It sucks that Maatta has had to deal with injuries and with cancer - that is seriously messed up for such a young dude.
However, you can't just ignore those issues and disregard them. Very likely he would have to deal with those issues as a Flames' player as well. Whether you argue that his growth has been stunted by what he has thus far had to undergo or not, the fact of the matter is that Maatta is who he is at this point, and a tonne of Penguin fans wish he wasn't on the team.
Maatta has the ability to get better given his age, but he hasn't been showing any signs of improvement for a while. It would be interesting if a change of scenery would do him well or not.
In my opinion, I stick with Jankowski. Though he has yet to become an NHL regular, anyone is hard-pressed not to see the potential that he has at the moment. He has constantly improved every single season since his draft and has constantly taken more responsibilities while doing so.
In my opinion, he is the type of player that the 'new NHL' is all about - a possession monster that can play in all areas of the ice, and in all situations. That is what he is trending to be, and I think that is extremely valuable. In time, I see him like a Backlund in that regard, but in a much bigger body and with that giant reach.
That reach is so money in the NHL. I love how he uses that reach not only to protect the puck (and intercept/break-up opposing passes), but how he uses that reach to make plays. Lemieux and Jagr type of plays with it (and whoa! calm down - not saying he will be as good as those guys). He can just make plays around guys.
Also, BOO on all you guys for not mentioning the incredible TT. Teuvo Terravainen. For me, that was THE guy to compare Jankowski to, as many people were very happy that he dropped to the Flames that year. He was (at the time) that coveted 1st line center prospect. At any rate, I would rather keep Jankowski and gamble that he will indeed be better than any of the other names listed that were talked about around that draft. Maatta is questionable at this point as anything more than a 3rd pairing defencemen, though I would say he is most assuredly an NHL'er. Girgensons is a 3rd line center at best - and more like a 4th line center over the last 2 seasons. Hertl doesn't put up a lot of points or anything, and that in itself is a bit bewildering considering who he gets to play with in SJ and his amazing 4 goal night (though I don't remember him being being talked about much on these forums at the time of the draft). I would say Teravainen is officially a winger. Looks like he is trending up a bit, but I don't think he is anything really special either.
Out of the bunch, Hertl is probably the guy that I would most be 'tempted' by with trading Jankowski for. I still would rather gamble on Jankowski's upside, and call me a homer all you like. I think this kid is going to be a huge part of this team, and within a couple of seasons, I am betting he will be thought of as an important core piece. I think he has the ability to dominate possession and he can create a tonne of offence, especially given some decent line mates.
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