- Feb 23, 2014
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Laine could make it even easier for them if he, a supposed pro athlete, went on and said that the other guy is obviously better than him and should clearly go 1OA.
He of all people is supposed to be visibly biased on this one.
TheKrebsCycle
Throwing Confetti for Perfetti
Laine can say anything he wants but Matthews is the best player available and thats who is going first, for countless reasons..
Ignored my question, are you a Finn or not?
You should know that 2 years when the guy is 18 is a long time.
But it's great that you keep punishing him from that, he himself regrets it, but has also said it was the best wake up call he could have gotten.
It's impossible to talk with you, you ignore everything that gets said to you.
Things that Finnish hockey experts say, what his coaches say, what Finnish articles say.
You just ignore that with Finnish bias card.
Once more, this is a hockey crazy country, everything he does gets mentioned in the news pretty much, there have been no bad articles about him for ages, and the media would love go run crazy with those articles to sell papers but he hasn't given them any reasons.
He got professional help, and his girlfriend has been a huge help with his family too.
But ignore everything.
The team doesn't matter, his goal has always been to go 1st overall.
"That's always been my goal"
"I want to be No 1 because I want to show everybody that I want to be the best player in this draft"
+ No Finn had ever been 1st overall.
I'm a Finn so it can't be, it can only be my bias talking
What? One no im not but my wife is. SSM Ontario has a huge finnish population. We dont follow FEL. But watch all the finn WJC i watched the WHC out of Laine interest.
You miss the basic point. Which is again for the millionth time. I am not saying that he does or doesnt have problems. I am saying it was documented not too long ago and people can view it as a red flag. Thats not unreasonable. Many young prospects have been drafted later than their talent due to these concerns (hosang, kessel). If people worry or wonder about that ok thats fine. You choose to believe he is "better" after professional help. Ok. If people choose to consider it a red flag it doesnt mean bias.
The fans (regardless of nationality) contort everything to be pro laine. Its not about nationality for me. I dont care if he is swedish or fin or whatever. There are a bunch of people who for some reason think it matters that a finnish player goes first. I really couldnt care less if he is from mars. The best hockey player is who i want. It is a huge slippery slope here to start talking about how you want a player to go first overall because they are of a certain nationality or ethnicity. Its 2016.
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Wow all the other (not all but many) Leafs fans seem to dislike him because of his interviews.
Many have said there is nothing wrong with him wanting to be 1. I didnt have a problem with eichel saying it either. If you dont want to be the best. Why play?
TheKrebsCycle
Throwing Confetti for Perfetti
Absolutely nothing wrong with the way that Laine has comported himself whatsoever. None. Has zero to with my evaluation, personal belief.
- Feb 23, 2014
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So I've heard, but the onus of the quoted post was that Laine's vocally pronounced take on the matter is what it is. It's just redundant to go repeat that "BUT the universal truth is that...!" when it's been already explicitly said that this is merely what's going on on Planet Laine.
It does make it sound like Laine really can't say anything he wants, like even any kind of imaginary alternative reality where Matthews wasn't 1OA isn't allowed to exist.
Some people in the internet surroundings may misunderstand that to be the kind of insecurity that just invites further trolling.
Almighty God has spoken!
Seriously these kind of comments are plain stupid. People do this way too much here. I don't think we should try to define for sure how good each prospect will become. Just think of a few examples: Daigle, Stefan, Yakupov and from the other end: Lidström, Zetterberg and Benn. Most people defining all these players into a strict level beforehand, were definitely looking like morons after a few years. People want so seriously to look like morons here?
Fables
Registered User
- Apr 27, 2015
- 140
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I agree 100& that Laine does not really mind at all going to Winnipeg. He simply wants to be the best and be nr 1..also in the draft. If Jets were drafting first he would be saying the same thing.
Besides his skills what really defines Laine is his will to be the best and he hates to lose (on anything).
I was listening to the interview of the Jets scout who was doing the draft combine interview of Laine.
He said that Laine was not at all arrogant/cocky. Instead he was polite but very confident and straightforward. So they saw no attitude problems with him.
So all in all Jets will be getting a real gem unless the Leafs do the unexpected and pick Laine. He may or may not be more or less on the same level as Matthews at the moment. Arguments can be justified for both though most scouts have Matthews as nr 1. But Laine has achieved more than maybe any player at his age ever this season and he was a big factor in all the teams he played for. So he has earned at the minimum to be considered as the nr 1 .. though likely not eventually picked first.
In my mind Matthews is more complete plyer at the moment and I think he will be picked first. I think Laine has potential to be the best player out of this class but he’s more raw than Mattews at the moment. On the other hand he’s almost a full season younger in an age where the development seems to be faster than at any other point during a player's career. At least this seems to be true at least for Laine. So I believe he has more to achieve in the next couple of years by developing physically than Matthews. And this will help also to develop other parts of his game. This is of course not saying that Matthews can’t take huge steps as well.
I believe that Matthews is more NHL ready at this points and Laine will struggle with less space and time a bit during his first season. But I’m also very confident that he will have similar progress curve than Eichel did last season. And that by the end of his second season he will be real terror for NHL defenders and has bypassed Matthews. My estimate is based on how I see the potential of both these players. And both have not only a lot of potential but also a strong will and the right attitude for work for their further development.
While saying that Laine will be the better player I also believe that Matthews is the right choice for the Leafs. Even if I’m right in my prediction (and I strongly believe this though of course everyone can be wrong… see Daigle, Yakupov) Matthews should become a very good player and the franchise center the Leafs need. And while I believe that Laine will be better than Matthews I think that there are a bit more risks with him and therefore Leafs should go with the center and safer choice.
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All the greatest players have been so damn good because of exactly the enormous will to constantly improve and become better. And because of their great will to be the best. Of course they all had special talents, but this great will for being the best was the decisive thing that separated them from the rest. I see Laine having exactly these qualities in addition to his great talent, and this is why I have so much confidence in him becoming an excellent star player. Aho and Pulju by the way have similar attitudes also (although they are not as cocky in interviews), which is in fact something that I don't think Finnish prospects have usually had.
Anyway I just want to caution that being picked no. 1 OA in no way proves that the guy picked is the best in that draft so if Laine believes that he is the best that should be good enough for him and he should not care about what the draft position proves. If you looked at recent draft except last year I think you can debate on if being draft no. 1 is that important. It is largely resulted from an annual scouting rating at a certain point of time based on the recent performance of a player who had success in his draft year. Take Hall for example, if you analyze the skill sets in depth, Seguin had more. But Hall had incredible drive and plays hard on the ice and he was a monster in his draft year voted as MVP for the Memorial Cup while Seguin did not even made to the WJC team.
I hope a player is happy that they got drafted in the 1st round and get chance to play right away with the team and hopefully go to a team that is in a better stage of rebuild. For Laine's sake, I actually think he will benefit more going to Winnipeg as I believe the Jets is ahead of Toronto in the rebuild stage. He may wants to take that into consideration. I think Jets will be a very good fit for him. Toronto while have drafted many high end talents recently they real lack experience and they resemble the Oilers situation more at this stage. I think with Jets Laine will taste success sooner as they have real good vets who will show these youngsters the rope and I do not quite see that with Toronto and then there is the lack of strong D & G combo to make them into a true contender anytime soon. I actually feels sorry for Matthews for going there as he will have to deal with a lot over the next few years.
Just like MacKinnon and Barkov, I believe that Barkov lucked out being drafted by Florida and with a good mix of young talents and vets that team made to the playoff this year and finished 1st in their division while the Avs not even close to contend now. With the success of Barkov on his team, you may even now say that he is having a better career than McKinnon, at least this at the present. If you ask Barkov about if he wishes he would gone no. 1 and went to Colorado instead, he probably will tell you that he is happy how things turned out for him being drafted by the better team.
And then there is the situation in Edmonton with multiple 1st No. 1 OA with no results and now some of these No. 1 are actually on the trade block because they are no longer being viewed as key pieces moving forward.
I hope a player is happy that they got drafted in the 1st round and get chance to play right away with the team and hopefully go to a team that is in a better stage of rebuild. For Laine's sake, I actually think he will benefit more going to Winnipeg as I believe the Jets is ahead of Toronto in the rebuild stage. He may wants to take that into consideration. I think Jets will be a very good fit for him. Toronto while have drafted many high end talents recently they real lack experience and they resemble the Oilers situation more at this stage. I think with Jets Laine will taste success sooner as they have real good vets who will show these youngsters the rope and I do not quite see that with Toronto and then there is the lack of strong D & G combo to make them into a true contender anytime soon. I actually feels sorry for Matthews for going there as he will have to deal with a lot over the next few years.
Just like MacKinnon and Barkov, I believe that Barkov lucked out being drafted by Florida and with a good mix of young talents and vets that team made to the playoff this year and finished 1st in their division while the Avs not even close to contend now. With the success of Barkov on his team, you may even now say that he is having a better career than McKinnon, at least this at the present. If you ask Barkov about if he wishes he would gone no. 1 and went to Colorado instead, he probably will tell you that he is happy how things turned out for him being drafted by the better team.
And then there is the situation in Edmonton with multiple 1st No. 1 OA with no results and now some of these No. 1 are actually on the trade block because they are no longer being viewed as key pieces moving forward.
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What amazed me most of Laine, he actually doesn't need speed or legs and still he is so deadly always he is in o-zone. He have good speed and if he get's (and he will) more speed, agility and first of all power in his first few steps, how absolutely amazing good he will come and of course more strength in his body. He will be so unstoppable, he can do what he want's and no one can get puck away from him in big ice and corners, he is just that huge and skilled. Also Barkov and Granlund skating was much worse in same age and now they are actually pretty good of that, not best but big guys don't need that much to be top skaters in NHL, just like Benn, Perry, Barkov, Bergeron etc. don't need that, but Granlund size guy really need to be good skater and he need to be still better if he want to be better.
Still he is BPA in this draft or at least 2nd projected and he will be picked that high. So if there wouldn't have that incident he will be clear choice and BPA to 1st? If that be a real problem, he wouldn't be rankings in a top, he would be last of 1st round or 2nd round in list's if NHL teams think he have attitude problem just like other top skilled players who have had attitude problems have dropped far away to first 10. Look Kane, he is 27 and he have lot of problems, but he is still one of the best players in NHL and almost every summer there is some kind of incidents. Laine has shown this year, he have zero attitude problem more like wise and he have good attitude and good self esteem.
Laine is a very strong possession player. Tappara's primary opening play in the playoffs when Laine was on the ice involved him bulldozing the puck to the offensive zone, using both "quick skill to get around defenders" as well as "power to hold them off". Even though he failed sometimes when he went 1v3 and the opposing players were playing his body instead of the puck, those scenarios still showed how difficult he is to stop.
For instance, at 1:18-1:25 in this video, he goes 1v3, takes control of the puck and passes it to a teammate as well as knocking one of the players down:
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Everyone and their mother say that Laine hype has gone hyperbolic.
I just happened to read AM thread... He is like Kopitar, just much better. And he will be a TOP 10-15 center in NHL right when he starts the season.
Yet, they are telling us Finns to be homers and nutjobs. We don't expect Laine to be TOP 10-15 LW on his rookie season, let alone when the season starts. And we don't claim that he currently is comparable/better player than Ovi & Co.
I'm expecting Laine to score some 15-20 goals next season, and will be happy if he does that. He needs at least 3 years to be there, to be that beast he is able to be.
But yeah, we are nutjobs, when we claim that Laine resembles Lemieux. Toronto fans are completely reasonable claimimg that AM is already better than most centers out there.
I just happened to read AM thread... He is like Kopitar, just much better. And he will be a TOP 10-15 center in NHL right when he starts the season.
Yet, they are telling us Finns to be homers and nutjobs. We don't expect Laine to be TOP 10-15 LW on his rookie season, let alone when the season starts. And we don't claim that he currently is comparable/better player than Ovi & Co.
I'm expecting Laine to score some 15-20 goals next season, and will be happy if he does that. He needs at least 3 years to be there, to be that beast he is able to be.
But yeah, we are nutjobs, when we claim that Laine resembles Lemieux. Toronto fans are completely reasonable claimimg that AM is already better than most centers out there.
I am sorry you don't like that most would be slightly disappointed. It is not to say he is a bad player in any sense of the work, he will be very very good. However he is lacking in some areas that the player vast most feel is the BPA is not lacking in. Could it change... sure, that's why we play the game. If you are going to base your argument off a couple lucky late round picks, well you may want ot revisit your last line.
UsernameWasTaken
Let's Go Hawks!
Is Laine going to be expected to go to the summer WJC because he's still of age - or will they just tell him to skip it. I don't remember if Barkov had to go.
Speaking of one-dimensional players with no defense, this is the danger that lies behind watching only highlight reels.
At 7:29-7:45 in this video, Laine first throws the puck to the opposing end of the ice. He stays back as the lowest forward as is common for him. After the opponents receive the puck and begin their counter attack, they are only 2 on 3 as Laine stayed behind. After that, Laine intercepts an aerial lob pass and immediately regains full control:
Yes, his teammate gets a stupid interception penalty right after and nothing comes off that, that's got nothing to do with Laine.
At 7:29-7:45 in this video, Laine first throws the puck to the opposing end of the ice. He stays back as the lowest forward as is common for him. After the opponents receive the puck and begin their counter attack, they are only 2 on 3 as Laine stayed behind. After that, Laine intercepts an aerial lob pass and immediately regains full control:
Yes, his teammate gets a stupid interception penalty right after and nothing comes off that, that's got nothing to do with Laine.
I have also seen more than few times that AM is elite two-way forward just like Kopitar, Toews, Bergeron (which all before draft play amazing two-way game with "D" first), but he can score 50+ goals easily and made 100+ points to season after season. I am Toronto fan, so i of course hope he can do that, but he is not in my eyes elite two-way forward, he don't play "D" first, but more offensive center and i think he will come more like 30+50 points player of course he can be better, but i don't see that elite two-way. For me he is more like Malkin actually they look so similar and of course because he is center he comes to help defense so for me his defensive game is just regular center "D" game.
So who is overhyping?
I think Laine needs at least 2-3 season come to be very good or one of the best winger to NHL and his ceiling is top offensive forward in NHL just like AM ceiling is top offensive forward. I really don't expect Laine to make next year some ridiculous points but something similar what Barkov have his first year, 15-20 goals would be fine for me with 15-20 assist and 30-40 points, that would be very good season Laine to start, but he can make that 25 goal and then i will be super glad his first season.
The Winter Soldier
Registered User
- Apr 4, 2011
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Laine's strength is not only his shot and finish, but puck handling, making plays in tight, and maintaining possession. I thought the criticism from the WHC was the other player does not get involved enough trying to gain possession when the puck is a long the boards. Laine has an elite shot, puck handling, hockey IQ, and significant size already to make an impact in the NHL. To me it is only a matter of giving him time to adjust to the NHL, and the inevitable filling out of his 6'4 frame. When all these things happen, either he will beat teams with his talent, or teams will key on him freeing his teammates up to beat teams. He's a marvellous prospect whose 2015-2016 season accomplishments we haven't seen the like of in decades.
- Feb 23, 2014
- 27,954
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A what now where what? What's that thing? Not asking for myself but for the well-being of our tabloid press. An odd picture of Puljujärvi in a outdoor bathing tub in front of a lake just ain't gonna alone cut it for the slow months.
kelsier
Registered User
- Aug 17, 2013
- 4,280
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I have also seen more than few times that AM is elite two-way forward just like Kopitar, Toews, Bergeron (which all before draft play amazing two-way game with "D" first), but he can score 50+ goals easily and made 100+ points to season after season. I am Toronto fan, so i of course hope he can do that, but he is not in my eyes elite two-way forward, he don't play "D" first, but more offensive center and i think he will come more like 30+50 points player of course he can be better, but i don't see that elite two-way. For me he is more like Malkin actually they look so similar and of course because he is center he comes to help defense so for me his defensive game is just regular center "D" game.
So who is overhyping?
I think Laine needs at least 2-3 season come to be very good or one of the best winger to NHL and his ceiling is top offensive forward in NHL just like AM ceiling is top offensive forward. I really don't expect Laine to make next year some ridiculous points but something similar what Barkov have his first year, 15-20 goals would be fine for me with 15-20 assist and 30-40 points, that would be very good season Laine to start, but he can make that 25 goal and then i will be super glad his first season.
Ha, there is no such word as double standard in the Leafs grammar.
Actually checked the Matthews thread (haven't seen a reason to toxicate it the way the Leafs have done here) and saw the "already Kopi-lite" evaluations. They are writing about a guy who practically played 0 PK minutes last season. He's pretty heavy built but nowhere close to being even good defensive center in NHL standard and about a light year behind f.ex. Barkov at the same age in that regard. Matthews is offense first type of a center. Don't think he'll ever be Malkin-good but I could be wrong, franchise caliber regardless.
So we got two offensive minded forwards in the top two. Laine has outscored or outplayed him in every competition this season and is a lot younger. I'm not suprised he thinks he should go first. Still I hope that's not how it plays out.
Ha, there is no such word as double standard in the Leafs grammar.
Actually checked the Matthews thread (haven't seen a reason to toxicate it the way the Leafs have done here) and saw the "already Kopi-lite" evaluations. They are writing about a guy who practically played 0 PK minutes last season. He's pretty heavy built but nowhere close to being even good defensive center in NHL standard and about a light year behind f.ex. Barkov at the same age in that regard. Matthews is offense first type of a center. Don't think he'll ever be Malkin-good but I could be wrong, franchise caliber regardless.
So we got two offensive minded forwards in the top two. Laine has outscored or outplayed him in every competition this season and is a lot younger. I'm not suprised he thinks he should go first. Still I hope that's not how it plays out.
Not just that, actually saying superior to Kopitar in numerous aspects.
Then when I say that Laine is almost as good as Ovechkin at one single aspect everyone goes nuts.
