Griffin was drafted 4th overall. And I'm sorry, you clearly don't know what a strong skater is if you think he is a strong skater. Also, he was very good in front of the net in juniors.
Let's recap:
Point stokes because I forgot Griffin was drafted 4th in 2012.
Point DJ because of reading comprehension. I wrote "stronger," not strong.
Point DJ because he didn't play in front of the net at Kooteney. He played off hand along the left side half wall.
William Nylander and Leon Draisaitl are the two that really stand out for me as having franchise potential.
To date Reinhart has been a better pro than nylander, and equivalent to leon depending on how you feel about his second half decline and playing with taylor hall for most of his hot stretch last year.
I don't see this collection of players that have been more impressive than reinhart in that class except Ekblad.
yup, that's all we ever saw out of him. The entire time.
Actually, anyone that watched him knew he was terrific there, but questioned if that was an area that would translate due to the physicality in the NHL. It obviously has.
One could easily make a case for a forward other than Reinhart from the 2014 draft looking better than him. But there's still a large crop from that year who appear to have 'elite' or 'franchise' potential. And he's in that conversation.
They can't even drink yet.
Kooteney did not put Reinhart in front of the net to tip pucks, and there was no discussion if he'd be good at it in the NHL.
Left side, half boards, off wing on the power play. Watch the games.
Your agenda is showing on multiple threads right now.
Look, it's not all about PP deployment. He scored a ton of goals on tips and and picking up the garbage in front of the net in junior. This is not a debatable point.
You take any critique of the kid as fatalistic. We know he's a good player. We just want to know if he's good enough to get us to the prize and be worth the suffering.
You aren't being honest if you watch the Leafs and Oilers and don't think those players are clearly ahead of Sam right now. Nylander is looking like a superstar, and Draisaitl hasn't only been good because of his teammates, he shows at the World Cup that he belonged in that best on best tournament and was one of the better players.
Honest? Or I disagree. Nylander just got to the nhl and is flashy. It's not surprising you think he is better than samson.
Meanwhile a year ago, samson has a 20+ goal season playing a new position as a rookie. And this year if he buries a goal or two, which he should have, this conversation is even less reasonable than it is now.
Draisaitl is good, but samson has played great at intl competition as well. Let's see how things look in 20 games. Tho I realize you won't appreciate samson as a player unless he vastly outscores his draft mates.
Look, it's not all about PP deployment. He scored a ton of goals on tips and and picking up the garbage in front of the net in junior. This is not a debatable point.
You take any critique of the kid as fatalistic. We know he's a good player. We just want to know if he's good enough to get us to the prize and be worth the suffering. And yeah, when players from his own draft class are starting to look like they are passing him, it stings. We all want him to be the best one, but we also need to be truthful.
I guess wondering aloud about whether or not he is a franchise player = calling him a bust.
Call it agenda driven if you want. Right is right.
I guess wondering aloud about whether or not he is a franchise player = calling him a bust.
Call it agenda driven if you want. Right is right.
In your case, this is agenda driven. You have a history on this one.
And "right" is relative.
Reinhart was drafted #2 overall because of his potential to be a #1 all situations center. His hockey IQ and ability to read/anticipate plays in open ice would be the reasons he got there.
I don't think anyone projecting him to be an impact player expected it to be as a winger and the guy who stands in front of the net on PPs with no PK ice time. We expected him to do it at center as the catalyst for his line at both ends of the ice. As well as being one of the guys setting things up on the PP not the guy sitting in front. Plus getting some PK ice time using that IQ of his to disrupt opposition PPs.
He's played a grand total of 3 games as a center. If he gets a decent sized run at center with Eichel out. We will have a body of work to assess to see if he shows signs of the two way top line center we hoped for when he was drafted.
This, to me, is yet another agenda driven thread.
Some folks really need to step off the ledge. It's only been 5 games.
I guess wondering aloud about whether or not he is a franchise player = calling him a bust.
Call it agenda driven if you want. Right is right.