PlanB

No. Don't get me wrong he'd be an amazing addition to the core, but they'd still need a big, physically dominant, versatile centerman/forward imo. No slight on BoHo whatsoever but he shouldn't be the one counted on to go head-to-head with the Benn/Kopitar/Laine types of the league, and JV's probably not that guy either. PLD would've been that guy and JB knew it.

You do realize Fanuck that everything you've just said here, albeit very realistic and complete common sense, is absolute heresy to most all of CDC and pretty much everyone here (despite yourself of course) already has both Brock and Adam penciled in as the next two Calder winners and foundational pieces of the cup team we'll have in a few seasons.........

^ ain't this the truth, the whole truth and nothin' but the truth!

I simply accept that questionable officiating is the norm at this tournament each year. The best you can hope for is that it's just questionable and not utterly terrible like it often has been in the past. This year was reasonable - meaning just questionable imo.

4 college kids made the roster and Gaudette's offensive numbers are just as good or better than all of them (ones a d though). But who knows what the US staff was looking for specifically. Two kids had previously played for the US internationally at WJC.

On one hand I completely agree with you, simple mistake, move on. On the other hand though, he's had weeks (if not months) to prep for this tournament and it's his job to know who and what he's talking about - and he's at ice level mere feet away from these guys with the added aid of a slow-mo replay available to him in his little box via his own monitor. I used to like Ray's insights and analysis but recently he's just reminding me of one of the worst commentators out there imo - Pierre McGuire - that guy's philosophy is quantity over quality and it's borderline impossible to listen to.

Not sure if I necessarily agree. Coaches, generally speaking, don't put guys on the PK against world class competition if they are weak skaters, even if they read the play well - even more so when you have several guys on the bench with NHL speed. This version of team Canada was in large part built for speed - they picked JG to be on it - not saying he's got Grabner speed but I think it's more than adequate and if not - get him BoHo's skating coach !

This thread is amusing. Just reading this page only you got people saying he the next Hansen, no he's the next Burr, he's a great 4th rounder, no he's a 3rd rounder, he's a fringe roster player, no he's just being saved by his coaches to be unleashed on better competition later, he's a reckless player, we need him on our team........in all honesty I've never seen him play, just clips here and there but something tells me he isn't all of the above - or maybe he is and we really need him on our team, like right now ?

Not the best example as Yamamoto's probably about to be sent back to Jr before his 9th gm. In 8 gm's so far he's been virtually invisible. EP is showing he can use his skill to exploit men with far more experience - what we don't know is if he can do the same to grown men with skills as good as his own in the NHL? Some of these men have equal his skill, close to double his strength and playing weight, and decades of combined experience on this kid.......patience.....patience. JB's master plan has allowed the franchise to afford patience.

Low risk - high reward potential. Lets face it, most people are hoping Pittsburgh gave up on this kid too early and that JB got himself a gem. Aso, as some people like to say when it's convenient, let's hope defencemen really do take longer to develop and DP can still turn into something special here.

I'm really, really rooting for this kid as I've watched him since before his draft year in Bellville. That said however I have to be realistic with my expectations. The fact that he significantly improved his numbers in 3 consecutive seasons in the ahl (extrapolating his 3rd year numbers) is a very good sign that he's learning his craft. However, it seems he's not just yet figured out how to translate that to the next level which is a concern because although he's not a liability out there, he's not very physical for his size nor does he play with any kind of edge - leaving the question as to what he really contributes to the overall team that someone else doesn't already contribute on a slightly higher level?

+ Stecher, Boeser but I think you referred to them already perhaps?

OJ is a top prospect no doubt. But throwing him into AHL playoff games against seasoned pro's at the most intense part of their season may not be the best way to expose him to his first pro-hockey experience. But then again, they threw Boeser and Molino right into the NHL so.......

Agreed. Just shut him down at this point.

This year's 1st plays with his existing team or with the Canucks, but not with Utica - age restrictions. Other than that I agree with you, this was Green's responsibility this year, to undo the damage to Jakes development and put him back on track. I wouldn't however say we made the wrong pick though. Still too early to judge that imo.

There may be some very loose parallels, but Nylander was 17years old and played in Swedens highest league with good stats, while Dahlen is already 19 and has never played at Swedens highest level yet.

"When he's got the puck, don't go for popcorn!"... great quote. Goldobin, Dahlen, Virt, Boeser, Demko......cupboards filling up.

There is a correlation; however the significance is debatable : http://www.torontosun.com/2015/12/25/world-junior-success-no-guarantee-of-nhl-career

^ This. If there ever was a good time for OJ to show his qualities and make a statement it's RIGHT NOW! Down 2-1 in a must win game......you don't want to be giving the same "I'm so angry....." post game interview......

They wouldn't be in our pool, they'd be in the lineup.

With a NTC in his back pocket , Edler has all the leverage unfortunately . JB's only angle I suspect would be to dangle a guaranteed playoff team in front of Edler and a chance to play on an original 6 Canadian team and suit up alongside Weber . McCarron would be a decent return and the absolute most we could expect imo .

Word.

You mean play some games against men as opposed to 17/18 year old kids? I agree.

Let's just hope Miller plays to the level that other teams see him as an asset at TDL. At his age, with the amount of games under his belt in his career, it's inevitable he has a drop off in play imo.

This. It cannot be emphasized enough. OJ needs to play, and play a lot to continue to develop his overall game - does anyone truly believe he's ready to play regular minutes at the NHL level as aneeded 18 year old on a below average team?