Lundestrom isn't just not flashy, he's very limited in how he creates offense, at least from what I saw in his D year.
Age has little bearing on how a player produces offense. Lundy was one of my favorite prospect this past year, loved that speed and I thought there was real potential for a top 6 C, at first, but then I realized he doesnt have much creativity. Hes most likely a middle 6 C, which isnt bad.
The thing is, the NHL...and heck, sometimes even the waiver wire are littered with players who have more "creativity" than they know what to do with at the NHL level. There's nothing wrong with offensive creativity. But at the same time, if you can get a guy like Lundestrom who actually has the
discipline to play the game both ways, and especially as a Center where the responsibility is heaviest...you can often find some "incomplete" players with an overabundance of "creativity" who really need a stabilizing presence to facilitate what they do. Especially when, like with Lundestrom...they show the offensive instincts, vision, and puck skills to keep up with what more creative players are doing around them and really facilitate that, while remaining the "sober second thought".
The whole, "very limited" thing just doesn't seem all that applicable to a guy like Lundestrom to me. He's not a Brandon Sutter who just kinda flies a helicopter line. He's not a Sam Gagner whose "creativity" is limited by his inability to penetrate the perimeter. He's potentially the better halves of both, combined.
For a late 1st round pick, if you get a "middle-6" aka "fringe Top-6" Center like that, you're doing pretty alright. If they're edging toward that straight out of the draft, that's an awfully nice early bonus.