People put too much thought into best in the draft who cares if brady ends up better as long as kotka becomes what they drafted him to be it really doesnt matter
Player Discussion Jesperi Kotkaniemi Part IV
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JeffreyLFC
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We have been through that talk many time you might have prefered Tkachuk over Kotkaniemi but if by doing so how would you have fixed our center line for the future?
Also Tkachuk is older and more adapted to North America hockey.
You could have said the samething with Columbus who drafted more based on "need" with Dubois over what was considered the best talent in Puljujarvi. I don't think they regret making that choice.
You can cry/complain/start pouting we drafted Kotkaniemi and if he become a 1st line center nobody would be mad that we passed the almighty Tkachuk.
Also food for thought it is way harder for a center to adapt to the NHL than a winger. Many recent top drafted center had long period of adaptation before breaking out. Recent examples are Barkov, Draisaitl, Scheifele.
admiralcadillac
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Tkatchuk is a year older. Maybe try comparing Jesperi next year.
JeffreyLFC
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it's not unpopular stop saying non sense. I've read many people on this board shared your thought after the draft. The zadina crowd quieted down now it's turn of the Tkachuk crowd. I've read many people complaining we did not go BPA which is valid but we still got a pretty good player now in Kotkaniemi let's just see how he develops.
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Andrei79
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Wahlstrom, you mean. That's who you would have drafted. Someone who, like Kotkaniemi, is a summer birthday and needs development.
Anyways, we're already 6 games into the season so a lot of conclusions can already be made about all of this, so carry on.
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Habs
We should have drafted Michkov
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The Great Weal
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The Great Weal
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Andrei79
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They're all good players. Boqvist had in my 3rd OA choices. Wahlstrom less so though he might be one of the few legitimate 40 goal scorers in the league one day. Brady I didn't and still don't. Great player, not what I wanted this team to go with, not with a high end center and a bunch of high end defensemen available.
The Great Weal
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They all have their flaws.
Brady: how well will his offense translate in the NHL?
Boqvist: already 2 concussions
Wahlstrom: his game when he doesn't have the puck
Hughes: will he be good positionally in the NHL?
Dobson: how well will his offense translate in the NHL?
Tkachuk, because of the type of game he plays...is always going to play with his teams top players, so the offense will translate just fine IMO.
He makes room for his linemates, he's a nuisance for opposing goalies & dmen, he's got a fair amount of hand skills and he can move.
The Great Weal
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I wasn't suggesting they should have picked him...i'm thrilled with Kotkaniemi.
But I do think the Sens made the right pick with Tkachuk, he's a player.
Andrei79
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You can check my post from the Out of town thread with my quotes from winter/spring. Brady's offense will translate. It already does because most of the points he did get in lower levels were plays that translate to the next level. Same with his goals, they're goals from 25 feet and under, prime scoring area goals. My question wasn't that, it was whether that offense will be high level or not. He doesn't make whole defensive systems as whole f*** things up like Kotkaniemi does and that to me is a mark of a potential elite player offensively if you combine it with high end technical skills.
The Great Weal
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Well I was talking about elite production, which I don't think he can do with Philip Danault as his center. I feel a lot more confident with Kotkaniemi as the center with a guy like Drouin, Suzuki, Gallagher...etc on the wings.
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That's a great point. Unfortunately not something most people will see off their TV set. You'd certainly be able to appreciate the full extent by being able to isolate him by being in attendance. I've noticed some stuff he does but have heard at least one pundit mention several aspects to his game, the way he processes it and how he positions himself, that are not typical.
RandR
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Yeah, both Habs and Sens have to be thrilled about how these 2 picks look so far, even though Kotkaniemi will likely take a while longer to reach his potential, given his age, body type, background, and position.
I've suspected all along that Kotkaniemi was questionable as the BPA at #3 on draft day. Since their positional need at C was so great, I figure that the Habs either really believed he was close enough to the other choices at #3 that they wouldn't go wrong picking him or that they just convinced themselves that Kotkaniemi was BPA at #3.
After finding out that the Habs were one of the lottery pick winners it was really disappointing that the Canes jumped ahead to #2, but in hindsight, the Habs getting the #3 pick may have been better for them than getting #2. If the Habs had won the #2 pick, I don't think they could have even tried to claim that picking Kotkaniemi was going with BPA. I am not saying Kotkaniemi will be better than Svechnikov (or Tkachuk), but he certainly fits a need more for the Habs if all of them become first line players.
It's really not, not for a kid his age.
If I compare him to Galchenyuk during his 18/19yr old season...
Galchenyuk probably had better end product/finishing, but his positioning, the way he processed the game...pails in comparison to what i've seen from Kotkaniemi.
That's why I think when Galchenyuk's finishing wasn't there, he either struggled or wasn't a factor, he didn't impact the game in other areas.
Eventually, I think the production will come with Kotkaniemi, he's been close to scoring several times with a bit more luck he could/should have another 2 goals and a few more assists, that doesn't change all the positive i've seen, at least not for me.
Is he perfect? No...he can get eliminated pretty quickly in physical confrontations, but even that, he does a wonderful job of not putting himself in positions where he has to contend with stronger players.
His game in the neutral zone and the way he supports the breakout are already very strong.
DramaticGloveSave
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I thought Zadina and Tkachuk were the BPAs at 3, but you have to be happy with Kotkaniemi thus far and the bottom line is Cs are just a ton more valuable than left handed wingers.
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It was ex-GM and Sportsnet pundit Doug McLean who said this week that Kotkaniemi makes plays that 10-year NHL vets, don't. And said that he'd be a "future superstar", pretty loaded statements about an 18-year old.
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DramaticGloveSave
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That said McLean hardly has a great draft record
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I hope he has a greater record as a pundit, lol.
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