I still think Formenton ends up a 3rd liner at the NHL. But maybe that's a 3rd liner on a contending team and a 2nd on a non
If White bounces back and figures out how to be effective, Formenton-White-Brown could be an incredible 3rd line.
But the thing is we are not entirely dependent on White succeeding as it could also be Pinto, or Norris and/or Brown if they don't become top-6 centers, or even Chlapik, or someone else we're about to draft, or via trade, or... or... But Formenton and Brown as my 3rd line Wingers sounds pretty good.
Lafreniere
Tkachuk
Formenton
Paul
Looks pretty good on the left side
If we don't draft someone to fit in that 1/2 hole .. Formenton is 2nd on my projected depth chart... I think he'd be an above average 3rd liner that can move up the lineup, PK and play in 4 on 4s and 3 on 3s
"pretty good" is even an understatement here, that Left side would be a nightmare for opposing teams. Lafreniere can burn you with elite skill, Tkachuk can burn you being a Tkachuk, Formenton can burn you with elite speed and Paul is a giant with a pretty well rounded game for the 4th line.
Center looks good too but very dependent on both Logan Brown and Norris reaching their potential. I'm confident that at least one of them is a top-6 center. But the question is : if we get Lafreniere, do we target a Center with the 2nd first round pick?
L.Brown
Norris
White
Tierney?
Pinto
Chlapik
Or do we need a better piece on the right side?
Batherson
Duclair?
C.Brown?
Balcers
Abramov
Davidsson
Damn, so many pieces, we need to Ryder + Halak + 2nd soon.
I am sure there are some things that can be dissected here but .. still very impressive
Quick 2 cents :
Stone took time to develop and remember his skating was slowing down his progression (pun intended)
Pageau was not supposed to be an offensive center, 3rd line center has been his label for a long time.
Dzingel was a 7th rounder who took a long route in the NCAA.
Hoffman was a late bloomer and took a while to figure out the pro game. The jump from junior to pro is huge, so it wasn't easy for Mike. Similar to Francis Perron when he made the transition from junior to pro. Difference with Hoffman is he might never figure it out at the pro level to become a significant NHL player.
Turris was a 3rd OA pick, he was also supposed to be good.
Among those 5 players, I think the best comparable outcome for Norris and Formenton would be Turris and peak Dzingel (but for much longer since Forms is only 20)
