Sens Board Prospect Rankings 2015 (4th)

[Dr.Sens(e)]

ok so i am feeling like i dont know anything about Paul now. i thought he was projected to be a good defensive third liner that might get into 2nd/3rd tweener territory but now that he has been voted our second best prospect i am confused.

i assume his potential(based on his ranking)is top 6 2way beast kinda similar to stone? is that right? if not what is his potential?

Paul's been a late bloomer and his offensive game has really advanced. But I think it is fair to still put a limit on his offensive upside. He does not have elite vision or play making, and when all is said and done, he is still just a slightly better than a ppg last year in the OHL. He is mostly a goal scorer, which as a center, can be a bit problematic if you want a top 6 spot (unless your name is Stamkos or MacKinnon). Lazar by comparison, has quite a bit more skill and natural goal scoring ability in terms of pure upside, although Paul's frame and natural strength certainly bring something else to the table that might give him a leg up on a guy like Lazar. I'm not sure he'll ever be more than a 20-20 guy, but perhaps he can end up as a slightly bigger Mike Fisher type. Either way, he's a going to be a terrific pro, and he probably has the least amount of risk of all our guys his age or younger, and perhaps even less risk than Puempel or Prince. But I also think his puck skills and offensive upside is a bit lower than those guys too. There's reason to look forward to having him on our team, but any projections as a 1st line center are really stepping well beyond what you can ultimately expect from Paul, even if he reaches his full potential.