C Michael McLeod (2016, 12th, NJD) Part II

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

1 point so far in 15 games playing about 12 minutes a game. Apparently he is playing wing of late. I don't get what the Devils are doing with this prospect. Clearly not ready. Call up some minor leaguer if you want to fill out the roster.

We have, the like of Pietila, Tangradi got called up. We have run out of minor leaguers to call up so young prospects are getting a look.

McLeod has been good on faceoff dot and good defensively. The offense isnt their but he only playing 4th line.

He probably needs another year in AHL but I'm bullish about his NHL prospects. I think he has a safe floor. If he doesn't develop any offensive skill then he should get an NHL job as a bottom 6er that PKs, wins faceoffs, good defensively. A speedy Todd Marchant type.

 

[Lou is God]

Going to be a #1 C for a long time.

I bet Jack Hughes is going to be a #1 C for a long time.

Yeah, how you like them apples?

 

[NJ DevLolz]

I bet Jack Hughes is going to be a #1 C for a long time.

Yeah, how you like them apples?

Maybe Nolan Patrick will crack the top 6 next year

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

There's a point there. I wouldn't write it off. Before any Devils fans try to attack me based on what team I root for, I don't shill for my team's management. Save your time.

The Devils are very bad at drafting in the first round. I think the Devils draft well outside the first round. They might be good eventually if they could start hitting on some of their first rounders. Even the Hischier and Larsson picks look like the wrong pick, despite still getting good hockey players in those spots. I'd encourage the Devils to start using some new ways of judging the top talents. What they were doing the last ten years in this department has held them back.

I have a feeling that in a couple of years people are going to be saying the top two spots in a re-draft might not be the two who we hear are the clear top two in this draft. This isn't such a strong draft at the top that I'd be sure that the consensus top few players will turn into the best NHL'ers. It seems like more of a wide open draft.

 

[Unknown Caller]

There's a point there. I wouldn't write it off.

The Devils are very bad at drafting in the first round. I think the Devils draft well outside the first round. They might be good eventually if they could start hitting on some of their first rounders. Even the Hischier and Larsson picks look like the wrong pick, despite still getting good hockey players in those spots. I'd encourage the Devils, along with my team picking second, to start using some new ways of judging the top talents. What they were doing the last ten years in this department has held them back.

Before any Devils fans try to attack me based on what team I root for, I don't shill for my team's management. Save your time.

How is Hischier the wrong pick? Who would have been the right pick?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

How is Hischier the wrong pick? Who would have been the right pick?

Pettersson or Heiskanen are looking like better players. I had Pettersson ranked 1st for the whole second half of the season. Considering both of those were top five picks, the Devils evaluated the top prospects in that draft wrong. Those two didn't come from nowhere to be good.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Pettersson or Heiskanen are looking like better players. I had Pettersson ranked 1st for the whole second half of the season. Considering both of those were top five picks, the Devils evaluated the top prospects in that draft wrong. Those two didn't come from nowhere to be good.

Pettersson really wasn't in consideration for #1, so it's irrelevant. I would still take Hischier over Heiskanen without blinking. Pettersson is an incredibly skilled player. Flashier and will likely score at a higher rate, but he's a completely different style player than Hischier. Nico has played a true 1c role since he was 18 years old against the top centers in the entire league. He's already at 28 Goals Above Replacement and he'll likely challenge Hall next year as the most valuable player on the team. I'm happy with the pick. They didn't evaluate the top prospects wrong.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Pettersson really wasn't in consideration for #1, so it's irrelevant. I would still take Hischier over Heiskanen without blinking. Pettersson is an incredibly skilled player. Flashier and will likely score at a higher rate, but he's a completely different style player than Hischier. Nico has played a true 1c role since he was 18 years old against the top centers in the entire league. He's already at 28 Goals Above Replacement and he'll likely challenge Hall next year as the most valuable player on the team. I'm happy with the pick. They didn't evaluate the top prospects wrong.

There were a number of people that had Pettersson #1. The Devils got that pick wrong. Most did, but they are the professionals and got the pick wrong. I'm not stating that Hischier isn't a good player. I'm stating that the Devils probably didn't get their first round pick right ten times in a row. Thats poor drafting in the first round. The Smith pick might be the end to that, but McLeod is definitely part of that 10. It wasn't a good pick.

 

[D3vilsH0ck3y]

Pettersson or Heiskanen are looking like better players. I had Pettersson ranked 1st for the whole second half of the season. Considering both of those were top five picks, the Devils evaluated the top prospects in that draft wrong. Those two didn't come from nowhere to be good.

This post is so awful, well done sir. Did you mix up the Devils with the Flyers? Did you give yourself a plaque for having Pettersson ranked first for the whole second half of that season??

 

[D3vilsH0ck3y]

There were a number of people that had Pettersson #1. The Devils got that pick wrong. Most did, but they are the professionals and got the pick wrong. I'm not stating that Hischier isn't a good player. I'm stating that the Devils probably didn't get their first round pick right ten times in a row. Thats poor drafting in the first round. The Smith pick might be the end to that, but McLeod is definitely part of that 10. It wasn't a good pick.

Before I posted you added another horrible post. So the devils got the pick wrong because why, You said so?

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Before I posted you added another horrible post.

You got me there.

Instead of addressing Pettersson vs. Hischier, you are trying to attack the person who stated the obvious. The Devils got the pick wrong. I didn't give myself any medal. Other people also had Pettersson ranked #1. It was to make the point that there was the viewpoint out there that Pettersson was the best player in the draft. There was also a viewpoint out there that Patrick was the best player. The professionals who made the pick got it wrong. They are the ones who are paid to get that decision right.

 

[D3vilsH0ck3y]

You got me there.

Instead of addressing Pettersson vs. Hischier, you are trying to attack the person who stated the obvious. The Devils got the pick wrong. I didn't give myself any medal. Other people also had Pettersson ranked #1. It was to make the point that there was the viewpoint out there that Pettersson was the best player in the draft. There was also a viewpoint out there that Patrick was the best player. The professionals who made the pick got it wrong. They are the ones who are paid to get that decision right.

So the only way an NHL team can make the "right" pick is by choosing the person who becomes the best player from that draft? Any other team that chooses a different player therefore got it "wrong"? Just want to clarify

 

[zharkenby]

There were a number of people that had Pettersson #1. The Devils got that pick wrong. Most did, but they are the professionals and got the pick wrong. I'm not stating that Hischier isn't a good player. I'm stating that the Devils probably didn't get their first round pick right ten times in a row. Thats poor drafting in the first round. The Smith pick might be the end to that, but McLeod is definitely part of that 10. It wasn't a good pick.

You know what, we’ll see how “wrong” of a pick it was when they have a 1-2 punch of Hughes hischier for the next 10 year

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

So the only way an NHL team can make the "right" pick is by choosing the person who becomes the best player from that draft? Any other team that chooses a different player therefore got it "wrong"? Just want to clarify

You didn't want to clarify. You wanted to intentionally misrepresent what I said.

I don't think its unreasonable to say that a team got a pick wrong when a player picked a few slots lower ends up a better player. It could be two players. Heiskanen vs. Hischier is close. If a player is picked a few slots lower, they should've been on the radar for that pick. This is not a discussion about a player picked with the 19th pick in the 4th round.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Some bad off topic takes in here.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Pettersson or Heiskanen are looking like better players. I had Pettersson ranked 1st for the whole second half of the season. Considering both of those were top five picks, the Devils evaluated the top prospects in that draft wrong. Those two didn't come from nowhere to be good.

Heiskanen has done nothing to be taken over Hischier to date.

Petterson had an argument to go #1 halfway through the season, but he cooled off to such an extent that we could say, reevaluate after next year. Right now, he looks a little better offensively while Nico looks better defensively. They are pretty close in value either way, and it remains to be seen who the better player will be.

 

[Lou is God]

So the only way an NHL team can make the "right" pick is by choosing the person who becomes the best player from that draft? Any other team that chooses a different player therefore got it "wrong"? Just want to clarify

That's his logic alright and he needs to be careful, if he reaches any harder he's going to wrench his back and end up in traction.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Heiskanen has done nothing to be taken over Hischier to date.

Petterson had an argument to go #1 halfway through the season, but he cooled off to such an extent that we could say, reevaluate after next year. Right now, he looks a little better offensively while Nico looks better defensively. They are pretty close in value either way, and it remains to be seen who the better player will be.

Both are excellent young players. Devils certainly are not regretting their pick.

 

[North]

There were a number of people that had Pettersson #1. The Devils got that pick wrong. Most did, but they are the professionals and got the pick wrong. I'm not stating that Hischier isn't a good player. I'm stating that the Devils probably didn't get their first round pick right ten times in a row. Thats poor drafting in the first round. The Smith pick might be the end to that, but McLeod is definitely part of that 10. It wasn't a good pick.

Hindsight is 20-20. Fact is during that draft most people had Patrick and Hischier 1 and 2 in some order.

Pettersson was considered a riser but he wasn't ranked in the top two by the time of the draft.

I'm sure the Devils are more than happy with Hischier.

Regarding McLeod, this was his first full season as a pro. Too early to write him off.

 

[93LEAFS]

You didn't want to clarify. You wanted to intentionally misrepresent what I said.

I don't think its unreasonable to say that a team got a pick wrong when a player picked a few slots lower ends up a better player. It could be two players. Heiskanen vs. Hischier is close. If a player is picked a few slots lower, they should've been on the radar for that pick. This is not a discussion about a player picked with the 19th pick in the 4th round.

If you have the first overall pick and leave the draft with a player who ends up top 3 at the end of their career for that draft you probably did well. We need reasonable standards. Now, we have no idea what will happen in the future, but Hischier at worst is not the perfect pick, but still, a very good pick considering Patrick was the other option. While I didn't have Pettersson one, I was higher on him than most.

As for McLeod, can't write him off, but I don't think what we saw this year was surprising giving his trajectory. His 2017 playoffs were an aberration.

 

[Emperoreddy]

I do wonder about McLeod’s future with the organization with Hughes presumably coming in.

 

[BurntToast]

McLeod looked great after a rough AHL start. Until he is officially a bust, I will not call him as such. Some players take different paths to get to the NHL.

Let’s say Hischer is 3rd best (opinion) out of that draft how the heck is that a bad pick? TY Smith might be the steal of round #1 last year. That concludes this Scouting groups first round picks. 2/3 are projected as great talent and the other 1/3 will probably end up as a checking center.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I do wonder about McLeod’s future with the organization with Hughes presumably coming in.

Leaving him on a more talented AHL team next season and see if he can take a jump offensively. A PPG season would have him in line as a 3rd line center.

 

[HughJazz3dg]

I don’t think he’s entirely wrong, and we’ve even talked about it on our main board. We messed up on the Zacha pick (not that he’s a bad player), And Mcloed has a very limited ceiling. The Hischier pick may not wind up as the best player in the draft, but to say anyone had Peterson first overall just isn’t true. Ty Smith is looking like a steal, we’ll see how he performs when he gets to the NHL.

Maybe to say we’ve been bad at drafting in the first round isn’t the truth, but we’ve made a couple mistakes. That’s how drafting works for the most part. I believe that all of our firsts since Shero has taken over will be NHL players, even if they don’t wind up being high end skaters.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Rounds 2 and on is what determines the quality of your scouting staff. NJ has been cleaning up outside the first round. I believe 1st round is too small a sample size and still in early stages.