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Everything posted by theminister
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No it's not a question of work ethic. I can't comment on his attitude but I've never heard anything to that effect. Most players have some consistency issues in junior. He was injured last year and when a young man is growing into his body so quickly it is occasionally hard for them to adapt their game to fit their skills. It's not a question of his ability or willingness IMO. He just needs to learn to adjust and bring his A game every night.
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Consistency is his biggest issue but that's not uncommon. Everything else is NHL quality. His shot is a plus, his skating is a plus, his hockey sense is a plus, his physical game is a plus. He's a very rare package.
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Virtanen is somewhere between TJ Oshie and Kyle Okposo. Not a bad pick. Maybe not an elite 1st liner but an excellent 2nd liner.
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It doesn't mean they'll end up the same, no doubt. It's anyone's guess. I just think there may be the same obstacles in Ehler's way that there was in Hemsky's. The fastest skater in the Q often turns out to be the 100th best skater in the NHL, at least until they come into their own. This holds true of every skill. It's rare that a draft pick enters the NHL with one of the top skills in the game. They go from being the best in their league to the average. The NHL is a collection of the best skills from every league, in every draft year, of the past 15 years. Nylander has a much more evolved offensive game IMHO. Kapanen is the better hockey player right now because he contributes at every part of the ice. Nylander is a little one sided, though that can be taught to anyone with his skill. I still think Nylander's potential is much higher. Kapanen is safer. that's the scouting staff's prerogative. Drive is always a question. Until you meet a player it's hard to get a full account. You'll have no argument from me how important a factor it is. My 'Big 3' are work ethic, skating and hockey sense. If you don't have even one of those three then you will never reach your potential. As far as the change in his game, refer to what I said earlier. The best at something in the Q doesn't always translate. Especially when your draft year, like Hemsky's, isn't great. When you include the Q's loss of recent talent to the NHL, and the lack of great 17 year olds this year, it's not the greatest quality of competition this year.
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Hemsky was possibly the best skater in the Q that year. That's one of the main reasons he was the top forward taken from the Q that year. At that point he was able to do anything on the ice and his size was not a factor. He was a far more physical player when he was younger, before his injuries. I can't see Barbashev dropping below 20 and that's with the Russian factor. If he was Canadian, and he plays that way…. almost Finnish, he would be in the top 15 for sure. There is little risk with his style. At worst he's Ruslan Fedotenko and even he won a Cup.
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I'm not sure if you ever watched Hemsky when he was in the Q but he absolutely dominated. I remember a young man who skated as well and anyone in the league, could make plays at will, sniped wrist shots, and was not afraid to take a hit or get greasy. On the PP it was a man against boys. Hemsky couldn't translate that dominance into the NHL. When I watch Ehlers play I remember watching Hemsky excel in that same league. Don't mistake the player you see in Hemsky today versus how he was able to compete in a different league as an 18 year old.. A Hemsky is still a good pick and an above average player. He's a star but he's not a superstar. As I said, I'm wary.
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No problem. Happy to help. We had a shortcut button once upon a time but the powers that be took it away from us. We couldn't handle the power.
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A few things: - Ritchie is still being underrated in this thread IMHO. He has game breaker potential and the closest player I can think of in his mold is Brendan Shanahan. The thing is that Ritchie is actually a better skater. - Nylander is also as talented as any player in this draft. I think he'll take a little while to evolve but he's got possibly the best hockey sense in the draft. - Ehlers has amazing skill. He reminds me a lot of Hemsky at that age. That makes me wary. - Barbashev as a mid round pick is as safe as any pick in this years draft. He might not be a top end guy but he's a lock to play. - Tuch is a great project but expect him to do his full college years.
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My list still hasn't changed much. 1. Reinhart 2. Ekblad 3. Bennett 4. Draisaitl 5. Nylander 6. Dal Colle 7. Ritchie 8. Ehlers 9. Fleury 10. Perlini 11. Virtanen 12. McCann 13. Tuch 14. Barbashev 15. Kapanen
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[.media]URL without the period. added.
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Yes.
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It depends in what the NHL is planning on doing if NJ wins the lottery. I haven't seem a conclusive answer. They could opt to A) Do a redraw until panther team wins meaning the odds of any result are evenly distributed between the other 13 entrants. Allow a NJ lottery win to keep the status quo meaning that Buffalo gets all of the advantage
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NJ's position in the later rounds will remain unchanged regardless of who wins the lottery. It is only the 1st round that changes in the lottery. If the Devils do win their 2nd doesn't become the 31st pick.
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Merci.... you're wrong. There is only one lottery draw and it's for 1st place.
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Not exactly correct because of the NJ factor if they opt to do a redraw.
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My spider sense is tingling….. Spiderman Thread?
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Reading comprehension fail.
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I disagree. He claimed in another thread to be a published professional scout with years of experience. Still no proof. So....umm...yeah
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I humbly request this thread be locked.
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I never thought Joe Pavelski would be a 40 goal scorer.
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[Confirmed] Jim Benning signs as new Canucks GM
theminister replied to TheRussianRocket.'s topic in Canucks Talk
IMHO, Joe Will (SJS) and David McNab (Ana) should be added to that list. Having Western Conference experience would be nice. So would taking a top exec from a divisional opponent. -
[Confirmed] Jim Benning signs as new Canucks GM
theminister replied to TheRussianRocket.'s topic in Canucks Talk
He likely wouldn't. But, regardless, Benning would be familiar with that situation in Boston where they have Neely. -
He's probably still ticked about '94. Nah, man. It's all good. I understand completely. We'll revisit it again some other time. If planned properly I think we could do a double header Canucks-Giants weekend. I even actually looked into getting simple custom t-shirt prints of each team so that we'd be able to easily identify each other.
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He's not invited.
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I've gotta say, I think our results for awards are going to be extremely accurate.