Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesDraftPrognosticator
Honzek is a nice player but you’ll be disappointed if you think he’s anything close to a first line difference maker at the NHL level especially on a good team. There were a couple other players like gabe perrault that I would’ve preferred that have a higher offensive ceiling. With that said Honzek will probably get more opportunity than a guy like Perrault because Calgary doesn’t have a deep prospect pool and there are more NHL roster spots available here than say a place like NYR.
Conroy definitely went with the safe pick being that this was his first draft.
I hope next year takes a few more risks and swings for the fences.
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I am also somewhat sketpical that Honzek has first line upside. His NHLe was much lower than Perreault's and Cristall's. But then to be fair, pratically all of the 2023 picks had, and still have, much lower NHLes than those two. Only Bedard, Fantilli, Benson, Michkov, and Smith are comparable in that regard.
Honzek's injuries and general intensity continue to be concerns for me. He is clearly a lot less skilled than some of the aforementioned players. However, the Flames could have done a lot worse. Guys like Wood, Danielson, Barlow, and Moore are doing quite a bit worse than Honzek.
So I still would have preferred Perrault or Cristall. But the Flames could have done a lot worse than Honzek. He's looking better than most of his peers.