- Total Words: 678
- Total Typos/Misspellings: 83
- Typos as a Percentage of Words: ~12.2%
Okay... if playing through injury hampered Desnoyers at the Memorial Cup and for a few games to finish the Q Finals, I accept that as the reason why he only got 1 goal in his last 10 games played and was -6 over those games.
Likewise, I presume Misa played hurt over his last 10 games, where his points-per-game season average (over 2) dropped to 1.3, and his +/- was -16 during that stretch.
Playing injured must be the sole reason for such poor performance relative to their earlier excellence. So yes, health is a major factor in proper evaluations.
So is
age... How can you compare relative youngsters like Jake O'Brien and Brady Martin to older prospects like Martone, Hagens, and Frondell? Well, it doesn't matter
if you're clearly superior—like Schaefer, who is one of the very youngest in this draft with a September 2007 birthdate—making him almost a year younger than Martone. But in other cases, like Martin and O'Brien (born October 2006 vs. April and June 2007), you need to factor in the extra body development and maturity to assess pro readiness and their eventual roles in the NHL.
So KD still has a lot of decisions to make to finalize his draft target. Is he betting on runway (longer development) or perhaps quicker pro readiness? And how much did late-season injuries change perceptions of players who fizzled out down the stretch? Or does the explanation of playing hampered satisfy any second thoughts?
I still think KD's bigger question is whether Bedard can be developed into a better two-way center or if he is forced to the wing due to defensive issues—which
must improve if he's to stay at center.
That decision is key to whether the Hawks draft a center solution or a winger to support Bedard.
I do not see Desnoyers as a solution to help Bedard. If you take him, you're hoping for a Toews-like player who can go head-to-head with opposing top-line centers. Frondell is too slow—he doesn’t meet KD’s skating standards.
Hagens is another smaller player, and the Hawks already have plenty of skilled small players.
So the obvious winger help for Bedard is Martone. O'Brien has the highest ceiling as a center who could feed Bedard to 50+ goals—if Bedard plays wing—but he’s not as ready as Martone to step into the NHL this season. He needs to add weight to his 170 lb frame and show he can score more himself as a go-to 1C. He needs another season in juniors to reach the end of his longer development runway.
Martin is a unique combo of physicality, skill, and compete level. The Hawks need more “jam,” but jam with skill—on either Line 1 or Line 2.
So a lot depends on what KD wants: immediate step-in to the lineup = Martone. Willing to wait = O'Brien or Desnoyers. Both need to add to their lanky frames and improve on weaker aspects of their games at this stage.
Martin... some say he could play in the NHL now due to his pro style and physicality. But sticking him on a 3rd or 4th line checking role has no real purpose. So it’s probably best he stays in juniors one more season to get even better as a scorer and playmaker—so he can take on a top 2-line center role.
