Prospect Info: Matt Finn

[Stats01]

People say they want the Red Wings approach, but the fans can't handle it.

Oh is this true or what!!! this is the definition of our fan base. We all scream for a rebuild but damn we have absolutely no patience with our players. Finn is a first year pro, and people are already on his case. It is honestly ridiculous and sad we jump on our own like this. It's a ****ing shame. And to be honest, it's embarrassing, we all sound like a bunch of over sensitive hockey parents. Get a grip and relax

 

[Leaf Lander]

I hear Matt Finn and former leaf Carlo Coliacovo
Are cosins

 

[Rufio65*]

I hear Matt Finn and former leaf Carlo Coliacovo
Are cosins

Yep, both are injury prone, that's for sure. CC was so far ahead in terms of development, at the same age. It really is laughable.

The Finn pick is looking like a huge blunder.

 

[Durkin67]

Yep, both are injury prone, that's for sure. CC was so far ahead in terms of development, at the same age. It really is laughable.

The Finn pick is looking like a huge blunder.

First year of AHL and he's a bust? Leaf fan are ya? Ok, I get it now...

 

[SprDaVE]

First year of AHL and he's a bust? Leaf fan are ya? Ok, I get it now...

He's the kind of exaggerations. I wouldn't worry to much about his terminology.

 

[BDizzle*]

He's the kind of exaggerations. I wouldn't worry to much about his terminology.

How many years has Percy played in the AHL for? He was a first round pick, and yet people seem to love him. Finn, a second round pick, who is one year removed from leading/captaining his OHL team to the Memorial cup finals...who hasn't even spent one year in the AHL, is a bust?

Some fans are just so impatient eh?

 

[ULF_55]

He's the kind of exaggerations. I wouldn't worry to much about his terminology.

I think what happens is we hear how Finn was "supposed" to be a 1st. round pick, but wasn't.

Thus starts the overrating.

He doesn't make the WJC, and the coaches / evaluators don't know what they're doing. Can't be the player!

Some suggest he might make the Leafs this year.
Not even close.

He gets demoted to ECHL, and "dominates" ... not sure how we'd know that anyway.

So now since he isn't on the big team, and isn't dominating AHL he's a bust.

Yes, it is impatience, from those who thought he'd be on the big team and those who think he's already finished.

Normal reactions though, Kadri was being written into the Leafs line up 5 years ago and today he's still learning how to be an effective 2nd. line center.

Nothing wrong with Finn taking 2-4 years to make the team full time. It isn't like he's the difference between a 4th. overall pick and winning the Cup.

 

[dubey]

Yep, both are injury prone, that's for sure. CC was so far ahead in terms of development, at the same age. It really is laughable.

The Finn pick is looking like a huge blunder.

I was also expecting a franchise player to be drafted with our 2nd round pick

I've been watching the NHL for decades so I know this pretty common

 

[deletethis]

It has been a very poor first pro season. I heard rumbles about his skating before this season and it seems that's what we've seen hold him back in the AHL. Jay Harrison's skating wasn't good enough for the AHL when he turned pro as well and he was able to improve it to the point of becoming an NHL defenseman. But it won't happen overnight.

 

[Mess]

Matt Finn is considered a top 5 prospect in the Leafs system ranked behind only Nylander and Leivo at present.

 

[johnny_rudeboy]

Matt Finn is considered a top 5 prospect in the Leafs system ranked behind only Nylander and Leivo at present.

Not above Percy. I would put Percy ahead of Leivo as well, on pair with Nylander probably. Even do offensive forwards will find their game earlier then 2-way defenseman.


Finn I think is the kind of player who needs to be THAT guy on a team to be at his best. Next season he will probably play a bigger role for the Marlies (with Percy, Granberg up with the Leafs) and hopefully he will work hard to improve his skating. But he is one of those players that we just have to be patient with.

 

[Guy Boucher]

Matt Finn is considered a top 5 prospect in the Leafs system ranked behind only Nylander and Leivo at present.

There are at least 10 guys I would rank ahead of Finn. He's not a good prospect.

 

[Mess]

Not above Percy. I would put Percy ahead of Leivo as well, on pair with Nylander probably. Even do offensive forwards will find their game earlier then 2-way defenseman.


Finn I think is the kind of player who needs to be THAT guy on a team to be at his best. Next season he will probably play a bigger role for the Marlies (with Percy, Granberg up with the Leafs) and hopefully he will work hard to improve his skating. But he is one of those players that we just have to be patient with.

Well that is what the ticker at the top of the screen says.

Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects: William Nylander, C» Josh Leivo, LW» Matt Finn, D» All

 

[Fogelhund]

how's the Red Wing approach going with Ryan/Blacker among many other busted prospects

the Red Wing approach involved being a vet cup contending team for decades which buried their prospects , our Red Wing approach is to use their system as an excuse to deflect attention away from the disappointing development of some of our prospects .

where was the "Red Wing" approach with Reilly ?

Part of the Red Wing approach is keeping draft picks, and having many prospects in the system. Some will work out, some won't.

Finn might not work out, but when we have many other kids in the system, it just doesn't matter, because some will. That has been the problem with giving away too many picks, we reduce our odds of getting something good, and then we focus/depend too much on a few players. Hopefully a few years from now it won't matter when a Biggs/Blacker doesn't work out, because others might.

Finn needs time, and maybe a few years... maybe he works out, maybe he doesn't. There is a lot of competition for those 3-7 spots though... with Gardiner, Holzer, Granberg, Loov, Valiev, Percy, Nilsson as current players who may fill those roles permanently for us, and over the next few years, we will likely add quite a few more to that pile. That is without taking into consideration prospects/players we might obtain in trades, or any UFA signings we might make.

 

[Mess]

Not above Percy. I would put Percy ahead of Leivo as well, on pair with Nylander probably. Even do offensive forwards will find their game earlier then 2-way defenseman.


Finn I think is the kind of player who needs to be THAT guy on a team to be at his best. Next season he will probably play a bigger role for the Marlies (with Percy, Granberg up with the Leafs) and hopefully he will work hard to improve his skating. But he is one of those players that we just have to be patient with.

This site has Finn, Percy and Valiev all ranked about the same at 7.0 C.

1. Matt Finn ....... Pro 7.0 C
2. Stuart Percy ... Pro 7.0 C
3. Rinat Valiev ... CHL 7.0 C

http://www.hockeysfuture.com/teams/toronto_maple_leafs/

 

[Gallagbi]

Do they still solicite posters to create rankings or do they have professional scouts?

I'd say Finn has dropped while some guys like Brown, Leipsic, Valiev have improved/been acquired.

 

[Mess]

Do they still solicite posters to create to rankings or do they have professional scouts?

The Hockey News deploys NHL scouts blended opinions in their Future Watch and they have Finn and Leafs prospects ranked #29 of 30.

So if you're reshuffling deck chairs on the 29th ranked prospect system then I suppose lots are pretty interchangeable in team rankings.

Dave Morrison in the last Hockey News Future Watch 2014 listed Matt Finn as one of the few top 4 potential Dmen in Leafs system, while most of the defenders are considered 3rd pairing potential. The 2015 Future Watch is due out soon so we can see if things have changed with his opinion.

 

[Gallagbi]

The Hockey News deploys NHL scouts blended opinions in their Future Watch and they have Finn and Leafs prospects ranked #29 of 30.

So if you're reshuffling deck chairs on the 29th ranked prospect system then I suppose lots are pretty interchangeable in team rankings.

Dave Morrison in the last Hockey News Future Watch 2014 listed Matt Finn as one of the few top 4 potential Dmen in Leafs system, while most of the defenders are considered 3rd pairing potential. The 2015 Future Watch is due out soon so we can see if things have changed with his opinion.

In typical Mess fashion, you ranted instead of answering my question.

 

[mikebel111*]

There are at least 10 guys I would rank ahead of Finn. He's not a good prospect.

Since when is Finn not a good prospect
Completely wrong


I thought I would leave this here

He got hurt in Marlies camp and as a result didnt play for some time, he than returned but he was very averagec and later we found out. It was mental struggles more than ability
He was than sent to ECHL where he played great. Called back up to Marlies where he was playing as one of the top Marlies d man and really his confident was higher.
And than gets hurt at a the worst time, and will be out for some time.

So really if he stays healthy, he will be fine

Pretty excited about him

 

[Byron Bitz]

Yep, both are injury prone, that's for sure. CC was so far ahead in terms of development, at the same age. It really is laughable.

The Finn pick is looking like a huge blunder.

I think Finn was a great pick at 35, I think hes gonna be a solid top 4 defenceman with great leadership

 

[Durkin67]

There are a number of pretty solid pieces coming through the ranks that I like.Not game breakers, but depth guys you need to win.

Gauthier: Physically imposing 2 way centreman with poise, great size.
Finn: Solid history as an offensive d-man with 2 way acumen.Leadership abilities as well.
MacWilliam: PUNISHING, character guy with good awareness and positioning. Strong fighter also.
Brown: High flying forward who doesn't back down when it gets physical, excellent offensive instincts
Loov: Big shutdown D-man who can hit, good first pass, good skater.
Granberg: Another big bodied blue liner who can hit like a truck.
Nilsson: Chippy, heavy-hitting D man who likes to agitate opponents.
Percy: Heady, smooth, poised future #3 blueliner. More brain than brawn.Nice compliment to the physical D men he's coming through the ranks with.
Leipsic:Antagonistic, fearless, undersized winger with some secondary offence to offer. Gonna be fun to watch.
Bibeau: Big, technically sound goalie with the ability to scramble and make the desperation save when required. No glaring holes, bright future if developed correctly.
Johnson:Overcame his health concerns, drives fearlessly through traffic into high scoring areas. Gets his shots off accurately and quickly, strong backhander that he can roof from anywhere. Knack for avoiding coverage and parking himself at the side of the net where he can inflict damage.

Leivo: Strong on his skates, lots of hustle, potential low-maintenance depth forward capable of picking up where Frattin left off.
Biggs: too young, too skilled to write off. Character, size, skill. Lots of value there still; patience is key.
Ross: frustrating to play against, notched 68. 69, 82 points consecutively in Portland. Still has more to give. Again, patience.


Not every one of these guys will make the cut. But the ones that do will be pushed harder because of the internal competition they had to rise above to get there. thats the hallmark of a successful development program.

Add Nylander and whatever the Leafs do at the draft this year, and you have a respectable but not spectacular prospect pool.

 

[TheGroceryStick]

We should have graduating players next year; that will allow Finn to step into a bigger role.

If management forces signings (I don't mind the odd one, because Winnik and Santa garnered us some free picks) But we should create holes to allow players to advance.

Leivo, Percy, Granberg should be at the top of the list for promotion. Which in turn will give players like Finn, Verhaeghe, Gauthier, etc more mins.

 

[Menzinger]

How many years has Percy played in the AHL for? He was a first round pick, and yet people seem to love him. Finn, a second round pick, who is one year removed from leading/captaining his OHL team to the Memorial cup finals...who hasn't even spent one year in the AHL, is a bust?

Some fans are just so impatient eh?

Not to mention that defencemen in general often take a lot longer to develop than forwards - not everyone can enter the league as early as say a Seth Jones or a Morgan Rielly.

Finn may very well bust, but if it takes him until 24-25 to really put things together, that's fine with me.

 

[Durkin67]

Not to mention that defencemen in general often take a lot longer to develop than forwards - not everyone can enter the league as early as say a Seth Jones or a Morgan Rielly.

Finn may very well bust, but if it takes him until 24-25 to really put things together, that's fine with me.

I'd cut him off at 23-24, barring injury. If he doesn't see NHL time by then, we may have to cut bait.

 

[Guy Boucher]

Since when is Finn not a good prospect
Completely wrong


I thought I would leave this here

He got hurt in Marlies camp and as a result didnt play for some time, he than returned but he was very averagec and later we found out. It was mental struggles more than ability
He was than sent to ECHL where he played great. Called back up to Marlies where he was playing as one of the top Marlies d man and really his confident was higher.
And than gets hurt at a the worst time, and will be out for some time.

So really if he stays healthy, he will be fine

Pretty excited about him

I consider both Nilsson and Loov to be better players than Finn. I think in two years, everyone will recognize that as fact.