Quote:
Originally Posted by timbit
I explained why a few weeks ago,would you please explain why not?
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First off I want to say that Keller is a fantastic talent. But he's not the only talented player at the top of this draft. Size does matter in the NHL because there are a lot of physical battles in certain areas of the ice and smaller players have a significant disadvantage in those battles. Keller's skill set seems to fit the centre position quite well as he is a fantastic playmaker and passer. But because the centre is responsible for covering down low in the defensive zone he will need to engage in physical battles on the cycle, along the boards, and heading to the front of the net. These are battles he has to engage in without the puck. If he's covering Getzlaf down low it doesn't matter how good his puck handling is, or his vision is. It does matter that Getzlaf can push him away with one arm, protect the puck with superior reach and drive the net unhindered. Because of this his match ups as a centre are problematic in the defensive zone when going up against big centres. Because of this I think he has to be sheltered a bit in the defensive zone. Because of this its hard or impossible to project him as a #1 centre in the NHL because you can't shelter your #1 centre defensively.
So to me he projects as a #2 centre if you wanna keep him at centre. Some teams may look to shift him to the wing where the defensive responsibilities in his own zone don't involve him trying to win physical battles down low against the like of the much bigger and stronger Kopitar, Getzlaf, Thornton, Toews, etc. But overall I think there are players who can project as 1st liners in the NHL or 1st pairing dmen available in the top 7. I think teams will prioritize those players over a kid who has undeniable talent but is more likely to be projected as an ideal 2nd liner because of his size.
I know that won't be a popular opinion with some. But how many #1 centres are there in the NHL at Keller's size? Giroux and Johnson? It's extremely rare. And frankly TB might prefer to have a bigger centre ahead of Johnson so that they can matchup better vs big centres on the opposition.
I think he's a great prospect with undeniable skill and talent. But you can't ignore the role of size in the NHL particularly at the centre position.