GOHL said:
Hi. I didnt receive any reply on the fantasy board so I'm looking for your help here. Thank in advance.
Im in a FHL league and looking to trade a young player for help on my second line. How do you think Upshall will become in few years ? Is he more than a 3rd line player ? Who can compare with him ?
Thank
Preds fan here so take my comments with a shaker of salt. Two years ago, I would have said he would be lucky to be anything more than a solid third liner. After watching him play last year, you got a sense of his potential. He bulked up and was arguably the Ads best forward. This year, he deserved a spot on the big club but was sent down because he, along with Tootoo, was able to avoid waivers.
He has acquitted himself well in the AHL (has an incredible PPG, especially since January) and has looked at home in Nashville. Because of his speed and grit, he has been tossed on the first line with Kariya during even strength situations. He makes that line so much better. He's one of the few players in the NHL who can skate with Kariya, and he provides a willingness to muck it up and forecheck aggressively which is something that line sorely needs.
I'd say his top potential is that of a Ryan Smyth. He's got a significant amount of work to do, but I think he has grit, sandpaper, flies to the net, and is strong along the boards. He also has displayed significant leadership skills at lower levels.
I think a more realistic comparison would be Scott Walker. I think he
can be a bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic, more talented, slightly less gritty version of Scott Walker. I don't think he'll be quite the fighter and grinder that Walker is, but I think he's got a significant edge in talent and abilities.
Unfortunately, like Walker and Smyth who are both undersized for their game, he has shown that he is injury prone. He shook that off in the past two seasons as he has gained 10 to 15 pounds of muscle so that his body can better withstand the pounding he will inevitably put it through.
I'd say he's probably going to end up, at worst, as an injury prone 3rd liner. If he stays healthy and works on his game, he can be a really good second liner that would pair nicely with a fast finesse player like Legwand or Kariya.
