C Michael McLeod (2016, 12th, NJD) Part II

[Jason MacIsaac]

I agree, if Dylan Strome can go back for another year, so can Michael McLeod. They need to add a playmaker though.

 

[Blender]

He should play wherever he's capable of playing. If that's the NHL or the OHL, so be it. There is no one best way to develop a player, everyone is different.

 

[Eric Sachs]

I expect him to get at least the 9 games..

so I don't think any decisions will be made until then.

Drafting Nolan or Nico may push him out of the line-up this year as it will likely be McLeod vs. Quenneville (or Zacha/Henrique but I imagine both will be at LW) for the 3C position.. and Q is just more polished at this point and has already shown he belongs at the NHL level.

 

[hradekbr]

I see McLoed as a top flight 3rd line center. Not enough skill to be a top sixer.

He certainly has the skill to be a 2nd line center

 

[MadDevil]

From an outside POV, these Devils threads (Zacha and now McLeod) do seem plagued with doubters/haters

As a fanbase who has heard how our team ruined hockey for the last 15+ years, most of us are used to it by now.

 

[Cult of Hynes]

I agree, if Dylan Strome can go back for another year, so can Michael McLeod. They need to add a playmaker though.

Stromes biggest issue was skating, he was a really weak skater, but he fixed that. McLeod from that perspective alone is NHL ready, plus, why would they keep him down in the OHL when he would be a better option for the NHL team than who ever else would be plugged in while he is down there?

 

[JimEIV]

I expect him to get at least the 9 games..

so I don't think any decisions will be made until then.

Drafting Nolan or Nico may push him out of the line-up this year as it will likely be McLeod vs. Quenneville (or Zacha/Henrique but I imagine both will be at LW) for the 3C position.. and Q is just more polished at this point and has already shown he belongs at the NHL level.

Classic Devil brought it up and I think it's an interesting point...

I wonder if they'll try Mcleod on the right side. It's an organizational need and seems to make a lot of sense.

 

[Eric Sachs]

Classic Devil brought it up and I think it's an interesting point...

I wonder if they'll try Mcleod on the right side. It's an organizational need and seems to make a lot of sense.

He has dominated at the dot in juniors so I would like to see him at center going forward IMO... but it's interesting. I think Q is a better winger than McLeod would be, though things are more complicated since we are deep at LW (Q) and not so much at RW (McLeod). It's mostly because Quenneville has a good shot and is willing to use it.. McLeod looks to be more of a distributer.

There's a decent chance the Devils won't need him to be any more than a 3C going forward, which would be the ideal situation because he would be a very dangerous 3C with his tools and speed. It would really depend on how the organization views Zajac going forward because his defensive acumen also would make him an awesome 3C.. and wasting him as a 4C may not be the best idea.

Center depth would be:
Patrick
Quenneville/Zacha/Henrique (with the other 2 playing a 2LW and 3LW)
McLeod
Zajac

McLeod as a RW would look something like:

Hall - Patrick - Palmieri
Zacha - Quenneville - McLeod
Henrique - Zajac - Speers
Wood - ? - ?

Our bottom 6 RW depth looks to be fairly decent with Speers, Lappin, Bastian, Bratt, etc... so I guess if McLeod can be a 2RW, that would really round things out nicely.

 

[Classic Devil]

I wouldn't want him at RW permanently, but for next season it might make sense for him to start there.

 

[Cult of Hynes]

I wouldn't want him at RW permanently, but for next season it might make sense for him to start there.

Makes zero sense to have him there. You were one of the posters on the Devils sub forum saying how hard it is to play someone on their off wing and out of their usual position. McLeod has played RW before, but he is better suited for C, and that is where his game has been learned and where he has played the best.

 

[Baemon Severson*]

He has dominated at the dot in juniors so I would like to see him at center going forward IMO... but it's interesting. I think Q is a better winger than McLeod would be, though things are more complicated since we are deep at LW (Q) and not so much at RW (McLeod). It's mostly because Quenneville has a good shot and is willing to use it.. McLeod looks to be more of a distributer.

There's a decent chance the Devils won't need him to be any more than a 3C going forward, which would be the ideal situation because he would be a very dangerous 3C with his tools and speed. It would really depend on how the organization views Zajac going forward because his defensive acumen also would make him an awesome 3C.. and wasting him as a 4C may not be the best idea.

Center depth would be:
Patrick
Quenneville/Zacha/Henrique (with the other 2 playing a 2LW and 3LW)
McLeod
Zajac

McLeod as a RW would look something like:

Hall - Patrick - Palmieri
Zacha - Quenneville - McLeod
Henrique - Zajac - Speers
Wood - ? - ?

Our bottom 6 RW depth looks to be fairly decent with Speers, Lappin, Bastian, Bratt, etc... so I guess if McLeod can be a 2RW, that would really round things out nicely.

Zacha would be much more likely to stick at center than Quenneville. I dont think JQ has played any pro time down the middle. Judging by Patrick's Brandon highlights, he flanked Nolan quite frequently

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

yea, I think the organization is pretty set on Quenneville being a LW or at the very least a winger. It just sucks because our organizational depth at RW is non-existent whereas we are pretty loaded on the left side.

 

[evnted]

Classic Devil brought it up and I think it's an interesting point...

I wonder if they'll try Mcleod on the right side. It's an organizational need and seems to make a lot of sense.

FWIW Todd McNaught, the popular Mississauga fan on twitter most NJ fans went to for updates, has said he sees McLeod as a wing at the NHL level

 

[Classic Devil]

Makes zero sense to have him there. You were one of the posters on the Devils sub forum saying how hard it is to play someone on their off wing and out of their usual position. McLeod has played RW before, but he is better suited for C, and that is where his game has been learned and where he has played the best.

RW is not McLeod's off-wing. He's a right-handed shot and he has experience in the position, and it's much, much easier to go from center to wing during the transition from juniors to the NHL than from one wing to the other when you're already an established in that position.

My comment on off-wing was to a suggestion that we could just move Henrique from LW to RW. He's a lefty shot and has never played RW. That would be hard.

We also, barring some significant roster changes, just don't have a NHL spot for him at center next season, but we might at RW.

 

[Classic Devil]

yea, I think the organization is pretty set on Quenneville being a LW or at the very least a winger. It just sucks because our organizational depth at RW is non-existent whereas we are pretty loaded on the left side.

Eh, some will bust, some will be traded, and two years from now we'll be talking about needing to take a LW in the draft because of organizational weakness, watch.

 

[OSA]

Honestly guys, MM just kills it in the facoff dot. You definitely want to develop him as a C.

 

[Classic Devil]

Honestly guys, MM just kills it in the facoff dot. You definitely want to develop him as a C.

I do very much want him as a center with the Devils in the long-term. Probably the 2C after Patrick/Hischier. But I'm not really comfortable going into the season expecting both McLeod and Hischier to be able to play center at the NHL level as rookies. That seems unwise.

 

[Random Forest]

i'm going to go ahead and guess that most Flyers fans will say they liked the one we didn't pick anyways and that prospect is way better than whoever we picked.

just going to have to wait until the pick is made to see who their favorite is

How does this apply any less to Devils fans?

 

[OSA]

I do very much want him as a center with the Devils in the long-term. Probably the 2C after Patrick/Hischier. But I'm not really comfortable going into the season expecting both McLeod and Hischier to be able to play center at the NHL level as rookies. That seems unwise.

I think he needs to go back to Mississauga. The Steelheads will be a championship calibre again plus there will be plenty of international tournament opportunities for him throughout the year. The Devils have a really good player and their patience will be rewarded.

 

[Classic Devil]

I think he needs to go back to Mississauga. The Steelheads will be a championship calibre again plus there will be plenty of international tournament opportunities for him throughout the year. The Devils have a really good player and their patience will be rewarded.

I'm not opposed to that, but I do expect McLeod to get a cup of coffee to start the season.

 

[OSA]

I'm not opposed to that, but I do expect McLeod to get a cup of coffee to start the season.

I agree, 9 games will be good experience for him.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Yea, not opposed at all to Mikey getting another year with the Fish. It'll kill me to wait but if the coaching staff don't think he's ready just yet then so be it. But he's the kind of player that coaches love, great work ethic and good at both ends of the ice. His speed and I think underrated skill may be enough to make him stick. But we may have a very young forward group if he does stay, perhaps too young.

All I know is that at the draft last season I was disappointed to get McLeod. Not because of the player himself but because the Devils missed out on the four guys that went before the 11th pick. But Mikey has made me a believer. I really think he can be a big piece for the team in the future.

 

[Cult of Hynes]

I do very much want him as a center with the Devils in the long-term. Probably the 2C after Patrick/Hischier. But I'm not really comfortable going into the season expecting both McLeod and Hischier to be able to play center at the NHL level as rookies. That seems unwise.

Who do they have that you could say would be better options over them even with them being rookies?

Putting them out of position would be unwise. Look at how Seguin looked at RW in Boston, he did not look good when he was shifted out of position, when he went back to center in Dallas he tore it up. IDK why you insist on moving him to wing, especially when there are not that many better options to play center over him. Boohoo, two rookies might be playing center at the same time. Time to get used to that idea. If they are the best player for the position play them.

 

[NarcoPolo]

He was the best player on the ice for both teams when I watched one of the games in the Erie Mississauga series.

 

[Classic Devil]

Who do they have that you could say would be better options over them even with them being rookies?

Putting them out of position would be unwise. Look at how Seguin looked at RW in Boston, he did not look good when he was shifted out of position, when he went back to center in Dallas he tore it up. IDK why you insist on moving him to wing, especially when there are not that many better options to play center over him. Boohoo, two rookies might be playing center at the same time. Time to get used to that idea. If they are the best player for the position play them.

I'm not insisting on it. I'm just saying if he's going to play in the NHL this year, unless we move players there just isn't a spot at center for him (and if we do move players, it means relying heavily on rookies at center which is risky) and he's capable of playing RW if we want to give him that cup of coffee and see if he's capable of sticking.

Playing too many rookies at the NHL level without veteran support is how you stifle their development. Zajac is nice insurance, and Henrique is too, but if both of them are playing C then we don't have a C spot for McLeod (playing him on the 4th line is less than ideal). But we might have a 2nd or 3rd line RW spot open.