hkydave04
Registered User
- Mar 8, 2016
- 52
- 31
Here are my thoughts on Perfetti:
He reminds me most of modern Kucherov (whom I view as primarily a passer now vs a sniper when he entered the league). Firstly Perfetti has a complete offensive toolkit. I think his most impressive offensive quality is his knowledge of each of his teammate's and each defender's position at all times in the O-zone. His ability to pull a defender to him and then thread a pass across the middle into the slot or the opposite wing for a one timer is extremely high quality. It's very reminiscent for me to Kuch finding Point in the slot or Stamkos at the other wall on the Tampa PP. His passes are also extremely accurate, always onto the stick and rarely picked off even when it's under a sliding defender or through someone pressuring him. When his team turns it over, Perfetti is really good at reading the breakout pass and picking it off.
His ability to find teammates is heavily predicated on his stick handling ability. He loves to turn away from his check to gain a bit of space, then turn back while toe dragging around or beating the triangle through the defender. This lets him buy time to find a teammate and pushes the defense back so that he has the space he needs. His hands are also great for beating defenders off the rush to get a break and the goalie to bury chances in close or on breakaways.
His shot is also high quality. He likes to float into the slot and release an accurate wrister or set up on the half wall to bury a one timer. I haven't seen him be effective from distance so I think he lacks power, but his placement is great. He also has a fairly deceptive release IMO, pulling the puck into his body to change the angle. In combination with his hands and passing ability it makes him a very complete offensive threat.
My main criticism of Perfetti is his intensity. He gets bulled over a lot and doesn't finish his checks. If he sees a big hit coming he often turns away even if it means surrendering possession- making a rushed pass or letting his opponent win a puck in the corner. He sneaks into the slot, but doesn't battle to stay there.
I think this makes his skating look worse than it is. Certainly his stride looks sluggish to me and he isn't a burner, but his pivots and agility are great. He often ends up trailing the play though. Some of this is his lack of top end speed, some of this is his desire to get lost as a trailer, but I think a lot of it too is his lack of intensity to burn his way up and down the ice.
It also makes his physicality look worse than it is. I've seen him fend off checks well, use his body well to protect the puck. He's just too reluctant to really battle it out for the puck. He does a great job as the third man into a scrum, reaching in and pulling the puck away with his hands, but doesn't do as well as the guy actively engaging his opponent.
Ultimately I like Perfetti a lot. I think he'd be a great partner for Zadina and they'd put up a lot of points together. Furthermore I think he has sky high potential and would improve s lot with the right coaching. If he cleans up his stride mechanics and builds his lower body, I think his skating can get a lot better. If he puts on some weight, I think he'll stand up to physicality a lot better and be a nightmare to strip the puck from. If he gets proper coaching on how to better balance trailing the play and more aggressively pressure defenders or push the pace, I think he'll be more involved in the play. All of his flaws are very addressable, but you never know if it will actually happen. Either way his strengths are tremendous. He can shoot, pass and stick handle as well as anyone in the draft. He makes very creative plays and finds holes in the defense very well.
Sounds too much like Zadina to me, not a bad thing, just we already have that type player. And i don't like his lack of fight or intensity, which i noticed watching videos of him. I also don't see him as a center in the NHL, which is another draw back. Again a similar style player to Zadina. I prefer Rossi who has the skill and high intensity and a center in NHL. Raymond as my 2nd choice. Drysdale is my 3rd choice and Perfetti my 4th
