Dahlin is generational.

[Agent Zub]

Each game I watch on center ice where the broadcasters elude to “needing 4-5 years” of nhl experience before you can come into your own and start making more great plays then bad ones (at the nhl level against superstars seldom does this happen early on) my respect grows for dahlin each and every game.

Apart of me wants him to contain his wild side with his no-look, wild back passes, that flamboyant style and scream “Keep it more simple” but that’s not really his game. Too be honest “his overall game” is something hard to describe, he is unorthodox. He can make hard plays look fast easy, then he can make easy things look hard, he really likes the puck on his stick and to be a dman at 18 in this league doing that....well, That’s where the hype/praise comes from.


I’m not one to love this generational word since mcdavid is the only guy right now coming up who looks to be a sure thing generational but there’s something special with this guy. Im finding some fans of other teams who don’t really know how to evaluate a player at this age,position,level will see him turn the puck over once or twice (then check simple things like plus minus ,points ) and then say “he had such a brutal game” ....I’ve heard this from quite a few opposing fan, with the praise there is that...I guess it just depends on how credible the person is. I am well aware he may have been brutal once or twice in those games but there’s far too much to like outweighing all that.

Basically what happened to Karlsson when he was young.

 

[Slimmy]

Being a Stars fan I see Heiskanen in games a lot more and I think he’s right there with Dahlin.

I’m not going to say either one is a generational player just yet cause they’re only 18 and 19 years old. Saying that though at 18 and 19 years old they look to be two of the best dman coming into the league in a while.

Dahlin has the better offensive side to his game while Heiskanen has a more well rounded game.

Again with this false narrative. Dahlin has been as steady and reliable as they come from game one. He does not sacrifice his defence to put up bigger offensive numbers, which is often implied.

 

[Slimmy]

Being a Stars fan I see Heiskanen in games a lot more and I think he’s right there with Dahlin.

I’m not going to say either one is a generational player just yet cause they’re only 18 and 19 years old. Saying that though at 18 and 19 years old they look to be two of the best dman coming into the league in a while.

Dahlin has the better offensive side to his game while Heiskanen has a more well rounded game.

Again with this false narrative. Dahlin has been as steady and reliable as they come from game one. He does not sacrifice his defence to put up bigger offensive numbers, which is often implied.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

Missed a good chunk of his one-man show too, where is the rest/the ending, where he walked the line?

 

[Slimmy]

Missed a good chunk of his one-man show too, where is the rest/the ending, where he walked the line?

Yes! More Dahlin clips, please!

 

[Slap]

Dahlin is clearly not generational due to a fact he is currently bested by Heiskanen who just happens to be of the same generation.
Heiskanen is not generational either.
Shut it down

 

[sabremike]

Again with this false narrative. Dahlin has been as steady and reliable as they come from game one. He does not sacrifice his defence to put up bigger offensive numbers, which is often implied.

And to further your point he has actually done the exact opposite by focusing on his defensive game at the expense of offense.

 

[Dynamite Time]

Again with this false narrative. Dahlin has been as steady and reliable as they come from game one. He does not sacrifice his defence to put up bigger offensive numbers, which is often implied.

Where did I say Dahlin sacrifices his defensive side of his game for offsense?

 

[Slimmy]

Where did I say Dahlin sacrifices his defensive side of his game for offsense?

"..which is often implied".

 

[Slimmy]

Dahlin is clearly not generational due to a fact he is currently bested by Heiskanen who just happens to be of the same generation.
Heiskanen is not generational either.
Shut it down

A player can only be generational if they have never been bested at any point in their career? Huh?

 

[Frank Drebin]

Watched him on the pp for a bit in the first period, kids going to be unreal.

 

[francaisvolantsparis]

Toews, Gretzky, Orr, Lidstrom, Matthews, Lemieux and?

Who's number 7?

I don't know who is number 7, but I do know who is number 8

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Can people explain why many of you see Dahlin as a point scorer?
- shot is weak as hell, doesn't make correct choices in the o-zone, blue line rather (at least not at the moment),
chooses to shoot the puck when needs to pass and vice versa.

His skating (what was advertised as one of his best attributes) has not been at the level of any spectacular so far,
yes, at time he does show some great strides forwards and all but nothing what was advertised.

From 14 points, 12 are assists, and from those 12, 60% have been secondary assists.

1 sweet primary dish:


His first point was primary (not sure did he even touched the puck tho, i think it was the Avs player)


The OTW primary assist (yes, it was important what Dahlin did and did somewhat effect on the play
however...was super lucky too to get that primary assist, he got robbed by EK and it was Skinner's golf swing
that made a contact with EK's stick what eventually made the puck loose,the puck takes a bounce after Sharks goalie
poke checks and Skinner bury's it)


Rest of primary assists came from PP, where he just moved the puck to his team mates from the blue line
nothing special about those.

PS. we are talking about actual points, not maybe could of been points if...
possible potential or no potential, luck or no luck, advanced stats or not advanced stats

 

[Slap]

A player can only be generational if they have never been bested at any point in their career? Huh?

A generational player is the best in his generation. This shit is pretty simple.
So far Dahlin is the second best defenseman within a year or two from his birth date.
Any more questions?

 

[Slimmy]

A generational player is the best in his generation. This **** is pretty simple.
So far Dahlin is the second best defenseman within a year or two from his birth date.
Any more questions?

Is it, though? Not many players labeled generational have been clear cut nr 1 when they have entered the league. Sidney Crosby sure wasn't.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Again with this false narrative. Dahlin has been as steady and reliable as they come from game one. He does not sacrifice his defence to put up bigger offensive numbers, which is often implied.

I don't see what's wrong with that post.

I think for everyone who has actually watched the two players this season, it shouldn't come out as surprise that Heiskanen is more reliable in his own zone. I see Dahlin having more offensive flair in his game though.

 

[Club]

The kid is great in mostly every aspect. The way he can walk the line, escape pressure, his breakouts, etc.

He gets better each game. Its an absolute treat watching him create scoring chances. Tonight he had a number of opportunities to pot a couple (especially on the PP) I just want to see him keep working on his shot.

 

[Slimmy]

Can people explain why many of you see Dahlin as a point scorer?
- shot is weak as hell, doesn't make correct choices in the o-zone, blue line rather (at least not at the moment),
chooses to shoot the puck when needs to pass and vice versa.

His skating (what was advertised as one of his best attributes) has not been at the level of any spectacular so far,
yes, at time he does show some great strides forwards and all but nothing what was advertised.

From 14 points, 12 are assists, and from those 12, 60% have been secondary assists.

1 sweet primary dish:


His first point was primary (not sure did he even touched the puck tho, i think it was the Avs player)


The OTW primary assist (yes, it was important what Dahlin did and did somewhat effect on the play
however...was super lucky too to get that primary assist, he got robbed by EK and it was Skinner's golf swing
that made a contact with EK's stick what eventually made the puck loose,the puck takes a bounce after Sharks goalie
poke checks and Skinner bury's it)


Rest of primary assists came from PP, where he just moved the puck to his team mates from the blue line
nothing special about those.

PS. we are talking about actual points, not maybe could of been points if...
possible potential or no potential, luck or no luck, advanced stats or not advanced stats

He will mature into the role of a point shooter soon enough. He is very skilled at getting the puck through traffic and to "dance" the blue-line. With more confidence he will elect to shoot more. But right now he will often defer to line mates to pull the trigger. He is becoming more and more confident in his offensive game but has focused on his defensive game, often being the last man and covering for his defensive partner. At least that is what I have observed.

 

[Bustedprospect]

A generational player is the best in his generation. This **** is pretty simple.
So far Dahlin is the second best defenseman within a year or two from his birth date.
Any more questions?

D-men usually are harder to predict when they break out. Orr only had 41 points, Potvin ended up with 54 points their first season. Lidstrom entered the league at 21 and was quiet into his upper/mid 20s. Ray started of as a Norris d-man but this isnt really all that common. Karlsson entered at 19 but his first two seasons are not great but in his third he pocket a Norris.

Dahlin is literlly a kid still. Needs to age a bit, learn to play in NHL and atleast put on a solid 10-15 lbs of pure muscle.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Can people explain why many of you see Dahlin as a point scorer?
- shot is weak as hell, doesn't make correct choices in the o-zone, blue line rather (at least not at the moment),
chooses to shoot the puck when needs to pass and vice versa.

His skating (what was advertised as one of his best attributes) has not been at the level of any spectacular so far,
yes, at time he does show some great strides forwards and all but nothing what was advertised.

Because his skating, puckhandling is great and poise/IQ are through the roof. He can definitely make plays and be an impact player in the offensive zone as well. Sure he is unlikely to score 20 goals per season like Karlsson but he is easily a 50 point guy.

For some latest evidence look at the clip in his prospect thread. The only way not to see him as a point producer is to trick yourself into not seeing him as a point producer. He scored twice as many points in the SHL as a 17-year-old than Karlsson in D+1 and is making plays like that in the NHL at 18. You could maybe make a point he won't be a big point producer if he was breaking into the league at the age of 23 or something but he is 18 and he is already doing all that.

 

[Slimmy]

I don't see what's wrong with that post.

I think for everyone who has actually watched the two players this season, it shouldn't come out as surprise that Heiskanen is more reliable in his own zone. I see Dahlin having more offensive flair in his game though.

What is wrong with what he wrote is what is implied. A narrative that I have seen repeated many times. I don't care for the Dahlin vs Heiskanen debate. I am not interested in that type of debate. It's tiring and pointless. But implying that Dahlin's game is offense oriented is blatantly false. His offence is one of his strengths but so is his defense. He also has a physical aspect to his game that makes him very well rounded.

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Can people explain why many of you see Dahlin as a point scorer?
- shot is weak as hell, doesn't make correct choices in the o-zone, blue line rather (at least not at the moment),
chooses to shoot the puck when needs to pass and vice versa.

His skating (what was advertised as one of his best attributes) has not been at the level of any spectacular so far,
yes, at time he does show some great strides forwards and all but nothing what was advertised.

From 14 points, 12 are assists, and from those 12, 60% have been secondary assists.

1 sweet primary dish:


His first point was primary (not sure did he even touched the puck tho, i think it was the Avs player)


The OTW primary assist (yes, it was important what Dahlin did and did somewhat effect on the play
however...was super lucky too to get that primary assist, he got robbed by EK and it was Skinner's golf swing
that made a contact with EK's stick what eventually made the puck loose,the puck takes a bounce after Sharks goalie
poke checks and Skinner bury's it)


Rest of primary assists came from PP, where he just moved the puck to his team mates from the blue line
nothing special about those.

PS. we are talking about actual points, not maybe could of been points if...
possible potential or no potential, luck or no luck, advanced stats or not advanced stats

someone should get you a towel and a water bottle for how hard you're working

 

[Dynamite Time]

"..which is often implied".

"..which is often implied".

Didn’t say it, didn’t imply it. You assume I was implying it I guess.

 

[Unspecified]

No it is about whether Dahlin is generation as per the title of the thread (he's not). If you want to discuss Heiskanen instead then you are free to ignore this whole thread.

And like it has been brought up numerous times in this thread alone if you want to eliminate comparison then don't call Dahlin generational. That will bring in comparable player to dispute the generational question. I mean it is not rocket science but some seem to think it is.

 

[EichHart]

And like it has been brought up numerous times in this thread alone if you want to eliminate comparison then don't call Dahlin generational. That will bring in comparable player to dispute the generational question. I mean it is not rocket science but some seem to think it is.

A Leaf fan made this thread btw.