Michalek vs Richards

Milan Michalek or Mike Richards
who would you rather have

 

Michalek will be solid two-way player for 15 years.

 

Michalek.

Richards will be a solid player... but Milan Michalek has much better offensive potential.

 

I havent seen either of these guys play, but its interesting that this is the 3 michalek comparision this week. Michalek is def. a dynamic player....I cant wait till he gets healthy. I wonder though if SJ fans wish they had drafted Phaneuf(9) and Parise(17) though...those two are certainly looking to be more of the game breaker type of player that every team covets and the type of player that you build around. Imagine Stuart and Phaneuf on the blueline behind Sturm Marleau and Parise.....*drools*.

 

I think this will be an easy win for Michalek by popular choice. I haven't seen him enough to truly understand what the deal is with this guy.

All I can say is that I REALLY like Mike Richards and think he is one of the good "unsexy" picks of this draft. There is no single flashy hockey attribute in Richards that will make anyone drool. Because of that some may see him as having a limited upside.

But this guy DELIVERS. He's always there doing the things that make a team successful. And people also talk about his leadership abilities. As far as I'm concerned, I am sold on this player when I look at him on the ice.

I think you could easily make a case and say 40-50 players have more upside than Mike Richards in his draft year but don't be surprised if by the end of his NHL career he is one of the top 20 best of his draft class. he will get to the NHL, IMO . And he will have staying power and do what he always does: deliver.

His skills may be a bit underrated as well. He utilizes his skills well thanks to being a smart player. He's got the tools and unlike other prospects, I don't have second thoughts that he might not have the toolbox to use them.

Pierre McGuire has talked so much of Zach Parise that he isn't the super-secret player he uses to be. It is much the opposite. I feel personally that Mike Richards has become one of the least talked about good guys in this draft. Much like Parise, he is of relatively small built by today's standards, works hard and diligently and has nice skills. It is very strange that so much is said about Parise but almost nothing on Richards. The difference in talent between the two is NOT equal to the difference in hype and coverage, that's for sure.

 

Oh. I forgot to answer your question directly

*I* would rather have Richards, knowing fully well that it is VERY possible I will be wrong.

Why? Because I have seen him and feel safe with him. I still have doubts on Michalek because I have not seen him much. And I have decided to always go with what feels right for *me*. It works like a charm.

It's not an advice, though. Don't take it as such. He's just the player *I* would rather have based on what *I* know.

 

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Personally, out of the 2003 draft I would rather have the following players ahead of Michalek:

Fleury (Brodeur's style)
Staal (Francis's style)
Zherdev (Kovalev's style)
Horton (Gurien's style)
Phaneuf (Steven's style)
Suter (Suter's style)
Coburn (Pronger's style)
Praise (Weight's style)
Carter (Sundin's style)

Then it's between Michalek and Vanek, it all depends on how Vanek does, he's more of a hit or miss prospect, he could be the next Marian Hossa, or he can bust out.

I love Michalek, he's a great prospect, but I just don't see him becoming an offencive force in this league (I could be wrong), but if I'm right, he'll be a Bobby Holik type of player with more speed which is amazing, but not as great as the prospects I named (I could be wrong again).

But back to this thread, I would rather have Michalek over Richards.

 

Can we please stop all these "Michalek vs. ?" threads again please? Three whithin a few days should be enough IMO, especially as Michalek is still out with an injury.

 

Can we do a Michalek VS Batman real quick before we stop? :p

 

OK, I'll give you that one

 

Michalek reminds me alot of Jan Rita or Manny Malhotra. Good size and speed that play's a hard working two way game but will have little NHL succuess. So just for the record I'd take any player who's a realistic bet to break 500+ NHL games over him.

I'm basing this on my own limited viewing of him during WJC and the fact that a most posters here who claim to have watched him in the cze. league seemed very unimpressed.

 

I'll take Batman but it's close.

 

Mikey all the way.Not just because he is my hometown boy.He has been underated for too long and time will prove him to be one of the biggest steals of the draft.He does everthing well and is a complete player.I wonder what Deboer's reply to this thread would be.No knock on Michalek but hats of to the Flyers.You guys have a futur star in the making.Hats of to Vlad the Impaler also for seeing Mike for what he is-a rock solid player.

 

Michalek only because he has better offensive skills than Richards.

 

Michalek lack of scoring his been to much of a deal IMO. He has all the tools and skills, and smarts, ect. everything to become the San Jose Sharks version of Martin Havlat. He shows flashes of Gaborik as well. Plus with Selke worth defense. How can you say no to Michalek? He's going to be a 70 point scorer someday IMO.

 

So he looked like Martin Havlat, showed flashes of Gaborik and Selke worth defense in his 12-13 total minutes of NHL experience? I bet.....

I think this would be a lot closer had Richards been picked sooner, I think most people are still basing this on where they were picked and not their actual play. Had Phaneuf already been taken before the 9th spot, Calgary said they would have picked Richards, so this just shows how deep this draft was and how a player's position could've been changed 15 spots that easily.

 

OMG, I said 0 about there draft position. I'm 100% sure that Michalek is a better player. I see Michalek has a top 6 forward and Richards as a top 9.

I saw MIchalek at the WJC last year, 2 games this year, and one Czech Extra league game.