We can all go on as much as we like about RLR and how much we love Couturier, but the fact of the matter is that Couturier is not just dropping on RLR, he's dropping everywhere. Clearly, this reflects that at the moment his stock is falling in the scouting community, at least realtive to the other top prospects. And cool consideration suggests that it might be of some interest to gain an understanding of why this is happening, regardless of whether you share their assessment or not. If you're happy with weak nonsense like "he's been under the spotlight too long", well, good luck to you. Does anybody seriously think it's that simple? That professional scouts automatically go into depreciation mode once they've watched a prospect for long enough, and that this is the basic reason Couturier is falling inthe rankings?
I believe this could be the case, especially when you take into account a very important factor: these lists from ISS, RLR, SCC and so on are from independent scouting services, and these guys, although not cat litter, don't work on NHL clubs for a reason. From what I've read in Future Greats and Heartbreaks, NHL scouts, although prone to mistakes, are the ultimate judge of how much a player is valued, and until the draft comes around, we have no idea who they value the most, which is why I don't put much weight into these lists.
From a psychological angle, one would generally get more excited with the high-flying Nugent-Hopkins or the grinding skill of Landeskog this year instead of Couturier's nuanced game, especially since those RNH and GL were further back than Couturier and made bigger strides in this current season. Scouting is an inexact science, and thus current trends and sudden excitement for an individual plays big parts into who one would draft, professional or not.
Another thing I'd like to mention: only RLR considered Couturier a disappointment this year. Although he has fallen a bit in the other rankings, although not by this much, the general consensus is that Couturier was still excellent, but the other guys (Nugent-Hopkins and Landeskog) simply made more impressive strides, especially offensively, and that's why they're ahead right now. One must also remember that Couturier is still considered a two-way player when all is said and done, and thus he plays a less exciting game, although that also makes him a flexible player to mend. Coaches will love this guy in the NHL.