Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
I think I've mentioned this before, I think you're a too close to the player in question to be objective. People who become emotionally invested in players routinely look past their most obvious flaws and try to make excuses for their shortcomings. You know, kind of like the Iginla apologists did the last three years of his career in Calgary, and continue to do since his departure. As I have said in the past, I watch the Steelheads and the guy I come away impressed with is Michael McLeaod, because he plays the NHL game. Nylander plays a pretty game, very similar to Hemsky when he as in the QMJHL. Of course you don't see the similarity to Hemsky, that would require you to admit he has shortcomings. Hemsky was decent in junior, but buttery soft in the NHL. Nylander is about as proficient in the dirty areas as Hemsky was. There are going to be people that suggest getting a player of Hemsky in the draft would be a success, but how much has Hemsky contributed to a winner? That is exactly why Nylander scares me. I'm not certain he has what it takes to contribute to a winner. That is my greatest concern about him and why I would consider other players over him.
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Nylander is an okay option if you are looking for secondary scoring and there are no other truly dynamic offensive players available. In this case there is at least 1 (in my opinion) and maybe 2 that will be available. I think Nylander is likely going to be in that same generic genre as guys like Hudler/Hemsky. High quality 2nd line scorers that can fill in on a first line if your team has zero depth. I think that both Keller and Jost have 1st line offensive potential if they hit their potential (Keller moreso), despite their slightly smaller builds. I think Keller could be a 70 point player, much like Gaudreau, which is why I prefer him to Nylander.
McLeod does not have that higher tier of offensive skill. He'll be a good NHL player, but if you're picking that guy in the top 12 of this particular draft, you're making a Virtanen type pick, leaving better guys on the table. McLeod is good pick for a team that just missed or just made the playoffs like Boston, where you have a lot of your key parts in hand and are trying to get those last pieces to put you back into being a potential contender. However, the top 12 teams likely cannot afford to take a player that looks like he'll top out as a middle six defensive minded center, despite that being necessary on a good team.