How much higher should have Suzuki and Caufield been drafted?

[Kalamazoo Wings]

Robertson that much ahead of Suzuki ? I mean most Leafs fans are telling us that he would be the best players in à Canadiens jersey but after only 6 games with them I just don’t see it …

His brother Jason Robertson who plays for Dallas, up for the Calder this year.

 

[Silkytentacles]

It’s funny cause they said he was the less talented Suzuki pre draft and even though he out scored Owen Tippet he was ranked lower. Super weird about Cole I guess cause he’s short? You can’t deny the offensive dynamo he is. Had him at 5 and felt to high still

 

[Love]

Caufield’s draft is a bit too early to say for sure but I think it’s safe to say top 5 at the moment. Still tons of guys who haven’t played or barely played in the NHL.

Suzuki I can say with more precision. I would have him ranked 4th or 5th. He’s definitely after Makar/Heiskanen/Pettersson, but I’m unsure between him and Hischier. Seems close between those two at the moment.

 

[Hansem1979]

His brother Jason Robertson who plays for Dallas, up for the Calder this year.

makes a lot more sense, thanks !

 

[WaW]

Imo Makar is a bit overhyped. Excellent regular season D....

He has some deficiency for the playoffs (much harder for smallish Ds to survive)

Unless he can get much more stronger..... todays playoffs (heavy game) won't be easy for him, like the regular season

I think there's a bit of merit to this, re: Makar. Of all the hockey I've seen from both Makar and Heiskanen, Heiskanen's 2020 playoffs was by far the most impressive stretch of hockey that has been played by either, and had Dallas won the cup final he was a lock for the Conn Smythe. Just having seen that plus my opinion from watching both play, that he's better defensively than Makar is, makes me think I'd sort of rather have Heiskanen.

 

[Aurinko]

I think there's a bit of merit to this, re: Makar. Of all the hockey I've seen from both Makar and Heiskanen, Heiskanen's 2020 playoffs was by far the most impressive stretch of hockey that has been played by either, and had Dallas won the cup final he was a lock for the Conn Smythe. Just having seen that plus my opinion from watching both play, that he's better defensively than Makar is, makes me think I'd sort of rather have Heiskanen.

Something that is similar in all Heiskanen, Makar & Caufield is that they've received full support from their team to play to their strengths and even do some mistakes while at it.

 

[Ainec]

I think there's a bit of merit to this, re: Makar. Of all the hockey I've seen from both Makar and Heiskanen, Heiskanen's 2020 playoffs was by far the most impressive stretch of hockey that has been played by either, and had Dallas won the cup final he was a lock for the Conn Smythe. Just having seen that plus my opinion from watching both play, that he's better defensively than Makar is, makes me think I'd sort of rather have Heiskanen.

Pavelski

 

[WaW]

Pavelski

Heiskanen had 26 points to Pavelski's 19 (despite being a dman), led the team in minutes, and played pretty much every PP and PK

 

[Pavels Dog]

If they went any higher they wouldn’t be in the playoffs on a cinderella run team and this thread wouldn’t exist.
Realistically yes they will end up higher in re-drafts but it’s hard to know exactly what a run like this means when comparing to guys that haven’t gotten that kind of opportunity yet.

 

[Auto Pilot]

Is it just me or Caufield look like a better player than Jack Hughes??

Suzuki skills/instincts are also very advanced

Montreal gm is very annoying... everything coming together nicely, like a perfect storm

Lmao no Caufield doesn’t look like the better player/

 

[rocketdan9]

Lmao no Caufield doesn’t look like the better player/

Caufield has better offensive polish/finish

 

[Auto Pilot]

Caufield has better offensive polish/finish

No he doesn’t. He’s playing on a better team atm. You switch them he’s not doing what he’s doing Hughes is one of their top players. The receny bias is nuts, he’s a better finisher that’s it. Play driving etc Hughes is better.

youre also basing this all off a small sample size lol. Remember when Leino got hot in the playoffs in 2010 and then got a massive contract but never lived up to it? Yea.


Let’s cool the jets for a bit eh?

 

[rocketdan9]

No he doesn’t. He’s playing on a better team atm. You switch them he’s not doing what he’s doing Hughes is one of their top players. The receny bias is nuts, he’s a better finisher that’s it. Play driving etc Hughes is better.

youre also basing this all off a small sample size lol. Remember when Leino got hot in the playoffs in 2010 and then got a massive contract but never lived up to it? Yea.


Let’s cool the jets for a bit eh?

Are you a Devils fan or??

Caufield flips the puck to himself (against Vegas D), take it strong to the outside and shoot above the goalies glove in tight space

When have you seen Hughes do that?

 

[Nihiliste]

Caufield is one of the few small guys where it was obvious he would succeed wherever he went. GMs were idiotic not to take him

 

[rocketdan9]

Caufield is one of the few small guys where it was obvious he would succeed wherever he went. GMs were idiotic not to take him

When I first heard of him/saw him on the ice... I thought he was going to get rocked hard. Or mandhandled

but it never happened. He is elusive along the boards. Shifty in the open ice. Likely difficult to hit

 

[PuckNorris]

Caufield is one of the few small guys where it was obvious he would succeed wherever he went. GMs were idiotic not to take him

As far as I remember, the knock on him was if he wasn't scoring he wasn't useful. GMs don't want a small player who is a one trick pony. Turns out it was quite the opposite. He's very cerebral and not a liability when defending.

 

[Aurinko]

Caufield is one of the few small guys where it was obvious he would succeed wherever he went. GMs were idiotic not to take him

I think size (and especially the faster hand speed) is only advantage here. These are moves you dont see average size player do. At least as fast and deceptive.

 

[ole ole]

Lmao no Caufield doesn’t look like the better player/

Look and is so far proving he is.

 

[OvieGreat8]

Not much higher since neither one will do anything special especially Caufield.
Montreal probably won't even make the playoffs next year.

 

[The Blueprint]

Probably both 1st overall

 

[Auto Pilot]

Look and is so far proving he is.

Only for people that only pay attention to box scores and watch one team. Hughes is the better player. Need me to compare underlying numbers for the reg season?

 

[DearDiary]

Look and is so far proving he is.

Hughes is more talented in every aspect besides his shot and has not grown into his build yet. There's no reason to suggest Caufield is better just because he's playing well right now, that doesn't make up their gap in potential.

Caufield has 9 points in 15 games. Which is good as a rookie, but nothing to shout about how good he is. For comparison, rookie Guentzal put up 21 points in 25 playoff games. He followed that up next season with 21 points in 12 playoff games. Caufield has done nothing like that to put himself ahead of Hughes

 

[Frank Drebin]

No one thinks this is a bit early at all? I mean we were all crowning Jordan Binnington after one season and yet after a larger sample size, we realize he is an average goalie. I'm not saying Nick Suzuki won't be good, but he hasn't even eclipsed 0.75 PPG yet for an entire season. I mean look no further than the Habs opponents. William Karlsson his first year with Vegas had a 40 goal year and 15 pts in 20 playoff games. Everyone was saying Vegas found their #1 centre and franchise guy. Since then, he hasn't eclipsed 0.75 PPG in any subsequent season...

Yes, Nick Suzuki's had a really good playoff run so far, but guys have had insane 15-20 game runs before. Can we hold off on the anointing oil just a bit with these guys?...

Suzuki is good. He's been in the league for 120+ regular season games and whatever playoff games. It's not as if we're going off a hot half or even full season.

He's been good since his first half dozen games in this league.

 

[CanadienShark]

Skill I don’t see it. Hockey IQ is high though. But he’s still very new to the League, I think the lack of some areas of the game is going to catch up with him as the League learns and starts targeting to shut him down. IQ does have a way of beating that tho, so who knows. I just don’t see it now, and I’ve watched his impressive performance isn’t he playoffs this year.

Suzuki is incredibly skilled. Not the best skater though.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

The thing about Caulfield was never his talent, it was his size. Can he last as a top player or will he get crushed and dwindle off? I know that every player has the possibility of suffering a serious, career altering injury, but a player of Caulfield's stature might be more likely to suffer that fate.

Same to some extent with Pettersson. People didn't worry so much about his talent, they worried about his ability to endure the punishment he would take in this league. So far, he's missed a lot of games. That may effect his long term value. Caulfield could quite easily go a similar route.

How useful is a PPG player if they only play 40 games?