Nikolaj Ehlers

[nuckster33]

I don't have a dog in this fight. If the Canucks were to choose Ehlers, fine. I'll cheer for the kid. If the Canucks were able to drfat Ritchie I'll cheer for him as well.

What I find amazing is how people assume that just because a player has more size he would be the lesser of two choices.

Size is not the only factor or the most important. This being said, size, and the knowledge, ability, training and will to use it effectively is a very important factor. It appears to be something which is constantly being overlooked by "smaller" player advocates.

As I see it, people who say yes to Ritchie are not "completely ignoring the pure talent" of Ehlers, but rather are accepting a trade off. Does Ritchie lack Ehlers' talent? It would appear so. This being said, Ritchie is still a pretty skilled player, something which is glossed over by Ehlers fans. Advocates of Ritchie are willing to take a bit less of the kind of talent Ehlers' has in exchange for the advantages that a larger player brings.

It is good to see that you acknowledge that each player brings "different things" to the table. This being said, you go on to suggest that size is the only thing that a player like Ritchie has in his favour. Ritchie is a pretty good skater, has good hands and shows good hockey IQ. Once again, advocates of Ritchie are willing to take a bit less of the virtues which Ehlers (supposedly will display at the NHL level) in exchange for size.

Drafts can be a crap shoot. Large players fail and small players fail, or succeed. This being said, players (regardless of size) who are rated with loads of talent also fail. If there is little certainty that any guy a team picks will succeed (as you suggest), then it seems to me that they would be better off drafting the larger guy. If the small guy fails as a top-6, he spends his time in the AHL, KHL or elsewhere. If the big guy fails to be a top-6 player, there's better chances that he can still be a very serviceable 3rd/4th liner.

It should be noted that "falacious assumptions" are not restricted to one side or the other.

Your last comment is a bit misleading. Skill can be taught, otherwise Ehlers wouldn't be the player he is, right? Players can improve their on ice performance, with proper coaching. Are we talking going from a 4th liner to Gretzky? No, but there can be improvement. A player's skating ability can be improved. And if the player is already starting at a higher level of talent, and has size, then that is a pretty good gamble.

Players generally put on weight as they get older and physically mature. Smaller players do not put on enough weight/muscle so as to be confused with a larger alternative over which they were drafted, or if they do, then the skill and skating ability as usually negatively affected, no?

G.

not suggesting ritchie can't play, i was suggesting how people are overvaluing size to the detriment of skill

each factor matters, but again, its the mix of our prospect pool that matters as well that helps determines what we are lacking

in my view when you have a group of large 2 way forwards but no real replacements for the twins you have to take skill (people assume shinkaruk is a guarantee, not saying he doesn't have a great chance but right now we have zero elite youth in our lineup and only one potential in our pipeline, those aren't good odds). Yet we have a ton of sizeable 2 way forwards.

in addition i completely disagree that you can 'teach' elite hockey sense and skill.

by the time these guys are drafted they either have it or not, and I am talking game breaker/game changing ability not Kesler becoming better, Burrows becoming better, I am talking about a guy that can change an outcome of a game on a consistent basis.

Ehlers has game breaking ability

Ritchie brings alot of what we already have in our pipeline but a bit more of a better mix vs say Jensen or Matthias alone

I like Ritchie, I don't like Vertanen as I dont see the hockey sense that will translate

[Gollumpus]

not suggesting ritchie can't play, i was suggesting how people are overvaluing size to the detriment of skill

each factor matters, but again, its the mix of our prospect pool that matters as well that helps determines what we are lacking

in my view when you have a group of large 2 way forwards but no real replacements for the twins you have to take skill (people assume shinkaruk is a guarantee, not saying he doesn't have a great chance but right now we have zero elite youth in our lineup and only one potential in our pipeline, those aren't good odds). Yet we have a ton of sizeable 2 way forwards.

in addition i completely disagree that you can 'teach' elite hockey sense and skill.

by the time these guys are drafted they either have it or not, and I am talking game breaker/game changing ability not Kesler becoming better, Burrows becoming better, I am talking about a guy that can change an outcome of a game on a consistent basis.

Ehlers has game breaking ability

Ritchie brings alot of what we already have in our pipeline but a bit more of a better mix vs say Jensen or Matthias alone

I like Ritchie, I don't like Vertanen as I dont see the hockey sense that will translate

The question which I have is: will Ehlers' ability translate to the NHL? I can't say that I've seen anything which makes me belive that he has a better chance than any other player.

Meh, let's see what happens in June.

regards,

G.

[youngdad]

Ekblad: flop

Reinhart: flop

Bennett: flop

DL Colle: flop

Draisaitl: flop

Nylander: girl

Ehlers: flop

Ritchie: flop

Virtanen: flop

Kapanen: flop

There. Now everyone should be happy.

[Gollumpus]

Ekblad: flop

Reinhart: flop

Bennett: flop

DL Colle: flop

Draisaitl: flop

Nylander: girl

Ehlers: flop

Ritchie: flop

Virtanen: flop

Kapanen: flop

There. Now everyone should be happy.

So then, the team is picking Tuch?

regards,

G.

[asian player]

Ekblad: flop

Reinhart: flop

Bennett: flop

DL Colle: flop

Draisaitl: flop

Nylander: girl

Ehlers: flop

Ritchie: flop

Virtanen: flop

Kapanen: flop

There. Now everyone should be happy.

But that makes everyone unhappy :c

Haha just noticed the "girl"

[Wonder__Bread]

The question which I have is: will Ehlers' ability translate to the NHL? I can't say that I've seen anything which makes me belive that he has a better chance than any other player.

Meh, let's see what happens in June.

regards,

G.

I always see that question pop up and I'd like to address it. Basically the answer is... We don't know. Plain and simple. That's the answer for every prospect though. Will Ritchie be able to play the same game against men instead of boys? Will Virtanen? Will Ehlers? You could ask that question to any player in any draft but you won't get an answer until he laces them up in the show.

You get hints, but those hints are small pieces to a thousand piece puzzle. You're still not sure what to make of it or what the big picture is. The reason I prefer Ehlers is Vancouver needs a star player. Someone who can at any time takeover a game and get the fans on the edge of their seats. We haven't had that since Bure, and I miss that.

Whoever we draft will have time to develop and learn Canuck culture and I think will become a solid contributor for our team in the future. We have Utica to develop these prospects now. I trust Linden and whoever our new GM may be. I trust the professionals to do their jobs.

[TOMapleLaughs]

I always see that question pop up and I'd like to address it. Basically the answer is... We don't know. Plain and simple. That's the answer for every prospect though. Will Ritchie be able to play the same game against men instead of boys? Will Virtanen? Will Ehlers? You could ask that question to any player in any draft but you won't get an answer until he laces them up in the show.

You get hints, but those hints are small pieces to a thousand piece puzzle. You're still not sure what to make of it or what the big picture is. The reason I prefer Ehlers is Vancouver needs a star player. Someone who can at any time takeover a game and get the fans on the edge of their seats. We haven't had that since Bure, and I miss that.

Whoever we draft will have time to develop and learn Canuck culture and I think will become a solid contributor for our team in the future. We have Utica to develop these prospects now. I trust Linden and whoever our new GM may be. I trust the professionals to do their jobs.

If Vancouver needs a star player, then they should get a legit star player. Not cross their fingers that Ehlers pans out.

There's no excitement on anyone in this draft being a saviour, let lone Ehlers.

[youngdad]

So then, the team is picking Tuch?

regards,

G.

Oh no. He will flop. I know this.

[Hockey Stache]

Never seeing Ehlers actually play, everything I have read and heard of about Ehlers is that he is a small to average sized prospect with great skill but lacks some defensive awareness. I do believe that what the Canucks truly need in the prospect pool is high-end skill. A player that has speed and can score. What prospect out of the top 5 has the most skill? May be the best player in the entire draft? From what I have heard that player is Nylander. He has extreme talent which many say could make him eventually being the best player out of this draft. However, you also hear that he has attitude issues. Personally, I believe the best pick for the Canucks is Virtanen but if you are going to go for the player with more of a skill package rather than size why wouldn't the Canucks go for the guy that some project to have the highest ceiling and the most skill in Nylander. (And for the poster that keeps referring to Nylander as a girl...GROW UP!!!!. Who cares what someone looks like. I remember people saying Bure looked like he wore lipstick but nobody ever gave a crap cause he was one hell of a hockey player).

I would much rather the Canucks choose Nylander over Ehlers but Virtanen still has amazing speed, can really put the puck in the net and uses his size effectively. Virtanen would certainly bring a lot of excitement to the Canucks if he were able to translate his current game to the NHL in a couple of years.

[youngdad]

Never seeing Ehlers actually play, everything I have read and heard of about Ehlers is that he is a small to average sized prospect with great skill but lacks some defensive awareness. I do believe that what the Canucks truly need in the prospect pool is high-end skill. A player that has speed and can score. What prospect out of the top 5 has the most skill? May be the best player in the entire draft? From what I have heard that player is Nylander. He has extreme talent which many say could make him eventually being the best player out of this draft. However, you also hear that he has attitude issues. Personally, I believe the best pick for the Canucks is Virtanen but if you are going to go for the player with more of a skill package rather than size why wouldn't the Canucks go for the guy that some project to have the highest ceiling and the most skill in Nylander. (And for the poster that keeps referring to Nylander as a girl...GROW UP!!!!. Who cares what someone looks like. I remember people saying Bure looked like he wore lipstick but nobody ever gave a crap cause he was one hell of a hockey player).

I would much rather the Canucks choose Nylander over Ehlers but Virtanen still has amazing speed, can really put the puck in the net and uses his size effectively. Virtanen would certainly bring a lot of excitement to the Canucks if he were able to translate his current game to the NHL in a couple of years.

Pretty sure Nylander is a girl.

[Absent Canuck]

I think you are the one who is making assumptions here...

First of all, I am not an "Ehler basher" like you seem to claim I am. I would be happy if the Canucks could aquire a #10 or #11 pick and draft him. I've never claimed to be an expert on Ehlers or Ritchie, but I did do some research, and based on that I feel Ritchie would be a better pick for us. I expressed my opinion, simple as that.

Second of all, when in my previous post did I ever mention size? I thought so. Ritchie's size is a point in his favor, but there are other aspects of his game that I like: his hockey IQ, he's got a wicked wrist shot, he stands up for teammates etc.

And lastly, I do realise that all draft picks are a crapshoot, I just that Ritchie is a better risk for the Canucks to take at #6. You like Ehlers, I get it, that's cool with me. But if Ehlers is such a pure talent, why does ISS rank him #11?

Hi mr duplicate account of someone who has a vested interest in this thread. Nice to see you just joined but most of your posts are about the draft and whom to draft in particular.

You cherry picked the one list where he is the lowest, yet has Perlini and Fabbri higher than any of them save Nylander.

ISS and Central Scouting are names. Thats it. They are not the 'official' scouting of the NHL . Scouts work for teams. They generally dont share records with other scouts. So what you have is a whole host of factions wandering around compiling draft lists. The track records for prediction by ISS and Central scouting are not stellar. Bob MacKenzie is one analyst who doesnt even go anywhere and his lists are far more accurate.

If you guys want to play the 'cherry pick the scouting agency' where your guy is ranked highest or in this case the prospect you despise is lowest, then all you get is a never ending finger pointing which revolves nothing.

Ehlers himself is listed in the top 5 of 3 different 'lists' ................and Ritchie is rated 6th in one, and below in every other. That doesnt mean we use it as a club to beat Ritchie over the head with. Its just mock draft lists.

If you want the best guy I have found whose mock draft ended up closest to the actual draft, try this guy. His mock drafts go back to 2007. He is pretty good.

http://www.mynhldraft.com/2014-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings/

As you can see from his own draft list, he is currently high on Kapanen this week. If you take him out , then Nylander, Ritchie , Ehlers and Virtanen are log jammed right in the convoluted 6 to 10 spots .

Here are consensus rankings which are updated regularly.

http://www.mynhldraft.com/2014-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings/

[Absent Canuck]

Never seeing Ehlers actually play, everything I have read and heard of about Ehlers is that he is a small to average sized prospect with great skill but lacks some defensive awareness. I do believe that what the Canucks truly need in the prospect pool is high-end skill. A player that has speed and can score. What prospect out of the top 5 has the most skill? May be the best player in the entire draft? From what I have heard that player is Nylander. He has extreme talent which many say could make him eventually being the best player out of this draft. However, you also hear that he has attitude issues. Personally, I believe the best pick for the Canucks is Virtanen but if you are going to go for the player with more of a skill package rather than size why wouldn't the Canucks go for the guy that some project to have the highest ceiling and the most skill in Nylander. (And for the poster that keeps referring to Nylander as a girl...GROW UP!!!!. Who cares what someone looks like. I remember people saying Bure looked like he wore lipstick but nobody ever gave a crap cause he was one hell of a hockey player).

I would much rather the Canucks choose Nylander over Ehlers but Virtanen still has amazing speed, can really put the puck in the net and uses his size effectively. Virtanen would certainly bring a lot of excitement to the Canucks if he were able to translate his current game to the NHL in a couple of years.

He led the league in plus minus . He is aware of everything. He gets lazy on the back check because he thinks can anticipate everything .

If you want awareness, Try Nylander. One scout who was watching him said he knew what everyone was doing while he ran the powerplay including the fact he was eating popcorn in the second row.

[Absent Canuck]

I don't have a dog in this fight. If the Canucks were to choose Ehlers, fine. I'll cheer for the kid. If the Canucks were able to drfat Ritchie I'll cheer for him as well.

What I find amazing is how people assume that just because a player has more size he would be the lesser of two choices.

Size is not the only factor or the most important. This being said, size, and the knowledge, ability, training and will to use it effectively is a very important factor. It appears to be something which is constantly being overlooked by "smaller" player advocates.

As I see it, people who say yes to Ritchie are not "completely ignoring the pure talent" of Ehlers, but rather are accepting a trade off. Does Ritchie lack Ehlers' talent? It would appear so. This being said, Ritchie is still a pretty skilled player, something which is glossed over by Ehlers fans. Advocates of Ritchie are willing to take a bit less of the kind of talent Ehlers' has in exchange for the advantages that a larger player brings.

It is good to see that you acknowledge that each player brings "different things" to the table. This being said, you go on to suggest that size is the only thing that a player like Ritchie has in his favour. Ritchie is a pretty good skater, has good hands and shows good hockey IQ. Once again, advocates of Ritchie are willing to take a bit less of the virtues which Ehlers (supposedly will display at the NHL level) in exchange for size.

Drafts can be a crap shoot. Large players fail and small players fail, or succeed. This being said, players (regardless of size) who are rated with loads of talent also fail. If there is little certainty that any guy a team picks will succeed (as you suggest), then it seems to me that they would be better off drafting the larger guy. If the small guy fails as a top-6, he spends his time in the AHL, KHL or elsewhere. If the big guy fails to be a top-6 player, there's better chances that he can still be a very serviceable 3rd/4th liner.

It should be noted that "falacious assumptions" are not restricted to one side or the other.

Your last comment is a bit misleading. Skill can be taught, otherwise Ehlers wouldn't be the player he is, right? Players can improve their on ice performance, with proper coaching. Are we talking going from a 4th liner to Gretzky? No, but there can be improvement. A player's skating ability can be improved. And if the player is already starting at a higher level of talent, and has size, then that is a pretty good gamble.

Players generally put on weight as they get older and physically mature. Smaller players do not put on enough weight/muscle so as to be confused with a larger alternative over which they were drafted, or if they do, then the skill and skating ability as usually negatively affected, no?

regards,

G.

Thank you for the post G.

I am in the Canucks corner. Not the Ehlers corner. I was one of the very first Kesler supporters . Back in the day when he was a 'third line grinder at best'? (What happened to MikeBurn anyway?)

I would like to think we are all Canuck fans first. However, when you see guys hanging out on this Ehlers thread to troll his supporter and rip the guy down, I dont see what possible explanation there is for it except the need to negatively affect others .

This thread is over 50 pages long. The idea that any of these guys still has some honest question that needs to be talked out is absurd. If they want to discuss Ritchie or Virtanen they have their own threads or even the never ending 6th overall thread itself. They dont need to be here.

They are trolls. Plain and simple.

As for Ehlers supporters not liking Ritchie I disagree but I cant speak for the rest of them. Ritchie is a fine prospect but I have two issues that concern me. His first two steps are quick but he is not fast. This isnt a big a deal as it seems because he can work on it so it isnt some kind of liability. The second is not an easy fix. His focus wanders and his play becomes inconsistent. Focus and inconsistency can be worked on but again.

Ehlers is a class A prospect by every measure in my opinion except two areas. One is he is an excellent hard working guy but he tries to cheat on defense. Many young hot shot high end prospects start this way so it can be fixed. He has the skill to thrive on the back check.

His size is the first and only real objection anyone for anyone willing to be honest. However, he isnt actually small. Further to this, speed and skill are taking over the game while fighting is often left to those we can live without for 5min at a time and hitting is an increasingly 1 way ticket to suspension. I expect it to get worse as well.

If someone ever hit Ehlers it would start a riot , just as it starts a riot (fairly or not ) when any skill player gets nailed . Of course this only applies to the rare times the hit is perfect and does not draw a trip to the Discipline committee.

Where size is important is when players are jostling in the corner for the puck. Ehlers will not excell there. He is an excellent forechecker but not when you have eachother tied up . Ehlers wont come out with the puck vs Ritchie.

So when we are honest about it, Ritchie does have a good shot, and he does have size, but the need for huge players and fighting is starting to fade. Speed and skill are the leagues future. So Nylander or Ehlers are our best picks at #6

[Sweathog]

Hi mr duplicate account of someone who has a vested interest in this thread. Nice to see you just joined but most of your posts are about the draft and whom to draft in particular.

You cherry picked the one list where he is the lowest, yet has Perlini and Fabbri higher than any of them save Nylander.

ISS and Central Scouting are names. Thats it. They are not the 'official' scouting of the NHL . Scouts work for teams. They generally dont share records with other scouts. So what you have is a whole host of factions wandering around compiling draft lists. The track records for prediction by ISS and Central scouting are not stellar. Bob MacKenzie is one analyst who doesnt even go anywhere and his lists are far more accurate.

If you guys want to play the 'cherry pick the scouting agency' where your guy is ranked highest or in this case the prospect you despise is lowest, then all you get is a never ending finger pointing which revolves nothing.

Ehlers himself is listed in the top 5 of 3 different 'lists' ................and Ritchie is rated 6th in one, and below in every other. That doesnt mean we use it as a club to beat Ritchie over the head with. Its just mock draft lists.

If you want the best guy I have found whose mock draft ended up closest to the actual draft, try this guy. His mock drafts go back to 2007. He is pretty good.

http://www.mynhldraft.com/2014-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings/

As you can see from his own draft list, he is currently high on Kapanen this week. If you take him out , then Nylander, Ritchie , Ehlers and Virtanen are log jammed right in the convoluted 6 to 10 spots .

Here are consensus rankings which are updated regularly.

http://www.mynhldraft.com/2014-nhl-draft-prospect-rankings/

Absent Canuck,

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say in the previous posts, I'll get to that but let me clear some things up first.

This is not , as God is my witness, a duplicate account. I don't have a vested interest in this thread. I would be happy to have Ehlers on this team, the same for Ritchie. As for the ISS rankings Nuckster33 made some good points in defense of Ehlers and I acknowledged them. I even said that Ehlers could be the darkhorse pick in this years draft.

The only point I was trying to make was that given the Canuck's current situation, I felt that Ritchie would be a better pick. In no way was that a knock on Ehlers in any way. I would be happy with either prospect.

[R4ff]

Never seeing Ehlers actually play, everything I have read and heard of about Ehlers is that he is a small to average sized prospect with great skill but lacks some defensive awareness. I do believe that what the Canucks truly need in the prospect pool is high-end skill. A player that has speed and can score. What prospect out of the top 5 has the most skill? May be the best player in the entire draft? From what I have heard that player is Nylander. He has extreme talent which many say could make him eventually being the best player out of this draft. However, you also hear that he has attitude issues. Personally, I believe the best pick for the Canucks is Virtanen but if you are going to go for the player with more of a skill package rather than size why wouldn't the Canucks go for the guy that some project to have the highest ceiling and the most skill in Nylander. (And for the poster that keeps referring to Nylander as a girl...GROW UP!!!!. Who cares what someone looks like. I remember people saying Bure looked like he wore lipstick but nobody ever gave a crap cause he was one hell of a hockey player).

I would much rather the Canucks choose Nylander over Ehlers but Virtanen still has amazing speed, can really put the puck in the net and uses his size effectively. Virtanen would certainly bring a lot of excitement to the Canucks if he were able to translate his current game to the NHL in a couple of years.

I'm torn between Nylander and Virtanen. Virtanen is physically dominant and we all know what kind of player he's going to be, but Nylander seems to have the higher ceiling. Nylander lit up the U18's and is an all-around offensive talent that can dish the puck and finish. He could very well be an elite level talent in the NHL.

In regards to Ehler, Drouin's clearly inflating his numbers.

[Absent Canuck]

Absent Canuck,

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say in the previous posts, I'll get to that but let me clear some things up first.

This is not , as God is my witness, a duplicate account. I don't have a vested interest in this thread. I would be happy to have Ehlers on this team, the same for Ritchie. As for the ISS rankings Nuckster33 made some good points in defense of Ehlers and I acknowledged them. I even said that Ehlers could be the darkhorse pick in this years draft.

The only point I was trying to make was that given the Canuck's current situation, I felt that Ritchie would be a better pick. In no way was that a knock on Ehlers in any way. I would be happy with either prospect.

Ok. Thankyou for clarifying it. I certainly looks that way. Its a pretty rough thread to get into the middle of for some guy who has never been on here before. I admire your courage.

ISS and 'Central Scouting' isnt some 'headquarters' where there is round the clock surveillance by NHL verified personnel sworn to uphold the level of impartiality of NHL officiating. They are just a group of guys with their own subjective takes who called themselves a fancy name.

Not that they dont know what they are talking about, but like I said. Go check out the link I sent you and go look at all the mock drafts to get a gist of where the 'experts' say they are at.

I believe it will be one of three players. Ehlers, Nylander or Ritchie. From what I have seen from scouting reports and all the mock drafts, Jake Virtanen will not be taken 6th . Trevor Linden would have to have a personal stake in the 'hometown' angle to pick him over these three others and in my opinion, picking a local boy this high in the draft is actually a disadvantage as it adds enormous pressure to the prospect.

I pick Ritchie 3rd behind Ehlers and Nylander, soley because of where I think the NHL is heading. The league is increasingly moving to speed and skill, and getting away from fighting , intimidation and hitting.

There hasnt been a fight in the entire playoffs, and hitting someone risks penalization and even suspension nowadays. This unfortunately for Ritchie takes away from his appeal.

Big strong guys are still an advantage, but only if they are just as skilled as the smaller guys. They can no long rub out the speedsters.

Food for thought. Welcome to CDC by the way.

I'm torn between Nylander and Virtanen. Virtanen is physically dominant and we all know what kind of player he's going to be, but Nylander seems to have the higher ceiling. Nylander lit up the U18's and is an all-around offensive talent that can dish the puck and finish. He could very well be an elite level talent in the NHL.

In regards to Ehler, Drouin's clearly inflating his numbers.

Go read my post on the last page. Ehlers scored 70% of his points without Drouin at all. Most of the rest were on the powerplay.

You dont have to be torn between Nylander and Virtanen. Nobody has Virt at #6 anymore in any recent mock draft. He is increasingly being shoved out of the top 10 altogether.

[messier's_elbow]

Ok. Thankyou for clarifying it. I certainly looks that way. Its a pretty rough thread to get into the middle of for some guy who has never been on here before. I admire your courage. : :D

ISS and 'Central Scouting' isnt some 'headquarters' where there is round the clock surveillance by NHL verified personnel sworn to uphold the level of impartiality of NHL officiating. They are just a group of guys with their own subjective takes who called themselves a fancy name.

Not that they dont know what they are talking about, but like I said. Go check out the link I sent you and go look at all the mock drafts to get a gist of where the 'experts' say they are at.

I believe it will be one of three players. Ehlers, Nylander or Ritchie. From what I have seen from scouting reports and all the mock drafts, Jake Virtanen will not be taken 6th . Trevor Linden would have to have a personal stake in the 'hometown' angle to pick him over these three others and in my opinion, picking a local boy this high in the draft is actually a disadvantage as it adds enormous pressure to the prospect.

I pick Ritchie 3rd behind Ehlers and Nylander, soley because of where I think the NHL is heading. The league is increasingly moving to speed and skill, and getting away from fighting , intimidation and hitting.

There hasnt been a fight in the entire playoffs, and hitting someone risks penalization and even suspension nowadays. This unfortunately for Ritchie takes away from his appeal.

Big strong guys are still an advantage, but only if they are just as skilled as the smaller guys. They can no long rub out the speedsters.

Food for thought. Welcome to CDC by the way.

Go read my post on the last page. Ehlers scored 70% of his points without Drouin at all. Most of the rest were on the powerplay.

You dont have to be torn between Nylander and Virtanen. Nobody has Virt at #6 anymore in any recent mock draft. He is increasingly being shoved out of the top 10 altogether.

Seriously? Intimidation is still out in full force and its a war to stay alive in the playoffs. This makes him MORE appealing in my eyes.

[messier's_elbow]

Pretty sure Nylander is a girl.

I know he will mature and probably be a good "offensive" player. But right now he looks like hes as soft as a baby's ass.

[Absent Canuck]

Seriously? Intimidation is still out in full force and its a war to stay alive in the playoffs. This makes him MORE appealing in my eyes.

Because you say so?

I would like to think I know my hockey and have a good head on my shoulders. If 'intimidation' was alive and well, I certainly remember it from the 70s , 80s and 90s. I would like to believe I know it when I see it. I was raised watching it.

Gretzky used to have to play with Dave Semenko on his line lest he get pasted into the ice. Those certainly were different days.

I know for a fact that I make mistakes every day, so certainly I am open to it. Perhaps you would like to describe how intimidation is working in the playoff right now. By whom and how?

[Kryten]

While I would be pleased if the Canucks drafted Ehlers, I would prefer they move heaven and earth to acquire Sam Bennett. That kid is championship material and belongs no where near the Lames.