresfansince1980

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Beautiful post. Nylander hasn't earned a single thing in this organization outside his draft slot and pedigree.

Funny how we look back and say guys like girgs, or greg orenko were rushed yet slow boiling nylander is a bad thing??

Kid is a bust in my eyes. But I've been beating that drum for awhile so I'd expect my response to be appropriately relocated to "opinionated". And I'm fine with it because I can't lose. If nylander doesn't figure out how to try to hockey for a full game then I am right. If he does then he helps my team....easy cop out.

I hated the pick from the start, and I haven't seen a thing to change my mind. I just hate when fans take the whole slant about the GM, HC, X Y or Z being the reason why life is no @#$%ing unfair to any certain player, and the entire reason why he isn't in the NHL or successful wherever they are. I liked Fasching and had high hopes, but he barely got a few games in Buffalo. I didn't complain because I saw he wasn't doing anything in Rochester either. Eventually Fasching proved to be a nothing player for the NHL level. No excuses, he didn't make it.
 

Sabresfansince1980

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Casey Mittelstadt? Tage Thompson?

That has nothing to do with Nylander taking charge and proving he's an NHL player. All that comparison does is reflect on the front office's judgement. Being mediocre in the AHL and not very good at the NHL level shows that none of them are taking charge. There's still differences about their game and skill level, but it's not worth debating much about. Bottom line is they all need to show more to end up being effective NHLers.
 

1972

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Casey Mittelstadt? Tage Thompson?

Casey Mittelstadt also works his tail off and things would probably be quite different if he got to break in like Sam on the wing. This management is just hell bent on keeping him in the middle.
 

OkimLom

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It's quite interesting to see so many people rushing to judge a player a bust so quickly, yet are all about the Bott's building of the team.
 
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DJN21

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Casey Mittelstadt? Tage Thompson?
Does nylander play center after stupidly trading away ror? If not then they aren't comparables.

I'll concede on tage thought nearly any reasonable fan on this site would've preferred him sent down months ago...FOR SMITH or OLOFSSON not nylander so that also doesn't resonate with me.
 

Aladyyn

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Does nylander play center after stupidly trading away ror? If not then they aren't comparables.

I'll concede on tage thought nearly any reasonable fan on this site would've preferred him sent down months ago...FOR SMITH or OLOFSSON not nylander so that also doesn't resonate with me.
Nylander outplayed them both in camp/preseason. Yet they both made the team over him. Can't talk about "earning" anything when that's the reality we're dealing with.
 
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Sabresfansince1980

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It's quite interesting to see so many people rushing to judge a player a bust so quickly, yet are all about the Bott's building of the team.

The two aren't tied together. Developing draftees as a building plan is great, and I can have the opinion that a player isn't going to develop into an effective NHLer, which so far is backed up by Nylander's performance. Just because players fail during their developmental path doesn't mean it's a bad plan. I mean...we all know that the big trade plan busts out all the time too. Should there never be big trades??
 

DJN21

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I hated the pick from the start, and I haven't seen a thing to change my mind. I just hate when fans take the whole slant about the GM, HC, X Y or Z being the reason why life is no @#$%ing unfair to any certain player, and the entire reason why he isn't in the NHL or successful wherever they are. I liked Fasching and had high hopes, but he barely got a few games in Buffalo. I didn't complain because I saw he wasn't doing anything in Rochester either. Eventually Fasching proved to be a nothing player for the NHL level. No excuses, he didn't make it.

Exact same boat. Thought the world of fasching and was wrong.

Anyone who actually watches nylander live like I do 20+ times a year as a rochester native can't possibly have anything to say about him but "inconsistent ". I also hated the pick. At best he was Tyler ennis v2.0 at the worst...well look at other guys drafted...
 

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