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Itse · 08-13-2013, 05:39 PM

I was not impressed with us picking Granlund pick to begin with, and nothing has changed my opinion of him.

His SM-liiga points are
2011-12: 15 goals, 34 points in 47 games, ~15 min ATOI
2012-13: 10 goals, 30 points in 50 games, ~17 min ATOI

Are there examples of guys with that kind of numbers making it to top 6 in the NHL? If somebody has examples then maybe I'll have more faith, but at this point I'm thinking "bust".

Rough, sorry, yes, I know but seriously.

I don't care how good your brother is and how well you do in a short tournament against kids.

If you're a bonafide top 6 NHL prospect your numbers can't go from .7 PPG to .6 PPG as you grow a year older, get 2 minutes more icetime per game and become the #1 center of your team.

Even if his numbers were a lot better, if you're smallish and not especially fast, you will have a tough time making it in the NHL. You need to be brilliant in something else, and we haven't seen that.

He's a good player, don't get me wrong. I'm sure he'll have a fine career in Europe and in the national team. But I just don't see him in the NHL unless he really kills it next season.

At best I see him sticking around for a few unmemorable but not terrible 0.4-0.5 ppg seasons with around 40-60 GP. At this point that seems like a pipedream.

So personally there's still quite a few guys I'd put before Granlund, simply because guys like Berra, Rämö, Kanzig, Ramage, Reinhart, Arnold and Breen could very well have long, solid careers with some of them even surprising by growing up to be mid-level stars, those important right-behind-the-core guys.

08-13-2013, 05:39 PM	#43
Itse Franchise Player Join Date: May 2004 Location: Helsinki, Finland Exp:	I was not impressed with us picking Granlund pick to begin with, and nothing has changed my opinion of him. His SM-liiga points are 2011-12: 15 goals, 34 points in 47 games, ~15 min ATOI 2012-13: 10 goals, 30 points in 50 games, ~17 min ATOI Are there examples of guys with that kind of numbers making it to top 6 in the NHL? If somebody has examples then maybe I'll have more faith, but at this point I'm thinking "bust". Rough, sorry, yes, I know but seriously. I don't care how good your brother is and how well you do in a short tournament against kids. If you're a bonafide top 6 NHL prospect your numbers can't go from .7 PPG to .6 PPG as you grow a year older, get 2 minutes more icetime per game and become the #1 center of your team. Even if his numbers were a lot better, if you're smallish and not especially fast, you will have a tough time making it in the NHL. You need to be brilliant in something else, and we haven't seen that. He's a good player, don't get me wrong. I'm sure he'll have a fine career in Europe and in the national team. But I just don't see him in the NHL unless he really kills it next season. At best I see him sticking around for a few unmemorable but not terrible 0.4-0.5 ppg seasons with around 40-60 GP. At this point that seems like a pipedream. So personally there's still quite a few guys I'd put before Granlund, simply because guys like Berra, Rämö, Kanzig, Ramage, Reinhart, Arnold and Breen could very well have long, solid careers with some of them even surprising by growing up to be mid-level stars, those important right-behind-the-core guys. Last edited by Itse; 08-13-2013 at 05:46 PM.