. Between Andrae , Grans and Wallinder the last one was the worse choice.
No, not really. Not at all.
Helge Grans was atrocious in Malmo. His decisions on when to pinch were baffling (He decides it's always a good time to pinch.) and he is either in 2 modes defensively; Stand around and watch the puck or chase it like a dog chasing a car. The kid should not have been up in the SHL last season.
Emil Andrae is a long shot to be any better than Joe Hicketts as that little offensive defenseman that sometimes makes it pro. And he's not nearly fast enough to make up for a total lack of strength and size. The times I saw HV71 play he was noticeably out of place. He's going to have to work on his game in the Allsvenskan before making the jump back to the SHL.
Wallinder is a total project but he's a better skater than the above players, a better passer than both of them, and arguably a better shooter than them. What he needs to improve right now is strength/conditioning, pace of play and attention to detail in systems and defensively. He's probably never going to have elite defensive IQ like Seider but the makings of a potential top 4 puck mover are there. Maybe he becomes our Edler. Maybe he becomes like Leddy.
Rogle is going to be a big test for him next season because they lost a few veterans like Daniel Zaar, their top scorer (Torpedo in the KHL), Simon Ryfors, their 2nd leading scorer (Tampa Bay) Eric Gelinas (Carolina), and they lost Mo Seider (Detroit). But I think the Abbott brothers program in Rogle is top notch, and they aren't afraid of playing rookies if they prove they deserve the icetime.
If you look up some of those names on defense you'll see there's a pretty good chance that if Wallinder isn't a total screwup he is very likely to be in Rogle's top 4. Ryan McKiernan is coming over from Eisbaren Berlin as their veteran puckmoving defenseman but he's never played in the SHL. Their number 2 defenseman is probably Lukas Ekestahl-Jonsson. Erlund Lesund, Tony Sund and Thimo Nickl are depth guys. A second pair spot is Wallinder's to lose.
I preach patience with Wallinder. He's likely a 4 or 5 year project before even sniffing the NHL. We're just past his first season with the DRW organization.
(But seriously this kid should probably do some squats.)