Quote:
Originally Posted by Caged Great
Granlund is a good player, but how many times have you seen a team with a player like Dallas' version of Niklas Hagman (give or take what Granlund is projecting to be at the top end) win the cup with that type of player in a second line center role?
2013, Toews + Bolland
2012, Kopitar + Richards
2011, Bergeron + Krejic
2010, Toews + Ladd/Bolland
2009, Crosby + Malkin/Staal
2008, Datsyuk + Franzen
2007, McDonald + Getzlaf
2006, Staal + Brind'Amour
2004, Lecavalier + Richards
Unless Granlund magically develops into a player close to Monahan's calibre (not impossible, just very unlikely), then he won't be quite good enough if he's going to be a center and we want to win.
I'm not saying that he's bad, it's just that if your team has him too high on the depth chart, that likely means your team just doesn't have enough talent. If you don't have enough talent and depth, you don't win. Granlund could surprise and become an awesome #2 center on par with a guy like David Krejic. It could happen, but you don't usually see TJ Brodie type jumps in the level of their play, and that's what it would take.
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Of course you would say he doesn't compare to these players when he just finished his rookie pro season and first in north america. Easy to call out any young player that hasn't had a chance to prove themselves as an impact player at the NHL level and say they'll probably never become that. Every good player starts out as a nobody at one point or another. You can't put a cap on his capabilities this early while pulling up a list of much older and proven players for comparison. That's ridiculous.
If anything, he's surpassed Sven for probability of success at the next level to me. He just looks to have a better 200ft game down already, is more gritty, along with elite finishing ability. Sven is an excellent playmaker, and has elite raw skills, but hasn't got the strength on the puck and defensive game down that Granlund has which will help him translate better.