Im just really not impressed with what Boqvist ha been able to do at the higher leagues in the SHL and Allsvenskan. I also think the wingers don't have as many questions marks around them and could also fill a huge hole that was left by the Hall trade and future Maroon trade/free agency.Why? Three left-handed forwards. I mean, Zadina and Svechnikov are very alluring but I don't really see what any of them would bring to the Oilers that they don't already have or have had. Tkachuk is probably a Lucic type/level player or slightly better, Zadina an Eberle type/level player and Svechnikov a Hall type/level player. These guys don't add any new dimension to the Oilers.
A skilled offensive RHD like Boqvist on the other hand does change the dynamic of the team, and I would argue the Oilers are at that point now where they're not rebuilding anymore which means they have their core in place already and have to look for guys to complement it, especially when they are drafting high like they most likely will be this year.
Boqvist could be the missing piece, I don't think any of the forwards will be that. Maybe Svechnikov since he's a pretty good goal-scorer, but as a few people already have noted in this thread, the Oilers strength in the pipeline is actually on the wings with Puljujärvi, Yamamoto, Benson, Maksimov, Safin.
Im just really not impressed with what Boqvist ha been able to do at the higher leagues in the SHL and Allsvenskan. I also think the wingers don't have as many questions marks around them and could also fill a huge hole that was left by the Hall trade and future Maroon trade/free agency.
Boqvist could be the biggest boom in the draft but I could see Zadina/Svechnikov being Draisaitl level players and Tkachuk being a mirror image of his brother or even better. Team speed and goal scoring is what I would like to address the most on this team.
I haven't seen a ton of players this year, but I think Boqvist is pretty easily the most talented player in the draft after Dahlin.
How is hughes?
I just watched this video, not very impressive IMO. Reminds me of David Perron.
Yeah he reminds me a bit of his brother in the sense that all the numbers are there, but when you look at him there's nothing that really blows you away. I know a lot of people have praised his skating but I really don't find it that spectacular or elite. In fact his stride looks a bit awkward. But he has a strong all around game, seems to think the game quite well, good shot, good hands, can play in traffic and goes to the net, so that should translate well to the NHL. Just not sure what his actual upside is.
If Yak had size he would dominate the leagueWhen I hear people talking about him being a replacement for Hall, he is nowhere near as dynamic. He reminds me of a bigger but slower Yakupov.
More like if Yak had any hockey sense at all.If Yak had size he would dominate the league
Kournianous, who I've always got time for, has Ty Smith at #5 and Boqvist at #6.
If you can pick one of the two, who do you go for?
My only "worry" about Boqvist, if you want to call it that, is that he has to be at least 2 years away, unlike Dahlin. And you know how the Oilers love to slow burn their prospects.
Is Bouchard fast enough for today's NHL? Or will he be Cody Franson.
I don't even want to look at the top 5, I am expecting us to finish 5 worst and fall 3 spots to 8th. I think the team is probably looking at Bode Wilde or Evan Bouchard. Lately they seem to have a fetish with guys who aren't the greatest skaters. At least that seems to be the guys Chia has been bringing in.