Quote:
Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary
don't really get this fixation that people have with size.... if Nylander or Keller (or joulevi for that matter) is the BPA at 6, the Flames should pick that player.
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Back at home base where I can type a lot faster than on him and I've got a few more points I thought of.
BPA is subjective to the scouts/organization. It is influenced by philosophy on what is successful in the NHL and how to build a successful team. Therefore who the Flames think the BPA available at #6 is could be drastically different than who another organization thinks the BPA at #6 is.
Nylander is undoubtedly top 6 for some teams. And I'm guessing he's not top 8-10 for some others. Why is that? Some teams are going to prioritize skill above all else. Clearly some fans do as well. But other teams are going to value things like size and compete level as highly as skill. I believe the Flames are one of the teams that doesn't just rank our list based on pure skill but instead looks at players as a combination of size, skill, skating and character. Nylander and Keller would be top 5-6 in terms of pure skill. But Keller has less than ideal size and this will drop him for teams that do value size into the equation. This isn't to suggest that size is everything or the only thing that matters. But it does factor into the equation for the Flames I believe. Nylander meanwhile has average size, below avg strength (right now) and some have questioned his compete (I'm not saying it's a massive issue but it may be a question mark.) This may drop him lower on the list for some teams. Someone who has an A- on skill, A on skating, A on compete and A on size may be ahead of a guy who is A+ on skill but only C+ on size.
So who is BPA at #6 for the Flames? I'd look for players who possess a blend of skill, skating, size, hockey sense and compete. That is why I am skeptical the Flames will have Nylander/Keller that high. Hopefully that makes sense. It's not that the Flames have a fixation on size but at the same time you can't ignore that part of the equation because the Flames do factor it in to their decision making when debating and making their list.