Speculation: best available center at #6 nhl draft

Who do you think we should draft if available among centers


  • Total voters
    110

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Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
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I'm talking about their situations. It's a lot easier to play a supporting role on an insanely stacked team than to play the only lead role on one of the worst teams possible. I think Turcotte's situation made it extremely easy to see his upside, whereas Krebs' situation made it pretty difficult. Until the U-18s, anyway, where I thought Krebs outshined (outshone?) Turcotte.

I thought you were talking about Team Canada vs Team USA.

If you are talking about Krebs situation in the WHL, that makes more sense. I think if his team was equally as good as the teams or Cozens/Dach/Byram it would be easier to evaluate that group.
 

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Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
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I would point to my last response, not to discredit Turcotte's pros, but to kind of force the debate of Krebs. The things you like about Turcotte are also exemplified in Krebs, even if not to the same extent. Wouldn't that force him up the ranks when compared to Cozens or Dach? Obviously the RH center aspect carries some weight, but they both have noteworthy questions about their games.

The size/skating combo give Cozens an advantage for me. Also like the shot and think he has some underrated hands.

Krebs vs Dach is a tough one. I typically side with the more skilled guy, but Krebs just competes better and he makes those around him better just not in the same style that Dach does.

Krebs is a hard one to pin down for me. Some days I contemplate putting him at #3, some days I like him more in the #6-#7 range.
 
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Jul 30, 2005
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I mean, what is location, really
I think they have some similar strengths.

Ultimately I think the difference is Turcotte has a higher floor and is more likely to stay at the center position. Turcotte is harder on the puck and is able to win more battles defensively. Maybe Krebs gets stronger and makes the difference negligible, but maybe not. I've learned to not just assume that as a given. Turcotte has the least question marks for me of any player after the top 2 guys with the minor exception of maybe his durability.
I guess I don't see the question mark when it comes to Krebs staying at center. He's definitely got the hockey sense, skating, defensive aptitude, playmaking, etc. Yeah, he's got to work on his strength, but doesn't everybody at that age? He's not particularly little at 5'11 180.
 

Hen Kolland

Registered User
Feb 22, 2018
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What's up with Krebs posting a -50 this season? Bad team?

Worse than you could possibly imagine. Kootenay was 13-45-10 (36 points in 68 games). With a team goal differential of -143. Their goalies had a combined 0.873 Sv% and a 4.559 GAA.

There wasn't a single player who came in as a + for the full year.
 

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Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
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I guess I don't see the question mark when it comes to Krebs staying at center. He's definitely got the hockey sense, skating, defensive aptitude, playmaking, etc. Yeah, he's got to work on his strength, but doesn't everybody at that age? He's not particularly little at 5'11 180.

In relation to these other guys listed? (Other than Zegras)

He’s the smallest and has been playing the position the least long. Pretty simple, really.
 
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Hen Kolland

Registered User
Feb 22, 2018
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In relation to these other guys listed? (Other than Zegras)

He’s the smallest and has been playing the position the least long. Pretty simple, really.

If we’re looking at likeliness to hit as a center, I’d personally rank them as the following:

Turcotte
Dach
Krebs
Cozens
Zegras

Cozens skill set screams winger to me (not as much as Zegras obviously), I like my centers to be complete, 200ft, high motor players, and Cozens doesn’t show well under that criteria when I’ve watched him. He’s like Athanasiou’s and Mantha’s best skills are merged together, imho.
 
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PullHard

Jul 18, 2007
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I think Turcotte is probably the safest/ highest floor guy among them

I'm really partial to Dach myself

If we got either I'd be so thrilled

The one guy I'm a bit wary of is Cozens. I have no doubt he'll be a fine NHLer but when I watch him play I come away thinking he's a bit of a busy fool to put it in a comedic/ lighthearted way. Like he's all over the place and you can see he's engaged but I don't think it is efficient or necessarily "smart" hockey for the most part.
 
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Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
36,201
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If we’re looking at likeliness to hit as a center, I’d personally rank them as the following:

Turcotte
Dach
Krebs
Cozens
Zegras

Cozens skill set screams winger to me (not as much as Zegras obviously), I like my centers to be complete, 200ft, high motor players, and Cozens doesn’t show well under that criteria when I’ve watched him. He’s like Athanasiou’s and Mantha’s best skills are merged together, imho.

Not that coaches are perfect, but why do you think the coach for Canada put Krebs on Cozens wing during the U18’s? Bad decision?

I think we have a pretty different opinion of Cozens, which is fine.
 
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Winger98

Moderator
Feb 27, 2002
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With probably the least informed vote on the board, I went with Dach. I'm not a huge follower of prospects, but nothing I've seen really separates these guys to any significant degree. So I went with the big guy.
 

Hen Kolland

Registered User
Feb 22, 2018
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Not that coaches are perfect, butwhy do you think the coach for Canada put Krebs on Cozens wing during the U18’s? Bad decision?

I think we have a pretty different opinion of Cozens, which is fine.

I think you can put whoever you want in the faceoff for, it doesn’t make you a center. Krebs outworked Cozens by a landslide in the games I watched.
 

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Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
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I think you can put whoever you want in the faceoff for, it doesn’t make you a center. Krebs outworked Cozens by a landslide in the games I watched.

He (Krebs) did a lot of good things for sure.

I think part of this is maybe I was way too low on Hayton last year, and I see some similarities between Cozens and Hayton. Some of this is projecting, and the flashes I’ve seen from Cozens and his physical gifts just intrigue me a lot. I could be wrong but I have been a fan since he tore up the Hlinka.
 

Hen Kolland

Registered User
Feb 22, 2018
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He (Krebs) did a lot of good things for sure.

I think part of this is maybe I was way too low on Hayton last year, and I see some similarities between Cozens and Hayton. Some of this is projecting, and the flashes I’ve seen from Cozens and his physical gifts just intrigue me a lot. I could be wrong but I have been a fan since he tore up the Hlinka.

I didn’t watch Hlinka at all, but it doesn’t appear like he tore up anything. Was it more of a control the game?
 
Jul 30, 2005
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I mean, what is location, really
Not that coaches are perfect, but why do you think the coach for Canada put Krebs on Cozens wing during the U18’s? Bad decision?

I think we have a pretty different opinion of Cozens, which is fine. Might be
He didn't put Krebs on Cozens' wing, unless we're talking about some game I missed. Krebs played center the entire time, but Cozens took several faceoffs where it was more useful to have a RH guy.
 

Red Stanley

Registered User
Apr 25, 2015
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I still want Turcotte the most, but it's nice that earlier on it was mostly Cozens vs Dach before Turcotte crept into the discussion and eventually eclipsed the other two at least from a popularity standpoint. Now Krebs and Zegras are doing the same. It's nice to have plenty of good options at #6. Assuming none of them bust, we can really use any of them on our team. I also have no clue whom the RW like most from that group, especially now with Yzerman at the helm.
 

Bench

3 is a good start
Aug 14, 2011
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What's the big knock people have on Dach? I see a potential superstar there, but I feel like I'm missing some glaring issue because people are passing on him even at #6.
 

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Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
36,201
14,682
I didn’t watch Hlinka at all, but it doesn’t appear like he tore up anything. Was it more of a control the game?

Dangerous every shift. Pushed the pace of play. Generated tons of chances on the PP. All of these things, yeah.

He didn't put Krebs on Cozens' wing, unless we're talking about some game I missed. Krebs played center the entire time, but Cozens took several faceoffs where it was more useful to have a RH guy.

I know for a fact Krebs started the first game on the wing. If he shifted to center later on, I missed that.

What's the big knock people have on Dach? I see a potential superstar there, but I feel like I'm missing some glaring issue because people are passing on him even at #6.

Compete/Consistency.
 

Hen Kolland

Registered User
Feb 22, 2018
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My mistake then, I still saw Cozens taking some draws after so I just assumed that was the setup the whole way through.

Let’s be honest, forward right now is extremely fluid. Just because someone is taking draws, and just because they aren’t taking draws doesn’t mean they won’t play center. Cozens is still a hell of a good player, and he has flexibility to play both positions. When I look at him, I see his game playing best on the wing, and I would prefer to maximize his best attributes, you know what I mean?
 

Gniwder

Registered User
Oct 12, 2009
14,124
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Bellingham, WA
I think Turcotte is probably the safest/ highest floor guy among them

I'm really partial to Dach myself

If we got either I'd be so thrilled

The one guy I'm a bit wary of is Cozens. I have no doubt he'll be a fine NHLer but when I watch him play I come away thinking he's a bit of a busy fool to put it in a comedic/ lighthearted way. Like he's all over the place and you can see he's engaged but I don't think it is efficient or necessarily "smart" hockey for the most part.
Good god, you make it sound like he's Danny Cleary 2.0. No doubt Holland would pick him.
 

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Mo Seider Less Problems
Jul 27, 2010
36,201
14,682
Ah, intangibles. Because everything tangible I can see screams #2 overall after Hughes.

Someone needs to buy you and @The Zetterberg Era a Kakko jersey and fly y’all out to Finland.

Let’s be honest, forward right now is extremely fluid. Just because someone is taking draws, and just because they aren’t taking draws doesn’t mean they won’t play center. Cozens is still a hell of a good player, and he has flexibility to play both positions. When I look at him, I see his game playing best on the wing, and I would prefer to maximize his best attributes, you know what I mean?

Maybe, or maybe he is a guy who flexes between wing and center like Seguin has at different stages.

I’ll be curious to see what he looks like once he puts some more weight on, I think at his size he can easily put (at least) 20 or so more pounds on. If Bellerive is gone he should get big minutes in Lethbridge next year at center.
 

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