Player Discussion Alexis Lafrenière

[IDvsEGO]

Yes, but is Laf showing any signs or flashes of 1st overall talent? I did not yet see, but I did not watch all the games. And he was advertised as super mature and NHL ready. And if he needed some warm up why didn't he go get gold for his country? Strange.

Are you not watching the games then? Because he’s definitely flashing talent. If you want to criticize someone make sure to come with facts and answers. he didn’t go to wjc because there’s a big difference between warming up against 18-19 year olds because you then are gonna play with them, and warming up with them and then playing with 24-28 year olds.
your post and criticisms are all over the place.

 

[Cag29]

Are you not watching the games then? Because he’s definitely flashing talent. If you want to criticize someone make sure to come with facts and answers. he didn’t go to wjc because there’s a big difference between warming up against 18-19 year olds because you then are gonna play with them, and warming up with them and then playing with 24-28 year olds.
your post and criticisms are all over the place.

I think Laf is doing fine. He’s playing a solid positional game. He’s very good along the walls in our zone taking a pass from the D and getting the puck out of the zone. The scoring will come he’s adjusting to the speed of the new league.
Hughes went thru the same thing and others as well. He also was robbed on a few chances
He will be fine just be patient.

 

[True Blue]

Lol this is literally the best use of logic in understanding player development/ability. I don't think you realize that you are the one that is making assumptions based on biases. You clearly like big, strong players even though there is not a direct correlation with that and success.

#WeNeverMakeGoodAssumptions

 

[True Blue]

I think Laf is doing fine. He’s playing a solid positional game. He’s very good along the walls in our zone taking a pass from the D and getting the puck out of the zone. The scoring will come he’s adjusting to the speed of the new league.
Hughes went thru the same thing and others as well. He also was robbed on a few chances
He will be fine just be patient.

Bingo

 

[IronBloodedLion]

One of the things I wish Laf had was a solid, veteran center to help him along. Zibanejad and Strome kinda have really good chemistry with their wingers, so it kinda leaves Lafreniere behind (which we knew was possible).

The possibility of getting Bennett would be a good idea to help Laf on the third line. When Chytil comes back he or Bennett can play on the Right Wing.

 

[IDvsEGO]

One of the things I wish Laf had was a solid, veteran center to help him along. Zibanejad and Strome kinda have really good chemistry with their wingers, so it kinda leaves Lafreniere behind (which we knew was possible).

The possibility of getting Bennett would be a good idea to help Laf on the third line. When Chytil comes back he or Bennett can play on the Right Wing.

I think part of the problem is that usually a 1st overall gets thrown into the meat of a lineup almost immediately due to lack of depth. We already had a significant amount of wing talent before Laf, and were lacking center talent. Chytil is an interesting linemate for Laf because he just is full speed all the time, while laf is more of a shift up, shift down, and maximizing those bursts.
That being said, if Chytil plays the same game he was before he got hurt, I think he could be a fantastic center for laf who seems to have already grasped the NHL speed and size.

 

[Rangers in 7]

Zegras who was drafted a year before Byfield ad therefore a year older? What does it matter who dominated that damn tournament, they play against some weak teams and run up their stats, big deal. Their stats would have been a lot different if it was 7 games of Canada vs USA.

Byfield was still youngest player on his team, and he had a late start as opposed to his teammates and he put on some weight over the summer:



and he was on 4th line:

so now that byfield put on weight that caused him to be the 4th line center on a team where laf would have been on the first line and probably led the tournament in scoring, i mean he did it last year when he was younger then him.....your argument is shitty

 

[Masked]

Last night was his most invisible game, but I’m not too worried. I wish they had a quality veteran center to saddle him with on the third line.

You want Stepan back?

 

[duhmetreE]

I think Laf is doing fine. He’s playing a solid positional game. He’s very good along the walls in our zone taking a pass from the D and getting the puck out of the zone. The scoring will come he’s adjusting to the speed of the new league.
Hughes went thru the same thing and others as well. He also was robbed on a few chances
He will be fine just be patient.

I dont think anyone is worried. It's more anticipation than anything, they want to see the highlight success already... which I'm guilty of.

but he sure as hell isn't getting any help from his center. Not getting much PP1 time further exacerbates that. If he was on a shit team, he would be getting all the primo minutes.

I really hope he can click with Chytil when he gets back.

 

[broadwayblue]

Our C depth was a giant question mark before the season started. Now we are nearly a month in and our #1 C hasn't started his season yet, and our #2 C is out for another month.

 

[Daves a mess]

Anybody watch much of Stutzle's play so far? Looks like an immense talent, but I've only seen a dozen or so shifts so far.

 

[TSJS2020]

Anybody watch much of Stutzle's play so far? Looks like an immense talent, but I've only seen a dozen or so shifts so far.

Coming into the draft I think most knew he was the most purely talented of the big 3 hands skills wise and explosive skating wise. What I think most also should have been given more credit to was the fact that out of the big 3 he was the only one to actually play and dominate in a men’s league before his draft when most were thinking Lafreniere was most NHL ready do to his dominance and physical play in junior.

NHL is a skating league now meaning if you are what scouts classified as a 10/10 skater like Stutzle coming into the league and you have the size and other skills/IQ covered, you will be up and running

 

[Machinehead]

There's only one thing in bothered by at this point. I've noticed a similar problem between Lafreniere and Kakko. It must be said that Kakko had *more* problems, and the analytics bear that out. Most of those have gotten better.

But aside from last night one thing persists: they're just sort of...bleh. That's not to say they're bad, it's just...I always have all these chicken legs in my freezer, right? Because they're quick and cheap. I rely on them a couple of nights a week and they come through. But I'm never as pumped about them as I am about taco night. You know what I mean?

Both players have been effective this year, but you never sense imminent danger. On the other hand, Panarin can't take a shift without doing something that rearranges the defense or gets the goalie to move.

Kakko was outstanding last night but Panarin was the real knife though the defense on both scoring plays he set up. Laf could have 4 or 5 goals with some more luck but other players have set him up.

They just haven't been grab-the-offense-by-the-balls dangerous players. Not yet. There's something to be said for guys who facilitate, granted. Like I said, Kakko was outstanding last night. I always said Kakko reminds me of Nash. Nash always felt a little bit vanilla for his talent level, but he had a great career being a complete player who made things happen and had a couple of years where he went off. If that's Kakko, sign me up.

Long-term, from Lafreniere, I want more spice. Kakko has said in Finnish interviews that Quinn preaches to the young players not to try to do too much. I certainly get that, but you can overdo that.

This is not meant to be a negative post. It's just a pattern I've observed and something we may need to work on.

 

[SingnBluesOnBroadway]

no, was there something I missed?

Pretty much everything about everything.

 

[Kakko Schmakko]

There's only one thing in bothered by at this point. I've noticed a similar problem between Lafreniere and Kakko. It must be said that Kakko had *more* problems, and the analytics bear that out. Most of those have gotten better.

But aside from last night one thing persists: they're just sort of...bleh. That's not to say they're bad, it's just...I always have all these chicken legs in my freezer, right? Because they're quick and cheap. I rely on them a couple of nights a week and they come through. But I'm never as pumped about them as I am about taco night. You know what I mean?

Both players have been effective this year, but you never sense imminent danger. On the other hand, Panarin can't take a shift without doing something that rearranges the defense or gets the goalie to move.

Kakko was outstanding last night but Panarin was the real knife though the defense on both scoring plays he set up. Laf could have 4 or 5 goals with some more luck but other players have set him up.

They just haven't been grab-the-offense-by-the-balls dangerous players. Not yet. There's something to be said for guys who facilitate, granted. Like I said, Kakko was outstanding last night. I always said Kakko reminds me of Nash. Nash always felt a little bit vanilla for his talent level, but he had a great career being a complete player who made things happen and had a couple of years where he went off. If that's Kakko, sign me up.

Long-term, from Lafreniere, I want more spice. Kakko has said in Finnish interviews that Quinn preaches to the young players not to try to do too much. I certainly get that, but you can overdo that.

This is not meant to be a negative post. It's just a pattern I've observed and something we may need to work on.

Quinn should be fired for telling 1st and 2nd overall picked players to not do too much

 

[mas0764]

There's only one thing in bothered by at this point. I've noticed a similar problem between Lafreniere and Kakko. It must be said that Kakko had *more* problems, and the analytics bear that out. Most of those have gotten better.

But aside from last night one thing persists: they're just sort of...bleh. That's not to say they're bad, it's just...I always have all these chicken legs in my freezer, right? Because they're quick and cheap. I rely on them a couple of nights a week and they come through. But I'm never as pumped about them as I am about taco night. You know what I mean?

Both players have been effective this year, but you never sense imminent danger. On the other hand, Panarin can't take a shift without doing something that rearranges the defense or gets the goalie to move.

Kakko was outstanding last night but Panarin was the real knife though the defense on both scoring plays he set up. Laf could have 4 or 5 goals with some more luck but other players have set him up.

They just haven't been grab-the-offense-by-the-balls dangerous players. Not yet. There's something to be said for guys who facilitate, granted. Like I said, Kakko was outstanding last night. I always said Kakko reminds me of Nash. Nash always felt a little bit vanilla for his talent level, but he had a great career being a complete player who made things happen and had a couple of years where he went off. If that's Kakko, sign me up.

Long-term, from Lafreniere, I want more spice. Kakko has said in Finnish interviews that Quinn preaches to the young players not to try to do too much. I certainly get that, but you can overdo that.

This is not meant to be a negative post. It's just a pattern I've observed and something we may need to work on.

Agree on both counts and I kinda think it’s a huge problem. There’s no flash to either of these players. Instead they are showing the ability to be.... what? Defensively responsible two way forwards? No f***ing thanks.

Guys like Hughes, Stutzle, etc, come in and dazzle. Sure they haven’t put together the complete package yet and the raw numbers aren’t any better, but please, can I see Kakko rip home a shot from past the circles like Hughes did the other day? He lasered one in there, it was very impressive.

Just waiting on these guys to make my jaw drop instead of hammering one timers into open nets.

 

[mas0764]

Quinn should be fired for telling 1st and 2nd overall picked players to not do too much

I simply will not believe that Quinn isn’t in these guys’ heads. And for that matter Kravtsov and Andersson too. Not that Andersson maybe wouldn’t have sucked anyway, but there’s too much smoke for these high picks struggling to contribute when it’s happening elsewhere in the league. Too many times in a row here for it to be coincidence.

I guarantee he’s telling them to play safe, make smart plays, not take risks, something that is keeping them from opening up the arsenal.

 

[aufheben]

I guarantee he’s telling them to play safe, make smart plays, not take risks, something that is keeping them from opening up the arsenal.

 

[Sisu4ever]

Kakko has said in Finnish interviews that Quinn preaches to the young players not to try to do too much. I certainly get that, but you can overdo that.

Maybe it could have been lost in the translation. The Finn, and Russian, I assume, didn't have much English skills at the beginning, and their interpretation of "not to try to do too much" didn't quite match with what Quinn meant.

 

[Machinehead]

This is literally a one-play sample

 

[EdJovanovski]

This is literally a one-play sample

In the back of Fil’s mind he knew Quinn was about to be pissed that he pulled it off

 

[Nickmo82]

There's only one thing in bothered by at this point. I've noticed a similar problem between Lafreniere and Kakko. It must be said that Kakko had *more* problems, and the analytics bear that out. Most of those have gotten better.

But aside from last night one thing persists: they're just sort of...bleh. That's not to say they're bad, it's just...I always have all these chicken legs in my freezer, right? Because they're quick and cheap. I rely on them a couple of nights a week and they come through. But I'm never as pumped about them as I am about taco night. You know what I mean?

Both players have been effective this year, but you never sense imminent danger. On the other hand, Panarin can't take a shift without doing something that rearranges the defense or gets the goalie to move.

Kakko was outstanding last night but Panarin was the real knife though the defense on both scoring plays he set up. Laf could have 4 or 5 goals with some more luck but other players have set him up.

They just haven't been grab-the-offense-by-the-balls dangerous players. Not yet. There's something to be said for guys who facilitate, granted. Like I said, Kakko was outstanding last night. I always said Kakko reminds me of Nash. Nash always felt a little bit vanilla for his talent level, but he had a great career being a complete player who made things happen and had a couple of years where he went off. If that's Kakko, sign me up.

Long-term, from Lafreniere, I want more spice. Kakko has said in Finnish interviews that Quinn preaches to the young players not to try to do too much. I certainly get that, but you can overdo that.

This is not meant to be a negative post. It's just a pattern I've observed and something we may need to work on.

I think that this is the root of it all.

 

[MysticLeviathan]

The most exciting Laf has been was the first game and he was flying and looking like the #1 overall pick. Since then he has been very blah. Kakko has looked blah since he came into the league. It is very much a concern. Neither look like they can become gamechangers like Panarin.

 

[AppalachianFinn13]

The most exciting Laf has been was the first game and he was flying and looking like the #1 overall pick. Since then he has been very blah. Kakko has looked blah since he came into the league. It is very much a concern. Neither look like they can become gamechangers like Panarin.

Might be , but both of these guys are still 4-5 years younger than Panarin was when he first entered the league. Also he probably got some benefit from playing with the big guns in Chicago.

 

[FireGerardGallant]

Some good news on the laf front