Matt Rentfree
Registered User
Everyone has different criteria I suppose - for me a #3 is hitting roughly 30 points/year on average a #2 is hitting 40+ and a #1 is hitting 50+
Prospect Info: 2017 NHL Draft / Pick #7 - Lias Andersson (C)
- Thread starter Pavel Buchnevich
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Everyone has different criteria I suppose - for me a #3 is hitting roughly 30 points/year on average a #2 is hitting 40+ and a #1 is hitting 50+
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
For me, I use top 31, next 31, next 31, but when I'm talking about the elite NHL centers, I make it known that I'm talking about that. Sometimes I term that as a "real 1C" or something like that, but in the context of the conversation, I think its known.
To me, Stepan was likely a bad 1C, but no worse than a very good 2C, I guess you could say thats a 1/2C hybrid, we seem to have a lot of those. I thought Stepan, Zibanejad, Brassard are all 1/2 hybrids (could be in category one in any given month, could be in category two the next month), and I think Hayes is a 2/3C hybrid.
Stepan had a 57 point average over 82 games. I don't think Andersson will reach that, maybe high 40's-low 50's over 82 games, and near 57 his best year over 82 games, I need to draw the 82 game distinction because Stepan's career high is 57, but it should be higher, when you consider probably his two best years he didn't play enough games to be able to reach his career high. His average over 82 games is 57.
Edge
Kris King's Ghost
Ideally, I think Andersson projects as a second line center. But I also think his value is potentially about more than his numbers.
We seem to keep defining Andersson by offensive projections, and I'm not sure that gives the most accurate picture.
If Andersson develops to a good proximity of what he's projected to be, you're potentialy looking at a 20 goal, 50-55 point center who can also play the wings. He can take PP, PK and ES shifts, help grind a team down, and be a guy who you throw out there when you want to control the tempo of a game. He's a guy who serves as a safety valve for his linemates, but is talented enough to play with skilled players. You view him as potentially wearing a letter, but at least being a voice and personality in the locker room. He brings a swagger to his game that potentially rubs off on those around him. He's not a fighter, but he's not going to back down. He'll play in a variety of situations.
Again, I think that's a broad picture of what the Rangers project and hope to get.
We seem to keep defining Andersson by offensive projections, and I'm not sure that gives the most accurate picture.
If Andersson develops to a good proximity of what he's projected to be, you're potentialy looking at a 20 goal, 50-55 point center who can also play the wings. He can take PP, PK and ES shifts, help grind a team down, and be a guy who you throw out there when you want to control the tempo of a game. He's a guy who serves as a safety valve for his linemates, but is talented enough to play with skilled players. You view him as potentially wearing a letter, but at least being a voice and personality in the locker room. He brings a swagger to his game that potentially rubs off on those around him. He's not a fighter, but he's not going to back down. He'll play in a variety of situations.
Again, I think that's a broad picture of what the Rangers project and hope to get.
Aahlstroem
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Irishguy42
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It seems like he started the season slow and has been picking it up lately.
Not surprising, considering the traveling and whatnot he had leading up to his return to Sweden.
Not surprising, considering the traveling and whatnot he had leading up to his return to Sweden.
darko
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Gordon Bombay
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Sounds like a Chris Drury type of player, which in their prime is invaluable to any team. The potential between him and Chytil is intriguing to say the least.
Edge
Kris King's Ghost
I would say that Drury is definitely in the group of player types the Rangers would be happy with Andersson becoming.
I think it is very important to keep some kind of reasonable perspective on Lias Andersson and what a NHL draft is about.
I was just checking the rookie scoring. P-L Dubois has 1 pts in 11 games. 3rd overall in a great draft. Puljujarvi is 0+3 in 7 games, in the AHL... 4th overall in a great draft. Dylan Strome, 0+0 in 2 games in the NHL, 3rd overall three drafts ago. Alex Nylander, 0+1 in 4. Zacha 10+20 in 80. The 14', 13' and 12' are pure horror shows with Reinharts, Bennet, Virtanen, Lindholm, Yak, Galchenyuk, Strome and co in the top 10 not delivering much if anything.
We all want a great team and I can't really fault people who wish for the sky. But this season already many have been disappointed with Lias game, that he wasn't ready to be a second line center out of the gate.
Its important to remember a few things:
-The reasonable ETA for Lias A in the NHL is in 19/20
-The reasonable time for when he can start to contribute should be around 2020-2022 (4-5 years after being drafted)
-A top 10 pick is not guaranteed to become a great NHLer/franchise player
I was just checking the rookie scoring. P-L Dubois has 1 pts in 11 games. 3rd overall in a great draft. Puljujarvi is 0+3 in 7 games, in the AHL... 4th overall in a great draft. Dylan Strome, 0+0 in 2 games in the NHL, 3rd overall three drafts ago. Alex Nylander, 0+1 in 4. Zacha 10+20 in 80. The 14', 13' and 12' are pure horror shows with Reinharts, Bennet, Virtanen, Lindholm, Yak, Galchenyuk, Strome and co in the top 10 not delivering much if anything.
We all want a great team and I can't really fault people who wish for the sky. But this season already many have been disappointed with Lias game, that he wasn't ready to be a second line center out of the gate.
Its important to remember a few things:
-The reasonable ETA for Lias A in the NHL is in 19/20
-The reasonable time for when he can start to contribute should be around 2020-2022 (4-5 years after being drafted)
-A top 10 pick is not guaranteed to become a great NHLer/franchise player
Yes, it was a good content and interesting read @Ola. But I believe that Lias can contribute already next season. It`s just a personal view, but he already looks better than our David D. He can setup and pass with good vision and with excellent finishing when he get the chance, and great positioning. Lias A. is very talented so I`m positive it will be NHL for him already next year if he is well rested before the training camp. Maybe we have a new coach too who is not that strict with young talents and limited ice time in NHL.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
Ola, you named a bunch of guys that have struggled so far or busted, not the norm. And there are many who are very critical of them, take a look at threads on Dubois, Strome, Puljujarvi. None of those guys are busts yet like Yak, but I don't think its unreasonable with a top 10 pick to want a guy who can contribute no later than year two.
And while I agree that statistically a top 10 pick is not destined to be a great NHL'er, no one has stated that. I think its very reasonable to expect a top 6 forward or top 4 D out of a top 10 pick. Would you agree?
I should stress, I'm not saying Andersson is a bust, that would be ridiculous, way too early to even speculate on that, but I don't think we should lower expectations from what we expect out of a top 10 pick, and we should expect more from a top 10 pick than we do a guy picked in the second or third round. I think its reasonable to assert Andersson needs to pick up his play, maybe he has from the start of the season, but I don't think we should now lower the expectations so much to the point where being any type of helpful NHL player will make the pick a good one. I didn't personally like the pick, and there were people who were way more upset about it for me. If Andersson turns into a second line center, I'm fine with it. If he's any less than that, I'll consider it a bad pick.
SnowFort
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Amazing Kreiderman
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That's great. The vision is there. In the games I saw him play, I focused mainly on him (vs Linkoping). And despite not getting on the scoresheet, he did something that I was impressed with. He reminds me of the Finnish footballer Jari Litmanen who played for Ajax, Barcelona and Liverpool in the 90s and early 2000s.
Just like Litmanen, Andersson isn't quick, but his vision and the way he reads the game, ensures he is in the right spot a lot. Litmanen had a similar style to it. Arrive on time to receive the ball/puck or make that defensive play.
Thx, I think management realized Lias needed some taking care of.
He was deemed to have had such a busy summer that he was left out of the U20 tournament played right now in order to get in some training. Think being without 1st round picks for so long hurt us in many ways, don’t think anyone realized how hard the kid was worked. No long term damage done, probably the opposite, but if he gets a healthy off season I think we will see a much more explosive kid next season.
One thing though, I am definitely not sure Lias cannot become a very good skater. I am not sold on him becoming it either. I think his skating reminds me a bit of Max Domi, I’ve said it before. But Max is a bit more explosive right now, but they got the same built and skating style.
Like I’ve said since the summer, the key for him to become a top center is to be able to get a move on those legs. If he can improve his skating to the level of say a Max Domi, and be able to pursuit the puck and push the play with speed besides his smarts and skills, shot, I definitely think he can become a good No 1 center. If not we are looking at more of a JT Miller type.
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BBKers
Registered User
He needs to try to develop skating like his Dad or uncle that were both great skaters. His First strides need to be more explosive. It can be Done. I think he has it in him.
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It’s all in the technique; look at videos of Pável Bure, arguably one of the best skating forwards the game has seen, and how he skated. That first push — starting on the outside of the skate and rolling inward — increased contact with the ice and resulted in a huge boost. Same with Hossa. Surely Lias can make that adjustment (I did, at 25, and my skating greatly improved — though I’m still no Pável Bure haha).
Edge
Kris King's Ghost
The one thing I will say about Andersson is that he strikes me as motivated. You get the impression that he wants to be the best he can and wants to be that guy on the ice in the final seconds with the game on the line.
If he has something he's working on, I've no doubt he's the type of kid who is all in.
If he has something he's working on, I've no doubt he's the type of kid who is all in.
Lias will captain Sweden at the WJC.
Yes, Lias trying to get all other around him better - I enjoyed it when he was miced up earlier this summer in some training sessions in New York.
Vinny DeAngelo
Jimmy Easy to defend
Edge
Kris King's Ghost
I think we can take a lot of those guys who play an all-around game and provide leadership and find similarities to Andersson.
Despite my doing so recently, I'm always leery about player comparisons.
The Rangers hope would be that Andersson becomes a core all-around player who is very good at a lot of things, but not necessarily strike you as outstanding or elite in any one particular skill set. Talking about guys like Bergeron or Toews would be the peak, hitting every single milestone in development kind of outcome. Sounds fantastic but I highly doubt he hits that level. Below that you have the O'Reilly, Drury, Horvat, Huberdeau level and I think that is a more realistic high-end upside for Andersson, and one the Rangers would be elated to have.
The risk with a player like Andersson, if you want to call it a risk, is that if he develops there is going to be a lot to like about his game. Sometimes when you have a player who does so many things that you like, it's easy to either expect more offense out of them or over-project them. Those two elements, perhaps more than anything that Andersson can do to assist his own development, are my biggest concerns.
Already I see it creeping into conversations around here, especially as Chytil's offensive development takes off faster than most people expected - including, I would imagine, a lot of members of the Rangers hierarchy.
Andersson's game will always be about balance, no matter where his offensive game peaks. Maybe in 5 years he becomes one of the top picks in his draft, maybe 5 years from now we find he was taken too high, but either way I think we have to have a reasonable understanding of what Andersson is likely to be and what he is not likely to be. From there, we need to set reasonable and fair expectations. If he exceeds them - fantastic!
Vinny DeAngelo
Jimmy Easy to defend
Yea exactly. I think he'll become a 55-60 center with shut down defensive ability. The main driver of his game will be effort and drive.
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