IMO, there were three forwards with star talents in Lindstrom, Demidov, and Sennecke. All three have some kind of issue, but all three have very high upside.
- 6'3 Lindstrom started his season off like cannon ball, but back issues derailed the second half of his season and still continues to this day. Significant risk.
- Demidov has that whole Russia issue behind him and being only 6' was too risky, which Verbeek does put a premium on height.
- 6'2.75 Sennecke's season took off in the 2nd half, but was it due to his brain & body being in sync or was it due to being paired with a highly effective glue guy? We need a longer burn to prove that 2nd half wasn't a fluke.
Adding meat on the bones and taking an extra year or two to develop might have been the safest route for a draft pick, despite not being the consensus top-5 pick. This past year and summer, many Duck players and prospects have bulked up tremendously under Verbeek's body building mandate.