Player Discussion: At 18th Overall Blue Jackets Take Liam Foudy

[cbjthrowaway]

that whole draft was putrid. there are only 10 guys from that first round (out of 31 picks) who i'd say are good players worthy of a first-round pick: dahlin, tkachuk, svechnikov, hughes, boqvist, dobson, bouchard, miller, sandin, lundkvist. only three of those guys went after foudy.

in fact, after foudy was picked… three of the next seven picks haven't played a single NHL game!

i remember wanting veleno or serron noel with that pick. veleno's barely made a dent in the NHL and noel hasn't even played an NHL game yet. at least marchenko's been worth the wait. boqvist is finally coming into his own, too (not a cbj pick but still)

 

[majormajor]

I said this about Kole Sherwood when he was here but in order for Foudy to make an impact at the nhl level he’s going to have to learn how to play physical. Now he will never be a bull running people through the glass, but with his speed he should be able to be a puck hound forechecker. He’ll need to get bigger, and it may take some speed away, but at this point it’s what needs to be done.

The hands will never come. They were never there to begin with. His offense will never translate from juniors because his skills are very mediocre. But what he can do is skate, and have a good mind for the game. If he wants to make it as an nhl player he will need something in his arsenal because he’s got nothing right now. Easiest thing he can do is utilize his speed as a forechecker, and with more bulk he can potentially be really good at protecting the puck. But he’s got to do something or time will be up soon

I don't think the skating is good enough. How many times have we seen Foudy chase a defender back into his zone, force the defender to cough up the puck, and then Foudy can't stop himself on the puck or turn at speed so he just wipes out in the corner? He's a very fast straight line player but not a good skater. Adding weight to that doesn't help.

 

[MissADD]

that whole draft was putrid. there are only 10 guys from that first round (out of 31 picks) who i'd say are good players worthy of a first-round pick: dahlin, tkachuk, svechnikov, hughes, boqvist, dobson, bouchard, miller, sandin, lundkvist. only three of those guys went after foudy.

in fact, after foudy was picked… three of the next seven picks haven't played a single NHL game!

i remember wanting veleno or serron noel with that pick. veleno's barely made a dent in the NHL and noel hasn't even played an NHL game yet. at least marchenko's been worth the wait. boqvist is finally coming into his own, too (not a cbj pick but still)

I think this draft, the 2019 draft, the 2020 draft and maybe the 2017 draft (big maybe) are going to have a lot of what ifs because of development time lost because of lockdowns. Top use Foudy as an example, he lost the OHL playoffs, the ability to go to Cleveland for some games if he was able,. Then the next season he was on the CBJ taxi squad as was bouncing back and forth between Cleveland and Columbus all the time. Not the best way top develop. Not saying that its for sure why he isn't performing like we think he should, but its worth thinking about.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

I don't think the skating is good enough. How many times have we seen Foudy chase a defender back into his zone, force the defender to cough up the puck, and then Foudy can't stop himself on the puck or turn at speed so he just wipes out in the corner? He's a very fast straight line player but not a good skater. Adding weight to that doesn't help.

Is that a skating issue or a mental issue? He’s never had skating issues at any level of play. I think he’s over thinking everything. Straight ahead speed is definitely his strong suit but I don’t think there’s much wrong with his skating overall. I certainly think it’s good enough quality.

I still think he needs to add muscle to his frame and get to work on strengthening his puck protection skills

 

[majormajor]

Is that a skating issue or a mental issue? He’s never had skating issues at any level of play. I think he’s over thinking everything. Straight ahead speed is definitely his strong suit but I don’t think there’s much wrong with his skating overall. I certainly think it’s good enough quality.

I still think he needs to add muscle to his frame and get to work on strengthening his puck protection skills

Not being able to make tight turns or quick stops, lacking agility, those are skating issues.

It's possible that more muscle, if it's in the legs and core, will help add versatility to his skating. But we can't protect this guy or keep him off waivers next year, I think time is up.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I doubt he has any value in a trade even as a sweetener. Just keep him, put him where you want him and if you are sending him up or down and he gets claimed, so be it.

 

[koteka]

Just keep him, put him where you want him and if you are sending him up or down and he gets claimed, so be it.

I feel this way about a few guys. It is not like the other teams are thinking “I hope that really bad team waives a guy because he is not good enough to be on that really bad team, so we can claim him. That is the path to success.”

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I feel this way about a few guys. It is not like the other teams are thinking “I hope that really bad team waives a guy because he is not good enough to be on that really bad team, so we can claim him. That is the path to success.”

Yeah I just think at some point you have to do what you do and if the system allows a player to be claimed, that's how it works, and you just have to hope the players clears and resigned if they don't.

 

[ViD]

I doubt he has any value in a trade even as a sweetener. Just keep him, put him where you want him and if you are sending him up or down and he gets claimed, so be it.

Nothing more to add to this

 

[KJ Dangler]

I think he’s just starting to scratch the surface of what his NHL game is going to be.. he’s now starting to play with confidence , after a super slow start to to the year . That shot last night was a laser

 

[CBJ goalie]

I think he’s just starting to scratch the surface of what his NHL game is going to be.. he’s now starting to play with confidence , after a super slow start to to the year . That shot last night was a laser

I agree, I've noticed his game coming around in the last few with more ice time - and of course, the ice breaker of finally scoring.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I think he’s just starting to scratch the surface of what his NHL game is going to be.. he’s now starting to play with confidence , after a super slow start to to the year . That shot last night was a laser

I agree, I've noticed his game coming around in the last few with more ice time - and of course, the ice breaker of finally scoring.

Blah blah something about only when the pressure is off blah blah

 

[Xoggz22]

I doubt he has any value in a trade even as a sweetener. Just keep him, put him where you want him and if you are sending him up or down and he gets claimed, so be it.

Agreed. I feel the same about Bemstrom. I don't care if they don't move either one but if someone wants them or you can get a value you feel is worthwhile, take it. If not moved, they shouldn't be "protected" by leaving on the roster for fear of losing them to waivers. They have had their chance, again, especially Bemstrom. Time to move on. If they show they can fit, great but at this point I don't see them as part of the short or long term plan. Same with Pederson and, as much as I hate to say it, Roslovic. Jack hurts me because he clearly has a skill set that should be a top 6 NHL player but his inconsistency shows he doesn't either have the IQ or the desire to play day in and day out. It's bee 6 years of this... time to move on (only I think he offers SOME value in a trade).

 

[CBJx614]

Blah blah something about only when the pressure is off blah blah

We need a few more seasons of evidence first. We've already got plenty of Ros

 

[ThirdPeriodTurtle]

Wasn't it in this past year that some fans of other teams were asking about Foudy? Like not too long ago, maybe an Ottawa fan... Not sure how informed they were or if it translates to the GM level at all... but Foudy has seemingly played a little better as of late - or at least got the monkey off his back. At least we get to evaluate him a bit further if that leads to anything.

 

[CBJ goalie]

Very happy with Foudy's game, he's gaining confidence and playing well.
Hope he continues it into next season.