Prospect Info: #5 OA - Barrett Hayton - Center - Back to the OHL

[DoanStopBelievin]

Man “we see him as a top-two line center” is not what you want to hear. I was starting to feel better about the pick before I read that.

 

[Matias Maccete]

Interesting quote

“He’s a premium person, premium player, playing a premium position. He’s a foundational piece for us,” Chayka said. “Ultimately, it’s not a difference of evaluation, it’s a difference of prioritization of what you value and what you think is important. We valued the sense, we valued the center ice position, we valued the leadership, we valued the whole package because there’s no holes in this guy’s game.”

Sooooooooooo talent wise we agreed with his rank, but picked him anyway because of his, ugh, high floor, intangibles, and premium position? I really hope I'm interpreting that wrong, or Chayka didn't explain himself well.

Man “we see him as a top-two line center” is not what you want to hear. I was starting to feel better about the pick before I read that.

Yikes, after all the confidence shown in their pick you can at least say you see him as a first line C.

 

[DoanStopBelievin]

Interesting quote

“He’s a premium person, premium player, playing a premium position. He’s a foundational piece for us,” Chayka said. “Ultimately, it’s not a difference of evaluation, it’s a difference of prioritization of what you value and what you think is important. We valued the sense, we valued the center ice position, we valued the leadership, we valued the whole package because there’s no holes in this guy’s game.”

Sooooooooooo talent wise we agreed with his rank, but picked him anyway because of his, ugh, high floor, intangibles, and premium position? I really hope I'm interpreting that wrong, or Chayka didn't explain himself well.

Oh boy. Feeling worse and worse. The thing that scares me is that if we think he is going to be a huge game-changer, how were SO many other talent evaualtors so wrong?

 

[XX]

Sooooooooooo talent wise we agreed with his rank, but picked him anyway because of his, ugh, high floor, intangibles, and premium position? I really hope I'm interpreting that wrong, or Chayka didn't explain himself well.

It's a roundabout way of saying he wasn't BPA.

Of all the teams overly thirsty for centers, I never thought Chayka would be the one to reach on one.

 

[DoanStopBelievin]

To be honest, it sounds like the reasons we took him over Zadina or whoever else are much the same as the reasons Marc Bergevin used to talk Canadiens fans into weighing Max over Chucky. The character/intangibles thing over skill and talent. And the consensus is that Chucky is much more valuable and we fleeced Montreal. Uh oh

 

[Foggy1097]

So, if scoring forwards are so easy to acquire why don't we have more than just Keller and the hopes that Perlini and Fischer might turn out to be something?

Glad that you got that off of your chest. Sad that with all the good information and opinions on this thread only the *****ing and moaning stands out to you. There are certainly those posting opinions about the pick that are in line with yours, just without managing to insult all those with a different opinion.

I'm not insulting anyone...I just think it's quite comical that so many of you think you know what you're talking about and trust your own absent minded and uninformed opinion over a GM and his staff who have a very successful track record of making sound decisions up to this point. Quite comical indeed. I'll say again...name a team that's won a Cup in the last 10 years that's had a Winger as their best player (other than Ovie this year). I don't think anyone can. I mean hey, if some people think Zadina could win us more hockey games that's fine and everyone is entitled to their opinion...I'm not trying to crap on it. But the people freaking out and being negative about this pick from what I've read far outweigh anything positive, or even just a "lets wait and see how it pans out..."

 

[BUX7PHX]

These were some other quotes from the article that XX posted:

Chayka downplayed the importance of drafting premium positions on a recent conference call, but it’s a philosophy both he and Bernhardt circled back to on Friday after the first round had concluded.

“Every year, you can go back and look at guys like Mark Scheifele and Ryan Johansen and those guys were rated lower,” Bernhardt said. “Teams need center ice. We don’t need it right now but you’re going to need it down the road.

“When it’s time for him to play in the NHL, I’m sure we’ll need it. We have to stockpile that position and if we have too many, we know our phone is going to ring because other teams will need it.”

It may look like a reach right now, but only time will tell. Could we not say similarly about Strome that he was a reach at this point in his career? We are overthinking this. The more quality players that you have at the key positions, the more avenues you can take. Bernhardt said it himself. Sometimes, BPA and drafting for need can intersect. I feel as if though Chayka is speaking from a level of confidence in his own eyes.

The fact that someone would scrutinize a player that much to find holes and couldn't find certain elements like that in his game speaks volumes. As if somehow he wasn't giving Zadina or Wahlstrohm or any other player the exact same courtesy to make the same number of viewings?

Sorry, but at this rate, I trust Chayka to make consistent proper decisions than any coach we have, did have, or will have.

 

[Matias Maccete]

It's a roundabout way of saying he wasn't BPA.

Of all the teams overly thirsty for centers, I never thought Chayka be the one to reach on one.

Certainly seems like it. I sure as hell hope he just didn't make his point clearly instead. I don't hate the pick as much after seeing some video, but these quotes aren't helping at all. Drafting for need and taking "safe" high floor players terrifies me, and the fact that Chayka hinted at both is worrisome.

What's weird is from my very limited view of him I think he's got a lot of talent, I don't get why after all the bluster and "It won't be a curveball in a few years" quotes you can't come out and say that you think he has top line talent.

Don't get me wrong, I like the player, and if Zadina weren't there I wouldn't even have complaints about where we took him. But these post draft comments aren't helping at all.

 

[AZviaNJ]

It's a roundabout way of saying he wasn't BPA.

Of all the teams overly thirsty for centers, I never thought Chayka would be the one to reach on one.

Chayka's comments are exactly what you want to hear about a 2nd Rd pick who projects as a 3C. Starting to sense a "I'm the smartest guy in the room" attitude with Chayka….only a matter of time before that backfires.

 

[Foggy1097]

These were some other quotes from the article that XX posted:



It may look like a reach right now, but only time will tell. Could we not say similarly about Strome that he was a reach at this point in his career? We are overthinking this. The more quality players that you have at the key positions, the more avenues you can take. Bernhardt said it himself. Sometimes, BPA and drafting for need can intersect. I feel as if though Chayka is speaking from a level of confidence in his own eyes.

The fact that someone would scrutinize a player that much to find holes and couldn't find certain elements like that in his game speaks volumes. As if somehow he wasn't giving Zadina or Wahlstrohm or any other player the exact same courtesy to make the same number of viewings?

Sorry, but at this rate, I trust Chayka to make consistent proper decisions than any coach we have, did have, or will have.

Thank you.

 

[Foggy1097]

So what else do you think John Chayka does in his free time guys? Here's a hint: he took a five day honeymoon. Yeah, five. The guy lives and breathes being a GM. I doubt he plays golf on the weekends and has poker nights with the boys. He and his staff have watched hundreds of hours of video on all of these players, and you somehow think that he doesn't know exactly what he's doing. Sure sometimes things don't work out and no one is perfect at their job no matter how time they put in...but you can rest assured that he and his staff took who they felt was the BPA and made the best possible decision for the franchise they could.

 

[XX]

I'm not insulting anyone...I just think it's quite comical that so many of you think you know what you're talking about and trust your own absent minded and uninformed opinion over a GM and his staff who have a very successful track record of making sound decisions up to this point. Quite comical indeed. I'll say again...name a team that's won a Cup in the last 10 years that's had a Winger as their best player (other than Ovie this year). I don't think anyone can. I mean hey, if some people think Zadina could win us more hockey games that's fine and everyone is entitled to their opinion...I'm not trying to crap on it. But the people freaking out and being negative about this pick from what I've read far outweigh anything positive, or even just a "lets wait and see how it pans out..."

TIL Patrick Kane doesn't exist.

Also, the Coyotes had one player that scored 20 or more goals last year. If wingers are a dime a dozen, where are ours?

So what else do you think John Chayka does in his free time guys? Here's a hint: he took a five day honeymoon. Yeah, five. The guy lives and breathes being a GM. I doubt he plays golf on the weekends and has poker nights with the boys. He and his staff have watched hundreds of hours of video on all of these players, and you somehow think that he doesn't know exactly what he's doing. Sure sometimes things don't work out and no one is perfect at their job no matter how time they put in...but you can rest assured that he and his staff took who they felt was the BPA and made the best possible decision for the franchise they could.

They literally copped to him not being BPA and them valuing his position more than anything else and you're out here being a Stan for them.

 

[Mosby]

I’ve said before that in my opinion the OHL is the best development league. Very confident in Bernhardt and Twohey as well, both of whom have a background in that league. Coupled with Soo being a very strong program, I’m hoping this pick works.

Scouts haven’t given a reason to doubt them yet based on their track record. Hopefully this isn’t the start.

 

[Foggy1097]

TIL Patrick Kane doesn't exist.

Also, the Coyotes had one player that scored 20 or more goals last year. If wingers are a dime a dozen, where are ours?



They literally copped to him not being BPA and them valuing his position more than anything else and you're out here being a Stan for them.

Actually if you listen to the Chayka interview that's posted he says verbatim..."Look, he was still the best player available for us..." And they don't win any Cups without Toews...Kane is and always will be complimentary to Toews.

 

[SniperHF]

I'll say again...name a team that's won a Cup in the last 10 years that's had a Winger as their best player

It's very unlikely whoever our pick was in this draft becomes better than Keller or OEL, so this really isn't relevant.

Also lets all take note...that no analysts and mock drafters had Keller rated inside the top 12 when he went #7

Yes they did.

 

[XX]

Actually if you listen to the Chayka interview that's posted he says verbatim..."Look, he was still the best player available for us..."

Of course he's going to say that. When pressed, they've given out a number of details that indicates they know that isn't true. We know of at least one team that had Zadina as the 2nd best player in the draft. Nobody in the entire scouting community had Hayton inside the top 10 prior to the draft. You're welcome to buy the party line but it'd be appreciated if you didn't whine so much about an ongoing discussion as to the merits of the pick. This isn't a binary situation - it's quite possible both players pan out and it's still not a good use of the pick.

 

[Matias Maccete]

So what else do you think John Chayka does in his free time guys? Here's a hint: he took a five day honeymoon. Yeah, five. The guy lives and breathes being a GM. I doubt he plays golf on the weekends and has poker nights with the boys. He and his staff have watched hundreds of hours of video on all of these players, and you somehow think that he doesn't know exactly what he's doing. Sure sometimes things don't work out and no one is perfect at their job no matter how time they put in...but you can rest assured that he and his staff took who they felt was the BPA and made the best possible decision for the franchise they could.

I could be wrong but this

Ultimately, it’s not a difference of evaluation, it’s a difference of prioritization of what you value and what you think is important. We valued the sense, we valued the center ice position, we valued the leadership, we valued the whole package because there’s no holes in this guy’s game.”

doesn't sound like they felt he was bpa. They specifically mention his position, and elsewhere the idea that centers are more valuable. It's a valid point, and prioritizing premium positions is a defensible viewpoint, but I wouldn't say they went BPA. They went best premium position player available IMO. BPPPA. New term, boom, coined it.

 

[BUX7PHX]

Thank you.

Keep in mind, I didn't necessarily have a huge eye on Hayton, either. He both is, but isn't in the mold of the elite centermen. The unique thing is that he played the same way whether with or without elite players at his side.

 

[IPreferPi]

I'll say again...name a team that's won a Cup in the last 10 years that's had a Winger as their best player (other than Ovie this year). I don't think anyone can.

Patrick Kane. NOT HARD.

 

[Foggy1097]

I wonder if I go back and look at the reactions after the Keller pick, if I would see a lot of the similar griping? I'm guessing I would...because he wasn't rated as high as he was taken and wasn't one of the overly "sexy" names.

 

[Foggy1097]

Patrick Kane. NOT HARD.

False. He would be the best goal scorer...not the best PLAYER.

 

[XX]

I wonder if I go back and look at the reactions after the Keller pick, if I would see a lot of the similar griping? I'm guessing I would...because he wasn't rated as high as he was taken and wasn't one of the overly "sexy" names.

Keller was one of the most prolific producers to ever go through the NTDP. It wasn't like he was a huge reach. He was docked for stupid shit like his size.

In this case, we're seeing a player that doesn't have particularly great measurables and/or track record puffed up to deflect criticism.

 

[DoanStopBelievin]

If Dylan Strome and Barrett Hayton develop into a 1/2 punch at C and lead this team to the promised land I will eat crow and admit that I suck.. but it is hard to not take a chance on a guy that is universally projected to be a lethal scorer for years to come that falls into your lap

 

[IPreferPi]

False.

A Conn Smythe/Hart/Art Ross winner who has been a PPG winger over the past decade isn’t the best player on their team. TIL only on HF.

 

[Foggy1097]

It's very unlikely whoever our pick was in this draft becomes better than Keller or OEL, so this really isn't relevant.



Yes they did.

It actually is relevant because people are 100% whining about not getting Zadina...a winger.