F Cayden Lindstrom - Medicine Hat Tigers, WHL (2024, 4th, CBJ)

[FlyguyOX]

A lot of GM's lucky their trade offer for this pick was rejected

 

[majormajor]

Career injury issues for this guy... back problems are recurrent. If at 18-19 he has this condition, I can't imagine what it will be in his late 20's... Should have never went in the top 10 imo. Can't believe he got drafted before Ivan Demidov...

Not every back issue is degenerative. It sounds like you're talking about degenerative disc disease? There are many people who have had back injuries or even back surgeries and then returned 100%. We're still in wait and see mode on Lindstrom.

 

[Random Comment]

Not every back issue is degenerative. It sounds like you're talking about degenerative disc disease? There are many people who have had back injuries or even back surgeries and then returned 100%. We're still in wait and see mode on Lindstrom.

Not herniated discs where you have sciatica. This is a problem at his age. It’s not from some freak injury either. Most nhl players who develop this never return anywhere close to their original abilities. I don’t see him playing centre the faceoffs will be too hard on his back. I hope I’m wrong tho! I was shocked this injury wasn’t factored in more in his selection.

 

[majormajor]

Of course. But teams shouldn’t use their top pick to select guys with known Back, shoulder, knee, concussion, or mental issues. Unless of course the kid is crazy good compared to his peers. Was this guy that much better than his peers? Not really. So it was a bad pick then imo because of the known issues.

I'm going to quote myself on this from last summer:

Demidov maybe, it was close enough that I had him ahead after factoring in Lindstrom's back concerns. Though NHL clubs seemed less enthused about Demidov for whatever reason.

But let's be real, a kid that strong, that fast, that good of a shot (nearly a goal per game last Fall), if he had a clean bill of health, then most years that's a top two pick. If he just kept doing what he did last Fall you would have seen him rise up the lists over the year. Some had him #2 even factoring in the health concerns - #2 on hockeyprospect's list, and that's the best endorsement you can get.

So yes, I do think he is that damn good of a prospect that it was worth the risk. I think the upside is through the roof.

Not herniated discs where you have sciatica. This is a problem at his age. It’s not from some freak injury either. Most nhl players who develop this never return anywhere close to their original abilities. I don’t see him playing centre the faceoffs will be too hard on his back. I hope I’m wrong tho! I was shocked this injury wasn’t factored in more in his selection.

I'm no expert but I just looked up athlete's recovery rates from microdiscectomy and it is pretty good actually. And the only times I've seen specialists comment on Lindstrom's case they've sounded very positive, so I'm going to stick with that until that changes. It's better than trusting randos here.

 

[JPeeper]

Not herniated discs where you have sciatica. This is a problem at his age. It’s not from some freak injury either. Most nhl players who develop this never return anywhere close to their original abilities. I don’t see him playing centre the faceoffs will be too hard on his back. I hope I’m wrong tho! I was shocked this injury wasn’t factored in more in his selection.

Monahan had multiple hernia's and a bum hip which made face-offs near impossible. He said he'd be stuck in that down position for a few seconds until he could loosen up, he basically broke himself playing for the Flames and it took years for him to get healthy again. I know it's different than a back, but I can't imagine it being any better.

Hopefully Lindstrom can recover from this and progress, but no way would I have spent a top 5 pick on a guy with back problems in his teens.

 

[Fatass]

I'm going to quote myself on this from last summer:



So yes, I do think he is that damn good of a prospect that it was worth the risk. I think the upside is through the roof.



I'm no expert but I just looked up athlete's recovery rates from microdiscectomy and it is pretty good actually. And the only times I've seen specialists comment on Lindstrom's case they've sounded very positive, so I'm going to stick with that until that changes. It's better than trusting randos here.

This is your opinion as a fan on a hockey chat site. What did the professionals who earn their living think about the separation of this player from his peers. Clearly one group thought the prospect had the needed separation. They picked him. It certainly appears they were wrong in their valuation.

 

[majormajor]

This is your opinion as a fan on a hockey chat site. What did the professionals who earn their living think about the separation of this player from his peers. Clearly one group thought the prospect had the needed separation. They picked him. It certainly appears they were wrong in their valuation.

The separation that a player needs to justify additional risk is not even at question here. The player isn't currently playing. You're trying to say that his injury proves that he didn't have separation over other prospects in that range, and that's irrelevant.

I'm also not closing the book on this until I know what happens here. Why are we doing "told you sos" five weeks after a player has surgery? Shouldn't we wait and see how he does in his recovery?

 

[SteelCityCannon]

Lindstrom is the type of player that NHL teams always gravitate towards. I'm still taking him over Demidov. 6'5 center who can skate with a laser of a shot over a winger every day of the week.

Now, I'm trusting the CBJ medical staff thinking he'll be okay when the time comes. If he's not, I'll be the first one pointing and laughing.

 

[viceroy]

Not every back issue is degenerative. It sounds like you're talking about degenerative disc disease? There are many people who have had back injuries or even back surgeries and then returned 100%. We're still in wait and see mode on Lindstrom.

The problem isn't really his back actually but the fact that he's missed out on some crucial development time. Time that'll be hard for him to recoup.

 

[Monk]

I'm also not closing the book on this until I know what happens here. Why are we doing "told you sos" five weeks after a player has surgery? Shouldn't we wait and see how he does in his recovery?

This. Trolls be trollin

 

[Anaheim4ever]

What if Demidov like Michkov had no interest in playing for the Jackets/Ducks and fell to Montreal for that reason ? Philly and Montreal are massive hockey markets.

 

[CBJx614]

The problem isn't really his back actually but the fact that he's missed out on some crucial development time. Time that'll be hard for him to recoup.

He's what, 18? He's expected to join his team some time this season, I'd rather him take an extra 4-6 months to make sure his body is properly healed than rush him just to play a few more games against some kids. His real development will truly begin once he's playing against grown men.

Sure he's gonna take some time to truly get into game shape, and I'm sure they are gonna ease him into it. Making sure if there's any discomfort that they don't push it.

 

[stevo61]

What if Demidov like Michkov had no interest in playing for the Jackets/Ducks and fell to Montreal for that reason ? Philly and Montreal are massive hockey markets.

Don't believe it for a second. I think Columbus wanted big, mean, skilled center depth for the 1st time... ever

 

[jfhabs]

What if Demidov like Michkov had no interest in playing for the Jackets/Ducks and fell to Montreal for that reason ? Philly and Montreal are massive hockey markets.

It is possible, but there are/were no rumors of that.

Anaheim didn't use a 1st,2nd or 3rd round pick from a Russian based (playing in Russia) for like 15 years. I would've been extremely surprised if they picked either.

I thought Columbus would pick him for sure, but understand why they would go with Lindstrom as well. Same reason the Habs went Slafkovsky in '22

 

[majormajor]

What if Demidov like Michkov had no interest in playing for the Jackets/Ducks and fell to Montreal for that reason ? Philly and Montreal are massive hockey markets.

Teams prefer to go for big power forwards every chance they get. And fans on HF don't understand it. We have these debates year after year. We invent wild theories to try and explain why a team took a huge power forward, we just can't imagine why a team would drool over a guy like Lindstrom. It's really not a mystery.

 

[The411]

I'm going to quote myself on this from last summer:



So yes, I do think he is that damn good of a prospect that it was worth the risk. I think the upside is through the roof.



I'm no expert but I just looked up athlete's recovery rates from microdiscectomy and it is pretty good actually. And the only times I've seen specialists comment on Lindstrom's case they've sounded very positive, so I'm going to stick with that until that changes. It's better than trusting randos here.

I had two microdiscectomies. One at 37 and 41 and I was considered young so an 18 year old having that surgery is not good at all. Doesn’t mean he cannot comeback, but it does not bode well.

 

[Random Comment]

I'm going to quote myself on this from last summer:



So yes, I do think he is that damn good of a prospect that it was worth the risk. I think the upside is through the roof.



I'm no expert but I just looked up athlete's recovery rates from microdiscectomy and it is pretty good actually. And the only times I've seen specialists comment on Lindstrom's case they've sounded very positive, so I'm going to stick with that until that changes. It's better than trusting randos here.

Sure, but performance often decreases. We can argue here all you want, but just because you see success stories in athletes who were playing through their injury and then had a microdiscectomy, doesn’t mean that’s the norm. Cayden couldn’t skate without sciatic pain. This wasn’t just minor back pain. And he’s what, 18-19. If you don’t trust me go speak to an orthopaedic surgeon - any one that doesn’t say it’s concerning is full of shit. Doesn’t mean he can’t end up playing well and for a long time. But let’s not pretend this is a minor injury with routine recovery. This will follow him through his career and he will likely have multiple back surgeries that will take him out of parts of multiple seasons.

 

[majormajor]

But let’s not pretend this is a minor injury with routine recovery.

No one is doing that.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

A lot of GM's lucky their trade offer for this pick was rejected

Teams wanted to move up to 4th to pick Demidov, not Lindstrom.

 

[FlyguyOX]

Teams wanted to move up to 4th to pick Demidov, not Lindstrom.

Not sure that's true for all teams

 

[CBJx614]

I love all these people in here saying what teams should/shouldn't do. The Jackets had actual doctors go over all of his issues and still seemingly signed off on the selection. I think there's 0% chance they take Lindstrom if the doctors had any reservations about his ability to heal back to 100%. This is the Jackets being extra cautious so they can slowly ramp up his training, looking for any signs of set backs so they can take care of it now and not miss something.


Let's wait until the kid gets back on the ice and playing hockey before we start labeling this a bad pick.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5935507/2024/11/20/cayden-lindstrom-blue-jackets-back-surgery?source=user-shared-article

The Blue Jackets knew of Lindstrom’s injury last summer before the draft. Every NHL club that interviewed Lindstrom leading up to the draft asked him about it, and Hermiston turned over Lindstrom’s medical reports to any club that requested them.

Waddell had the Blue Jackets’ medical staff review Lindstrom’s records, he said, before he decided to spend a first-round pick — his first pick as Blue Jackets GM — on the player. At the time, however, the Blue Jackets thought Lindstrom’s injury could heal without surgery.

“To (Lindstrom’s) credit, he wanted to try and work through it,” Waddell said. “Our doctors were good with that.”

But in the five months since, Lindstrom has experienced only partial success.

“When we met last week and talked about it, he wanted to make sure he talked with his family and representation first to make sure everybody was 100 percent on board,” Waddell said. “He was in good spirits.”

 

[wetcoast]

Still hope that he comes back 100% and we can see how he develops as he will make a fine player if he pans out and his story is a great one.

For Cayden Lindstrom, family comes first | Columbus Blue Jackets

The Blue Jackets first-round pick has a bond with his mother that can't be broken

www.nhl.com

 

[SteelCityCannon]

I had two microdiscectomies. One at 37 and 41 and I was considered young so an 18 year old having that surgery is not good at all. Doesn’t mean he cannot comeback, but it does not bode well.

No offense but you're also not a professional athlete with a professional hockey teams medical staff either.

I'm gonna trust CBJs doctors until I shouldn't at this point. Hes the type of prospect you do this for.

 

[Dr Quincy]

I love all these people in here saying what teams should/shouldn't do. The Jackets had actual doctors go over all of his issues and still seemingly signed off on the selection.

Do you think those actual doctors told the team that he'd still be out right now? I doubt it. So in other words, those actual doctors were wrong. Doesn't mean he won't come back, but you are being dishonest if you are saying that the team knew he'd still be missing time at this point.

 

[majormajor]

Do you think those actual doctors told the team that he'd still be out right now? I doubt it. So in other words, those actual doctors were wrong. Doesn't mean he won't come back, but you are being dishonest if you are saying that the team knew he'd still be missing time at this point.

Doctors typically don't approach this sort of issue in terms of absolute certainties. It's about probabilities. I know that's a little highbrow for us here where it would probably be considered dodging responsibility, but if a doctor says "90% chance that he won't surgery", and then he needs surgery, that doesn't mean those doctors are fools and that your cousin Cleetus who has back problems is the smart one.