McKenzie used a scout quote saying Hagens’ size was a concern, which was always bullshit
You have a good view of players, you’ve probably watched him more than me. In the 10 or so games l’ve seen, his propensity to get outmuscled in small areas was something I did notice, and for someone where the off puck play is the main facet of his game, that could be a concern. It hasn’t stopped players like Point or Marner from becoming great defensive players, but he will need to adjust the way in which he operates in small space, improving on stick play and having to rely less on body on body. It’s a small detail, but I don’t think it’s an unwarranted criticism to remark that his slight frame could cause some issues given his play style.
TSN just posted a YT video calling Martone a “Potential 1st overall pick.
Martone is not in Hagens’ class, end of story.
I agree that Hagens is better than Martone, and my personal opinion is that he’s the safest pick if a team decides to pick forward. But the gap is not such that, especially with how size obsessed NHL GMs (wrongly) are, that Martone’s physical package could lead a few of them down the garden path; wouldn’t be my pick but there are a lot of dinosaurs still around
