Quote:
Originally Posted by Itse
I don't think it would be a weird statement about Monahan, MacKinnon or Barkov, the other talented 23-year old centers picked before and after him. Lindholm has played 374 NHL games already. It's extremely rare for guys to make significant leaps at that point.
Would you trade Bo Horvat for his upside? Do you still expect Poirier and Klimchuk to make an impact? I wouldn't and I don't. The 2013 drafted forwards for the most part are what they are, in good and in bad.
That's not to say there's zero development left there, but it's very unlikely for these guys to make jumps that end up making a big difference.
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What? I'd say 99% of this board thought Monahan was obviously the better player than MacKinnon going into this season. So the last 82 games were that critical? Things change and yeah, we still really don't know if Sam Bennett can be a top line player. I still see it as very possible, not highly unlikely (much moreso than you would believe reading this forum). To your point, Bo Horvat could darn well being a top 5 scorer in the NHL... we really don't know. Look at the leap even Taylor Hall took this year.
Plenty of guys take time to develop into high level NHL players. Chara, Pronger... I watched a lot of these guys and it took them YEARS to become what they are known as now. It's not 'very unlikely.' A lot rides on coaching too, and I think we all agree that GG had many issues. This isn't the NFL, where 21 or 22 year-olds are being drafted. These are comparatively babies who need to be nurtured and developed, and from us as fans given patience.
Because a guy developed in the NHL from the age of 18-21 may or may not have been the best plan for that individual player, but specific performance during that time in the NHL bears as about as much relevance as how they were playing had they been in college or the AHL (or abroad) for that same time frame. I wouldn't get hung up on that.