Kings News: Brayden McNabb + Jonathan Parker + Two 2nd's to LA for Fasching + Deslaurier ‎

[HYORI 1963]

First Pronger, now Phaneuf. Quite the praise for a 23 year old d-man who couldn't crack the worst team in the league.

I don't hate McNabb, I am hoping that he will eventually be a solid all around 3rd pairing d-man and can't wait to see how he looks next season with a rookie camp and NHL camp under his belt. I just have no idea where you are drawing these comparisons from.

Well, maybe you should alarm the rest of the hockey world, because people have been making comparisons of hockey players as early as in their juniors, sometimes even earlier.

You're a funny guy. Just last year, you compared a 20 yr old Forbort to an Ellerby, you do recall right? Saying that Forbort's ceiling was an Ellerby??? And here you are pointing out, time after time about me comparing a 23 yr old professional nhl player to a Phaneuf.

Dude, give it a rest, and stop the hate.

 

[HYORI 1963]

Sabres/Amerks fans here. I think Phaneuf is a very valid comparison. Dion is a better skater, though.

Yeah, I watched my first full game of McNabb yesterday and thought of Phaneuf as comparison. Glad that you agree.

What did you and your fans think of Des? I thought for his first game, he played pretty well. He's a good skater and he'll always give 100%. The kid's got heart and skills to boot! I think this trade was a win/win for all involved.

 

[BigKing]

Well, maybe you should alarm the rest of the hockey world, because people have been making comparisons of hockey players as early as in their juniors, sometimes even earlier.

You're a funny guy. Just last year, you compared a 20 yr old Forbort to an Ellerby, you do recall right? Saying that Forbort's ceiling was an Ellerby??? And here you are pointing out, time after time about me comparing a 23 yr old professional nhl player to a Phaneuf.

Dude, give it a rest, and stop the hate.

It's much safer to compare a prospect who hasn't developed as well as expected in Forbort to another fist round defenseman who didn't develop as expected in Ellerby as opposed to saying McNabb is akin to Hart/Norris winner Chris Pronger or even Phaneuf.

This board, like pretty much all team boards on HF, is/was notorious for overvaluing prospects. I think it has gotten better since we actually have a good team to cheer for and aren't praying for Yanick Lehoux, Pavel Rosa, Lauri Tukonen, Jared Aulin et al to save us from sucking; however, it can be a little eye-opening to see a guy none of us were talking about five days ago being compared to the two guys mentioned earlier.

I don't think it jumps out as much if the comment is "His shot and the way he runs around looking for the big hit reminds of Phaneuf" v. just a straight comparison, seeing what Phaneuf has done in this league from a young age. As the Sabre/Amerk fan mentioned, Dion is a much better skater.

Not calling you out or anything, just trying to give n idea of where Herby is coming from. It is probably more likely that Forbort has a career closer to Ellerby's than McNabb has to Pronger or Phaneuf, although all of us hope differently.

For me, I'm expecting McNabb to be what they wanted Muzzin to be. Better size, harder LHS and more physical. Really hoping he can be a solid #4 to replace Mitchell or possibly skate with Doughty with Muzzin slotting down.

I think Mitchell retires after this season.

 

[HYORI 1963]

It's much safer to compare a prospect who hasn't developed as well as expected in Forbort to another fist round defenseman who didn't develop as expected in Ellerby as opposed to saying McNabb is akin to Hart/Norris winner Chris Pronger or even Phaneuf.

This board, like pretty much all team boards on HF, is/was notorious for overvaluing prospects. I think it has gotten better since we actually have a good team to cheer for and aren't praying for Yanick Lehoux, Pavel Rosa, Lauri Tukonen, Jared Aulin et al to save us from sucking; however, it can be a little eye-opening to see a guy none of us were talking about five days ago being compared to the two guys mentioned earlier.

I don't think it jumps out as much if the comment is "His shot and the way he runs around looking for the big hit reminds of Phaneuf" v. just a straight comparison, seeing what Phaneuf has done in this league from a young age. As the Sabre/Amerk fan mentioned, Dion is a much better skater.

Not calling you out or anything, just trying to give n idea of where Herby is coming from. It is probably more likely that Forbort has a career closer to Ellerby's than McNabb has to Pronger or Phaneuf, although all of us hope differently.

For me, I'm expecting McNabb to be what they wanted Muzzin to be. Better size, harder LHS and more physical. Really hoping he can be a solid #4 to replace Mitchell or possibly skate with Doughty with Muzzin slotting down.

I think Mitchell retires after this season.

Hey, no worries.

I think what bothered me about Herby's comment on Forbort is the word "ceiling". Saying that Forbort, at his very best would be an Ellerby who was a HS at the time. I thought that was a bit harsh. And not to mention his hypocrisy, in him comparing a 20 yr old Forbort while criticizing me for doing the same in a 23 yr old McNabb.

As for my Phaneuf comparison, I was merely saying that McNabb's game is closer to a Phaneuf than to a Greene as BigBrown had suggested. If you read about McNabb, and watched McNabb, the guy plays all facets of the game much like Phaneuf. He hits like Phaneuf; has a wicked slapshot like Phaneuf; makes bad decisions like Phaneuf; likes to fight like Phaneuf; makes good outlet passes like phaneuf and can quarterback a pp like Phaneuf. McNabb may or may not turn into a Phaneuf, but for now, I'm just saying his game reminds me more of Phaneuf than Greene. Hopefully, you can see the validity in what I'm saying.

 

[etherialone]

Hey, no worries.

I think what bothered me about Herby's comment on Forbort is the word "ceiling". Saying that Forbort, at his very best would be an Ellerby who was a HS at the time. I thought that was a bit harsh. And not to mention his hypocrisy, in him comparing a 20 yr old Forbort while criticizing me for doing the same in a 23 yr old McNabb.

As for my Phaneuf comparison, I was merely saying that McNabb's game is closer to a Phaneuf than to a Greene as BigBrown had suggested. If you read about McNabb, and watched McNabb, the guy plays all facets of the game much like Phaneuf. He hits like Phaneuf; has a wicked slapshot like Phaneuf; makes bad decisions like Phaneuf; likes to fight like Phaneuf; makes good outlet passes like phaneuf and can quarterback a pp like Phaneuf. McNabb may or may not turn into a Phaneuf, but for now, I'm just saying his game reminds me more of Phaneuf than Greene. Hopefully, you can see the validity in what I'm saying.

I can see where both you and Herby are coming from. Both of you are among my favorite posters here at HF and I go out of my way to read your respective opinions on things whenever I can. I think you are spot on with McNabb having Phaneuf-esque qualities and playing a similar style to him Of course nobody is saying at this point that he will be DP's twin, merely a comparison on the style of game that BM plays.

I am biased in that I have been a fan of McNabb since seeing him play in 08 and he was one of my dream players for us to draft so I am really happy to see him in the Kings org. That said there sure are a bunch of people around the hockey world who see McNabb as an excellent young player with a bunch of upside.

 

[Bps21*]

Sabres fan here.

I've seen a couple times in this thread "couldn't crack the lineup for the worst team in hockey" thrown around about McNabb. That is a gross misunderstanding of the situation. A couple years ago on his first call up he looked like he was a can't miss. Why he's still in the AHL has nothing to do with him as a player. When Lindy was fired and Rolston came in playing all of the young kids...McNabb was unfortunately injured at the time. When Nolan took over he purposely decided he'd rather have bad NHL player than Good prospects. They've wanted to keep the young D that is in Rochester together so they get chemistry and go through a winning season instead of having them up for a lot of losing. John Scott has played D a few games lately. Yes, that John Scott. To say McNabb couldn't crack this lineup is a joke. He'd probably be the third best guy on it as it stands right now. After Ehrhoff and Myers...the sabres have McBain, Sulzer, Tallinder and Weber playing. These are all stopgap players with varying degrees of ability at this point. Hell...Pysyk was sent down and he was playing above all of them except Ehrhoff when they did that. So it's been a choice...not an indication of anything.

The reason the sabres could part with him has been outlined. They've invested a lot of top picks into the position. Pysyk and ristolainen look like home runs. Zadorov doesn't look too far behind that. They have McCabe coming along too. Add to that the assurance that Murray will draft some D in the million first and second round picks he has, that he will obviously be high on, you get the picture. My understanding is that the Kings are in a similar situation with winger depth...so this trade makes hockey sense for both sides. Add in that mcNabb is ready or at least close and the Sabres want to kick the can down the road a little. But to say he couldn't make this roster is wrong. It's like saying Larsson can't beat out Zenon Konopka. Of course he could. But they want their good prospects to be a part of a culture of winning together...and that's not happening up top anytime soon.

I really liked McNabb. Hits like a truck, effort can't be questioned, has a ridiculous hard shot. His skating was his biggest question but it has improved some this year so he's trending the right way by all accounts.

 

[HYORI 1963]

Sabres fan here.

I've seen a couple times in this thread "couldn't crack the lineup for the worst team in hockey" thrown around about McNabb. That is a gross misunderstanding of the situation. A couple years ago on his first call up he looked like he was a can't miss. Why he's still in the AHL has nothing to do with him as a player. When Lindy was fired and Rolston came in playing all of the young kids...McNabb was unfortunately injured at the time. When Nolan took over he purposely decided he'd rather have bad NHL player than Good prospects. They've wanted to keep the young D that is in Rochester together so they get chemistry and go through a winning season instead of having them up for a lot of losing. John Scott has played D a few games lately. Yes, that John Scott. To say McNabb couldn't crack this lineup is a joke. He'd probably be the third best guy on it as it stands right now. After Ehrhoff and Myers...the sabres have McBain, Sulzer, Tallinder and Weber playing. These are all stopgap players with varying degrees of ability at this point. Hell...Pysyk was sent down and he was playing above all of them except Ehrhoff when they did that. So it's been a choice...not an indication of anything.

The reason the sabres could part with him has been outlined. They've invested a lot of top picks into the position. Pysyk and ristolainen look like home runs. Zadorov doesn't look too far behind that. They have McCabe coming along too. Add to that the assurance that Murray will draft some D in the million first and second round picks he has, that he will obviously be high on, you get the picture. My understanding is that the Kings are in a similar situation with winger depth...so this trade makes hockey sense for both sides. Add in that mcNabb is ready or at least close and the Sabres want to kick the can down the road a little. But to say he couldn't make this roster is wrong. It's like saying Larsson can't beat out Zenon Konopka. Of course he could. But they want their good prospects to be a part of a culture of winning together...and that's not happening up top anytime soon.

I really liked McNabb. Hits like a truck, effort can't be questioned, has a ridiculous hard shot. His skating was his biggest question but it has improved some this year so he's trending the right way by all accounts.

Hey, thanks for your post.

Yeah, believe it or not, not all of us share the sentiment with the those on here who are in belief that McNabb is an inferior player just because he wasn't able to make the lineup for the "worst team in hockey". Many of us understand there are circumstances that factor into it and are very happy, and are high on McNabb. I'm one of those who are obviously very high on him.

Enjoy our boys, Des and Fasching. Des may not be the shiny new toy or have the heart warming story like Faching, but he'll be a great player for you guys and I have no doubt you guys will love him.

Again, thanks for your insight and feel free to post here more often.

 

[Paxon]

Phaneuf is a really good comparison. Both play "big". Big bodies, big shots, big open ice hits. He's not gonna be as good as Phaneuf but he plays a pretty similar way, aggressive at both ends. Neither have hockey IQ as a strength but the edge goes to Phaneuf in that area and Phaneuf's a considerably better skater at this point.

Deslauriers had a good debut last night. He and Luke Adam were emergency call-ups due to injuries + Conacher's visa/travel issues. Adam was sent down today (Conacher will be ready), because Deslauriers showed a whole lot more. He'll have a good shot at making the team out of camp next year as he looks like -- at least on a bad team -- he may be able to roll in the bottom 9 lines.

 

[HYORI 1963]

Phaneuf is a really good comparison. Both play "big". Big bodies, big shots, big open ice hits. He's not gonna be as good as Phaneuf but he plays a pretty similar way, aggressive at both ends. Neither have hockey IQ as a strength but the edge goes to Phaneuf in that area and Phaneuf's a considerably better skater at this point.

Deslauriers had a good debut last night. He and Luke Adam were emergency call-ups due to injuries + Conacher's visa/travel issues. Adam was sent down today (Conacher will be ready), because Deslauriers showed a whole lot more. He'll have a good shot at making the team out of camp next year as he looks like -- at least on a bad team -- he may be able to roll in the bottom 9 lines.

Great to hear about Des!!! He may not always make the right play, but you're not going to have problem with his effort and heart. The guy gives 100% night in and night out.

I'm not a fan of Scott (or any other goon for that matter), but you guys are quickly becoming my 2nd favorite team.

 

[HYORI 1963]

I can see where both you and Herby are coming from. Both of you are among my favorite posters here at HF and I go out of my way to read your respective opinions on things whenever I can. I think you are spot on with McNabb having Phaneuf-esque qualities and playing a similar style to him Of course nobody is saying at this point that he will be DP's twin, merely a comparison on the style of game that BM plays.

I am biased in that I have been a fan of McNabb since seeing him play in 08 and he was one of my dream players for us to draft so I am really happy to see him in the Kings org. That said there sure are a bunch of people around the hockey world who see McNabb as an excellent young player with a bunch of upside.

Thanks TG.

I may not always agree with your POV, but I can definitely learn something from your gentleman like posts.

 

[etherialone]

Thanks TG.

I may not always agree with your POV, but I can definitely learn something from your gentleman like posts.

We are all Kings fans so that is what matters most. If we all agreed with everything it would suck to come here and like I always say, you can never know enough about anything to where you can't learn from the people around you. I get as much out of being here as I could ever give.

 

[KingPurpleDinosaur]

I'll answer 63 and the others who have asked me about the return here if that's cool.

We didn't only get McNabb so the question is moot. We also received 2 2nd round picks and an AHL fodder forward so we haven't any real way of quantifying the value of McNabb based solely on the amount given to bring him to the team.

Here is a better way of asking the question, do I see Gravel being the caliber of player who could replace McNabb in a similar deal? Absolutely yes. Gravel is just that special of a player. His hockey I.Q. is through the roof and he plays a smart physical game. He also has solid O skills, nothing that will make him an NHL two way Dman but that isn't his forte anyways. He makes an excellent 1st pass and never panic's with the puck. He is unquestionably a top end Dprospect. The only reason he isn't at the top of everyone in the worlds prospect list is that he doesn't put up a ton of points (no slouch but again, his focus is exceptional D play and smart O in that order).

He may net get the press but ask anyone who scouts the NCAA who their top SAH D is and more often than not they are going to say it is Kevin Gravel. Like DD A Mart Voynov Muzzin to name a few our scouts knew exactly who they were getting when they took KG and while we offered him the chance to leave STC the past two years he has decided to stay and honor his commitment.

Like I said before, in time the reasons why I and a few others have been so high on this kid is because he is the real deal. A very very good SAH Dman who plays a way above average smart game and likes to mix it up a bit too.

McNabb is a very very solid young player and I have raved about him both during his draft year and yesterday when we picked him up. I am very happy he is a King and he is going to be in time a good one too, I just see Gravel as being better at what he does today, at this stage in his career compared to what McNabb did at the same point. Nothing against either of them and in fact I can only think of very positive things to say about either of them.

It is a great life/time/day to be a Kings fan for sure.

how is the defensive transition from NCAA to AHL? is there usually a hiccup or is it pretty smooth?

 

[etherialone]

how is the defensive transition from NCAA to AHL? is there usually a hiccup or is it pretty smooth?

Good question.

The best answer I can give you is it depends on the player for the most part but in general the transition should be an easy one. The level of play shouldn't be the problem if the kid is coming from a solid program. The difficulty typically comes from the drastic increase in the amount of games that they play in the pros V the NCAA. Another thing is that in NCAA hockey everything is very regimented and the players have most of their responsibilities handled for them where in the AHL they are given their schedules and then left to their own devices. The extra free time coupled with some money in their pockets some times make room for a few distractions in some kids.

In MCH we do a really good job at keeping the kids on track with lots of meetings and team/group activities. That along with the number of games and the training regiment keep em busy enough.

I can say first hand that teams today spend allot of time and money learning as much about the character of potential prospects as possible so they have a good idea of who they are working with before they draft/acquire them.

In short the biggest hurdle in making the transition from NCAA to the pros is the increase in games and everything that goes with that but there are a ton of little things that all add up that can slow some kids down a bit.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I read the Phaneuf comparison as a stylistic comparison not a talent comparison. It's like how Drew's draft-day player style comparison was Ray Bourque. No one was literally saying he's going to be as good as Bourque, just that he plays that style of all-around game.

 

[HYORI 1963]

McNabb: 3 games, 2A, +2. Not too bad imo. He was actually a +4 going into today's game but was a -2 today.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Deslauriers has only played 4 periods so far with the big club but he is quickly becoming a fan favorite. He my not be the best skater but boy does he love hitting hard and often. He never backs off from finishing a check and he definitely will be at least a bottom 6 guy with his physicality being a big addition to our small team. I hope McNabb makes it as a top 4 dman for LA I was very high on Brayden. Definitely a win win trade as long as Fasching pans out.

 

[etherialone]

Deslauriers has only played 4 periods so far with the big club but he is quickly becoming a fan favorite. He my not be the best skater but boy does he love hitting hard and often. He never backs off from finishing a check and he definitely will be at least a bottom 6 guy with his physicality being a big addition to our small team. I hope McNabb makes it as a top 4 dman for LA I was very high on Brayden. Definitely a win win trade as long as Fasching pans out.

Thanks for update.

Des is a great skater but is being hampered by a sore ankle. Give another game or two and you will see what I mean. I got to watch the first two periods of your game tonight and while Des is seeing limited ice (as it should be) time he does seem to be effective. Not bad for his first two NHL games.

Hudson is such a high character guy and has such a really solid skillset that I would almost call him a can't miss at this point but time will tell. The Kings gave up a ton and the deal sort of stings a little and from what I read on the day from you guys it sort of stung you guys a little too to give up McNabb and the picks so it must be a good/fair deal.

Thanks again for the update and keep em coming. Your prospect depth is absolutely ridiculous. I was looking at it today and it is truly astonishing. Add in all of the high picks you have this and next year and your rebuild will not only be over before too long but the Sabres are going to have one hell of a team when it is all said and done too.

Easily the best depth in the league.

 

[PJ Kings Hockey]

Thanks for the feedback, Layne. It was a fun game to watch. I'm glad the NBC-SN coverage enabled us to see a Sabres game. I kept switching back and forth between the Sabres game and the Kings game. TG, I didn't realize that Des had a sore ankle. Glad it didn't show. Ted Nolan mentioned him in his post-game interview again.

Here's a new piece on Des. Move from defense to wing helped Sabres' Nick Deslauriers earn notice, first NHL recall. Feels weird to read Sabres' Nick Deslauriers, not Kings' Nick Deslauriers. Gotta think that Des (or DLo) is saying "Thank you, Jack Ferrara!!" right about now.