Letang vs Yandle

[Chootoi]

Watched both in the Q a lot and i prefer Letang.

same here. yandle is no slouch though. it's close, but letang is better all around. yandle is a bit too 1 dimensional. i would break the skills down like this:

offensive awareness - yandle
defensive awareness - letang
skating - letang (although yandle is wicked fast letang is a more mobile defenseman and better overall skater)
passing - equal
stickhandling - yandle
shooting - equal
checking - letang (yandle can throw the body around well, but he doesn't unless he's pissed)

yandle has much more potential though. superstar potential.

 

[Faute]

I think you made the right choice. Letang is a better prospect than Vlasic IMO.

Point wise, I'd argue with you. However, I would pick Vlasic 10 times out of 10 in my team before Letang. He's just that great, and Sharks fans are starting to realize it.

Nonetheless, I'm also a huge fan of Letang. I don't know how you can consider him weak defensively. He's not an elite shutdown guy, but he has good positioning and great stick work. Yandle, on the other hand, from what I've seen (2 or 3 games), seems to be running around the ice all the time.

 

[Brandinho]

Point wise, I'd argue with you. However, I would pick Vlasic 10 times out of 10 in my team before Letang. He's just that great, and Sharks fans are starting to realize it.

Nonetheless, I'm also a huge fan of Letang. I don't know how you can consider him weak defensively. He's not an elite shutdown guy, but he has good positioning and great stick work. Yandle, on the other hand, from what I've seen (2 or 3 games), seems to be running around the ice all the time.

Letang's positioning was absolutely wretched in his brief stint with the Pens. Yeah yeah yeah, I know he was only 19 and playing over his head, but he needs to drastically improve his hockey sense before he gets another shot in the NHL. From what I've seen of Yandle in the NHL, he's much more advanced in that area.

 

[Brandinho]

Who would you all pick between Goligoski and Letang?

Goligoski, but I'll admit a degree of bias right now because I know Alex.

That said, his positioning is top-notch, he's a very smart, heady player, very fluid skater and he has a lot of offensive ability. His only legitimate weakness is his size, as he doesn't have the biggest frame in the world so it's unlikely he'll be able to put on a whole lot of muscle mass. That said, others have succeeded with similar frames and skill-sets (Rafalski for example).

It's not that I dislike Letang, just that I think a lot of people are fooled by the "new car smell", so to speak. He's made some big strides since being drafted and definitely has talent, but I think a lot of people are projecting him to be more than he's capable of being. I've heard him called a future #1 defenseman potential 90 point scorer in other threads.

 

[stardog]

Goligoski, but I'll admit a degree of bias right now because I know Alex.

That said, his positioning is top-notch, he's a very smart, heady player, very fluid skater and he has a lot of offensive ability. His only legitimate weakness is his size, as he doesn't have the biggest frame in the world so it's unlikely he'll be able to put on a whole lot of muscle mass. That said, others have succeeded with similar frames and skill-sets (Rafalski for example).

It's not that I dislike Letang, just that I think a lot of people are fooled by the "new car smell", so to speak. He's made some big strides since being drafted and definitely has talent, but I think a lot of people are projecting him to be more than he's capable of being. I've heard him called a future #1 defenseman potential 90 point scorer in other threads.

I agree that there may be a bias in your analysis because his positioning defensively is far from "top notch". And size is NOT his only legitimate weakness. His improvements defensively from his freshman year are great, yet he still has a ways to go b efore we can say size is his only weakness.

 

[Brandinho]

I agree that there may be a bias in your analysis because his positioning defensively is far from "top notch". And size is NOT his only legitimate weakness. His improvements defensively from his freshman year are great, yet he still has a ways to go b efore we can say size is his only weakness.

No, the bias in my analysis was that I'd take him over Letang. There is no bias in my analysis of his individual talents.

 

[IHWR]

Come on!!

I saw three prospect name here.. Letang, Yandle and Goligosky. One of them can't be mention in the same sentence then the two others and this guy is Letang.

This thread is totaly bias by all the information about Letang since the beginning of this season. Letang will be at BEST a third defenseman in the NHL maybe a 35-40pts guy if he play on the PP.

On the other hand, Yandle have all the tools to be a future superstar in the NHL, he's strong, fast, defensivly safe and have a huge offensive upside.


As for Goligosky he is by te miles the best defensive prospect in the penguins organization, he got all the tools!


But the most important is the fact that Letang have nothing of a great defense, he will be good but not an amazing player

Boy did that hurt to read.

I'd probably go with Letang just based on the offence he brings. 25 points in his 16 games in the Q is very impressive and earning the Captaincy for team Canada's World Juniors doesn't hurt either.

Yandle is definitely no slouch though and I think comparing his potential to Letang's is a very fair argument.

I don't think you can go wrong with either but I'd give the slight egde to Letang for now.

 

[littleguybigstik]

letang and yandle will both the power play options and have a fine skill set. great comparison. i would give the edge to letang, the crosby n malkin factor. Even if we all agreed that their offensive outputs are close. the tie goes to letang. 7 games 2 games. if you have seen him play you would think a young gonchar. likes to run the pp and move the puck deep with a snappy wrist shot that creates scoring chances. 90 points is pretty high but he should be able to compile 60-65.

letang will have more oppurtunity in pitt vs yandle in the desert with all the dmen gretz has compiled. yandle has to out play michalek, ballard, morris, jovo. letang only has to worry about gonchar and maybe whitney.

i take letang

 

[Greaves]

Question about Letang...

If he is such a wonderboy (Captain of Team Canada & dominating the Q [subject to arguement]), why did he fall all the way down to the third round?

Was it...
a growth spurt? Size
or a couple college classes? Intelligence

lol, just a little humor, but seriously why the third round?

Thx.

 

[Buffalo87]

Question about Letang...

If he is such a wonderboy (Captain of Team Canada & dominating the Q [subject to arguement]), why did he fall all the way down to the third round?

Was it...
a growth spurt? Size
or a couple college classes? Intelligence

lol, just a little humor, but seriously why the third round?

Thx.

Well there are late gems in every draft (if you want to call 3rd round late) such as the guy he's being compared to in this thread, Yandle. Yandle was drafted in the 4th round that same year. This could result from many things; late-bloomer, better coaching, growth spurt, etc.

EDIT: After posting I realize this response is rather useless for your question, but I just thought I would point out a couple things.

 

[Karamazov]

I assume that's young trio. Howzabout Weber, Suter, and Hamhuis. Not to mention Franson, Parent, Klein, Laakso, and Kulyash.

I'm a Pens fan, but there is absolutely no comparing to Nashville's stable of young defensemen.

You beat me to it - the comparison isn't even close...

 

[littleguybigstik]

i think letang was over looked b/c most thought bourdon was the cog making the team go. Remember the nhl just changed the game, now puckmoving dmen, ppqb and avg size humans are an assest not just the ogres that cluctch and grab.
just my opinion...