[News] Upd: Drouin decides to sit out until trade is completed. Lightning suspend him.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Well, no. Because if Drouin hits his potential you'll be trading one of those four to acquire a RW or a more reliable goaltender.

The "less than elite price" is great but if Drouin becomes great then you better hope Bennett doesn't, or you're trading away a core piece in a couple years time for SURE.

Future scenarios shouldn't exist where we have 6 star players and none of them play RW or G.

What a bizarre thing to say. Having so many elite players that you are forced to trade one, that would be terrible.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

And then he went 60th. A nice start to his pro career doesn't erase all of the concerns that caused him to drop.

So what? He dropped, people were concerned about his mentality, he's proven them all wrong and playing like a top ten pick. It's nothing but a win for the Flames so far.

His play so far also doesn't erase all the positives that made him an early high pick favorite, and like I said, right now it looks like he's proving you and others wrong.

[JJ1532]

Originally Posted by ah123

Drouin has had a lot of injuries and the 3 games in 3 days will give teams the opportunity to see if he is really 100%

Is his health really the biggest concern? Or is it his play and that he feels entitled to loads of ice time and a spot on an NHL roster, regardless of his team's management feels is best for him?

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Jacks

What a bizarre thing to say. Having so many elite players that you are forced to trade one, that would be terrible.

It was to the comment of "Can you imagine these top two pairings!" as no, it wouldn't be the top two forward pairings if they all turned out to be elite, we'd trade one to fill another need.

Not that having multiple elite players was bad.

[Gaudfather]

A couple of further points worth consideration if the Flames could land Drouin.

1. Calgary is a Canadian hockey market - sometimes more appealing to Canadian born NHL players.
2. Bob Hartley is a francophone - makes him a better cultural fit with Drouin.
3. Hartley has established a solid track record of grooming rookies into 200' full time NHL'ers - look at Monahan, Gaudreau, Jooris, Bennett, Ferland, Grandlund.
4. Flames are a young team on the verge of being contenders - something that should really appeal to Drouin.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by dammage79

So what? He dropped, people were concerned about his mentality, he's proven them all wrong and playing like a top ten pick. It's nothing but a win for the Flames so far.

His play so far also doesn't erase all the positives that made him an early high pick favorite, and like I said, right now it looks like he's proving you and others wrong.

Kylington dropped because it became evident his defensive game was non-existent and there were major questions about his hockey IQ.

I'm glad the Flames picked him, and I'm encouraged by his development. But 40-something games in the AHL haven't made the red flags that prompted every team in the league to pass on Kylington twice just disappear.

[goflamesgo18]

Originally Posted by Gaudfather

A couple of further points worth consideration if the Flames could land Drouin.

1. Calgary is a Canadian hockey market - sometimes more appealing to Canadian born NHL players.
2. Bob Hartley is a francophone - makes him a better cultural fit with Drouin.
3. Hartley has established a solid track record of grooming rookies into 200' full time NHL'ers - look at Monahan, Gaudreau, Jooris, Bennett, Ferland, Grandlund.
4. Flames are a young team on the verge of being contenders - something that should really appeal to Drouin.

I don't think Drouin has a say in where he gets traded to.

[Monahan For Mayor]

Originally Posted by goflamesgo18

I don't think Drouin has a say in where he gets traded to.

That's why he said if he is traded here. Think he's pointing out the Dougie Hanilton effect, that Drouin would potentially be much happier in our organization.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by dammage79

So what? He dropped, people were concerned about his mentality, he's proven them all wrong and playing like a top ten pick. It's nothing but a win for the Flames so far.

His play so far also doesn't erase all the positives that made him an early high pick favorite, and like I said, right now it looks like he's proving you and others wrong.

How is he proving me wrong? I didn't really have an opinion on him either way before the draft.
I'm merely pointing out that there were valid concerns about him and reasons why he dropped. It is great that his development has been good this year - but as we all know the development path is rarely smooth.
And his position in the draft likely reflects how he is valued across the league, something that won't have entirely changed in a matter of months.

[Hackey]

The only way we would have to fork out big money for Bennett and Drouin is if they both had unbelievable seasons next year. Even then its 1 solid year and they are both RFAs. It's not really a comparable situation to Monahan and Gaudreau. Both would likely get some type of bridge deal that would mainly be determined by their play next year. Either way its probably a nice problem to have because both their values would be sky high in that scenario.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

I'm not sure Tampa is really looking for young prospects ala Kylington. I don't think that ideally they would want to trade Drouin for a kid(s) who are 2 years behind Drouin in development.

I can see why people are reluctant to trade the 1st rounder. This draft looks pretty insane at the top end and who knows if the Flames can keep up the current pace. One unlucky injury to a key player could put an end to our playoff chances. That said it is the type of commodity that might tempt Tampa to trade Drouin, I think this year's 1st holds a lot more value than either Kylington, Andersson or Hickey. The other things we have that would tempt them are actually untouchable (Brodie, Gio, Monahan, Bennett, Gaudreau, Hamilton.)

We do have some things they may want in the 1st, Wideman, Engelland, Ferland, Kylington, Andersson, Hickey but I don't know if there's a fit there.

[Hackey]

I guess it all depends what other teams might be willing to offer. Since that potential trade list is so long its kind of difficult to determine.

[sureLoss]

Friedman on 960 thinks St. Louis is the team that wants Drouin the most.

[Hackey]

They definitely have some pieces they could deal.

[Vinny01]

Shattenkirk and Rattie for Drouin and Coburn?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

And then he went 60th. A nice start to his pro career doesn't erase all of the concerns that caused him to drop.

He was ranked top 5 because of talent. He dropped to 60th because of some concerns and a difficult season. If said concerns get addressed/erased, he should move back up.

Where he was ranked last summer is simply a snapshot in time. Just as his top 5 ranking at the beginning of that season was a shapshot in time. Neither is 'wrong', they were simply different because the information changed.

No reason why, a half a year later, when the information changes again, that his ranking/value wouldn't change again.

Look at Gaudreau. Every team passed on him at least 3 times due to his size (a legitimate concern) even though he was considered one of the most talented players in the draft.

The moment he proved that the size concern wasn't an issue, his value skyrocketted to what is likely now the top player in his draft class.

[Vinny01]

Kylington has not done anything to really put him back in the top 5-10 discussion. It is arguable he could be a first round pick but that is debatable

[Enoch Root]

Let's put it another way. If the draft were a year earlier, when they were 17, Kyllington would have gone top 5.

Then, when he struggled the next season (last season), people would have simply said "he's a top 5 talent who is just learning how to play defense - give him time"

Just like Drouin.

[Enoch Root]

Note: I am not arguing that Kyllington is better than Drouin.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Kylington has not done anything to really put him back in the top 5-10 discussion. It is arguable he could be a first round pick but that is debatable

Curious what you base this on.

Kyllington was considered the best skater in his draft class, not named McDavid. And he showed pretty elite offensive talent as well (better numbers than Karlsson).

The concern was that he might be a headcase, and that he was a mess defensively.

He is now showing that he isn't a headcase, and that his defensive game is actually just fine for an 18 year old - though, yes it's still a small sample size.

So if the concerns are significantly deteriorated, and he still has elite skills, why would his rank not rise again to reflect that?