Quote:
Originally Posted by bigrangy
Oh for sure, his numbers are very good, but it's very possible to get good numbers and not actually be that good. When you look at how he scored his points, he's still very good, and probably the right pick at 6 (at least among OHL players), but his scoring this year is not a true representation of his actual offensive talent. In terms of straight up stats, you'd expect him to have the offensive capability of a Taylor Hall, Tyler Seguin, Phil Kessel, Steven Stamkos, etc.
His comparison with Hall is actually quite ridiculous. Both late birthdays, both 57gp, 107 pts for Tkachuk, 106 for Hall. I know Hall is a terrible all around hockey player, but I certainly don't expect Tkachuk to put up even close to the same offensive totals in the NHL. If scouts expected Tkachuk to be able to produce offense in the NHL at a rate comparable to his draft year comparables, he'd have gone 2nd, 3rd at worst.
I still think he's going to be a quality player, but I'm expecting more Bryan Little than Phil Kessel.
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In the modern NHL, with Sam Bennett as his centre, I think it's fair to expect Tkachuk to hit 50 points year in and year out. He's talented enough that a few high 60s low 70s seasons are probably in the cards if he gets the puck luck.
Perfectly acceptable for a non-foundational 6th overall pick.