Am I the only one that think Sennecke isn't a top 5 prospect?
I know the projections on him are tempting, but when I watch full games of his, I can't see anything else than a project.
A lot of junior stuff in his game, a lot of inconsistencies in his effort and dedication. Not very steady in his defensive focus.
He's very raw.
Plus he's not a play driver. I haven't seen him carry the puck much and when he did, he slowed down when he had possession.
Personally, when you draft early you want both a high floor and a high roof.
Sennecke has a mysterious roof, but his floor, IMHO, is relatively low. Too low for a 5th overall, IMHO.
I like him, but later than 5th overall.
I prefer Iginla over him but if Demidov/Lindstrom are gone at 5, Buium would be my choice.
His floor is higher than Sennecke's and his roof is at least as high.
No you're not the only one, he has gotten a lot of flack because people don't want to understand that his profile is very good and attractive. They just wanna throw him out the window because he's a late riser and because Kotkaniemi didn't work, no late riser can ever work again.
He's on the fringe of a top 5 pick. He's my 5 and that's because when you have small man skill in a growing body like that and you can do what he did at the end of the season and playoffs while you are getting used to your body, have massive athletic and physical growth potential, it's a very intriguing player that could really just be a fixture on a top line. You don't get many chances to draft 6'3 kids with this skill level.
Most prospects are projects but you don't get elite upside from outside of the top 1-2 of a draft without some projection. If you think there's a squeaky clean prospect outside of Celebrini in this draft then you're not looking for warts hard enough on the other guys the same way you are on Sennecke.
There is junior stuff in his game. There's junior stuff in Demidov's game. There's junior stuff with Buium. There's junior stuff with Iginla, etc.
Yes, he's raw - he has to be raw, he grew like 5 inches in a short period of time. He essentially woke up one day with all these physical differences and had to figure it all out. That's EXCITING, it's not a downside.
He absolutely is a play driver. He's a play creator. He's creative as hell. His hands are elite. He was dominant in the playoffs against great teams and his team was a ghost without him.
The upside play on Sennecke and Iginla is not close. If you want safer with Iginla, fine, but the ceiling on Sennecke is naturally higher. He's a skilled forward with size and magic hands. Iginla will never have that size and reach advantage.
