Really for me what it it comes down too for Merkley, is he going to grow up per se? The character issues aren’t good, where there is smoke there’s fire... I’m not on the inside with knowledge of what goes on but you better believe NHL teams will get all the information they need. What if he never grows up and has all the talent in the world but doesn’t do the right things to become a professional. We see it all the time, at some point you just have to buckle down and do what needs to be done. I believe in Merkley’s potential, I like him as a prospect but I can only really evaluate what I see on the ice, so much of a player’s stock is also how they interview and what is said about them behind the scenes. (This goes for every prospect, not just Merkley).
It’s always an interesting thing on draft day when you see guys sliding, is it because they just have 1 more prospect ahead of them on their board or are there things that we aren’t privy too that makes them slide. Sometimes I forget that talent isn’t the only reason to draft a guy, there’s so much more that goes into it off the ice.