Kaners Bald Spot
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A lot of it depends on the team picking #1. They could end up talking themselves into Byfield, because he's a centerman. All else being equal, Lafreniere is the better prospect.
F Alexis Lafreniere - Rimouski Oceanic, QMJHL (2020 Draft) Part 2
- Thread starter garnetpalmetto
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Dominance
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Best since McDavid. Has the dynamic raw skills, incredible hockey sense, strong skating, size and frame, competitiveness, and personal drive, all of it. Very good two-way player compared to other top forward draft picks, too.
Only things working against him is the fact that he’s a winger and doesn’t have the otherworldly skating guys like Hughes, McDavid, and MacKinnon have.
Yeah, but that's very much an exception. I mean, who is the last highly hyped pure winger moved to center with current NHL coaching schemes. I've seen Wheeler get occasional shifts at center (I've also seen JVR do it briefly and hope to never see it again). If you have an elite winger, it probably makes the most sense to not mess around. If you really need a center, it probably makes more sense to just take Byfield.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
Played center at the WJC and for Karpat prior to playing in the NHL. That's like saying Larkin or MacKinnon who were moved to the wing to start then moved back.
SI90
Registered User
Good call. It’s rare but does occasionally happen. Obviously not ideal for most players but there are certain guys who could possibly succeed at center.
Interestingly the isles did the same thing with Koivula and like Aho he’s Finnish. Don’t know if that means anything but it’s interesting.
Again, Aho played center for Karpat and the Finnish WJC before playing in the NHL.
SI90
Registered User
Matthews, Eichel, and Dahlin were all better prospects by their draft date. They have all those things you described. Eichel had physical tools Lafreniere will never have. Eichel's skating/strength combo is unreal. Matthews was significantly stronger on the puck. Both of those guys dominated leagues way tougher than the Q at the same age. I also think you are overselling him a bit. Like, he's a great prospect, but he isn't a tier above someone like Taylor Hall at the same age, who was the last Canadian winger to go 1st overall.
Dominance
99-66-4-9-87/97
I am confident that Lafreniere will be better than Matthews and Eichel. He has a far better drive and is a smarter player than either. For all the hype Matthews and Eichel got, here they are in the middle of when offensive stars usually peak, and neither are great two-way centremen or PPG in their career.
Matthews is literally 4 points off a point per game for his career and plays a way more demanding defensive position. Both of them have insane drive to be the best players they can be, I mean, just listen to what Belfry says about him when he talks, and this is a guy who works with the top stars in the league. 22 also isn't the middle of when star players peak. It is for rare cases like Gretzky, Lemieux, and Crosby, but it isn't generally applicable to guys who aren't breaking records. I also don't think he's a far smarter player.
Be confident all you want. But, I would say most of the league and the scouting industry would take all 3 of those guys over Lafreniere at their respective draft dates.
No. They would not.
Talent wise, he surpasses all these guys.
If you take in his character... then he EASILY surpasses them.
The best since McDavid.
Only a team who falls in the trap to prioritize their needs would pick someone else (at this draft rank, always draft the best player available in your eyes).
No, he doesn't. But, believe what you want. He's not a once in a generation player. Honestly, what do you think Matthews or Eichel would do to the QMJHL given what they did to the NLA and Hockey-East respectively? Matthews is just as good a skater, plays a more important position, has a way better shot, is way stronger, has a lesser vision, but has equally good hockey IQ about knowing where to be. Eichel is bigger, a better skater has as good a shot or better, has just as good vision. We've seen 18 year olds similarly destroy the Q (Drouin), I'm not going to really talk about Matthews in the NLA because he has no real comparables since elite prospects don't go there, but no 18 year old has done what Eichel did in the NCAA/Hockey East since Kariya.
But, I get it, new draft year shiny new players have to be better than the players that came before them.
To be fair drouin was better then Mackinon in the Q who is now arguably the second best player in the league.
Except MacKinnon was viewed as the better prospect almost universally.
I haven't had the pleasure of watching too much of Lafreniere yet.. however I saw Rimouski play drumondville today and oh wow.
I understand he is playing against much younger competition, but just seeing his overall game, it makes me think: if the NHL did a young player exception rule - predraft eligibility and all. This player could be playing in the NHL right now.. and he'd do well.
Looks to me like a real fit for any era of NHL, the way he plays the game. Would love to see him in a Canucks uniform ^_^
I understand he is playing against much younger competition, but just seeing his overall game, it makes me think: if the NHL did a young player exception rule - predraft eligibility and all. This player could be playing in the NHL right now.. and he'd do well.
Looks to me like a real fit for any era of NHL, the way he plays the game. Would love to see him in a Canucks uniform ^_^
izzy
go
this kid is a f***ing tank
most dominant non-overage qmjhl player ive seen since drouin
but lafs game is a lot more styled for the nhl than drouins
most dominant non-overage qmjhl player ive seen since drouin
but lafs game is a lot more styled for the nhl than drouins
newfy
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This hurts your point. We've seen Drouin dominate the Q in his draft year similar to Lafreniere points wise but Mackinnon was still the better prospect like you said. Lafreniere is being viewed as a better prospect than both of them. What Lafreniere is doing in the Q hasnt been seen since Crosby.
I dont think Lafreniere is a run away better prospect than Eichel or Matthews (wont touch on Dahlin becaise hes a dman anyways) but I think right now he is slightly ahead of them. How many guys have won CHL player of the year before their draft year? I also wouldnt really say them playing center is a huge advantage considering they are nothing special defensively and Lafreniere has a really solid all around game (including physical game) for a winger.Lafreniere isnt generational but neither are those 2.
izzy
go
doesnt matter, drouin was the much better junior player on the stat sheet and with the eye test
mackinnons game was more of a lock to be successful in the nhl, but drouin is the most dominant Q player ive seen in the last 10 years probably
Tavares won CHL player of the year at 16, yet most scouts would have taken Stamkos over him at 17. Plus, he won it at 17 which has happened a few times such as McDavid, Drouin, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, etc. Lafreniere isn't doing what Crosby did. Both Matthews and Eichel have clear advantages on physical tools, Eichel destroyed Hockey East at 18, which is a way tougher league and Matthews was arguably the best player in a men's league and the best player on the USA's World Championship squad. Lafreniere is a great prospect but would likely go behind Matthews and Eichel on most teams boards.
SOLR
Registered User
I think it's
McKinnon
Drais
Eichel
Lafreniere
Matthews
Matthews: whole pre-draft and post-draft is over hyped, he's very one-dimensional and it will take time for him to grow into a Ron Francis-like force.
Eichel: I don't think we've seen the best from him yet, he's been unlucky with injuries, but it's coming. Still think he can be McDavid-like some nights and I don't think Lafreniere has that potential.
I'm talking specifically pre-Draft date. Matthews likely goes ahead of everyone except maybe Eichel. He wasn't overhyped pre-draft. You can say whatever you want about Toronto overhype, but he was the a top 3 player in the Swiss League at 18, and was the best player on the American World Championship team at 18.
Very few teams would take Lafreniere over a center with the skill profiles of Eichel and Matthews. 6'3 220 pound centers who can score 40 goals are insanely rare. He just turned 22, look how long it took a lot of young centers to turn into high-end defensive players.
Lafreniere is a great prospect but is beating up on a pretty shallow QMJHL which has been declining in quality for years. MacKinnon was a better prospect than he was. I would put him around the same level as Taylor Hall was as a prospect when we are talking about Canadian wingers.
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