Yea I agree with this. I could make a case for any of those 3 guys here, they are all so close IMO. I would be fine with them in any order really, I did go with Jiricek though as I feel if he can become a top pairing dman that is just so much more valuable.
I think I agree with basically everything you've said here besides the ceiling for Dvorsky. Personally, he gives me Kopitar vibes with maybe more offense and less defense than what Kopitar came in with. I think he has more potential to be a goal scorer, but like Vladi, he is also a great passer as well. Kopitar came in with raving reviews, so it's hard to say where Dvorsky lines up, but they seem like similar players. I have a hard time pinpointing Bolduc's floor, but if you pushed me I think I would say top 6 because I believe he has the attitude to be a top 6 forward. I just don't know how much of his offense will translate over his career.
I agreed with Frenzy on Snuggerud's potential, but I think that might be because he's not necessarily a driver of offense. I believe that he could have a 40 goal season just by watching him score goals in college, but over his career he may sit between 25-35 goals. It's hard to pinpoint, but he plays a solid game and hounds the puck, so I think he could be a 60-70 point player provided he has the linemates that can finish off his passes. He's not bad at passing at all, but much like Vladi, he's going to take the shot if he has an opening. I'm going to wait before I'm bullish on his potential, but I don't know if he has the ability to just take over a game like prime Tarasenko did.
Did Tarasenko really ever "take over a game"? I wouldn't say that he did. Tarasenko CHANGED a game in a snap of the wrist, but he wasn't a guy who was constantly creating chances or driving offense. He was the guy when we were down a goal would sometimes go POP and we'd be tied, and sometimes he'd lose the puck in the corner while trying to shield it.
In his prime? Yea, he absolutely could take over a game. It doesn't have to be a binary where he's dominating the entire game or he's not. We know Tarasenko was a floater or cheated a bit too often, but he absolutely could score when he wanted in the mid 2010s. I think we're forgetting just how good prime Vova was.
To your point, there have been plenty of players, even some HOF-ers, who fit his profile. Guys like Bobby Hull, Phil Esposito, Mike Bossy, Brett Hull, Luc Robitaille, Dave Andreychuk, and Alex Ovechkin come to mind. Like you, I feel there is some push-back due to the idea that just because you're not a "play driver" that your value is somehow diminished. There is tremendous value in having guys who can finish the plays that the "play drivers" are driving, especially if they can score from just about anywhere in the O-zone without benefit of being set up for a play.
I'm not, I simply take exception to this idea that he, "Took over a game." To me that's someone who's controlling the play and generating chances for himself or his teammates. Tarasenko wasn't that guy. He was the drive in on the wing and snap a wrister out of nowhere that shocks the goalie as it whizzes by his ear. That's not taking over a game imo, it's a singular talent that barely anyone has and could happen from anytime and anywhere.
