le_sean
Registered User
- Oct 21, 2006
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Very encouraging that our drafting and development are in the hands of the team taking Andersson, Kravtsov, Kakko and Lafrèniere.
2023 NHL Entry Draft
- Thread starter montreal
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WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
I am definitely at the point where I'll wipe my ass with any list that has Barlow above Leonard.
It's not even close.
It's not even close.
Jabba11
Hockey Lobby
I don't see his skating being worrisome at all compared to guys like Benson, Dvorsky and Smith.
Benson, Dvorsky and Smith lack explosiveness in their skating. Cristall is shifty and smooth on his edges. What worries me about him, is his lack of effort on the defensive end and when he loses a puck battle, he tends to just give up. But when he has the puck on his tape in the O zone, I think Cristall is a menace. He's the most dynamic player outside the big 3 (Connor, Michkov and Fantilli).
I think if there is a player that would swing the fence for us and be a gamebreaker is Cristall. I love Will Smith but I just don't see any explosiveness in his game and that bothers me. Cooley had it, not Smith. Smith and Benson somehow remind me a lot fo Suzuki. You know they have insane talent, vision, IQ but I want explosion. I think Cristall reminds me a lot of a Zegras or Marner. Come with same concerns which let them to be picked 4th and 9th.
And, Cristall is playing at a 1.75PPG pace in the Dub, that's higher than Benson, who is 2nd in league after Bedard.
What do ya'll think of Cristall? Marner is good comparison or no?
No. To me, Fantilli is good enough as a consolation prize to not give up the 10th overall on top plus every other pick. Fantilli is a 90 point Center. I’ll take that plus a Leonard or Moore plus 6-7 other picks .
SOLR
Registered User
Not sure why you are talking about Barlow so much, he's a top 15 pick and Leonard is a top 10 pick.
WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
Bob's last list had Barlow ahead. I've seen more than a few who have done the same.
- Aug 21, 2016
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How much does he generates offensively at the expense of the defensive side of his game? Its easier to pile the pts when you spend little energy at defending or cheating positionally. When you reach the pros, there is no more cheating, you will be asked for a solid 2-way effort and this is where some offensive junior producers get lost. If the kid gives up too easily in his puck battles, thats another red flag since its unlikely to get better once he faces bigger stronger men.
Dvorsky with the hat trick today. The key to it was that he skated so slowly, that he actually appeared to be moving backwards - very elusive and hard for the defenders to read...
- Aug 21, 2016
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I dont get the skating issue either, he is not a speedster, but thats quite fine, especially for a center. He moves really well out there for a kid his size.
Weber Fan
Registered User
The 3 amigos from USNDTP, Smith, Moore and Leonard are climbing in many lists. I can see all 3 picked in the top 10.
JT3
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- May 27, 2013
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You know you can like other players without having to involve how much you hate Barlow in every post right? And you decided you don't like him because he has a beard? Lol
The guy is carrying the shit out of his team scoring 39 in 51 while the next best player is Cedric fricking Guindon. Leonard is a great prospect but he's got a lot more help around him with Smith, Perrault, Moore, etc. They're both going to be good players.
SOLR
Registered User
Barlow is very much rolling the dice, he could be stunning and his combination of size/speed is tantalizing. But like you, I think his upside is not a 40-50g guy, more like a 30g. That being said, I'm a lot more interested in Barlow for the habs for the FLA pick, because we need to complete the top 9 lines and he's a very rare player that can slot in in all kinds of combinations with some rough stuff. Ie. he's the compensation for Caufield's softness we need.
Very interesting that Barlow could be in the NHL next year as well (because maybe our first pick won't).
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le_sean
Registered User
- Oct 21, 2006
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Marner is the Leafs best PKer. He definitely doesn’t give up on plays. Cristall is more like Seth Jarvis.
Problem is you better be sure he pans out, because the lack of size, skating, and defensive effort means there’s an uphill battle to make it to the NHL.
Team_Spirit
95% Elliotte
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Jabba11
Hockey Lobby
Zegras is all offense. At this point, the Canadiens lack offense period. At that 7-9th range, it's asking yourself to which extent are you willing to sacrifice a responsible game for a more dynamic game. You can't teach offensive instincts and natural goal scoring instincts. But you can definitely teach how to play a better defensive game. You look to go for the most dynamic offensive player IMO when your organization lacks that. I am not against your take, I agree with your assessment of Cristall. I expect him to be put on the hot seat at the combine with teams about his level of commitment for sure. But, it's their job to see how much they can develop him into a more rounded player yet with instincts of an offensive player.
Agreed with all the above. It's definitely a very high risk.
Jaynki
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- Feb 3, 2014
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Imagine not drafting Laf first in 20 or Kakko second in 19... They were obvious, unanimous pick at their spot. Hindsight is 20/20.
Its also the team that drafted Chytil 21OV. That moved up for K'Andre Miller. That also moved up for Braden Schneider.
Its also well known that Gorton had to argue strongly with Sather in 2014 to ensure that they draft Shesterkin.
Gorton and Bobrov were also part of the Bruins brass for many quality draft where they notably traded up to ensure the Brad Marchand selection. They also selected Lucic, Krejci and Bergeron in the 2nd round of three different draft. They also nailed the Kessel selection in 2006 with five bust that was selected after him. I just want to point out that Bobrov is also behind the selection of Voynov in the 2nd round in 2008 by the kings, let alone his off ice behavior, he was a star defenseman.
Why we should not give them a chance and assess in a couple of years because they missed Andersson and Kravtsov ? Its an odd-based game after all and every team has misses. They also had many big successes.
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Estimated_Prophet
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- Mar 28, 2003
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Benson, Dvorsky and Smith are all easily better skaters than Cristall. Cristall has alot of Bobby Brink in his stride which is highly inefficient and without any power or explosiveness. If Cristall was a better skater than these guys he would be challenging to break into the top four of this draft but he could potentially be a big dropper on draft day based solely on his skating issues.
That's weird, I want Habs pick to be Bedard and Panthers pick to be Fantilli.
Of course I also want the Habs to win the Stanley Cup for the next decade and to personally win the lottery so I don't have to go to work anymore.
In all seriousness though, Dvorsky and Sale would be nice additions to the prospect pool.
CapSpace
Caufield is lit
Well the last bunch gave us KK, Poehling, Galchenyuk, Juulsen, McCarron, Scherbak, Tinordi, Beaulieu, Leblanc, Fischer. This is a putrid record, even with Caufield and Guhle.
Maybe we can chill out a bit. NYR are also shitting the bed with first rounders because they rushed them all in the NHL during the last years. Let's hope they haven't done the same mistake with Slaf tho.
Our pick : Benson
Florida pick : Barlow
That would still be an awesome draft, even if we miss on the big top3-4.
Florida pick : Barlow
That would still be an awesome draft, even if we miss on the big top3-4.
Kobe Armstrong
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- Jul 26, 2011
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The Slafkovsky pick confirmed concerns for me, even though I'm quite happy with him over Wright.
The Slaf pick was ok, rushing him to the NHL not.
le_sean
Registered User
- Oct 21, 2006
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Puljujarvi was also an obvious pick in 2016 yet Columbus took Dubois.
Either way, I said drafting and development. They picked two outright busts and the other two are developing poorly. All Top 10 picks.
No need to talk about Boston, that’s literally 20 years ago. And Bobrov was director of European scouting. All I see is Krejci as a success from Europe in his 5 years there. Gorton was director of scouting from 1994-99. All there is to talk about is Thornton at 1st overall and maybe Samsonov at 8th overall the same year. Nothing to really brag about.
Chytil has 35 points after 5 seasons. Miller is good. Schneider is nothing special. Not sure if those three are anything to brag about either. It’s not better than what Timmins did with Caufield, Guhle, Sergachev, Poehling.
Either way, my comment stands. Their worst selections/examples of development are their Top 10 picks. Those should be the most automatic ones. It’s worrisome to have four of them disappoint.
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