Prospect Info: Marner Magic about to take OHL by kNight -All purpose thread

[Mess]

Mats Sundin played wing when he first came to Toronto as well.

As for Marner, I don't think anyone is writing him off because that would be obviously stupid.

But there's no doubt, as a prospect coming in with his credentials, he should be expected to play at a higher level than has so far. I don't see anything wrong with pointing that out.

No doubt that when you have a top 5 pick in one of the strongest drafts in a decade you are logically expecting big things and instant impact.

I agree, I believe Marner's play has reset optimism to more realistic levels that was running wild this summer claiming Marner is one of the best prospects to come along in years and among the top picks in many drafts.

Now that fans have actually gotten to see him in the rookie tournament and exhibition games and with the little fanfare he has received based on his actual play are recognizing this requires patience and time as he looks nervous and not ready physically nor mentally at this point to compete at the NHL level. However based on Leafs drafting a 160lbs player and one of the smallest in the entire draft it was generally accepted that this was going to be a future venture.

 

[ACC1224]

No doubt that when you have a top 5 pick in one of the strongest drafts in a decade you are logically expecting big things and instant impact.

I agree, I believe Marner's play has reset optimism to more realistic levels that was running wild this summer claiming Marner is one of the best prospects to come along in years and among the top picks in many drafts.

Now that fans have actually gotten to see him in the rookie tournament and exhibition games and with the little fanfare he has received based on his actual play are recognizing this requires patience and time as he looks nervous and not ready physically nor mentally at this point to compete at the NHL level. However based on Leafs drafting a 160lbs player and one of the smallest in the entire draft it was generally accepted that this was going to be a future venture.

Nothing has changed in that regard. No one "logically" expected an instant impact.
Anyone who has seen him play knows that ONE pre-season game isn't indicative of his skill.

It is nice to see you finally admit you've never seen him play before.

 

[hamzarocks]

marner will be a top 5 forward in the nhl 5-6 years from now, along with mcdavid,eichel, mackinnon, and strome. People might be a bit disapointed but i was pleased with his game. He will be a force once he gets stronger. Marner and Nylander will haunt the atlantic and eastern conference for a long time. Add guys like kap, brown, lepsic, gauthier, sosh, bracco, kadri, jvr etc we have a potential stud team with many assets upping their own value in the ahl or chl. We just need to keep to drafting for skill most of the time and get as many picks as possible, use the picks to reload the cupboard, we can nvr leave our cupboard bare, gotta try and be like the hawks, kings, ducks, wings, bolts, jets, and have prospects ranked high despite not having too many high picks(only jets got high picks their after the intial rebuild was over and even then the highest was 7th i think).

 

[Joey Hoser]

Anyone who has seen him play knows that ONE pre-season game isn't indicative of his skill.

It just depends on the quality of the performance.

If he was great like he was at the WJC camp, then you dismiss it as small sample size and tell everyone not to get excited because it doesn't mean anything.

If he has a modest showing, like he did in his one pre-season game, you take it as final confirmation of how good he really is, and you tell everyone how wrong they were after this definitive proof has come down.

 

[Gary Nylund]

marner will be a top 5 forward in the nhl 5-6 years from now, along with mcdavid,eichel, mackinnon, and strome. People might be a bit disapointed but i was pleased with his game. He will be a force once he gets stronger. Marner and Nylander will haunt the atlantic and eastern conference for a long time. Add guys like kap, brown, lepsic, gauthier, sosh, bracco, kadri, jvr etc we have a potential stud team with many assets upping their own value in the ahl or chl. We just need to keep to drafting for skill most of the time and get as many picks as possible, use the picks to reload the cupboard, we can nvr leave our cupboard bare, gotta try and be like the hawks, kings, ducks, wings, bolts, jets, and have prospects ranked high despite not having too many high picks(only jets got high picks their after the intial rebuild was over and even then the highest was 7th i think).

The oracle has spoken. All hail the oracle.

 

[Mess]

Phase I the drafting stage is over and now Marner is Leafs property.

Phase II is the development stage and the one that management are currently in and evaluating a players NHL readiness and charting their progress.

Agreed at this stage there is no cause for concern and all we have learned from the rookie tournament, intrasquad and exhibition viewing/performance is that Marner at this point requires more grooming and development and not ready to step into the NHL and that will he require patience by the fan base.

 

[WTFMAN99]

Nothing has changed in that regard. No one "logically" expected an instant impact.
Anyone who has seen him play knows that ONE pre-season game isn't indicative of his skill.

It is nice to see you finally admit you've never seen him play before.

Logic only applies depending on what agenda you're pushing.

In this case, I didn't expect Marner to dominate, and I always figured he'd be sent back this year, and there is nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[hamzarocks]

The oracle has spoken. All hail the oracle.

lol just my opinion, should have added that in their. But seriously people are going crazy here. Some people are writing marner one of the best prospects since post lockout a bust after one game where looked pretty solid to me. He has to get stronger yes, but a 2 or 3 year devolopment awaits him, No way, he is already good enough to be in the nhl imo. However he can learn a few things in the ohl and work on adding strength more consistently their. I just hope we are able to realize we have a super talented kid here who has the best potential that any leafs player ever drafted might have.( Clark was great but marner has the potential to become a better player than him, not as fiesty and passinate though).

also if i was a oracle those 4 balls or whatever back at the lotto would have landed on the leafs and Connor Mcdavid would be the most takled rookie ever in the history of sports right now.

 

[Mess]

I think one of the bigger surprises in camp was that 5th round pick Timashov only 5-9 had a bigger impact then Marner has at this point a top 5 overall pick.

That boasts well for the future because with Marner's skill everyone is expecting him to have a significant impact in the future but a 5th rounder is always a longshot and his play was a pleasant surprise. You need to hit not only on top 5 virtual NHL locks but other rounds.

However this comes down to Leafs new drafting strategy now of taking skill and hoping that pays off and allowing for time and patience in development to achieve that.

 

[Nithoniniel]

lol just my opinion, should have added that in their. But seriously people are going crazy here. Some people are writing marner one of the best prospects since post lockout a bust after one game where looked pretty solid to me. He has to get stronger yes, but a 2 or 3 year devolopment awaits him, No way, he is already good enough to be in the nhl imo. However he can learn a few things in the ohl and work on adding strength more consistently their. I just hope we are able to realize we have a super talented kid here who has the best potential that any leafs player ever drafted might have.( Clark was great but marner has the potential to become a better player than him, not as fiesty and passinate though).

also if i was a oracle those 4 balls or whatever back at the lotto would have landed on the leafs and Connor Mcdavid would be the most takled rookie ever in the history of sports right now.

I don't know, you make it sound like the whole Leafs organization would line up to tackle him over and over. A lesson in humility? I think we'd choose a different approach.

 

[Joey Hoser]

I think one of the bigger surprises in camp was that 5th round pick Timashov only 5-9 had a bigger impact then Marner has at this point a top 5 overall pick.

That boasts well for the future because with Marner's skill everyone is expecting him to have a significant impact in the future but a 5th rounder is always a longshot and his play was a pleasant surprise. You need to hit not only on top 5 virtual NHL locks but other rounds.

However this comes down to Leafs new drafting strategy now of taking skill and hoping that pays off and allowing for time and patience in development to achieve that.

You make it sound like drafting skill is some obscure strategy we have to see play out.

 

[hamzarocks]

I don't know, you make it sound like the whole Leafs organization would line up to tackle him over and over. A lesson in humility? I think we'd choose a different approach.

not leafs management(they would hype him up like crazy) but us the fans. The media, guys like simmons and feschuk would go insane, they would hype him up to unssen limits. If mcdavid had a dominant game the fans would go insane and label him the best player in the world already, I think it is better for him that he didn't get drafted here in toronto. Hopefully he turns into the player he is being projected to be and asks for insane amount of money, maybe than the leafs would be able to get him from the oilers after he has established himself as a top 5 player.

 

[inthe6ix]

I think one of the bigger surprises in camp was that 5th round pick Timashov only 5-9 had a bigger impact then Marner has at this point a top 5 overall pick.

That boasts well for the future because with Marner's skill everyone is expecting him to have a significant impact in the future but a 5th rounder is always a longshot and his play was a pleasant surprise. You need to hit not only on top 5 virtual NHL locks but other rounds.

However this comes down to Leafs new drafting strategy now of taking skill and hoping that pays off and allowing for time and patience in development to achieve that.

Agreed, what a steal in the 5th round for him. He definitely needs to get stronger, but he showed better than MM for sure.

He even got 3:53 on the PP - things are looking up for the kid.

 

[Gary Nylund]

lol just my opinion, should have added that in their. But seriously people are going crazy here. Some people are writing marner one of the best prospects since post lockout a bust after one game where looked pretty solid to me. He has to get stronger yes, but a 2 or 3 year devolopment awaits him, No way, he is already good enough to be in the nhl imo. However he can learn a few things in the ohl and work on adding strength more consistently their. I just hope we are able to realize we have a super talented kid here who has the best potential that any leafs player ever drafted might have.( Clark was great but marner has the potential to become a better player than him, not as fiesty and passinate though).

also if i was a oracle those 4 balls or whatever back at the lotto would have landed on the leafs and Connor Mcdavid would be the most takled rookie ever in the history of sports right now.

Hehe yeah, a lot of people omit those words "in my opinion". I'm used to it by now and was just having a bit of fun with you. I'm glad you didn't take any offence as none was intended. And I agree, there is a ton of crazyness around here (thouth I'm getting used to that as well)

BTW - what on earth is "takled" supposed to mean?

I don't know, you make it sound like the whole Leafs organization would line up to tackle him over and over. A lesson in humility? I think we'd choose a different approach.

Yeah I'm also puzzled at this point. The explanation could be interesting.

 

[ACC1224]

Hehe yeah, a lot of people omit those words "in my opinion". I'm used to it by now and was just having a bit of fun with you. I'm glad you didn't take any offence as none was intended. And I agree, there is a ton of crazyness around here (thouth I'm getting used to that as well)

BTW - what on earth is "takled" supposed to mean?



Yeah I'm also puzzled at this point. The explanation could be interesting.

Typo for "talked" seems obvious.

 

[Gary Nylund]

Typo for "talked" seems obvious.

So the quote would be:

"the whole Leafs organization would line up to talked him over and over"?

Not obvious to me at all.

 

[ACC1224]

So the quote would be:

"the whole Leafs organization would line up to talked him over and over"?

Not obvious to me at all.

I didn't see that line. Was referring to this,

would be the most takled rookie ever in the history of sports right now.

 

[RoyalGremlin]

I will wait for the whole preseason to play out before I have an opinion. From the one game no doubt he has NHL talent and could be a productive player this year but no reason to rush him, I'm ok with sending him down but would love to give him 9 games regardless so he can see how much easier it is to play in Junior and work on only using moves tht would work in pro hockey for a full year.

 

[hamzarocks]

So the quote would be:

"the whole Leafs organization would line up to talked him over and over"?

Not obvious to me at all.

yeah it was a typo , i meant if the leafs got Mcdavid the media and fan base would make him the most talked about(through tweets, Facebook messages and forums) in sports history, he would be up their with lebron and sidney for sure if he came over here. I mean he is really hyped(deservedly so) in edm, but imagine if he had come here, it would be something else. Oh well Marner is a incredible consolation price and have really high hopes for him, just gotta let him ease in and start dominating. A year in London is probably going to be really helpful for him.

 

[RoyalCitySlicker]

Why can't someone be critical of his first showing, while still not writing him off.

After watching him in the OHL the last few years, I was unimpressed with his first preseason game with the Maple Leafs. While I was unimpressed, I know it's just one game and not enough to outweigh all of the great things I have seen from him over the last two years.

He needs work. I think it's more obvious to some now than it was over the summer. Nothing wrong with that - most high end draftees don't sniff the NHL for a year or two after they are drafted. No different here.

I don't know why some people feel they need to fight battles for Marner. The kid will be fine. If he plays well the next preseason game, I'll say he played well. Will take a lot more than a couple of preseason games to get me to change my mind on him, but I also reserve the right to not get taken to task for thinking that he was unspectacular (whether expected or not) in a given game.

Also, just because someone expected him to be unspectacular in his first game, or if there were mitigating circumstances to excuse his performance (nerves etc), it does not mean that he wasn't unspectacular. It just means it's only one game, and there is lots of room for improvement.

My $0.02. Feel free to ask for a refund!

 

[Semantics]

And again I reiterate that Marner is only 18 years old. I read a Sportsnet article yesterday about Lou's facial hair policy and it stated that Marner hasn't shaved in his life. Does this sound like a physically mature adult male? He's got some growing to do, people. Is the skill there? 100%, but he's still a fair amount of time away from playing full-time with the Leafs.

Yep, I've been arguing since before we drafted him that he's about two years behind the average male in his physical development, just based on normal growth curves. So he's about as physically mature as a 16 year old. It was never a realistic possibility that he'd be NHL ready this year; you look at someone like Kane and he was not only six months older, but had a more mature body (despite being undersized). Marner's development trajectory is going to be insane compared to most projects his age due to that physical maturity he still has left.

 

[weems]

The problem isnt really Marner's play but moreso the silly expectations and overthetop hype before the rookie tourny even started.

He isnt the calibur of prospect thats gonna step in and turn a franchise around from day 1.

He's insanely talened but also has questions (needs to get stronger and can he handle C at the NHL level).

 

[Leaf Warrior]

Marner will not get a goal in the NHL and the curse will continue....

 

[Semantics]

But there's no doubt, as a prospect coming in with his credentials, he should be expected to play at a higher level than has so far.

No, sounds like your expectations are just out of whack. Very few players with his credentials come into the league and dominate in their very first game.

 

[WTFMAN99]

No, sounds like your expectations are just out of whack. Very few players with his credentials come into the league and dominate in their very first game.

Not a superstar the first game? What do you mean!?

This rebuild will be really hard for some posters, I can tell.