Quote:
Originally Posted by oldschoolcalgary
I guess, looking at Brown's highlights, i don't see what people are talking about? Granted, its a highlight/goal scoring tape, so you don't see other things, like dominating a cycle along the boards or physically beating up an opponent over the course of a game.
However, to my untrained eyes, I don't see a particularly skilled guy that is dynamic... i see a big guy with better than average skills. That's it...
can anyone point to something in the highlights that suggest 6th overall?
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Well I'll preface this by saying I'm not really pushing Brown as a guy who should be our pick. I just think he may be in the conversation. He's not really who I'm hoping for, he's not really my favourite for the pick. But I do think he has a massive upside that he may achieve.
It depends what you're looking for in highlights. Brown has been compared to Ryan Johansen and Joe Thornton. What do highlight packages of those players look like? I'm not sure, kind of depends who makes the video and how well they emphasize the player's strengths. Part of their appeal is that they use their size to protect the puck and then use their playmaking and vision to set someone up. So in a highlight package that may focus a lot of their goals it certainly may not wow you. Playmaking centres are primarily useful for setting players up but they need to have some level of finishing ability otherwise the defensemen don't have to respect their shot and can just play the pass the whole time.
So if you're looking for Brown dekeing out several guys and picking the corner he's not that type of player. Nylander is flashier. But he can control the puck on the powerplay and basically play keep away with it like Thornton does. I dunno, does a big, playmaking centre ever really wow you in a highlight reel? Probably not like a dynamic goal scoring winger does. I guess a Malkin type does because of his tremendous skill level but a Johansen type might be more underwhelming in the highlight reels. A big, playmaking centre is one of the most valuable and hard to find commodities in the NHL. I'd argue they are much more valuable than a goal scoring winger with average size.
Definitely part of the appeal with Brown is that you just won't be able to check him. What defenseman in the NHL is strong enough to shove him off the puck when he's fully filled out considering that he's 6'6 218 or so already? Chara? Maybe Weber? The NHL is really lacking that Chris Pronger/Derien Hatcher type at the moment, I'm struggling to think of huge guys who can physically overpower any forward. So Brown if he uses his size to his advantage will basically be unstoppable. That is why his upside is so big, that is why he's very appealing to some teams.
Is he the most purely skilled guy in this top end? No. But he does have some of the best size/strength. And his skating is amazing for his size. Does he have above average skill? Yes. Teams that value that size/skating/skill combo are going to think his upside is insane because you won't be able to stop him physically with his size/strength/reach combo. Any team that values pure skill above all else probably won't have him as high.
I dunno feels like I'm rambling, I dunno if that clarified anything on Brown. I think he may inch up the draft boards for teams that lack a top two line centre with size. Because the Flames aren't as in need of that as some other teams we may be one of the teams that doesn't have him as high. But I could also see how any team might have him top 6 due to his skating/size/skill combination. He's a real wildcard.
PS I really like Jones too. Go Dallas! I'd love to be able to trade up into the teens and grab Jones in addition to the player at #6.