Prospect Info: Penguins #10 prospect - RUNOFF

[Burgs]

Samuelsson (38.46%) and Zlobin (37.50%) ended up virtually tied so we're having another 24 hour runoff. Seems like a choice between readiness and potential.

Click to read more...

 

[bathroomSTAAL]

Aww yeah

 

[penguins2946*]

Zoblin has the higher ceiling (2nd line winger vs bottom pair D), so I'll go with him.

 

[Corvidae]

Guentzel

 

[SprootsMasterFlex]

Kevin Hayes

 

[Shady Machine]

Sammy all day.

 

[Corvidae]

Kevin Hayes

He will have a 3-way battle against DP and KK once officially signed. Everyone after else will be bumped down one. We could probably just get that thread started now since it's merely a formality.

 

[OilerPensfan97]

Sammy.

 

[Fordy]

AZ baby

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Samuelsson. He's proven he can be an NHL player.

 

[iFishyHD]

Samuelsson.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

If they're still tied at the end of the voting period, will a two-man sack race be held on consecutive Sundays until a champion can be crowned?

 

[Speaking Moistly]

I couldn't decide before and I can't decide now.

 

[DrDangles]

Zlobz

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Zlobin sounds like Zetterberg and I heard Zetterberg is a decent player...

 

[Uemoda]

Zlobin just makes me giddy. He has serious potential.

 

[Country Mac]

Skillful

Minded

Biscuit

Scorer

 

[Coach Travis]

Dead heat! 32 to 32!

I think Samuelsson is more of a "sure thing" but like Zlobin's potential.

 

[Corvidae]

Dead heat! 32 to 32!

I think Samuelsson is more of a "sure thing" but like Zlobin's potential.

Meh, we'll probably just lose Sam on waviers mid-season.

 

[jmelm]

Seems like a choice between readiness and potential.

I do not believe this should be a matter of readiness versus potential, because I really do not think that there is a significant difference in potential.

Zlobin may seem more alluring, but that's only because of our relative depth on D versus weakness at forward. But Zlobin does NOT have top line upside, and he doesn't really look like a player who would be a strong and prototypical 3rd liner either. So realistically, Zlobin's upside (if he reaches it) is probably more of a second line complementary winger, and more of a boom or bust type of player.

Samuelsson is a guy whose ultimate upside is a solid 2nd pairing Dman, which is a commodity that is equally (and perhaps even more) valuable than a 2nd line winger. Additionally, Samuelsson looks like he's at least a good bet to be a solid 3rd pairing Dman at worst, whether that happens on our team or another. So it looks as if he's more of a sure bet, and the upside between the two is the same.

If we were really voting on upside, I think it's very clear that the choice should be Jake Guentzel. He's clearly the most skilled guy on the board, and is coming off a freshman season that could only be described as highly successful and as good as or better than could be hoped for. Scott Wilson, secondarily, is another guy who has been very productive and I believe has more pure upside than Zlobin.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Ogrezilla]

I do not believe this should be a matter of readiness versus potential, because I really do not think that there is a significant difference in potential.

Zlobin may seem more alluring, but that's only because of our relative depth on D versus weakness at forward. But Zlobin does NOT have top line upside, and he doesn't really look like a player who would be a strong and prototypical 3rd liner either. So realistically, Zlobin's upside (if he reaches it) is probably more of a second line complementary winger, and more of a boom or bust type of player.

Samuelsson is a guy whose ultimate upside is a solid 2nd pairing Dman, which is a commodity that is equally (and perhaps even more) valuable than a 2nd line winger. Additionally, Samuelsson looks like he's at least a good bet to be a solid 3rd pairing Dman at worst, whether that happens on our team or another. So it looks as if he's more of a sure bet, and the upside between the two is the same.

If we were really voting on upside, I think it's very clear that the choice should be Jake Guentzel. He's clearly the most skilled guy on the board, and is coming off a freshman season that could only be described as highly successful and as good as or better than could be hoped for. Scott Wilson, secondarily, is another guy who has been very productive and I believe has more pure upside than Zlobin.

Just my 2 cents.

you just explained why I keep voting for Guentzel, and why I voted Ulf Jr in this runoff.

Guentzel is more skillful minded in his biscuit scoring than Zlobin.

 

[stepdad gaary]

cant believe a potential 7th defenseman is beating a potential top 6 winger...

Samuelsson is a guy whose ultimate upside is a solid 2nd pairing Dman, which is a commodity that is equally (and perhaps even more) valuable than a 2nd line winger. Additionally, Samuelsson looks like he's at least a good bet to be a solid 3rd pairing Dman at worst, whether that happens on our team or another. So it looks as if he's more of a sure bet, and the upside between the two is the same.

lol. The guy is 23 and not getting any better. He's nothing more than a player that goes from team to team by way of waivers and 2-way contracts. The only reason he is this far is because of his name

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

cant believe a potential 7th defenseman is beating a potential top 6 winger...

Yeah. Have to agree.

I get that NHL readiness is a big factor. And I also understand that Zlobin is a longshot. But I think Sammy, though valuable in his own way (that NHL readiness should help this season in a 7th/8th role) pretty much is what he is. Zlobin is still pretty young and coming off of just his first pro season... where he undoubtedly had some valleys but also some pretty intriguing peaks. I think saying definitely that he has no top six upside is very premature.

There is also the ever-present "need" factor that elevates his status to me, slightly.

 

[Burgs]

I do not believe this should be a matter of readiness versus potential, because I really do not think that there is a significant difference in potential.

I agree that Zlobin's upside is pretty much a complementary 2nd line winger. Not very gifted athletically and I wonder whether he can create his own offense (and if he can't, whether he meshes well with our centers). But he has shown a knack for clutch scoring in the past and a dedication to round out his game. And he plays at a position of greatest need so he will get his chances.

But IMO Samuelsson has nowhere near 2nd pairing potential. Despres is a guy with solid 2nd pairing potential. So are Dumoulin and Harrington. But Samuelsson simply doesn't have the talent level for those minutes. A solid, defensively responsible guy but he offers nothing else. He has no offense, he's not particulary tough, he's doesn't have great size, he doesn't wow you with his hockey sense. I see him as a tougher version of Brian Strait. Samuelsson is pretty much NHL ready but IMO has one of the lowest ceilings of all our D prospects.

I still voted Samuelsson mostly based on readiness, and to acknowledge his good development (I used to be, and probably still am, one of his biggest doubters here) over the last few seasons. And because Zlobin's pro sample size is not very big yet, really only the 2014 playoffs.

If we were really voting on upside, I think it's very clear that the choice should be Jake Guentzel. He's clearly the most skilled guy on the board, and is coming off a freshman season that could only be described as highly successful and as good as or better than could be hoped for. Scott Wilson, secondarily, is another guy who has been very productive and I believe has more pure upside than Zlobin.

Yeah Guentzel is an intriguing guy. I haven't voted for him yet because it's so early in his development both physically and as a player. He's still a featherweight, can he survive in the pros if he stays so small? He had a good rookie year but how much of that was owed to being Archibald's linemate for a big part of it? At least Zlobin has shown his stuff in the Memorial Cup and the Baby Pens playoffs. Guentzel hasn't had those chances yet so it's not easy to judge his upside.

And Wilson I find hard to project at this point, too, but for different reasons. His points dropped sharply in his junior year but he battled injuries and apparently also focused on getting better in his own zone. He's also rather small but not afraid to give or take a hit. I wonder what kind of player he will be or even wants to be in the AHL.