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Bobby Mac's Midterm Rankings

SDig14

SDig14

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Feb 19, 2010
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Steadfast said:
He's the next Lidstrom as far as Swedes mastering the english language.

Never heard of Mark McNeill. With that size and those stats in the WHL, what's the issue there - skating?
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Actually, for a huge kid his skating is actually very good. I have heard a lot of scouting reports say that people are worrying that his size allows him to dominate junior players and they wonder whether his skill his high-end up to do the same at the pro level and warrant a first round pick.
 

puckfan13

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crazycanuck said:
All 4 look to be bonified stars IMO. It will come down to team needs and preferences.
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I don't really know. It seems like every year the top few picks are going to be bonafide stars. I'm an Oilers fan so you can understand my apprehension, this draft makes me really nervous. But you don't have to look to far back to the 2007 draft to see the top 5 players picked. Patrick Kane, JVR, Turris, Hickey and Alzner. Kane is a bonafide star but the rest are just solid players (Hickey hasn't even made the NHL yet).

The last 3 drafts since then have been quite good, so I'm scared that 2011 is due for a bit of a dud. Is RNH another Duchene or another Turris? 2004 was a not so good draft either aside from the slam-dunks Ovechkin and Malkin. The Oilers really need a player that can fly with Eberle and Hall from this draft.

Picking in the top 5 is certainly does of getting a good player, but it obviously increases your chances. Edmonton just can't screw this one up.
 

puckfan13

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danishh said:
yeah. A lot of the top prospects are late birthdays this year. Could be a sign of a weaker draft.
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Yes. 1993 is not a great year, people have been saying it since the bantam draft. The way things go in cycles, I just have a gut feeling this draft won't be producing as many good players as the past few years.
 
Sidney the Kidney

Sidney the Kidney

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danishh said:
yeah. A lot of the top prospects are late birthdays this year. Could be a sign of a weaker draft.
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I wonder how much this fact will actually change how draft day unfolds. Some teams may look at the fact a 1993 is performing equal to a 1992 of equal talent, and think it's better to take the 1993 because he's a year younger, yet already as good.

I actually think this is one of the reasons you might see Ryan Nugent-Hopkins taken ahead of a Couturier or Landeskog. A team might simply think that he's already as good as two guys who are a year older (and one more development year older), so his upside might be more.
 
Roof Daddy

Roof Daddy

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Forgive me if I sound ignorant, as I don't follow the undrafted prospects quite as much as some of you, but where did thid Oleksiak kid come from? This is the first time I heard anything about him. 6'7 and 242, having just turned 18??? That is a beast. Does anyone know anything more about this kid. Sounds like a boom or bust project, but as an Oilers fan, if this kid is slotted to go in the latter 3rd of the 1st round, I'd hope Tambo wheels our 2nd, 3rd and CGY 3rd to nab him. Even if he's a 3-5yr project, we need a mean SOB.
 
Marc the Habs Fan

Marc the Habs Fan

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Bobby Mac said last week one of the ''top four'' was not a candidate to go #1 overall based on what he heard...did he say who it is? No way it can be Couturier, right?
 
SDig14

SDig14

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Sammy The Sens Fan said:
How do this year's Big 4 (Larsson, RNH, Landeskog, Couturier) stack up against that of previous years (2008, 2009, 2010)?
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Well, the top 4 is deep this year considering their is a different element from each guy and teams will probably love a certain player of the 4 guys. I think all 4 of them also have very solid potential, but as of now there probably isn't a Hall, Duchene, Tavares, or Stamkos type player in this draft right now.

IMO, Larsson and RNH have the most potential, but you may not know whether they will reach that ceiling for 3+ years after they are already drafted.
 
DJB

DJB

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crazycanuck said:
It's wide open, and whoever is picking 4th is in an enviable position of not having to make a decision and just pick up whoever is left.
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What? That's a pretty poor way to lok at things. I would want to have 1st pick and to trust my scouts on making the right pick...

crazycanuck said:
All 4 look to be bonified stars IMO. It will come down to team needs and preferences.
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:facepalm:


This is the NHL not the NFL. Teams take BPA....
 
SDig14

SDig14

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Marc the Habs Fan said:
Bobby Mac said last week one of the ''top four'' was not going a candidate to go #1 overall based on what he heard...did he say who it is? No way it can be Couturier, right?
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He said all of a chance to go #1 tonight, but he said 5/10 had Larsson 1, 3/10 had RNH at 1, and IIRC the last 2 were Couturier.

IMO, Landeskog has almost no chance going #1 right now, but he is probably the safest and most ready of the 4 and will go very high because of that, not to mention he does basically every quite well.
 
PensFan101

PensFan101

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Fedz said:
I have a feeling his WJC performance lowered him down the rankings a bit.
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I would hope it isn't, because RNH didn't play in the WJC (and Landeskog barely), and I'd be kind of shocked if a lot of scouts put a ton of stock into the WJC tournament... Some stock is necessary of course, but it is far from the be all end all.

I think when you compare Couturier to the other three guys at the moment, he's a very very good prospect, but he isn't particularly flashy. I don't see a lot of 'star' qualities in his game. Larsson has the full package on defense, Landeskog has the full package up front (including an NHL body and pretty much ready to go now), and RNH has that "Sakic" upside.

But ultimately it takes one team to like Couturier more than the others at #1 to take him there... Is he the best player at this point? Not in my mind, but the three guys ahead of him are all so good someone has to be fourth.
 
SDig14

SDig14

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DJB said:
If I had to guess it would be RNH. He's the least NHL ready...
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Keep in mind, the Islanders, Sens, Oilers, etc. are all probably 5 years away from being serious cup contenders, assuming they achieve their team potential, so they are not really in a hurry to get a player in the NHL by next year. They will focus on getting the best player for their team going forward, even if it means RNH is sent back to Red Deer once or twice.
 
BeardyCanuck03

BeardyCanuck03

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DJB said:
What? That's a pretty poor way to lok at things. I would want to have 1st pick and to trust my scouts on making the right pick...




:facepalm:


This is the NHL not the NFL. Teams take BPA....
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What I was saying is that even if you are the 4th pick and you don't get to choose, you are going to get a great prospect.


From everything I've heard about this draft class (specifically the top 4) is that its very wide open. Every scout, and team has different criteria they look for, and depending on how close they project the prospects to be and what each team needs/looks for in a prospect for their team will depend on who they draft. Usually all this goes into deciding which player each team projects to be the BPA.
 
JJTopper

JJTopper

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I know Bobby Mac polls scouts for this stuff...but I've always wondered if they're all from different organizations or is it like 5/10 leaf scouts for example. You'd have to think there would be organizational tendencies ect, when looking at kids...which may sway the polls. Not that I have anything against the rankings...just curious.
 
ponder

ponder

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Bob McKenzie knows what's up, definitely the most informed NHL journalist when it comes to things like the draft. Surprised to see Hamilton at #6, and slightly surprised to see RNH at #2. Looks like Larsson has a small lead on the #1 pick, but really I'm not overly blown away by any of the potential #1s this year. All good prospects, but not unreal prospects like 1st overall picks often are.
 
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