Prospect Info: 2022 8OA, Marco Kasper

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

call me crazy but its almost as if the people who were optimistic were right

It’s because we actually watched the guy. Look at the 2022 draft thread, or the everything Swedish thread from 22-23. The people that actually watched the guy could see how much Kasper impacts a game.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

He’s along with MBN are going to be Swiss Army knife players that can play up and down the lineup and dish out physical punishment. I am absolutely not interested in moving these guys. Kasper had 5 hits last game. Hes good in the faceoff circle. I know people poo poo this sort of stuff but it really does matter come playoff time. Look at a guy like same Bennett for Florida, if you have a guy who can project similar to that you do everything you can to keep them.

 

[OldnotDeadWings]

Marco's high hockey IQ, work rate, good fundamentals, all-round talent has been noticeable from his first year in SHL and probably before that. Was never much doubt he could be at least a useful player in the NHL, but at the same time its been clear IMO he was and still is far from a finished product. Even now, as well as he's playing on the top line, he still looks like there's a lot more there that further refining will someday reveal. We haven't seen much yet of the abrasiveness he has shown before. He's been all business, checking off the things that need to be done in whatever role he's given. He's probably never going to make you go "Wow!" like Dats or other wizard level players, but he will do things shift after shift that help you win.

 

[RedHawkDown]

He’s along with MBN are going to be Swiss Army knife players that can play up and down the lineup and dish out physical punishment. I am absolutely not interested in moving these guys. Kasper had 5 hits last game. Hes good in the faceoff circle. I know people poo poo this sort of stuff but it really does matter come playoff time. Look at a guy like same Bennett for Florida, if you have a guy who can project similar to that you do everything you can to keep them.

I agree with you but Bennett is not what won Florida the cup - Reinhart, Tkachuk and Barkov did. These players are great to have, but you still need the other guys at the top of the lineup.

If an opportunity comes along to acquire a top player, I think you have to look at trading some of these young guys to make a significant upgrade. Otherwise, yes, definitely keep them. But let's say Kyle Connor becomes available? Or someone like Pettersson still wants out of Vancouver? You have to consider including these guys for a player like that. MBN ideally, as we already know Kasper is effective in the NHL.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

I agree with you but Bennett is not what won Florida the cup - Reinhart, Tkachuk and Barkov did. These players are great to have, but you still need the other guys at the top of the lineup.

If an opportunity comes along to acquire a top player, I think you have to look at trading some of these young guys to make a significant upgrade. Otherwise, yes, definitely keep them. But let's say Kyle Connor becomes available? Or someone like Pettersson still wants out of Vancouver? You have to consider including these guys for a player like that. MBN ideally, as we already know Kasper is effective in the NHL.

Kyle Connor sure, pettersson is fools gold at this point and struggles with consistency and what looks like a love for the game. I wouldn’t trade for him personally.

 

[RedHawkDown]

Kyle Connor sure, pettersson is fools gold at this point and struggles with consistency and what looks like a love for the game. I wouldn’t trade for him personally.

Yeah just examples. Just mean I really do think Yzerman has to leverage some of these prospects and promising young guys into one more big gun at least up front. Not all of them can make it.

X-Larkin-Raymond
DeBrincat-Kasper-X
Soderblom-X-Rasmussen
Copp-Veleno-X

That's 4 spots up front, not including Compher, and 5 once Copp is gone and maybe even 6 once Veleno is gone. But really only 3 or 4 in the top 9. And to fill those spots, we have Danielson, MBN, Lombardi, Berggren, Buchelnikov, Plante, Mazur, Finnie that all could conceivably fill some of those spots. Thats 8 guys for 3-4 spots, and I know most of them will bust, but all of them are looking promising now. To me, it makes sense to package a few of these guys + a young roster player like Ras/Veleno/Berggren to make a big upgrade at F.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

Yeah just examples. Just mean I really do think Yzerman has to leverage some of these prospects and promising young guys into one more big gun at least up front. Not all of them can make it.

X-Larkin-Raymond
DeBrincat-Kasper-X
Soderblom-X-Rasmussen
Copp-Veleno-X

That's 4 spots up front, not including Compher, and 5 once Copp is gone and maybe even 6 once Veleno is gone. But really only 3 or 4 in the top 9. And to fill those spots, we have Danielson, MBN, Lombardi, Berggren, Buchelnikov, Plante, Mazur, Finnie that all could conceivably fill some of those spots. Thats 8 guys for 3-4 spots, and I know most of them will bust, but all of them are looking promising now. To me, it makes sense to package a few of these guys + a young roster player like Ras/Veleno/Berggren to make a big upgrade at F.

I don’t think debrincat will be here past his contract, I almost always pencil him out in these convos. Veleno probably won’t make it. Berggren likely won’t either, not that he’s bad but we can fill his role pretty easy. Rasmussen you can just make a 4th line center and be fine. Soderblom, kasper, Danielson, buchnelikov, mazur and MBN are forwards I think you can expect to see long term on the team, with likely a big FA add to fill debrincats spot.

If you’re looking at trade assets at forward I think you’re looking at Rasmussen, veleno, Berggren, Lombardi, plante etc. the red wings want to have a big and hard team to play against. That’s what they are and always have been building towards. If the other guys are getting traded, it’s likely for a deal they couldn’t pass up. Someone that significantly improves the team.

 

[OldnotDeadWings]

I agree with you but Bennett is not what won Florida the cup - Reinhart, Tkachuk and Barkov did. These players are great to have, but you still need the other guys at the top of the lineup.

If an opportunity comes along to acquire a top player, I think you have to look at trading some of these young guys to make a significant upgrade. Otherwise, yes, definitely keep them. But let's say Kyle Connor becomes available? Or someone like Pettersson still wants out of Vancouver? You have to consider including these guys for a player like that. MBN ideally, as we already know Kasper is effective in the NHL.

A big trade will probably happen at some point. I'm not sure it will happen before we know a lot more than we do now about the guys it might cost to acquire that player or players. IMO that currently excludes all of the current young players and all of the top 5-6 prospects. In a year or two it may become more feasible. We're not so close that we can't afford to wait a bit longer. The available star player that we simply MUST go after one year is almost always followed by another the next season.

 

[Coach Reggie Dunlop]

A big trade will probably happen at some point. I'm not sure it will happen before we know a lot more than we do now about the guys it might cost to acquire that player or players. IMO that currently excludes all of the current young players and all of the top 5-6 prospects. In a year or two it may become more feasible. We're not so close that we can't afford to wait a bit longer. The available star player that we simply MUST go after one year is almost always followed by another the next season.

We could get him in the offseason in FA with rantanen. I’m sure yzerman is very much aware of that.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I agree with you but Bennett is not what won Florida the cup - Reinhart, Tkachuk and Barkov did. These players are great to have, but you still need the other guys at the top of the lineup.

If an opportunity comes along to acquire a top player, I think you have to look at trading some of these young guys to make a significant upgrade. Otherwise, yes, definitely keep them. But let's say Kyle Connor becomes available? Or someone like Pettersson still wants out of Vancouver? You have to consider including these guys for a player like that. MBN ideally, as we already know Kasper is effective in the NHL.

If top tier superstars were the only thing that mattered then we’d see NYR vs Edmonton every year in the playoffs.

You need talented depth that can win their matchups. Kasper is doing that on the top line. He’s probably going to do that as 2 or 3C soon.

Remove Bennett from Florida and put Copp in and they don’t get as far in the postseason. Remove Gourde as 3C in Tampa and they don’t win in 20 and 21. Remove Karlsson in Vegas and they don’t win in 23.

Hockey is a team sport. Don’t dismiss a guy for not being a 50 goal scorer.

 

[RedHawkDown]

If top tier superstars were the only thing that mattered then we’d see NYR vs Edmonton every year in the playoffs.

You need talented depth that can win their matchups. Kasper is doing that on the top line. He’s probably going to do that as 2 or 3C soon.

Remove Bennett from Florida and put Copp in and they don’t get as far in the postseason. Remove Gourde as 3C in Tampa and they don’t win in 20 and 21. Remove Karlsson in Vegas and they don’t win in 23.

Hockey is a team sport. Don’t dismiss a guy for not being a 50 goal scorer.

I’m not dismissing him. Top tier superstars aren’t the only thing that matters but some significant offense is necessary and we have that in Raymond and to a lesser extent Larkin but we don’t have it to the level of most (all?) of the recent cup winners.

Remove Barkov, Tkachuk, or Reinhart from Florida and they’re out in round 1. Remove Point or Kucherov from Tampa and they’re out in round 1. Depth matters but not at the expense of top guys. Just saying we still need 1 or 2 more top guys, and if the chance to get one arises we should take it.

 

[OldnotDeadWings]

We could get him in the offseason in FA with rantanen. I’m sure yzerman is very much aware of that.

I'm sure he is too and thanks to locking up key guys to very good deals he might be able to do something about it. FA is a different matter than trades. One of the reasons why getting into the playoffs and maybe even winning a series is important is that it might give Rantanen something to think about.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I’m not dismissing him. Top tier superstars aren’t the only thing that matters but some significant offense is necessary and we have that in Raymond and to a lesser extent Larkin but we don’t have it to the level of most (all?) of the recent cup winners.

Remove Barkov, Tkachuk, or Reinhart from Florida and they’re out in round 1. Remove Point or Kucherov from Tampa and they’re out in round 1. Depth matters but not at the expense of top guys. Just saying we still need 1 or 2 more top guys, and if the chance to get one arises we should take it.

A top heavy Colorado lost Kadri and Burakovsky on their second line and were out in round one in 2023 against a Seattle team with no superstars but could roll 4 lines.

Depth wins. Period.