He's was under-drafted anyway. We definitely made a good value pick, and it was obvious at the time. Some teams scouted Day wrong or just didn't pick him where he should've went as the turn around started around the end of his draft season. He should've been at least a second rounder. And he's made some more progress since, but I still think his ceiling is not what some claim.
Kreider's another one of these physical beasts, but skating as well as McDavid and having better size than him doesn't mean he could be a LW McDavid if he hit his ceiling. He lacks the playmaking, hockey IQ, puck skills that McDavid does. Its kind of similar with Day, although I think we are talking about to a lesser degree. Day has great physical tools, but the rest is why his ceiling is overrated. I don't think you could realistically include parts of his game that are not at a high level, and say if that develops to a very high level that he could be some Bobby Orr. It would be like saying if McIlrath developed better skating, a better shot and better passing that he would've been Shea Weber. There's a point when discussing a player's ceiling that it involves too much unlikely projecting to include that as part of a player's ceiling.
Kreider was one of the few prospects I watched extensively in college and the WJC. Admittedly, I do not watch many of our prospects. I watch the WJC and some college. I would never lie and opine on a prospect I have never seen play, like some notably do.
----I have zero idea how many you actually see, don't see, so that was not calling you out. If I call you out you would know. lol----
Kreider's ceiling was never McDavid's. There's only 2-3 players I have ever seen with a ceiling such as that. I don't think I have seen a single person ever say that. Having watched him play college, he clearly was a man among boys from the neck down, it's still that way in the NHL. Many of us thought he would probably be a better pro. Anyhow that's another discussion.
It's your opinion what the ceiling of Day is. Your interpretation of his playing. That's fine, not a single sole is saying he will be Bobby Orr, nobody. If they're saying that, it's strictly to bust balls.
The fact is at the time he was not under drafted. He had many warts, which were openly spoken about. They included conditioning problems. Conditioning problems are a death sentence for any prospect, especially when guy next to you in camp has spent the entire summer in a conditioning program from a Prentiss or Gary Roberts.
He's under drafted in retrospect because he realized that having 20% body fat is not a proper avenue to the NHL, plus the fact he was traded to an organization that was much better for his development. The Rangers took a chance and so far it looks like it may work out. If he becomes a 3rd pair 12 minute a night defenseman he still beat the odds and worked out fine for a 3rd rounder.
Unless a ceiling is lol nuts, the ceiling is just saying simply that if things work out perfect this is what he could be. Day can get his head on straight and work out perfect, chances are minimal it will happen.
If I had told you on draft day that Shea Weber's ceiling was that of a Norris trophy winner, 99.99% of the people would point at me and laugh, yet there he is. McIlrath was a developmental pick, we were told wait 5 years to see him in an NHL uniform. He was looked more like a Jeff Beukeboom type. If anyone said, Shea Weber, I would have laughed.
BTW the only players I have ever seen with McDavid's upside were 99, 66 and Kovalev. I don't even think Crosby's upside is as big as McDavid, my opinion like it or not.
