Just read a prospect ranking from the start of January (Hockey News) that had him 3rd on their prospect pool behind only Willander and Lekkerimaki. Considering those two are A+ level prospects, I think that puts him in good company.
Do you have a link to the ranking? Would like to see it. Would like to see their ranking prior to the start of the season for comparison if you have it. Just found The Hockey Writer's mid-season prospect rankings and Vancouver jumped to 16 just ahead of the Flames and Brzustewicz was added to their top five. If a player isn't ranked before the season and then jumps to #5, that would speak volumes about the dearth of quality prospects in the system more than anything. I also wouldn't say Wallinder or Lekkerimaki are A+ prospects. Not many teams have an A+ prospect, let alone two, especially a system ranked in the middle of the league. The Flames have zero A+ prospects and are at #17. I think that because Brzustewicz is a Flame now his stock has skyrocketed for the board. If he was a name tossed around as the principle before the trade was announced the mood on the possible deal would have been much different and people would not have been happy. They would have (and did) demanded Wallinder or Lekkerimaki along with Hoglander and the 1st for compensation of taking on Kuzmenko. As I've said, it's a good trade for the depth it provides to our paper thin prospect depth on the blueline, but it is a futures trade and now we have to watch and hope these kids turn into players.
Wasn't VAN's PDO really high to start the year? They're due to comeback down to earth, right?
It would also be funny if the Flames managed by some miracle to scratch and claw their way back into the playoffs, and beat VAN as the 8th seed team in the first round.
Then beat the Oilers in the 2nd round.
Then win the cup.
Then re-sign Lindholm in the summer.
Then trade Kuzmenko for a 1st next year.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Enoch Root For This Useful Post:
I don't know if already asked but why doesn't Conroy trade Kuzmenko in a month to someone else? Why wait until next year?
I think because his value is lower than if you feed him top line minutes and PP time for the remainder of this year and next. Assuming that helps get his production somewhat back on track combined with his contract expiring next year should make him more valuable next trade deadline.
We also need bodies next season. Lots and lots of expiring contracts this offseason.
Do you have a link to the ranking? Would like to see it. Would like to see their ranking prior to the start of the season for comparison if you have it. Just found The Hockey Writer's mid-season prospect rankings and Vancouver jumped to 16 just ahead of the Flames and Brzustewicz was added to their top five. If a player isn't ranked before the season and then jumps to #5, that would speak volumes about the dearth of quality prospects in the system more than anything. I also wouldn't say Wallinder or Lekkerimaki are A+ prospects. Not many teams have an A+ prospect, let alone two, especially a system ranked in the middle of the league. The Flames have zero A+ prospects and are at #17. I think that because Brzustewicz is a Flame now his stock has skyrocketed for the board. If he was a name tossed around as the principle before the trade was announced the mood on the possible deal would have been much different and people would not have been happy. They would have (and did) demanded Wallinder or Lekkerimaki along with Hoglander and the 1st for compensation of taking on Kuzmenko. As I've said, it's a good trade for the depth it provides to our paper thin prospect depth on the blueline, but it is a futures trade and now we have to watch and hope these kids turn into players.
Yeah, Kuzmenko is a project - and the prospects may bust, and the picks may go rotten.
...but they may not, and Conroy just took a massive step in replenishing the depth that was depleted through years on years on years of deficit spending.
I love this trade. I now just hope they use these picks at the Draft and just keep building. Build the team back up through home grown players.
Go get Tanev and Hanifin done now!
Also I'm sure he's got his props already, but damn Bonded nailed it:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonded
Kuzmenko + Brzustewicz + a 1st
Crushed it!
Last edited by ComixZone; 01-31-2024 at 10:20 PM.
The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to ComixZone For This Useful Post:
I think Rasmus really benefited from being paired with Gio. I think it really helps prospects develop when they get to play with and learn from stars. That's why a part of me wants Gio back as a 6th/7th D next year, so he can help bring along the next young D.
It's very hard to project anything as far as how any junior player or college player will react. These are kids who have had a whirlwind last few years as teens and get thrown in with men and a spotlight on them when drafted.
And each comes into different situations, with different NHL teams who focus on different things, or are transitioning. Each have different coaches at the AHL and NHL level, different cultures, different depth charts, have different rosters spots to fill, different line mates, and the coaches players, scouts, fitness trainers all have different opinions in the player as to where they are currently where they could end up and how they are going to get there...and have the same thoughts on the 50 plus players in the pipeline around the various teams.
And whoever's opinion wins out in the particular situation, can set that player up for success or failure or middling. And then a 21 year old with two years in the league after lighting up junior starts to doubt himself the first time, and then gets injured, and then never is the same himself and gets a different opinion from the new coaches that didn't draft him and the organization wants to go Ina different direction...etc etc
But for every player that loses out due to bad luck, someone else gets lucky and gains, so there's that too.
Martin St Louis wouldn't have won Stanley Cups or be the coach of Montreal if the Flames weren't a terrible team and took a chance on him after all other NHL and AHL teams passed on him. He almost quit as it is, but who knows where he'd be if he was stuck in the Detroit system in those late 90s when they were winning cups?
On the other hand, I firmly believe a guy like Yakupov, if not on the "throw them into the Lions den" approach Lowe and the Oilers took to top talent, with no organizational support and a dressing from void of any veterans to show him the way to be a pro, and had a proper organization/coach/assistant coach/GM assistant GM to humble him a bit right out of junior, could still be in the league somewhere.
So talent and skill can be there in junior, but there's a lot of life that comes at these kids quick when drafted, and a lot of luck and circumstance that comes into play with where they land and then where and how they get supported to progress from there.
No, there isn't. If the Canucks make the WCF, their first-round pick will be no earlier than 29th.
Interesting debate - what is the bigger value gap: five places in the bottom of the first round (24th OA/29th OA) or 32 places between the 3rd and 4th round?
The Following User Says Thank You to ben voyonsdonc For This Useful Post:
Alright Flames, squeeze one more 1st(+?) for a piece (Tanev, Hanifin, other) then you have my blessing to throw the kitchen sink at making the playoffs.
Get in and anything can happen, or whatever the saying is you guys like throwing around..
The Flames should have way more faith in their amateur scouting than they’ve strategically leveraged organizationally up to this point. Like, Wranglers are one of the best teams. All the kids coming in can compete, or seem to be able to. Lots of our picks have turned out well, or seem to. I don’t remember the Flames of the 90s or early 00’s having the best draft pick luck, but over the last 5-6 years it’s gotten way better. So, build this team through the draft and leverage our assets today to load up on as many picks as possible. You will find the next star player or players this way.
In the 1990s, the Flames had this idiotic idea that if they drafted mostly WHL players, they would be guaranteed to get guys who would sign with the team and maybe even give hometown discounts. All they accomplished was to lose out on drafting better players from other leagues, and they certainly didn't get the discounts.
When Sutter came in as GM, he started the team on the road to having a proper development system (they didn't even have their own AHL affiliate at the start) and an adequate scouting staff to cover all the important talent sources. But it took a lot of years for that to develop, and it didn't really pay off until after he was gone.
You get a lot better luck with picks once you have scouts who know what they're doing and coaches who know how to develop them.
__________________
WARNING: The preceding message may not have been processed in a sarcasm-free facility.
The Following User Says Thank You to Jay Random For This Useful Post:
