Did any credible scouting outlet have misgivings about Lafreniere or Yakupov ?

[Voight]

yeah, the oilers scouts wanted Ryan Murray, which... not exactly a feather in their cap either haha.

AT least Murray has a cup ring

 

[joestevens29]

Being nominated =/= actually being on the ballot as a finalist. Which Yakupov wasn't, quite a few rookies get nominated and it doesn't mean much


Interesting player for "what ifs", injuries completely ruined him

There really is no such thing as nominating. You simply get votes and they make it as if the top 3 were nominated, but they really weren't.

Yak was 5th his rookie year in voting. Did tie for most points, so it's not like he was horrible in his rookie year.

 

[Burkeocet]

If Laf had true game breaking talent he would've forced his way up the lineup.

How many 19-20 year olds can bump off a 50 goal scorer and one of the best LW’s in the game?

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

F Alexis Lafreniere (2020, 1st, NYR) part 3

I cited a source. If that's not enough, its too bad. I don't memorize where I read everything to suit people who want to play dense. I also never tried to convince you about the strength of the draft. I argued a point you still haven't addressed, which is that the strength of the draft is a...

forums.hfboards.com

There were warning signs with Laf, for example this 8 minute full game clip shows a player that doesn't look all that close to being an NHL regular, let alone a star, and this was only 6 months before he was in the NHL.

 

[rahad]

yeah, the oilers scouts wanted Ryan Murray, which... not exactly a feather in their cap either haha.

Injury ruined his career. He could have been a good top 4 D.

 

[Brookbank]

Then why didn't guys like Eberle, Hall, Klefbom and RNH bust?

No momentum? He was nominated for the Calder?

When facts get in the way of trashing someone, just make up a good story. It's the Vancouver Canucks fans way. Go throw some more darts at Messier.

I lived in Edmonton at the time. Seen Hall all pissed up at 3 am at that place on Jasper that they aways went to. They had a game not the next day but the day after. Thought it was a bit tight. But hey, NHL players gotta drink

 

[SlapJack]

I remember questions about Yakupov as the year went on, but that draft was extremely weak for forwards. Only Yak and Galchenyuk went in the top 10, best forward didn't get picked until 11 with Forsberg who was traded soon after (brutal trade)

Lafreniere was the consensus and it would be tough to state they anyone would've picked differently at #1. He was considered a sure thing to be a very very good NHLer, but never considered to be in the Crosby or McDavid echelon.

There were many that said Byfield or Stützle could very well end up being better, but there were question marks about them as 17 year olds. I never saw one list that stepped out from the norm without Laf on top, just asterisks beside the next 2 guys as potentially equal. The draft lottery was all about getting that #1 pick exclusively for Lafreniere

 

[Bank Shot]

I lived in Edmonton at the time. Seen Hall all pissed up at 3 am at that place on Jasper that they aways went to. They had a game not the next day but the day after. Thought it was a bit tight. But hey, NHL players gotta drink

They call it the Vegas flu for a reason. NHLers drink. Hall was extremely productive as an Oiler though.

Yakupov didn't drink and never was able to produce.

Not sure where you are going with your train of thought.

Maybe if Mackinnon was there to yell at him Yakupov would have turned into a good NHLer? Well he went to Colorado and it didn't save his career either. Yak was only 23 at the time he was in Denver. If the guy was invested in playing the way NHL coaches wanted him to he would have been able to turn it around.

No one to blame but himself.

 

[The Kingslayer]

"I had someone in the scouting community describe his style to me as a guy who looks like he's being chased by bees."

- Ray Ferraro (When Asked about Yakupov before the start of his rookie year)

That is so accurate its scary

 

[Bank Shot]

That is so accurate its scary

Well Ray Ferraro actually tweeted that in 2016 and not before Yakupov's rookie season. Very much the product of watching Nail play in the NHL and not a prediction/foresight.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Well Ray Ferraro actually tweeted that in 2016 and not before Yakupov's rookie season. Very much the product of watching Nail play in the NHL and not a prediction/foresight.

So Ray was lying?

 

[McRpro]

So Ray was lying?

Ray said that several years after Yak was drafted, not before he was drafted like that poster you quoted said.

 

[FightingEmu]

I believe Lafrenieres low production was based largely on poor deployment and the ensuing confident issues the lack of production created.

He had 6 ppp last year and atill hit 57 - being a staple on pp1 added 44 point to panarins portfolio.If thats too lofty look at a guy like Kreider whose bread and butter is the pp- he was able to add 30 points just off the pp. Add that to lafreniere and hes broken a point per game clip.

If you still have doubts I'd recommend one of the more recent PDOcasts where Dimitri highlights the fact that he's top 10 in completed high danger pass attempts and shot assists... in the entire league.

Hes going to have a breakout similar to Hughes this coming season. I'm not king him in any format but if you've got an owner whose unsure of what they have in him- I'd be kicking tires like the Michelin man...

 

[Stephen]

F Alexis Lafreniere (2020, 1st, NYR) part 3

I cited a source. If that's not enough, its too bad. I don't memorize where I read everything to suit people who want to play dense. I also never tried to convince you about the strength of the draft. I argued a point you still haven't addressed, which is that the strength of the draft is a...

forums.hfboards.com

There were warning signs with Laf, for example this 8 minute full game clip shows a player that doesn't look all that close to being an NHL regular, let alone a star, and this was only 6 months before he was in the NHL.

During the pandemic it was weird how Lafreniere was just locked in at first overall by all the various outlets here in Canada, just like Shane Wright was the de facto first overall in his draft year until he wasn’t, and then Owen Power. Seems like sometimes the TSN and THN factory takes over on these conversations even when there isn’t necessarily junior hockey being played.

 

[Maple Leaf]

lafriencer busted so hard he unbusted

 

[majormajor]

I believe Lafrenieres low production was based largely on poor deployment and the ensuing confident issues the lack of production created.

He had 6 ppp last year and atill hit 57 - being a staple on pp1 added 44 point to panarins portfolio.If thats too lofty look at a guy like Kreider whose bread and butter is the pp- he was able to add 30 points just off the pp. Add that to lafreniere and hes broken a point per game clip.

If you still have doubts I'd recommend one of the more recent PDOcasts where Dimitri highlights the fact that he's top 10 in completed high danger pass attempts and shot assists... in the entire league.

Hes going to have a breakout similar to Hughes this coming season. I'm not king him in any format but if you've got an owner whose unsure of what they have in him- I'd be kicking tires like the Michelin man...

You can talk about the 5v4 deployment but at the same time the 5v5 role stapled to Panarin is an enormous factor. Panarin turned Strome and Fast into the best 5v5 line in the game, you can't just leave out what that has done for Laf. Certainly Laf is not going to have a Hughes type of breakout if you have him run his own line, he's not nearly good enough as a player.

 

[Voight]

During the pandemic it was weird how Lafreniere was just locked in at first overall by all the various outlets here in Canada, just like Shane Wright was the de facto first overall in his draft year until he wasn’t, and then Owen Power. Seems like sometimes the TSN and THN factory takes over on these conversations even when there isn’t necessarily junior hockey being played.

Laf's play at the WJC really fed into the hype machine, and so did the larger than usual gap between the end of the CHL season and the draft. Plus for months we had no live sports so they had to talk about something. Playing for the same junior team as Sid was a factor too (nobody ever thought he was a Crosby level prospect but he was also the only other Rimouski player to win b2b CHL POY awards)

He was also the best QC prospect since Drouin so the QC media was all over him.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

No but the OP sure lost credibility.

 

[Tawnos]

You can talk about the 5v4 deployment but at the same time the 5v5 role stapled to Panarin is an enormous factor. Panarin turned Strome and Fast into the best 5v5 line in the game, you can't just leave out what that has done for Laf. Certainly Laf is not going to have a Hughes type of breakout if you have him run his own line, he's not nearly good enough as a player.

Only a person who didn't watch the Rangers often this year would make this comment.

 

[majormajor]

Only a person who didn't watch the Rangers often this year would make this comment.

I've been listening to Rangers fans talk about them all year, I know what they think about Laf and "impending Hughes type breakout without Panarin's help" is not in the cards.

 

[Tawnos]

I've been listening to Rangers fans talk about them all year, I know what they think about Laf and "impending Hughes type breakout without Panarin's help" is not in the cards.

Lafrenière has made his own success this year. Does his production have the advantage of being on a line with Panarin? Of course it does, there's no disputing that. But he's a play driver on the line and often enough in individual games he's the best player on it. If he plays with Zibanejad next season, I'd expect him to have similar numbers to what he would get with Panarin. He's not just taking advantage of his linemates.