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Old 07-09-2025, 09:03 AM   #104
Jiri Hrdina
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Funkhouser View Post
I mean, third liners are available on the waiver wires for free, or with minimal financial investment as a UFA.

You should not be using mid-first round picks to get third liners. If this is his ceiling, then I would consider it a bust as they didn't achieve their potential based on their draft position.

(for reference, I would also consider players like Jankowski, Colborne, Lazar, Puljujärvi, etc as busts despite the fact they carved out NHL careers.)
With the exception of Colborne those guys aren't 3rd liners. They are 4th liners and fringe NHLers.

Good 3rd liners are not often available on the waiver wire. You can get some as UFAs, but they aren't cheap.

An effective 3rd liner at that spot in the draft isn't a bust. At that spot of the draft the ceiling for most players is 2nd liner, so if they settle into a solid 3rd liner you've done OK. Particularly if it's a centre. I would suggest a good 3rd line centre has the same value as a 2nd line winger.

Last edited by Jiri Hrdina; 07-09-2025 at 09:51 AM.
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