Defense in 5 years

[MountainGoat]

our depth is going to be awesome, even if Larsson busts our defense is still set for the future.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Merrill gets my vote.

He picked up the pro defensive game almost as fast as Fayne did, and that's with only 1 full season and 2 half seasons in college. And Merrill has much more offensive ability and upside than Fayne ever did.

I think Gelinas or Larsson have the highest upside, but with significantly more risk involved. Larsson's got all the tools in both ends of the ice, but might never put it together and end up a bottom 4 guy if not a full-on bottom pairing disappointment. Gelinas will always be an offensive force, but if his offense doesn't translate to 5v5 play and/or he never picks up his defensive game, he'll be Marc-Andre Bergeron.

Then guys like Santini and Severson are still too young for me to say with any certainly how they'll be in 5 years, let alone if they'll even be in the NHL (though for Severson I'd say it's pretty much a given).

 

[Kurt Cobain]

To me Merrill is the most sure thing when it comes to our young defenseman. His hockey sense and ability to stay calm under pressure are skills that just can't be taught(another reason I worry about Eric Gelinas). Larsson and Gelinas are the two with the most upside. For them I think it's all about confidence, if their confidence matches their talent then watch out. Severson and Santini are the two I am most excited about and intrigued by. I love the fact they both are right handed shots from the blue line. They got the size and the skill and I consider them both to be locks to be NHL players, just how good they will be is the question. Out of all these talented young defenseman I'm most excited about Santini. If he can develop his offensive skills we could really have a special player on our hands. He seems to be already good at skills it usually takes defenseman longer to develop IE. positioning and overall defensive ability in his own end. Overall, we have a lot to be excited about when it comes to the future of our blue line. I wouldn't exchange our defense prospects for any other teams defense prospects and that says a lot in my opinion. Now if we could just develop some skilled offensive forwards we should be looking at a decent future considering our goaltending and defense seem to be set for years to come.

 

[JimEIV]

I think Severson is going to turn some heads in camp this year.

From what I've seen he does everything well. He can play a game that garners trust very quickly and has a good sized frame, skating ability and instict.

When I watched him preseason last year I was impressed. He was solid enough as a 19 year old playing against Pro's to not look out of place...that's not to say he will be in New Jersey this season but if I were a Merrill, Larsson or Gelinas I wouldn't falter too much this season because it's a relatively short ride from Albany to Newark.

 

[JimEIV]

I think Merrill, Severson and Larsson have equal potential to be the best devil dman. Maybe even so close that in time it might be difficult to say. Where one is slightly better than the others at some things and vice versa.

This should be the core of the defense as soon as this year...definitely by next season.

 

[Billdo]

I think Severson is going to turn some heads in camp this year.

From what I've seen he does everything well. He can play a game that garners trust very quickly and has a good sized frame, skating ability and instict.

When I watched him preseason last year I was impressed. He was solid enough as a 19 year old playing against Pro's to not look out of place...that's not to say he will be in New Jersey this season but if I were a Merrill, Larsson or Gelinas I wouldn't falter too much this season because it's a relatively short ride from Albany to Newark.

This just screams Gelinas being traded if he messes up a lot.

 

[NC107*]

This just screams Gelinas being traded if he messes up a lot.

I think that is a strong possibility if he screws up playing defense.