HF Habs: When will the Habs have an elite forward?

[salbutera]

The top few are usually good, plus one or two later picks per draft. Question is whether those are identified by skill or by luck. Some are certainly luck as they change unpredictably, but say Pavelski, Hoffman, Stone, Gaudreau, Kucherov, Point, Bratt, Marchand, just searching high scorers outside the first round or two...

The Senators and Lightning did some serious drafting.

Other than mostly being mostly small or very small (Hoffman is big) for hockey players I don't know how much they have in common. I'm too lazy to check their pre-draft stats and compare to peers just now.

Did they really though? I posted a few weeks back Al Murray was following Point since he was 15 while working for Hockey Canada, he also was following Cirelli from a fairly young age - were they more to do with recent bias, as in Murray joined TBay in 2011 with hockey Canada connections in tact and played those cards because the last few years have been pretty poor drafts for TBay and that seems to align with changing of the guard of hockey Canada staff.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I think Suzuki will be one, I also think Caufield will be one, so I’ll say we will have 2 within 3 years.

 

[Canadienna]

Potential top 6 players, who HAVEN'T produced like top 6 players yet (granted KK is still young) is very disappointing for top 3 picks. If that's we get from top 3 picks, we are decades from having an elite forward, outside of getting lucky.

Lol the very fact you are referring to two 3rd overall picks as "top 3 picks" shows you're not looking at this objectively. Respectfully.

 

[MasterD]

Lol the very fact you are referring to two 3rd overall picks as "top 3 picks" shows you're not looking at this objectively. Respectfully.

Please expand. How are 3rd OV picks not in the year's "top 3 picks"? Unless you mean our scouting is awful, in which case we agree.

 

[DAChampion]

Please expand. How are 3rd OV picks not in the year's "top 3 picks"? Unless you mean our scouting is awful, in which case we agree.

Galchenyuk was drafted 3rd in a weak draft.

 

[MasterD]

Galchenyuk was drafted 3rd in a weak draft.

Yes, like I posted 2 pages ago.

 

[dinodebino]

Get your paws on PLD and tadam! You'll have one!

 

[Canadienna]

Please expand. How are 3rd OV picks not in the year's "top 3 picks"? Unless you mean our scouting is awful, in which case we agree.

What I'm saying is you could also refer to them as top 10 picks or first round picks and technically be correct.

Seems easier to call them 3rd overall picks. Why bother with the top 3 moniker other than to oversell their value.

Anyways, this started with you saying we had nothing to show from two "top 3" picks, which obviously isn't true. I think Kotkaniemi has the chance to be something special, but no doubt we didn't maximize those picks. Hindsight's 20/20 though and the same could be said for a lot of teams.

 

[SB164]

I think the Habs are the only team without a legit elite superstar forward in the last 20-30 years.

The only other team without an elite superstar forward in the past 20 years until recently were the Arizona Coyotes (Shane Doan wasn't elite, Phil Kessel was much older, but then they got Taylor Hall).

Minnesota also comes to mind but they did have Marian Gaborik once upon a time.

Nashville also didn't have an elite superstar forward in their franchise history until Filip Forsberg.

 

[ForeverHabs97]

I think the Habs are the only team without a legit elite superstar forward in the last 20-30 years.

The only other team without an elite superstar forward in the past 20 years until recently were the Arizona Coyotes (Shane Doan wasn't elite, Phil Kessel was much older, but then they got Taylor Hall).

Minnesota also comes to mind but they did have Marian Gaborik once upon a time.

Nashville also didn't have an elite superstar forward in their franchise history until Filip Forsberg.

With those standards one could say Max Pacioretty?

 

[salbutera]

With those standards one could say Max Pacioretty?

Definitely - wasn’t Pacioretty 2nd only to Ovy in goals over a 5-6 year timeframe?

 

[BergevinsOnlyFan]

When they accidentally draft one in the later rounds so maybe 10-20 years

Definitely - wasn’t Pacioretty 2nd only to Ovy in goals over a 5-6 year timeframe?

I thought he was 4th in total goals scored during that time period, I don't remember him being 2nd place in anything goal related also he stayed quite healthy when a lot of other top goal scorers did not but still impressive none the less

 

[HabsForHire]

Definitely - wasn’t Pacioretty 2nd only to Ovy in goals over a 5-6 year timeframe?

Are we calling patches a supstar foward now lol

 

[salbutera]

Are we calling patches a supstar foward now lol

There’s only a handful of “superstars” depends on definition....if Gaborik, Filip Forsberg et al are part of the conversation, then yes

Max Pacioretty May Be the Most Underrated Star in the NHL

 

[ahmedou]

It's not a question of years imo.

It'll depend on our collective. We're relying on 19 hockey players. Unity is strength. This is how we're.

 

[Lebowski]

There’s only a handful of “superstars” depends on definition....if Gaborik, Filip Forsberg et al are part of the conversation, then yes

Max Pacioretty May Be the Most Underrated Star in the NHL

Peak Gaborik was a couple tiers above Pac, in my opinion.

It’s a subjective term as you say, but to me he was never a superstar. Price and Subban were, and we haven’t had the forward equivalent to these guys in decades.

 

[Supersonic]

I think that with Suzuki, KK, Caufield and Norlinder that we have a chance to have 1 MAYBE 2 elite players from that group.

I’m cautiously optimistic they can get 1 of them to be elite

 

[Kriss E]

What I'm saying is you could also refer to them as top 10 picks or first round picks and technically be correct.

Seems easier to call them 3rd overall picks. Why bother with the top 3 moniker other than to oversell their value.

Anyways, this started with you saying we had nothing to show from two "top 3" picks, which obviously isn't true. I think Kotkaniemi has the chance to be something special, but no doubt we didn't maximize those picks. Hindsight's 20/20 though and the same could be said for a lot of teams.

Why would you call them a top 10 pick when he was a top 3 one? Would you call a 1st overall a top 10 pick??

The point is a 3rd OV or top 3 pick, is a very valuable asset before you even make a selection. We devalued that asset when selecting Galchenyuk and not getting the most out of his potential. Over time we managed to transform that into Anderson so it could still work out, but it's still a drop in value imo.
KK is still unknown at this point.

 

[salbutera]

Peak Gaborik was a couple tiers above Pac, in my opinion.

Peak Gaborik was a 42 goal scorer, peak Pacioretty was 39G with DD as his C. No doubt Gaborik was more flamboyant w his breakaway speed and all but its pretty close IMO. As for Filip Forsberg he’s only surpassed 30G twice (33 & 31), if he’s considered elite then Pacioretty definitely is

 

[Habidelidoo]

When PLD lands in montreal.

 

[ECWHSWI]

Peak Gaborik was a 42 goal scorer, peak Pacioretty was 39G with DD as his C. No doubt Gaborik was more flamboyant w his breakaway speed and all but its pretty close IMO. As for Filip Forsberg he’s only surpassed 30G twice (33 & 31), if he’s considered elite then Pacioretty definitely is

Gaborik scored 40+ 3X in his career, also got 80+ pts 2X and 70+ once...

 

[McGuires Corndog]

Gaborik scored 40+ 3X in his career, also got 80+ pts 2X and 70+ once...

Yeah, it’s not close. Pacioretty was probably more consistent because he managed to stay healthier but Gaborik was a legitimate game breaking talent.

 

[JianYang]

I think their best hope right now is Suzuki. His ceiling to me is in the 70 point range, and if he can develop a selke type of game around that, I'd classify that into to the elite category. He certainly looks to have the smarts to develop into that type of player.

I'm not sure if Caufield has the stuff to be an elite forward, but he could be an elite goal scorer.

 

[dm1371]

We just got a 50 goal scorer, you fans will never be happy !

 

[dcyhabs]

Are we calling patches a supstar foward now lol

Shouldn't we?