Prospect Info: Round 2, Pick 52, Wade Allison, RW, Tri-City (USHL)

[Magua]

I'm hesistant to bail on NAK already after the majority of the team has looked like ass all year.

But year, when I was still watching, he was dissapointing.

He'll need a great camp next year to even make the team with Allison, Frost, Tanner in the mix.

The same people giddy about getting rid of NAK are the same people who were giddy about waivers last season. He can join the entire team almost with his disappointing season. But disappointment needs definition and contextualization. His defensive stats this season? They were stellar last season....but are still okay! His offensive numbers -- not in scoring, which is fine, but on-ice numbers -- are down slightly (3/4 of his most common linemates are Raffl, Bunny, Patrick). But his skill is playing a lower event possession game, minimizing defensive chances/zone time.

He takes stupid penalties -- stick infractions need to be cut down -- but there's a disconnect when people want an in-your-face energy player.....but not the penalties that often come with the territory. The skill-set that gave him success last season still seem apparent. Terrific wheels, forechecking, uncanny patience with the puck for a 4th liner. Which of Allison, Frost, Laczynski (who has been deemed a center) is playing 4RW? Where's the overlap? LW/C looks far murkier depending on expansion, Frost, Patrick's status, Laughton's awesome 5 year contract.....

 

[Curufinwe]

The funniest thing about NAK is that his penchant for bad penalties has always been there, but the critics who partied when he was waived never brought that up, instead making bizarre claims about him having no hands or being small and wimpy.

 

[Magua]

I always ask about each player, "How does he win on the ice?" Wade's ability to win puck battles and sustain cycles -- and then getting into the paint again -- is definitely shining. That's good shit. I've dinged his hockey sense in the past, and while he's no Farabee, it hasn't stood out negatively in a more structured (*Larry David GIF*) setting. In the past, I thought his decisions could be slow or, conversely, iffy with too much time, but he's clearly playing up to the pace and playing off his linemates. Again, not a playmaker, but he's made his share of smart passes and is playing within himself.

What I'd like to see more next season is using his wheels in transition to create entries, even self-chips. He's quite skilled, but he's seemed slightly passive in taking on 1-on-1s or in creating his own shot (he's getting plenty shot attempts, but I have a hunch they're mostly paint scrambles).

 

[Curufinwe]

I'm hesistant to bail on NAK already after the majority of the team has looked like ass all year.

But year, when I was still watching, he was dissapointing.

He'll need a great camp next year to even make the team with Allison, Frost, Tanner in the mix.

One thing NAK has on those guys is that he didn't have surgery this year.

 

[Rebels57]

The same people giddy about getting rid of NAK are the same people who were giddy about waivers last season. He can join the entire team almost with his disappointing season. But disappointment needs definition and contextualization. His defensive stats this season? They were stellar last season....but are still okay! His offensive numbers -- not in scoring, which is fine, but on-ice numbers -- are down slightly (3/4 of his most common linemates are Raffl, Bunny, Patrick). But his skill is playing a lower event possession game, minimizing defensive chances/zone time.

He takes stupid penalties -- stick infractions need to be cut down -- but there's a disconnect when people want an in-your-face energy player.....but not the penalties that often come with the territory. The skill-set that gave him success last season still seem apparent. Terrific wheels, forechecking, uncanny patience with the puck for a 4th liner. Which of Allison, Frost, Laczynski (who has been deemed a center) is playing 4RW? Where's the overlap? LW/C looks far murkier depending on expansion, Frost, Patrick's status, Laughton's awesome 5 year contract.....

Probably best to revisit that after Expansion and the free agency period. Too many unknowns. I don't think NAK is a shoe-in for the Top 12 though when the organization is going to be trying hard to overhaul the roster this summer. Perfectly fine with him as 4RW next season though.

Hell, NAK could end up in Seattle for all we know.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

I think Allison has shown so far he can be a useful player in the bottom 6. He does things away from the puck well. Yes he can improve on some things like any young player but I like what I have seen so far.

 

[mja]

The funniest thing about NAK is that his penchant for bad penalties has always been there, but the critics who partied when he was waived never brought that up, instead making bizarre claims about him having no hands or being small and wimpy.

It's almost as if they never watched him actually play.

 

[Tripod]

Maybe we should not worry about having "too much depth" and penciling in 12 forwards when we always will have injuries to deal with.

 

[deadhead]

I thought certain people here overrated NAK because he was put on waivers, as a way of slamming Fletcher.

The truth is he's the same guy he was in the AHL, fast, physical, with stiff hands and a bit of a straight line skater who struggles to finish.
His problem is an inconsistent motor, that was a problem when I watched him in LHV games, some games he jumped out at you, some he was MIA, but he's not skilled enough to take periods or games off.
When you're a 4th line winger on the bubble, you can't be that inconsistent and keep a job in the long run.
Last season he seemed to learn from playing with Pitlick, a limited player who skated like his pants were on fire every shift.
This year he's been more up and down, some stretches where he brought it, some stretches where he mailed it in.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Nah, there was no need to overrate NAK to slam Fletcher for choosing Stewart over him. Even an underrated version of NAK was better than Stewart.

 

[Jettany]

Nah, there was no need to overrate NAK to slam Fletcher for choosing Stewart over him. Even an underrated version of NAK was better than Stewart.

Did he sign Stewart before, nak being put on waivers? Was Stewart the cause of that? I’m not sure that’s the case.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Did he sign Stewart before, nak being put on waivers? Was Stewart the cause of that? I’m not sure that’s the case.

Stewart was here on a tryout and he selected Stewart for the last roster spot over NAK, who was waived right after and then Stewart was signed.

NAK should have had the spot and Stewart never should have been a Flyer.

 

[deadhead]

It was a bit more complex than that, they had sent Farabee down, but with the intention of bringing him back after the road trip.
And Stewart was signed as the 13th forward, basically to gather splinters, while they felt NAK was better served playing in LHV than sitting in Philly.
Farabee was going to play ahead of NAK in any case.

 

[Beef Invictus]

It was a bit more complex than that, they had sent Farabee down, but with the intention of bringing him back after the road trip.
And Stewart was signed as the 13th forward, basically to gather splinters, while they felt NAK was better served playing in LHV than sitting in Philly.
Farabee was going to play ahead of NAK in any case.

It wasn't complex. Fletcher had decided the last roster spot would be reserved for a gritty trash veteran. He brought in a group of them (most with Wild ties). Stewart was worse than Andreoff in that group, and despite that Stewart still got preference.

Fletcher was just on a quest to squeeze Stewart on the roster however he could regardless of whether there were better options. He believed that role was important and needed filling, even though it wasn't.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

NAK is dime-a-dozen trash. For the role he fills, the Flyers need someone who brings a consistent, relentless energy.

 

[deadhead]

It wasn't complex. Fletcher had decided the last roster spot would be reserved for a gritty trash veteran. He brought in a group of them (most with Wild ties). Stewart was worse than Andreoff in that group, and despite that Stewart still got preference.

Fletcher was just on a quest to squeeze Stewart on the roster however he could regardless of whether there were better options. He believed that role was important and needed filling, even though it wasn't.

You don't put prospects who need further development in that role, where they play once a month.
The 13th forward is almost always a marginal veteran like Andreoff or Stewart.
Same way you don't use someone like Zamula as your 7th defenseman when they could play fulltime in LHV.

 

[Tripod]

It wasn't complex. Fletcher had decided the last roster spot would be reserved for a gritty trash veteran. He brought in a group of them (most with Wild ties). Stewart was worse than Andreoff in that group, and despite that Stewart still got preference.

Fletcher was just on a quest to squeeze Stewart on the roster however he could regardless of whether there were better options. He believed that role was important and needed filling, even though it wasn't.

Just think, we waived NAK and Ghost in favour of Stewart and Prosser.

Shit like that is why people don't trust Fletch to make a good trade this offseason to actually help the Flyers where we have needs.

 

[TCTC]

NAK is dime-a-dozen trash. For the role he fills, the Flyers need someone who brings a consistent, relentless energy.

It's a shame we lost Pitlick. He was the perfect 4th liner.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

It's a shame we lost Pitlick. He was the perfect 4th liner.

Much superior to NAK.

NAK is another young player they relied on this season who failed in his role.

 

[deadhead]

Just think, we waived NAK and Ghost in favour of Stewart and Prosser.

Shit like that is why people don't trust Fletch to make a good trade this offseason to actually help the Flyers where we have needs.

Except that isn't true.
We waived NAK because we were going to recall Farabee, Stewart was destined to the press box either way.
We waived Ghost for cap room, either way we were going to either clear his salary or get some extra room so we could dump Gus.

Prosser played all of 6 games, Morin has played far more, but hasn't been that much better (though more fun).

 

[Beef Invictus]

You don't put prospects who need further development in that role, where they play once a month.
The 13th forward is almost always a marginal veteran like Andreoff or Stewart.
Same way you don't use someone like Zamula as your 7th defenseman when they could play fulltime in LHV.

You just don't have that role. You play the best players you can and you don't give roster spots to ECHL players. They snuck Stewart into games as fast as they could too, he played through October to start the season. NAK would have been an upgrade.

It was indefensible.

 

[Curufinwe]

It's a shame we lost Pitlick. He was the perfect 4th liner.

wouldnt have changed anything about this season. Much better players than him have struggled.

 

[TCTC]

wouldnt have changed anything about this season. Much better players than him have struggled.

It wouldn't have made us a playoff team this season, but he's still only 29 and makes just $1.75m per year.
Obviously Fletcher thought NAK would be able to replace him, but we definitely downgraded.

 

[FlyTimmo]

Nice to see the idealization of a whatever 4th liner

 

[Curufinwe]

NAK was just one of several guys making Pitlick redundant. You can’t know in advance Frost, Laczynski and Allison would all miss large chunks of the season.

11 points in 38 games for a bad Arizona team while getting regular PP time. That’s meh.