In 2017 Rasmus Dahlin was called "The McDavid/Eichel for defencemen" agree or disagree?

[WingsMJN2965]

I said someone who was taken seriously and you show me something Craig Button said?

Well, the same guy said Moritz Seider is the new Brandon Carlo.

 

[Nabrules]

Do people not understand he’s only 19? It takes defensemen longer to reach their full potential. Do people not remember at 19 Cale Makar was putting up mediocre numbers at College? Hey may not turn out to be generational or even that true franchise level guy but give him time before you judge.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Do people not understand he’s only 19? It takes defensemen longer to reach their full potential. Do people not remember at 19 Cale Makar was putting up mediocre numbers at College? Hey may not turn out to be generational or even that true franchise level guy but give him time before you judge.

No, they don't think that out.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Makar is the best and will win the Calder.

No other rookie D man even comes close.

He's 21

 

[AvroArrow]

The McDavid/Eichel

McDavid....Eichel.

I mean he had a lot of hype pre-draft, definitely not McDavid level, but no one in the league is. He's not taking the league by storm from day 1 and dominating everyone.

He can still very well become an elite #1D, even the best D in the league in his prime, but to compare him to McDavid level is insanity. McDavid is in a class of his own.

 

[SotasicA]

There's a couple tiers between McDavid and Eichel/Matthews. Maybe less so for Eichel than Matthews but lets not get carried away here.

"A couple of tiers?"

Then I guess it's semantics we're arguing, but I'm thinking "Superstar" tier and "Star" tier. Then 1st line player, then a top six player, bottom six player. How many tiers between McDavid and Eichel again?

I believe McDavid is in the first (with Crosby and Ovechkin maaaybe MacKinnon) and Eichel is in the second. Nothing in between.

 

[Mattilaus]

"A couple of tiers?"

Then I guess it's semantics we're arguing, but I'm thinking "Superstar" tier and "Star" tier. Then 1st line player, then a top six player, bottom six player. How many tiers between McDavid and Eichel again?

I believe McDavid is in the first (with Crosby and Ovechkin maaaybe MacKinnon) and Eichel is in the second. Nothing in between.

You missed semi-superstar tier and semi-partial-superstar. Oh and star+ too.

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

They were calling him the greatest D prospect in the past 30-40 years and was hyped heavily 3 years before the draft even took place.

And he's proving them right.

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

Hughes is the best and will win the Calder.

No other rookie D man even comes close.

 

[tony d]

Agree. I think he's going to become quite the defenseman.

 

[cgf]

Yeah, I bought it when he was a prospect and I still buy it now. He's obviously still a work in progress & came in with more work to do than McDavid did, but I still don't see why he won't get there in time. Teams have adapted to him after that historic 18yo season and now he's figuring out how to counter-adapt; while filling out & going through the rest of the NHL a few more times...but in his prime, I still think he'll be able to give McDavid a run for his money as the league's best player.

Don't get me wrong, I am beyond thrilled to have MacK & Makar anchor our forward-core & bluelines (respectively)...but I do think Dahlin will surpass both eventually.

 

[kp61c]

dahlin can eventually become as good as eichel but not as mcdavid. why are mcdavid and eichel lumped together here?

 

[Not Sure]

Hughes is the best and will win the Calder.

No other rookie D man even comes close.

This is the second post bringing up Makar and rookie voting. I'm getting the impression a couple people think Dahlin is a rookie. Hes only 19 but this is his second pro year. Hes setting league records for a teenager, not for a rookie. That's like saying Panarin is better than McDavid because he won the Calder as a 24 year old while McDavid played in his 18 year old season and didnt have Kane feeding him.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Makar is the best and will win the Calder.

No other rookie D man even comes close.

Makar is 2 years older than Dahlin. I would put money on Dahlin's 21yo season being better.

 

[TheUltimateOiler]

Rasmus Dahlin is awesome. He is only gonna get better. I think it's only a matter of time before he is a top 3 dman in the entire league.

 

[tsujimoto74]

The McDavid/Eichel

McDavid....Eichel.

I mean he had a lot of hype pre-draft, definitely not McDavid level, but no one in the league is. He's not taking the league by storm from day 1 and dominating everyone.

He can still very well become an elite #1D, even the best D in the league in his prime, but to compare him to McDavid level is insanity. McDavid is in a class of his own.

Defensemen simply don't do that. They take longer to develop than forwards. Even if you look at hands-down the best D in NHL history, Bobby Orr, he didn't break out into the PPG+ D we remember him as until his 4th NHL season, at age 21.

Dahlin's play as a teenager is something the NHL hasn't seen in decades. Development isn't always linear and predictable, but, so far, he's absolutely tracking to be a very, very special player.

 

[grentthealien]

I wouldn’t quite say he’s Mcdavid tier, but he’s not far off. He’s kind of been overshadowed this season due to missing time with a concussion and by the offensive numbers that Makar and Quinn Hughes are producing , but he is on track to be better than both of them.

44 points as a 18 year old rookie and on a 50+ point pace as a 19 year old is one of the more impressive starts to a career for a defensemen especially in recent memory. He doesn’t turn 20 until the very end of this regular season in April so he is younger than his peers( Makar,Heiskanen and Q Hughes) So he should only get better.

 

[SillyRabbit]

Why are people forgetting that defencemen take way longer to come into their own than forwards?

Forwards have their peak offensive numbers around age 23-25.

Defencemen don't reach their peak until 27-29.

 

[Volica]

Agree. I think he's going to become quite the defenseman.

By the age of 25 a lot of us will remember this type of LOL (this thread)

 

[JPeeper]

Everything I have seen of him tells me he's going to be an absolute stud in a couple of years.

If you lived through the early days of guys like Pronger and Hedman, you know how this story ends.

Yup, I remember people writing off Hedman after 2(?) or 3(?) years, now he is arguably the best d-man in the game. Top 3-5 anyway. Gio didn't win his Norris until he was 35 and really didn't break out until his 30's. Dahlin is 19, kid is going to be the real deal.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Scored over 40 as a rookie 18 year old Dman and on pace for over 50 this year? As far as phenom D goes it’s not far from the billing to be in that tier

On HfBoards you'd have to outproduce the forwards in order to be recognised as better than them.

 

[Lebowski]

I think his upside is sky high and his results so far in the NHL have been quite good even given the expectations.

Hedman needed a lot more time to get going at the NHL level.

 

[TheGoldenJet]

Last season: 9 goals 35 assists in 82 games

This season: 3 goals 25 assists in 41 games

You realize there is a huge difference between an Eichel and a McDavid level prospect, right?

 

[nowhereman]

I wouldn’t quite say he’s Mcdavid tier, but he’s not far off. He’s kind of been overshadowed this season due to missing time with a concussion and by the offensive numbers that Makar and Quinn Hughes are producing, but he is on track to be better than both of them.

44 points as a 18 year old rookie and on a 50+ point pace as a 19 year old is one of the more impressive starts to a career for a defensemen especially in recent memory. He doesn’t turn 20 until the very end of this regular season in April so he is younger than his peers( Makar,Heiskanen and Q Hughes) So he should only get better.

Dahlin and Hughes are both in their D+2 season and are separated by a handful of months, so age isn't really a factor like you're making it out to be. However, I think Dahlen has better tools than Hughes and could be the better player. But, right now, based on stats and the eye test, Hughes is tracking better than Dahlin.

That said, the way defenseman develop, we won't know who the best of the bunch is until 4-5 years down the line.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Dahlin and Hughes are both in their D+2 season and are separated by a handful of months, so age isn't really a factor like you're making it out to be. However, I think Dahlen has better tools than Hughes and could be the better player. But, right now, based on stats and the eye test, Hughes is tracking better than Dahlin.

That said, the way defenseman develop, we won't know who the best of the bunch is until 4-5 years down the line.

This is an atrocious take.

This is a very good example of putting too much stock into one season worth of analytics. Make a poll, and Hughes won't get 10% of the vote that isn't from Canuck fans.