Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan
I agree with most of your statements here, but I'll be blunt: Baertschi was the first prospect I was excited about since Phaneuf. Before Monahan and Bennett, he was also the highest 1st round pick we'd had since Phaneuf. None of those other players drafted in that time were ever projected to be top 6 forwards or top 4 defensemen. He then went on to post unreal numbers in the WHL his next year and followed it up with a 5 game call up where he looked ready to contribute that day, at least offensively.
If anyone gave me unrealistic expectations for Sven, it was Sven. He performed at an incredibly high level and projected to be a 1st line player in the NHL. The fact that just a few years later, not only is he not a 1st line NHL player, but if he even makes it, which isn't a sure thing at all, it will be at best a 2nd line winger, well that's pretty disappointing. That's not getting overly excited about a prospect on my part, that's following his progression and his pedigree, and then putting realistic expectations on where he should be at certain points in his timeline.
If Baertschi has his detractors now, and I'm not necessarily even one of them, it's likely because he simply hasn't come close to living up to his potential, while some guys like Jooris, and to a lesser extent Bouma, kicked down the door to the NHL when they got their chances. I have a greater amount of respect for guys that make the most of the opportunities they're given.
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I agree with most of this Sven really started his own hype train. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact he was our only legitimate top prospect since Phaneuf, so when we saw what he was doing at the junior level and in his emergency call-up, it did make expectations in our minds realistically high.
Now anything that doesn't hit that level is a grave disappointment. He does deserves much of the criticism he has received, but I also think he gets so much of it due to how we felt about him 2-3 years ago. Always thought he needed some AHL seasoning and he really didn't earn his NHL spot his first year but was better last year playing with Hudler and Monahan. I think anyone picked at his draft position usually needs a few years of AHL time but he was rushed due to his 5 game stint.
He's definitely I think our most interesting prospect in that if he can regain anywhere close to the Sven we saw, he is a huge addition to the future as not many of our other prospects possess the skill he could add to our top 6.