Noble 6

Virtanen has been playing a lot better recently. His physical game has translated very effectively to the NHL level. That was the first challenge for him, to keep his physicality up. Hopefully he can continue to get better in that area and then we will have a true physical force at forward. His scoring should start to increase in about 2 years. Once it does, he will be a beast for us.

That is also true. It's a good thing that we have lots of options moving forward though.

I think that even if he does become a 1st line talent, he should play on the 2nd line. Let Horvat and Virtanen handle the other teams better defenseman, while Shinkaurik, McCann and Boeser go up against the other teams second pair as opposed to their 1st pair. Its a similar setup with Kane in Chicago; let Toews and Hossa handle the other teams top pairing defenseman, and give Kane (and Panarin) more room to work with against the weaker pair.

Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen Shinkaurik - McCann - Boeser The 2nd line is the main scoring threat, with all three of them having great shots. McCann and Shinkaurik can also pass the puck very effectively, which should be perfect for a player like Boeser who can find the open areas in the zone.

I actually really like Zhukenov. I think he has a good chance to be a piece of our future core in a Hansen-type role. He won't be in a top-6 role. That doesn't mean he won't be a great player for us. We should not be putting too much weight into his stats. His defensive awareness, anticipation and hockey IQ should translate well into the NHL. That's what we need from an effective bottom-6 forward. His skating, strength and shot can be worked on and improved easily. If he puts up points then great, if he doesn't then that's fine too, as that's not important for his future role with us. Gaunce - Cassels - Zhukenov That could be a great future 3rd line. It's a great mix of defensive awareness and offensive ability.

Would Ennis be a better comparison for Shinkaurik? Small guy that can skate, battles hard and has some decent hands?

Horvat = O'Reilly: Probably a better comparison than Bergeron. McCann = Modano: I think it's too early to say McCann is THAT good. I feel like McCann plays a similar game to Krejci; both are smart, pass first type players. The main difference is McCann has a laser shot that he knows how to use as well. Virtanen = Perry: Perry's hands and hockey IQ are both better than Virtanen. Virtanen could be an elite player like Perry, but not in the same way. Just because they are both big doesn't mean they play the same way. If Okposo was faster, I think he would be the perfect comparable for Virtanen. Boeser = Hull (lite): Ultra, ULTRA lite, then sure. I feel like Boeser is being overhyped right now because of how well he's doing. I'm not saying he's bad, just that we shouldn't have our expectations so high. In the NHL, defenders aren't going to give him the same time and space that he's getting right now to get the shot off. He's still very capable of scoring 30 goals in the NHL, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves here. I'd say Sharp is a more accurate comparison than Pavelski though. Baertschi = Vanek: Good if Baertschi turns out. If he does, he will probably still be inconsistent, like Vanek. But he will also have a tremendous amount of natural ability, like Vanek. Shinkaurik = Gallagher/Skinner: Shinkaurik is the hardest one. I would say that he has Gallagher's compete level with Skinner's offensive ability. He might not be as good as that sounds, but that's kind of what he plays like. So redoing it: Horvat = O'Reilly McCann = Krejci Virtanen = Okposo + speed Boeser = Sharp Baertschi = Vanek Shinkaurik = Gallagher/Skinner X 0.75

Do you guys think these player comparisons are accurate? Horvat = Bergeron McCann = Krejci Virtanen = Okposo + speed Boeser = Pavelski Shinkaurik = Skinner Baertschi = Vanek? I think if Baertshci reaches his potential, he could possibly be on the same level as Vanek; extremely inconsistent, but has plenty of natural ability.

Based on what i've heard (I haven't seen him play at all), the style of game this kid plays and the developmental route he is taking, I think he could easily be a top-4 defenseman. That will take at least 4 years though.

While Hutton is doing better than we all expected, I think don't think he can turn into the #1 defensemen we need. I would love to be proved wrong, but I see him as a #3 defensmen; we have that elite #1 defensemen an a complementary partner.

If everything goes according to plan, we will have a great forward core in the next 4 years: Shinkaurik - Horvat - Boeser Baertschi - McCann - Virtanen Gaunce - Cassels - ???????? Obviously Baertschi is the biggest question mark. That's why we should draft a replacement in LW this draft. I'm confident Shinkaurik can turn into a NHL player. It it looks like our forward core will be similar to the 2011 Bruins. Not in the sense that everyone will beat you up, but that we have a very balanced lineup. There isn't too much of a difference between our top 2 lines; they're interchangeable.

The way the way I see it is when Benning was picking at #6, he went with Virtanen knowing full well that he might not have the hockey IQ. However, when looking at how our team was built, there really wasn't much space for and Ehlers or a Nylander. The reason Ehlers is having succes is because the Jets are a couple of steps ahead of us, and already have that big, physical team. We had the opposite, and needed the big, physical guy, especially with Kesler gone. I'm as concerned as anybody that he could get trapped as a bottom-6 forward. I remember how aggrovating it was to watch him play with McDavid at the WJC. There were MULTIPLE times when he would make a bad decision, or a turnover, or just flat out looked lost watching McDavid and Lazaar. Every single time he made one of those plays, he just looked to take the body on the nearest guy with the puck. In the Detroit game, he was effective, but in the same way that a 3rd liner is. The only couple times I saw him with the puck and some time was in the corner, and he just threw it at the net. From the corner. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Virtanen hater. I supported the pick when we made it, and still do. There was no better option for what we needed. I still think he could be a top-6 winger, but only if we develop him properly and place him in the correct environment to succeed. He has all the tools; the physicality, puck handling, skating and shot to be a great player, just missing a little smarts. That's why I think hockey IQ is the most important quality in any player. Horvat has it, he stuck. McCann has it, he should stick. Zhukenov has it, that's why he's my dark horse pick to be a core player in 4-5 years. We still have a good forward core: Shinkaurik - Horvat - Boeser Baertschi - McCann - Virtanen Gaunce - Cassels - Zhukenov Hopefully 2 of McCann, Horvat, Shinkaurik or Baertschi can really bring out the top-6 player in Virtanen.

The only question mark for me is Baertschi. I wouldn't mind drafting another forward in the 1st Round as a replacement, because we could still find some good defenseman in the 2nd round. It looks like we will be rolling a 1A and 1B as our top 2 lines. This works great for a coach like Willie, who likes to roll 4 lines. Also, on D you have to throw in Briesbois and Subban. They are looking like solid NHLers. They won't be #1 or #2 defenseman, but they will be good.