Quote:
Originally Posted by heep223
Does anyone know if there's consensus on which of the top 6 guys are NHL ready?
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A lot depends on their summer, how well their training camp goes, how thin the organization is at that position and what their coach and GM's philosophy on keeping young players is. All that said I'll give my impressions:
Matthews - NHL ready and will make an immediate impact
Laine - NHL ready and likely to make an immediate impact
Puljujarvi - certainly has NHL size and skating. Could see him in the NHL right away or the AHL if he's not quite ready
Tkachuk - plays a pro style game and has NHL size. His skating might need a summer of improvement. Because of his smarts and the fact he already plays an NHL style game I think he could step in
Chychrun - had NHL size, skating and skill. Not sure what more he can learn in junior. I'm guessing some teams would keep him and other teams would send him back
Dubois - has NHL size and speed and plays a fairly pro style of game as well. Not sure he's quite as NHL ready as Tkachuk though. It will probably depend on what team takes him and his role. If a team sees him as a LW then it's easier to break in as a rookie on the wing. If a team wants him at centre perhaps they'd send him back
So much depends on which team takes these guys. For the Flames I think the top 3 and Tkachuk would likely make our team next fall, Dubois would have a chance too.
Interesting to note that Nylander should be AHL eligible ala Julius Honka because he's on loan from Sweden