Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
I would take Poirier all day - bigger, faster, more physical. Just a better NHL tool set.
As for talent, they are very even. Poirier had a better year last year and Shinkaruk has had a better year this year. Personally, I don't get too worked up about short-term fluctuations, progression isn't linear.
So I'll go back to the fact that Poirier has more NHL tools, with similar top 6 upside.
Poirier, then Shinkaruk.
Jankowski has to be behind them until such time that he is actually in the organization and can show under direct comparison that he deserves to be ranked higher.
Mangiapane has the potential to pass them all at some point.
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I agree with Poirier over Shinkaruk at this point in time as well. He has the speed, grit, and I think he will end up translating better in the NHL.
As for Jankowski - I may have him above both at the moment. It was a small sample size, but Jankowski looked like such a polished prospect at the prospect camp. I felt he looked like he had the highest IQ and seemed to find instant chemistry with anyone the Flames put on the ice with him. Now, that is a very small sample size of course, but was the only 'head to head' viewings of all the notable prospects at camp.
I dislike Shinkaruk still. I kind of agree with what Burke said pre-draft 2 years (?) ago - "When we identify a headcase, we cross him off the list. I don't care how far he drops or how good of a bargain he seems. He is a headcase in the first round, and he will still be a headcase in the 7th round." (loosely paraphrasing here - but capturing the point).
With that being said, I am very pleasantly surprised at what has come out of Shinkaruk's mouth since the trade, and even more impressed from what Benning was saying - he has put the time in to work on his 200ft game and done everything they asked of him without complaining.
I was hoping Calgary wouldn't draft him simply because of that reason - that he would be a 'pouter' and a selfish player who would have a tough time integrating as a 'team first player', and would have a good chance of busting outright.
I will not say that I have completely changed my stance on Shinkaruk - but I am warming up to him as a prospect thus far. His skill level is high, as is his compete level. 2 more years of waiver ineligibility is important for somewhat of a project that he is at this stage.
I do think it was a blunder on Vancouver's part to trade him now while seeing him progressing. So Benning doesn't see Shinkaruk's goal-scoring ability translating? Well, considering his acquisitions and drafting to this point, I think that is actually a compliment. Jake "No hockey IQ one trick pony" Virtanen was selected way too high, Lucas "I suck at everything" Sbisa, Prust "I am paid way too much hahaha", Frankie "I look like a decent depth guy that is better than Sbisa" Corrado being waived because of a gaff - yeah, not worried about Shinkaruk's goal-scoring ability not translating.
As Bingo mentioned - Granlund would be a Colborne/Knight/Shore type of prospect where waivers become an issue and the market willing to give anything of substance shrinks dramatically situation. I really loved Granlund, and think he was a good depth guy with great IQ and a very nice quick shot. What he didn't seem to be able to do is find a way to get that shot off enough, and he didn't do things at 'pace'. Just did things a bit too slow. If he finds a bit more pace to his game, or a bit more intensity, I really do think he can develop all the way to a 2nd liner - but that is a big IF. I do think he will end up being a competent 3rd liner for his career, and a team has to be patient to wait for that.
If I had to choose last week (to be fair) between losing Granlund to waivers or Byron to waivers - after not seeing Granlund take that step so far this season - I would rather have kept Byron. I would have been mildly upset at losing Granlund for free on waivers. To get a fairly recent 1st round pick from a strong draft class who is progressing nicely? That is a great trade.
Flames lose this one if Shinkaruk busts - Granlund may have been a tweener, but he was a decent depth option that didn't really hurt the team at this stage. Nothing wrong with having that in your system - and he was young enough to improve. However, that is a relatively small loss, even if he becomes a competent 3rd liner - Flames are loaded with strong depth guys anyways.
Flames have a shot at a home-run here. Hopefully Shinkaruk continues progressing.
The most expensive players to trade for are the players that put the puck in the net. Flames acquired that potential on the cheap. Benning is an idiot for giving up on that potential early while the Canucks are essentially entering their rebuild.
