More Valuable Trade Asset at time of Draft - Matthews vs Eichel vs Dahlin

[bobholly39]

Which of these 3 players do you believe was the most valuable trade asset at the time or draft, and why?

Bonus question - whose more valuable today (taking contracts/rfa status/elc status into account).

In my opinion at time of draft the most valuable player was:

1. Dahlin. I don't remember the last time (if ever) a defenseman was as hyped as he was. I think his value was through the roof at the draft - and although I typically think a franchise #1C is more valuable than a #1D - i think as a prospect he was the exception.

2. Eichel. I think all the hype surrounding McDavid helped raise his stock a lot - and I think he was more valuable at time of draft than Matthews was

3. Still incredibly hyped prospect and very valuable - but if anything Laine's surge towards end of his draft year probably hurts his value a bit at time of draft. He also didn't have the McDavid hype to help him.


Today I think i'd rank them as:

1. Matthews. He started out his career better than the others (well Dahlin we'll see, still early) and better than anyone could have expected really. Improved every year and great performances this year. The RFA status doesn't scare me as much as it might others.

2. Dahlin. Was tempted to put him at #1 - but I still think Franchise center > Franchise D and Matthews has been dynamite since the start, so no reason to put him behind Dahlin

3. Eichel. He started out slower than Matthews, and there was even all of that talk/drama out of Buffalo about not liking his coach, etc. I think this hurt his value at least somewhat versus the other 2. He's playing insane this year and I think it's certainly close to the other 2 and potential is still there for him to be the best of the 3 - but I think those 2 factors have his value as slightly behind the other 2.

What does everyone else think?

This is strictly in terms of trade value. Not necessarily saying who is more valuable on-the ice. Of course there's a correlation between the 2 but it's not the exact same thing

Click to read more...

 

[Icebreakers]

Eichel
Dahlin
Matthews


Eichel was deemed as generational and would be the first pick of the draft in any yearyear out McDavid and Crosby

18 year old hobey C and a physical freak athlete.

Forwards are easier to project than D so that's why Eichel goes 1

 

[ijuka]

Eichel
Dahlin
Matthews


Eichel was deemed as generational and would be the first pick of the draft in any yearyear out McDavid and Crosby

18 year old hobey C and a physical freak athlete.

Forwards are easier to project than D so that's why Eichel goes 1

What...

He was deemed as a very strong #1OA. But he didn't even get hyped as much as Matthews.

 

[Icebreakers]

What...

He was deemed as a very strong #1OA. But he didn't even get hyped as much as Matthews.

He was more hyped than Matthews. Lol.


Matthews was a very good prospect and worthy of the first pick but he played in Switzerland so no one had comparables to his production. Jack Eichel only comparable stat wise is Paul Kariya

 

[Tage2Tuch]

What...

He was deemed as a very strong #1OA. But he didn't even get hyped as much as Matthews.

Yes he did, it was close but even bob mckenzie said Matthews would go after Eichel if they were all in the same year at the time, search Eichel draft video on YouTube McKenzie says it and there were tons of Eichel vs mcdavid stories and when they met each other the first two times it was a huuuuuhe deal and got overshadowed by Matthews because of his start, the fact Eichel got injured at the time and the fact Matthews’s as a number one in another Canadian market and had an insane rookie year.


Also this idea that Eichel started slow is a bit bogus, he has 13 less points then Matthews who I just said had an insane rookie year. You can talk about team success but Matthews had the help of being confident in the new ( Freddy) a long with the genesis of luxury of riches up front with willie Nylander and Mitchell marner.

Eichel didn’t drag his team to the playoffs like Matthews did with the help of said names but eichels team was deadman’s last for two years in a row before Eichel joined them then in the next yet they go from that to at least a plus .500 record,
So they improved greatly. So yes Eichel started slower compared to his reduction from the beginning of year two to now but not considerably slower like best bust territory. Even eichels worst year (that rookie year which happened to be ironically his only full season) that total was still higher then four of Nathan Mackinnons 6 seasons, lol so slow can be taken with a grain of salt, slower Then Matthews rookie year though? Absolutely, that phrasing is better.

 

[Albus Dumbledore]

from my understanding it was at the time of their respective draft

Dahlin
Eichel
Matthews

Dahlin was supposed to be as good if not better then Eichel. And matthews without hindsight and if he was was a few days older would have gone 3rd in the 2015 draft according to bobby mac.

 

[Randy Randerson]

Eichel
Matthews
Dahlin

it feels like Dahlin got more public hype because of the "generational defenseman" angle, but defensemen are a weaker pool than forwards at the very top so I think he looked better against his comparables without any adjustment for them being a weaker set of comparables than Eichel or Matthews had. I think if you polled the heads of scouting departments it goes Eichel, Matthews, Dahlin, and I think they would all tier together if in the same draft a la Strome/Hanifin/Marner in their draft


good poll though, it looks like there's a huge variety of opinions

 

[Silky mitts]

I voted AM, Dahlin, Eichel, Matthews is the only guy who went in front of anyone great in Laine, and Laine was charging, but Matthews has that size and those hands and you could sell him immediately better than the others

 

[bobholly39]

What...

He was deemed as a very strong #1OA. But he didn't even get hyped as much as Matthews.

There was definitely some talk of 'generational' around Eichel. Again - it wasn't necessarily warranted, more a by-product of being #2 to McDavid in the same year - but it was still there. I think there was more hype around Eichel than Matthews.

Expectations were more grounded and realistic for Matthews.

 

[bobholly39]

I voted AM, Dahlin, Eichel, Matthews is the only guy who went in front of anyone great in Laine, and Laine was charging, but Matthews has that size and those hands and you could sell him immediately better than the others

I think that hurts his value more than anything.

Eichel's stock got raised by McDavid with the talk of "omg can he be as good as McDavid? Should he be considered for #1?"

Dahlin was pretty unanimous #1 in his year so it's different.

Matthews it was more "wow Matthews is great but....that Laine guy is insane...should I pick him instead?".

I think that would hurt his value more than raise it.

 

[Silky mitts]

I think that hurts his value more than anything.

Eichel's stock got raised by McDavid with the talk of "omg can he be as good as McDavid? Should he be considered for #1?"

Dahlin was pretty unanimous #1 in his year so it's different.

Matthews it was more "wow Matthews is great but....that Laine guy is insane...should I pick him instead?".

I think that would hurt his value more than raise it.

That’s all narrative, there’s no evidence any of that would impact the value of them as assets by GMs, but the most valuable franchise in the NHL took him over Laine and made him the face of their rebuild, built around him, actions that speak to the value they placed on Matthews as an asset.

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

Eichel
Dahlin
Matthews

The leafs were set to draft 1st OA and most of us leafs fans had no idea how good Matthews would be or much about him at all. It was a very pleasant suprise.

Eichel on the other hand was hyped up with McDavid, and was said to be a generational centre, who would go 1st OA in any other year, and potentially challenge McDavid for 1st OA.

Dahlin was hyped as the next Lidstrom. That says enough.

 

[The Moose is Loose]

Eichel was 1st. He somehow had just as much if not more hype than the others, and he was guaranteed 2nd OA.

I remember many saying Matthews would have gone 3rd if he was a couple days older.

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Eichel got hyped because the media was trying to sell a rivalry with McDavid, not because he was some generational talent.

Dahlin
Eichel
Matthews

 

[Plural]

1. Dahlin
2. Matthews
3. Eichel

 

[Plural]

Eichel got hyped because the media was trying to sell a rivalry with McDavid, not because he was some generational talent.

Dahlin
Eichel
Matthews

He was particularly strong #2 who would have gone #1 in many years. But yeah, there was overhyping by media in trying to create some competition. Eichel was never close to McDavid and there was never a team even playing with the idea of having Eichel at #1.

 

[Ctrain2k]

It was definitely Dahlin, Eichel then Matthews.

 

[Tage2Tuch]

Eichel got hyped because the media was trying to sell a rivalry with McDavid, not because he was some generational talent.

Dahlin
Eichel
Matthews

Right.

Because mcdavid couldn’t draw on his own they needed a rival for him.

Did sid need a rival in his draft year? No.

It couldn’t be that the guys just GOOD and was just...that good.

I heard tons of people call Eichel generational during the time mainly because that stupid tag was gaining traction at the time and because of the time and because he is after all a world class talent.

He may literally be pound for pound the most complete player in this entire league, skill set wise.
Shame so few actually watch him.

It’s taken until this year for anyone to even notice him because his team is actually winning and he hasn’t sprained his ankle, yet knock on wood. He’s already day to day for the first time. Bob McKenzie said Matthews would of gone third if they were together, that should show how much Eichel was thought of including posters everywhere on front of thenhockey news “meet the next decades new face of USA hockey”

 

[SillyRabbit]

Eichel
Dahlin
Matthews


Eichel was deemed as generational and would be the first pick of the draft in any yearyear out McDavid and Crosby

18 year old hobey C and a physical freak athlete.

Forwards are easier to project than D so that's why Eichel goes 1

This is the correct one. Eichel was being touted as a 1b with McDavid.

 

[ESH]

Eichel would’ve been hyped even more if he wasn’t the same draft year as the best prospect since Crosby. He was arguably the 2nd best prospect since Crosby.

 

[BlueBaron]

Lol. It has come to this has it?

Buffalo can have the most hyped guys ever. Is there a trophy for that?