Kings fan guest on your Board requests straight-talk on Brayden McNabb

[Raccoon Jesus]

Thank you guys much for the assessments

Should be interesting to see him with Voynov, then, which is where he's pencilled. Voynov can definitely skate enough for the both of them, but it sounds like VV will be the one to do the heavy lifting instead of getting insulated by a more experienced partner. That smells like growing pains like we had with Muzzin last year, but that turned out as good as possible. I know you can't really coach a toolbox into a kid, so this should be an interesting experiment--but as you saw with the return, Kings' brass seems super-high on him, and I have a hard time arguing with them lately, so we'll see!

(I'm also really excited to follow Fasching and Deslauriers to a lesser degree--see you guys soon!)

 

[Chainshot]

Thank you guys much for the assessments

Should be interesting to see him with Voynov, then, which is where he's pencilled. Voynov can definitely skate enough for the both of them, but it sounds like VV will be the one to do the heavy lifting instead of getting insulated by a more experienced partner. That smells like growing pains like we had with Muzzin last year, but that turned out as good as possible. I know you can't really coach a toolbox into a kid, so this should be an interesting experiment--but as you saw with the return, Kings' brass seems super-high on him, and I have a hard time arguing with them lately, so we'll see!

(I'm also really excited to follow Fasching and Deslauriers to a lesser degree--see you guys soon!)

Voynov seems like a great compliment to him, since he defends well and skates so effortlessly.

One aspect of McNabb's game that I personally loved was his ability to deny the blueline to opposing teams. He'll take a run or two at people crossing into his zone every night, if not every period. It gets in players heads and they start pulling up. Yes, he may get burned from time to time... but there are certain teams who just won't attack with speed after a few of them spend time looking at the rafters. I will miss that against the Leafs in particular, seemed he would light one of them up regularly.

 

[KingCanadain1976]

A simple questions from a kings fan Is his shot accurate from the point and how is he at one timing it? I will thank you for your responces ahead of time. I would also like to thank your fans for all responces so far

 

[Myllz]

Thank you guys much for the assessments

Should be interesting to see him with Voynov, then, which is where he's pencilled. Voynov can definitely skate enough for the both of them, but it sounds like VV will be the one to do the heavy lifting instead of getting insulated by a more experienced partner. That smells like growing pains like we had with Muzzin last year, but that turned out as good as possible. I know you can't really coach a toolbox into a kid, so this should be an interesting experiment--but as you saw with the return, Kings' brass seems super-high on him, and I have a hard time arguing with them lately, so we'll see!

(I'm also really excited to follow Fasching and Deslauriers to a lesser degree--see you guys soon!)

Voynov and McNabb should be a pretty interesting pair. Slava will do the majority of the heavy lifting, which will be good for Brayden as it will allow him quietly get into positions where he can blow people up or line up a shot. Brayden will leave his partner out to dry every once in a while when he's doing that, but Voynov's good enough to cover for him, so it should work out.

 

[ZeroPT*]

A simple questions from a kings fan Is his shot accurate from the point and how is he at one timing it? I will thank you for your responces ahead of time. I would also like to thank your fans for all responces so far

His shot is a bullet but he could improve his accuracy. I can't recall how good he is at one timing it.

 

[Paxon]

A poor-man's Dion? Big kid, big shot, big hitter... not the best feet nor best reads.

Everyone has pretty much covered the points in previous posts. I've always like McNabb's ability to generate along the blueline even without his shot. He had a great ability in junior and at times as a pro to lay the puck into areas around the net where his teammates can redirect or shovel in the garbage. He didn't always rely on the shot to get it done. I like his ability to distribute.

But to Moskau's point, the Sabres seemed to case him as a take-out rather than as a break-out defenseman. Seeing how he's best with the puck on his stick or in standing up at the blueline, he's probably best paired with a mobile defensive defenseman (like Pysyk) who can back him up when he goes for the big hit.

For a third pairing guy right now, he could be a real interesting specialist with his ability to run the PP and the hitting chops. If his d-zone play continues to improve... well... he moves up the pairings and handles more responsibliities.

I believe I made that same "poor man's Dion" comparison on the Kings' board after the trade. It's the best one in my book. They have similar strengths and similar weaknesses, just to different degrees.

 

[Chainshot]

I believe I made that same "poor man's Dion" comparison on the Kings' board after the trade. It's the best one in my book. They have similar strengths and similar weaknesses, just to different degrees.

I'm never big on direct comparisons, but at least with McNabb, I've never thought of him as being as big of a D-bag as I think of Dion.

 

[Revelate]

I believe I made that same "poor man's Dion" comparison on the Kings' board after the trade. It's the best one in my book. They have similar strengths and similar weaknesses, just to different degrees.

I came here to make the poor man's Dion comment as well. It's really dead on IMO.

 

[Chainshot]

Am I a cromagnon for still thinking the hit on Hishon in the MemCup wasn't suspension worthy?

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

I'm never big on direct comparisons, but at least with McNabb, I've never thought of him as being as big of a D-bag as I think of Dion.

Any comparison to Bryan McCabe back in the day from a style of play perspective? Strong physical package with "heavy feet" and quesionable hockey sense.

 

[Chainshot]

Any comparison to Bryan McCabe back in the day from a style of play perspective? Strong physical package with "heavy feet" and quesionable hockey sense.

Possibly. Those comparibles are there broadly speaking.

 

[kenfury]

Any comparison to Bryan McCabe back in the day from a style of play perspective? Strong physical package with "heavy feet" and quesionable hockey sense.

Yes.

 

[cyclones22]

Thanks for the feedback, Sabres fans. I'm hoping he'll become a solid #4 one day. Pairing him with Slava could be mutually beneficial. Doughty grew up a lot as a player by mentoring Muzzin and forcing Slava into the same role may be positive for both he and McNabb. Good luck during the season, depending on how you want it to go.

 

[triplcrown]

Thanks again for all the generous, substantive responses.


The Kings' coaching staff prizes DISCIPLINE very very highly.
They are always stressing to the players to "play the right way",
if they want to keep getting icetime.
Kings play a strict, "home-plate"-type of defensive system (very Flyers influenced,
although I'm not sure if the present Flyers' coaching still coaches this way),
where there always seems to be 2 or 3 guys back, no matter what.

The system the Kings use sometimes comes under attack by Kings fans because it seems to
stifle offensive creativity somewhat during the regular season, hence The Kings' finishing 26th in offense last season.

How McNabb will respond to this stringent demand for discipline
to play within the Kings' strict defensive system will tell a lot of the story, IMO.

McNabb looks like he's got the physical tools to succeed (as long as his skating is at least adequate).

If he responds positively to The Kings coaches' predictable demands for discipline and self-control and playing
within the system, he may do very well out west.

If he has trouble with the discipline part, all bets are off.

 

[Revelate]

Thanks again for all the generous, substantive responses.


The Kings' coaching staff prizes DISCIPLINE very very highly.
They are always stressing to the players to "play the right way",
if they want to keep getting icetime.
Kings play a strict, "home-base"-type of defensive system (very Flyers influenced,
although I'm not sure if the present Flyers' coaching still coaches this way),
where there always seems to be 2 or 3 guys back, no matter what.

The system the Kings use sometimes comes under attack by Kings fans because it seems to
stifle offensive creativity somewhat during the regular season, hence The Kings' finishing 26th in offense last season.

How McNabb will respond to this stringent demand for discipline
to play within the Kings' strict defensive system will tell a lot of the story, IMO.

McNabb looks like he's got the physical tools to succeed (as long as his skating is at least adequate).

If he responds positively to The Kings coaches' predictable demands for discipline and self-control and playing
within the system, he may do very well out west.

if he has trouble with the discipline part, all bets are off.

Yes, it's for these reasons that I thought he was a peculiar pick-up for you. However, I also didn't think Gaborik would fit in your system. Soo...i've learned not to second guess Lombardi.

 

[Chainshot]

I think Lombardi is an excellent talent evaluator, so McNabb's presence works if he's there to bring the tools he has. Being disciplined within the system is fine -- he's good at picking his spots when looking to clean someone out on the rush. Ruff let him have some leash and it's not like Lindy is often thought of as allowing guys unstructured play.

 

[Myllz]

Thanks again for all the generous, substantive responses.


The Kings' coaching staff prizes DISCIPLINE very very highly.
They are always stressing to the players to "play the right way",
if they want to keep getting icetime.
Kings play a strict, "home-base"-type of defensive system (very Flyers influenced,
although I'm not sure if the present Flyers' coaching still coaches this way),
where there always seems to be 2 or 3 guys back, no matter what.

The system the Kings use sometimes comes under attack by Kings fans because it seems to
stifle offensive creativity somewhat during the regular season, hence The Kings' finishing 26th in offense last season.

How McNabb will respond to this stringent demand for discipline
to play within the Kings' strict defensive system will tell a lot of the story, IMO.

McNabb looks like he's got the physical tools to succeed (as long as his skating is at least adequate).

If he responds positively to The Kings coaches' predictable demands for discipline and self-control and playing
within the system, he may do very well out west.

If he has trouble with the discipline part, all bets are off.

That's another reason it'll be interesting to see how McNabb does with Voynov. The Kings are obviously going to want Voynov on the ice a lot, so if McNabb struggles with his assignments do they force-feed him minutes to stay with Voynov or demote him? How long will they experiment with that before pulling the plug on that duo so Voynov can play his game more effectively and have plenty of ice time?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

That's another reason it'll be interesting to see how McNabb does with Voynov. The Kings are obviously going to want Voynov on the ice a lot, so if McNabb struggles with his assignments do they force-feed him minutes to stay with Voynov or demote him? How long will they experiment with that before pulling the plug on that duo so Voynov can play his game more effectively and have plenty of ice time?

Agreed--it's a bit of a wild card but we have injury insurance/healthy scratch opportunities as beyond Doughty-Muzzin/McNabb-Voynov/Martinez-Greene there's still Regehr and beyond that even a bunch of guys knocking on the door (and a vet in Jeff Schultz). I expect, like Muzzin, they'll give him every chance to learn on-the-job but that will also probably mean spending some nights in the press box. If he's that godawful that he's affecting the team enough to force a change (keeping in mind that the Kings apparently don't give two hoots about the regular season), we have options.

Honestly I think Voynov is a bigger factor than McNabb in this case. He slumped hard last year and though I think he'll bounce back he has been insulated with a vet in the past. Not so much now. If Doughty and Muzzin can struggle while Muzzin learns, Voynov and McNabb might be an entertaining sideshow for 1/4 a season.

 

[billsandsabres]

ludicrously thorough.

 

[Timbo Slice]

He's a frustrating player at times. He can be very good offensively, as he's comfortable with the puck and has a great shot. Often times in Rochester when he would QB the PP he would refuse to shoot though, or just hold the puck forever, torn between passing and lasering a shot on net.

Defensively he's pretty solid. He's huge, he has the ability to hit like a truck, but does have brain farts. I'd say he'd be a solid bottom pairing defenseman that plays on the PP.

 

[Superhero]

I was sad to see McNabb go. He is big and can lay out some big hits. He won the hardest shot competition at the AHL all star game. He has good offensive skills. He has been an AHL All star and has put up good numbers at the AHL level. For some reason he hasn't been able to stick in the NHL. 3 NHL coaches have kept him in the minors. I don't know why. Maybe his skating isn't good enough or maybe he is caught out of position to much or maybe it's something else. It's all speculation. I think he can be a good NHL defenseman.

 

[triplcrown]

Voynov seems like a great compliment to him, since he defends well and skates so effortlessly.

One aspect of McNabb's game that I personally loved was his ability to deny the blueline to opposing teams. He'll take a run or two at people crossing into his zone every night, if not every period. It gets in players heads and they start pulling up. Yes, he may get burned from time to time... but there are certain teams who just won't attack with speed after a few of them spend time looking at the rafters. I will miss that against the Leafs in particular, seemed he would light one of them up regularly.

I'm really looking forward to seeing McNabb do this to some
Anaheim Ducks.

McNabb can start with Corey Perry and go on from there.

 

[Wisent42]

I describe him as a "big" style of player. He's big, he has a big shot, he throws big hits, he takes big risks, and he makes big mistakes. His problem areas are that his footspeed is not ideal and his mental game (awareness, etc) seems average to below-average in most areas. People might look at him and think he's a stay-at-home guy but if anything he's closer to an offensive defenseman than a big stay-at-home type. He's really good at using his shot effectively and can be a solid passer. He can help an NHL PP right now. He makes some dumb decisions with the puck and has been prone to putting himself out of position defensively chasing hits, so he can be a frustrating player.

I think he's pretty likely to make the NHL as at least a #4-6 guy who brings value to the power play. Top 4 potential is there, it's just far from a given in my opinion. If he tightens up his game a bit by reducing some of the bad aggressive plays while keeping the positive ones, then he has a fair shot at being a top 4 caliber guy. I'd say his realistic ceiling is probably a #3 defenseman, with the realistic floor being career high-end AHL player.

This. Everything he does is big. Which means a big hit when he gets it right, and a big hole when he doesn't. It's the small things he needs to work on. Positioning, decision-making, footwork. I was always high on McNabb and I didn't like to see him get traded, but with a bunch of interesting prospects he just became redundant. And I like what we got in return.

I believe McNabb will make it. The change may do him good. Also, as some has pointed out, he could fill a position as something of a specialist, someone who is on the team for specific situations. I guess the best team in the league are in a better position for such a luxury than the worst team.

 

[triplcrown]

Here's 1 line of reasoning I can put forward regarding McNabb's hockey sense.

Please feel free to debunk, if you feel the "logic" is faulty.

I will use another, somewhat similar player, in comparison (one with physical talents, but
a similar possible lack of hockey sense).

When you look at McNabb's stats, compared to Nicolas Deslauriers, you immediately notice how McNabb made
a smooth transition to pro hockey, in terms of point production, while Deslaurier's offense slumped,
and stayed slumped, unitl his switch to LW this past season.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=98196

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=106623

Here's my line of reasoning:

Mcnabb's ability to continue his offensive production as he moved from Junior to the AHL, indicates McNabb has
at least some hockey sense/anticipation/on-ice vision (at least offensively).

Deslaurier's lack of production in comparison, after going from Juniors to Pros, may indicate
a relative lack of vision/anticipation/hockey sense in comparison to Brayden (and he is a MUCH faster skater than McNabb).

Perhaps this is an indication that McNabb DOES have the mental part of the game within him. but simply has
not developed the DEFENSIVE part of his game to keep pace with his OFFENSIVE game.
In short, the "hockey sense" part for McNabb is basically there--It just needs to be brought out and reinforced with DISCIPLINE and REPETITION,
as the Kings' coaching staff is known to employ.

Added note:
I am not trying to put-down Nick Deslauriers, who I always liked, but wondered about his hockey sense.
I think moving Des to LW was a smart move that simplifies the game for him, and gives him a chance
to become a solid NHL player (3rd-line type, IMO) for Buffalo.

 

[Paxon]

Here's 1 line of reasoning I can put forward regarding McNabb's hockey sense.

Please feel free to debunk, if you feel the "logic" is faulty.

I will use another, somewhat similar player, in comparison (one with physical talents, but
a similar possible lack of hockey sense).

When you look at McNabb's stats, compared to Nicolas Deslauriers, you immediately notice how McNabb made
a smooth transition to pro hockey, in terms of point production, while Deslaurier's offense slumped,
and stayed slumped, unitl his switch to LW this past season.

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=98196

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=106623

Here's my line of reasoning:

Mcnabb's ability to continue his offensive production as he moved from Junior to the AHL, indicates McNabb has
at least some hockey sense/anticipation/on-ice vision (at least offensively).

Deslaurier's lack of production in comparison, after going from Juniors to Pros, may indicate
a relative lack of vision/anticipation/hockey sense in comparison to Brayden (and he is a MUCH faster skater than McNabb).

Perhaps this is an indication that McNabb DOES have the mental part of the game within him. but simply has
not developed the DEFENSIVE part of his game to keep pace with his OFFENSIVE game.
In short, the "hockey sense" part for McNabb is basically there--It just needs to be brought out and reinforced with DISCIPLINE and REPETITION,
as the Kings' coaching staff is known to employ.

Added note:
I am not trying to put-down Nick Deslauriers, who I always liked, but wondered about his hockey sense.
I think moving Des to LW was a smart move that simplifies the game for him, and gives him a chance
to become a solid NHL player (3rd-line type, IMO) for Buffalo.

He's not totally lacking sense, it just projects to be pretty average at best, below-average in certain areas, with definite ability to improve. He makes bad decisions too often, for example. Perhaps he knows they're bad decisions and just has a gambler's heart, but for practicality's sake it doesn't make a difference unless he chooses to cut down on that. He certainly doesn't possess high-end hockey smarts, which, combined with footspeed issues, make him a very imperfect player despite having ideal size, a booming shot, and pretty good puck skills.

All kinds of players have done great in the AHL despite having average-or-worse hockey sense, because their size, tools and/or skills allow them to. Any sort of stand-out aspect to your game tends to make you reasonably effective in the AHL. I don't think you can draw conclusions about his hockey sense being good just because he had a fairly smooth transition to the AHL. Hell, he looked alright in a 25 game NHL stint during his first pro season in '11-'12, but I'm still saying what I'm saying.

Phaneuf is a top-pairing defenseman despite having a mostly average hockey brain and the same overly-aggressive decision-making tendencies McNabb has, so it's not like we're saying McNabb has no hopes. The bottom line is while he has improved since turning pro, his problem areas are still big enough question marks to project him as a surefire top 4 defenseman. It's possible, but he will need to make further leaps in his development. Between the footspeed and the mistakes he makes, I would more comfortably project him as a bottom-pairing guy who helps on the PP, and then be happy if he turns out to be more.

I think a new organization will help breathe a little more life into his career. It's not like he was on the verge of busting, but after having gotten 25 NHL games in '11-'12, I'm sure he feels like he's stagnated a bit. LA has a great system to protect him and to try and smooth out his game.