(Discussion) Clayton Keller

[Noble 6]

Arizona has a plethora of young forwards, including guys like Domi, Duclair, Strome, Crouse, Dvorak, Keller, Perlini, Merkley, etc. They could afford to lose one, especially a centreman, for help in other areas, namely defense. Somewhat overshadowed in the deep forward pool is Clayton Keller, the Coyotes 7th overall pick in 2016.

 

Some highlights:

 

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

Keller is currently doing well in college. He has amazing vision, awareness, hands, quickness and agility. His defensive play, shot and faceoffs are all very good as well. His only drawback is his size and strength, as he is fairly weak. However, he is the model of the new age NHL player, prioritizing speed and smarts over size. His passing ability is tremendous as he can dish the puck in any direction at any time to an open teammate. He is absolutely electric with the puck and has the ability to create something out of nothing. His elite playmaking could mesh together very nicely with Boeser, as Keller could find him in the scoring areas so he can unleash his shot. He would also fit in nicely with our forward core as a whole, adding some elite skill and creativity to the sizable forwards we have in Horvat, Virtanen and Boeser. Our forward core would look a lot better with the addition of Keller:

 

_______ - Horvat - Virtanen

Baertschi - Keller - Boeser

Granlund - Gaunce - Lockwood

 

With that being said, what would it take to acquire him? The conversation would likely start with Tanev, with us possibly including more. What would you give up to get Clayton Keller?

[Chronic.Canuck]

As awesome as it would be to get him (I've heard he's having a great start to the season in college) - I don't think Arizona's new wünderboy GM wants to part with him. Some would say he made a big reach picking Keller where he did and it looks like he wasn't too wrong - this would be akin to Benning trading Virtanen 6 months after drafting him.

[Blue Jay 22]

LOL at:

 

7 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

The conversation would likely start with Tanev, with us possibly including more. What would you give up to get Clayton Keller?

 

The conversation for Arizona starts with Juolevi and/or Demko. So kiss 1 of those guys Good Bye if you want Keller. 

 

Seeing as Juolevi is one of our highest draft picks in a long time and probably a Top 5 Dman prospect, and Demko is most likely our goaltender of the future and a Top 5 goalie prospect, I'll file this under the "pass" category.

[thejazz97]

Keller > Horvat

[VanGnome]

7 minutes ago, thejazz97 said:

Keller > Horvat

 

Not even close. Keller hasn't played a single game in the NHL, doesn't near have the size and strength Horvat does. Horvat is continuing to improve in all aspects of the game, including his playmaking ability.

Horvat will be our #1 centerman, and will be in the mold of a Bergeron/Toews light.

[Warhippy]

14 minutes ago, Blue Jay 22 said:

LOL at:

 

 

The conversation for Arizona starts with Juolevi and/or Demko. So kiss 1 of those guys Good Bye if you want Keller. 

 

Seeing as Juolevi is one of our highest draft picks in a long time and probably a Top 5 Dman prospect, and Demko is most likely our goaltender of the future and a Top 5 goalie prospect, I'll file this under the "pass" category.

Or a Tanev straight across or they even add a pick.  Not sure why people continue to disregard the value of an analytics stud of an RHD

 

Honestly, D men like Tanev are at a premium, I think it was Elliott or B Mack that said if there was any wind of Tanev on the market every GM in the league would show interest.

 

Keller is a small forward picked in a shallow draft by all accounts and has shown literally nothing in a pro league and is not worth what would be a 2-3 Defensive D man on most teams in the league?

 

Come on man.  We gotta stop crapping on our assets like this all the time while claiming every prospect not in a Nucks jersey is somehow worth a fortune.

[Alflives]

31 minutes ago, Horvat is a Boss said:

Arizona has a plethora of young forwards, including guys like Domi, Duclair, Strome, Crouse, Dvorak, Keller, Perlini, Merkley, etc. They could afford to lose one, especially a centreman, for help in other areas, namely defense. Somewhat overshadowed in the deep forward pool is Clayton Keller, the Coyotes 7th overall pick in 2016.

 

Some highlights:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Keller is currently doing well in college. He has amazing vision, awareness, hands, quickness and agility. His defensive play, shot and faceoffs are all very good as well. His only drawback is his size and strength, as he is fairly weak. However, he is the model of the new age NHL player, prioritizing speed and smarts over size. His passing ability is tremendous as he can dish the puck in any direction at any time to an open teammate. He is absolutely electric with the puck and has the ability to create something out of nothing. His elite playmaking could mesh together very nicely with Boeser, as Keller could find him in the scoring areas so he can unleash his shot. He would also fit in nicely with our forward core as a whole, adding some elite skill and creativity to the sizable forwards we have in Horvat, Virtanen and Boeser. Our forward core would look a lot better with the addition of Keller:

 

_______ - Horvat - Virtanen

Baertschi - Keller - Boeser

Granlund - Gaunce - Lockwood

 

With that being said, what would it take to acquire him? The conversation would likely start with Tanev, with us possibly including more. What would you give up to get Clayton Keller?

No interest in Keller.  He will be a solid bottom six player, but I see no elite skill in him, other than he is fast.  He's like Hansen, but lacking the grit and determination.

[stuman491]

Can't say I know much about him, but he does look good.  His numbers are real good. 

 

I'd be hesitant to trade someone like Tanev for him though, only because he is still young and we don't know if he will turn into a top 6 NHL forward.  Not sure what fair market value would be for Keller.  The fact that he was drafted so high might inflate his price at the moment. 

Would Virtanen straight up for Keller be a fair deal?

[Noble 6]

Unless our pick is top-5 (which it very well could be), I would be willing to trade our 1st round pick this year for him. I think he's better than anyone available after 4 or 5, but I'm not sure Arizona would trade him for another pick. 

 

10 minutes ago, stuman491 said:

Can't say I know much about him, but he does look good.  His numbers are real good. 

 

I'd be hesitant to trade someone like Tanev for him though, only because he is still young and we don't know if he will turn into a top 6 NHL forward.  Not sure what fair market value would be for Keller.  The fact that he was drafted so high might inflate his price at the moment. 

Would Virtanen straight up for Keller be a fair deal?

Like I said, Arizona has a deep prospect pool at forward. I'm not sure replacing a forward with another forward would be their objective, but if they want to do it, then sure. I would be hesitant about trading Virtanen though, even if it was straight up for Keller. His tools are so rare, even more so than Keller's. He could prove to be more valuable as a power forward than Keller as a scoring forward. 

[HK Phooey]

41 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Or a Tanev straight across or they even add a pick.  Not sure why people continue to disregard the value of an analytics stud of an RHD

 

Honestly, D men like Tanev are at a premium, I think it was Elliott or B Mack that said if there was any wind of Tanev on the market every GM in the league would show interest.

 

Keller is a small forward picked in a shallow draft by all accounts and has shown literally nothing in a pro league and is not worth what would be a 2-3 Defensive D man on most teams in the league?

 

Come on man.  We gotta stop crapping on our assets like this all the time while claiming every prospect not in a Nucks jersey is somehow worth a fortune.

 

Sort of how so many wanted Emerson Etem to be the centre piece of a deal to the Ducks for Kesler long before the real deal actually took place.  

 

Tanev = established top four d-man in the NHL; the analytics darling of the NHL

Keller = freshman NCAAer, one year removed from Tier 2 Junior A having a good start to a collegiate career.

 

The 'yotes are going to have to add a lot to Keller make this deal a reality.

[Jaku]

56 minutes ago, Blue Jay 22 said:

LOL at:

 

 

The conversation for Arizona starts with Juolevi and/or Demko. So kiss 1 of those guys Good Bye if you want Keller. 

 

Seeing as Juolevi is one of our highest draft picks in a long time and probably a Top 5 Dman prospect, and Demko is most likely our goaltender of the future and a Top 5 goalie prospect, I'll file this under the "pass" category.

 

 

It would absolutely cost the Canucks a top prospect like Juolevi, or Demko. I don't think Keller is worth that to be honest. 

[Type R]

56 minutes ago, VanGnome said:

Horvat will be our #1 centerman, and will be in the mold of a Bergeron/Toews light.

Whoa whoa whoa.. I am a huge Horvat fan, but Toews/Bergeron is who you see when you look at him?  Both mentioned are Selke winners, Horvats Achilles heal in his game has been defense so far.

[Blue Jay 22]

23 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Or a Tanev straight across or they even add a pick.  Not sure why people continue to disregard the value of an analytics stud of an RHD

 

Honestly, D men like Tanev are at a premium, I think it was Elliott or B Mack that said if there was any wind of Tanev on the market every GM in the league would show interest.

 

Keller is a small forward picked in a shallow draft by all accounts and has shown literally nothing in a pro league and is not worth what would be a 2-3 Defensive D man on most teams in the league?

 

Come on man.  We gotta stop crapping on our assets like this all the time while claiming every prospect not in a Nucks jersey is somehow worth a fortune.

 

I don't recall ever crapping on Tanev.

 

The problem is Arizona's contention situation. Does adding Tanev, a 26 year old, top 4 Dman defensive Dman, suddenly make them contenders or Stanley Cup contenders? If the answer is no, then trading their best forward prospect outside of Strome isn't resourceful on their part in the middle of a rebuild. I can see a bubble team like Philly, who needs some immediate D help, trading Rubstov, their 2016 1st round pick. But certainly not someone like Keller. That scenario is not even optimistic, it's outlandish. 

[GoBoGo53]

49 minutes ago, Alflives said:

No interest in Keller.  He will be a solid bottom six player, but I see no elite skill in him, other than he is fast.  He's like Hansen, but lacking the grit and determination.

You don't know a single thing about Keller. He is all elite skill. That's something this organization doesn't have.

[Warhippy]

16 minutes ago, Blue Jay 22 said:

 

I don't recall ever crapping on Tanev.

 

The problem is Arizona's contention situation. Does adding Tanev, a 26 year old, top 4 Dman defensive Dman, suddenly make them contenders or Stanley Cup contenders? If the answer is no, then trading their best forward prospect outside of Strome isn't resourceful on their part in the middle of a rebuild. I can see a bubble team like Philly, who needs some immediate D help, trading Rubstov, their 2016 1st round pick. But certainly not someone like Keller. That scenario is not even optimistic, it's outlandish. 

Not talking (just) about you

 

it is this forum and fan base.  Note how they make trade proposals that have us throwing multiple picks/prospects/established young players at other teams for 1 single player or prospect.  They do it frequently.  they use the word "potential"  We are 10 games without noticeable improvement from Virtanen from them including him as a throw in on every deal.  

 

Tanev is a barely 26 year old RHD that would be a great fit on most teams in the league.  Will he make the yotes a contender?  No.  but then neither would Lunquist, or Keith, or Toews, or even Crsoby alone.

 

But to say that Tanev 1-1 isn't worth an undersized forward who has never played in a pro league is a little silly.  That's my personal opinion only. 

[Fanuck]

We don't need another undersized (or average sized for that matter) forward on this team.

 

We need a HUGE bodied forward who actually knows how to hit, and intends to use his size/weight to inflict a punishing forecheck/cycle/net-presence on the opposition. 

 

We don't need the Keller-type, we need the Ritchie/McCarron/Crouse type.

 

The only way JB considers trading Tanev is if we're getting bigger/faster/younger/more scoring in return imo.  Sounds like a lot to ask, but if you're wanting a top 2 defenceman you'd better be prepared to pay up.   

[Blue Jay 22]

17 minutes ago, Warhippy said:

Not talking (just) about you

 

it is this forum and fan base.  Note how they make trade proposals that have us throwing multiple picks/prospects/established young players at other teams for 1 single player or prospect.  They do it frequently.  they use the word "potential"  We are 10 games without noticeable improvement from Virtanen from them including him as a throw in on every deal.  

 

 

Oh.

 

Well that I agree with. 

[Alflives]

36 minutes ago, GoBoGo53 said:

You don't know a single thing about Keller. He is all elite skill. That's something this organization doesn't have.

I'm I confusing Keller with the McCleod kid from the oHL?

[Warhippy]

11 minutes ago, Blue Jay 22 said:

 

Oh.

 

Well that I agree with. 

they're pretty crazy really.

[VanGnome]

1 hour ago, Type R said:

Whoa whoa whoa.. I am a huge Horvat fan, but Toews/Bergeron is who you see when you look at him?  Both mentioned are Selke winners, Horvats Achilles heal in his game has been defense so far.

 

Were Toews and Bergeron Selke winners @ age 21?

Toews won his first Selke @ age 24, in his 6th season, 3 years older than Horvat is now.
Bergeron won his first Selke @ age 26 in his 8th season, 5 years older than Horvat is now.

 

This year so far, Horvat has been much improved in terms of taking care of his own zone and is driving the play the other way. I expect Horvat to continue improving, and we'll see where he is 2-3 seasons after this one and see if my projection is correct.

 

Point is, defense is learned and Horvat has made improvements and continues to do so, while also growing more confident in his offensive abilities.

Bergeron and Toews were outscoring Horvat at the same age, but also benefited from being on deeper and better teams compared to what we have right now.