Quote:
Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814
I disagree. Especially with respect to Keller. He is as dynamic a prospect as you will find in any draft. I've said this in another thread; draft Keller, add him to the collection of stud centers under 21 along with Bennett and Jankowski.
The best center of the lot stays in the middle on the 2nd line. The player who plays best with that center kicks out to the wing. The 3rd man becomes the #3C and Backlund is traded for help. In my head, Bennett stays the #2C, Keller is his wingman, and all 6 ft 4 200+ lbs of Jankowski anchors the third line.
The Oilers are the Oilers because some of their most important players have massive entitlement issues and their roster construction is fundamentally flawed. I just want a team with two Gaudreaus.
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I respect your enthusiasm for Keller, but if he were the type of player you are suggesting he would like be in the discussion for #1 not #6 or later. I think people have forgotten the book on this draft before the hype started. This was a draft of three possible great players, top line players, then a group of guys that would be good support players, 2nd and 3rd line level guys. I think we have just had way too much time to see the hype build on these guys to the point where they can't live up to expectations.
I also respect your desire to have two Gaudreaus. Unfortunately I'm not sure that would work in the league today, especially in the west. I love Johnny Gaudreau, but I sure got tired of watching him get pushed around against the top teams. As much as we need another skill guy, we need some bodies that are not getting to get pushed around. That doesn't mean guys that throw punches, it means guys with size that can fight through checks and play a heavy game. A Joe Thornton level player on the 2nd line would be a real cross to bear for this team. Given that we have a lot of small prospects we need those big bodies more than anything.