Checkers IV: Insert Witty Title Here

A Star is Burns

Formerly Azor Aho
Sponsor
Dec 6, 2011
12,351
39,332
Anybody else in the Central PA area in the mood to check out Charlotte v Hershey tomorrow night at Giant Center? Please know in advance that if I find out Darling is playing, I'm canceling on you.
My wife and I were going to go to this game, but I stupidly forgot and bought her a ticket to the Caps game tomorrow night for Christmas.
 

Ole Gil

Registered User
May 9, 2009
5,703
8,897
Bean is interesting, because he's a mid first, has been great, and somehow has no hype. I assume this is Ryan Murphy's fault. It's just interesting to see a guy checking boxes, and being thought of mostly as an okay trade chip rather than a solid top 4 NHL'r.
 

My Special Purpose

Registered User
Apr 8, 2008
8,151
21,787
Bean is interesting, because he's a mid first, has been great, and somehow has no hype. I assume this is Ryan Murphy's fault. It's just interesting to see a guy checking boxes, and being thought of mostly as an okay trade chip rather than a solid top 4 NHL'r.

He isn't getting hype because he's not a Leafs or Flyers prospect. There's also a stigma attached to a player who doesn't light the world on fire right away. I mean, Bean was just drafted in 2016. Granted, some guys at the top of that class -- Matthews and Laine -- are already household names, and some others (Dubois, Sergachev, Tkachuk, Keller, DeBrincat, Carter Hart) are solid NHL citizens, but for the most part, these guys are just getting started in pro hockey. Of the 217 guys drafted, only 15 have played more than 50 games in the NHL. Some fans have even soured on some top picks already, like Puljujarvi and Tyson Jost.

I hate to sound like Ron Francis here, but this is what happens when you can be patient with kids and not rush them to the NHL before they're ready. They get better, and they have a better chance of sticking when they do get here.

Hell, Adam Fox is a 2016 draftee and he's still in college. The No. 5 pick in that draft, Olli Juolevi, hasn't even had Bean's two games in the NHL yet. Bean's path is the "normal" path for a prospect, even a good one. I think we tend to forget that guys like Matthews and Laine, and even the second group that's played a full season in the NHL at age 20, are the exception, not the rule.

I mean, the Canes have been mining the 2010 draft class for players this season. Niederreiter and Ferland are just starting to establish themselves as top-tier players. Skinner was on the other, much more rare, path.
 

A Star is Burns

Formerly Azor Aho
Sponsor
Dec 6, 2011
12,351
39,332
McAvoy starting out so hot with the bruins made it a bit frustrating at first. Sure looks like he’s trending in the right direction, though. Could the rich keep getting richer?
It certainly wasn't fun watching McAvoy start out well, but Bean was always a long term project, and projected to bring a dynamic we didn't have at a potentially very high level. We still don't have it and could very much use it, especially on the PP.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad