Prucha73 said:
What is the problem with him? too clumsy? too slow?
It's pretty tough to evaluate the really big defensemen as prospects. Valabik isn't slow, exactly, but he's awfully unpolished. I can't remember exactly (hopefully somebody else can fill it in) but didn't he turned some heads with his skating and shot at the Top Prospects evaluation? There seems to be some raw physical skill lurking in a huge and mean body there, so naturally that appeals to NHL scouts.
He looks gawky at times, but maybe you would too if you were 6-6 at 17 and just growing into your body. When I saw him early in the season, I didn't really think he was a 1st round pick, but later on, including the Top Prospects game, I started to get it. He needs patience. Just because he has a man's body doesn't mean he's going to be ready any time soon. He just needs to learn how to play within that body and get all his parts moving in the same direction at the right times. Timing, balance, positioning, de-telegraphing, he has a lot to learn and it will take time. But you can't teach size like he has, and you can't teach his mean streak, and so I can see why somebody will take him in the 1st round, hoping for the next Chara, maybe settling for the next Samuelsson, praying that he won't be the next Focht or whoever as a bust. He could be any of the above. I wouldn't take him, personally, but I can see why a team would.
