Nick Leddy

[Blackhawkswincup]

19 yr old scored his 1st NHL goal tonight and after a rocky 1st game has performed well in games 2/3

What do you view his top potential as?

I view him as a #3/4 dman

Click to read more...

 

[vwg*]

Did he or Toews get that goal that pinballed off two different Sabres and into the net?

 

[HockeyH3aven]

Did he or Toews get that goal that pinballed off two different Sabres and into the net?

Leddy got it.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Leddy got it.

Nice avy

 

[AmericanDream]

he could be Brian Campbell version 2.0...but the only difference is he will be viewed as a much better player for a team because he wont have that $456 million contract that BC has....

Honestly, he has top pairing ability, and there is no doubt about it. 19 year old college dmen do not jump into the NHL this early, especially those with size limitations which Leddy currently has. You have to give the kid an insane amount of respect for him to even look this good this early on. He has the skating, vision, and shot of an elite NHL dman. The rest will come with time, maturity, and size and strength training.

Who knows what happens to him when Campbell comes back, but I have to say he has looked much better then Boynton, Scott, and Hendry this early on. If the Hawks can afford to have a more mobile yet smaller defense, then Leddy sticks after BC comes back, and one of the aforementioned above gets either waived or moved out...

the Cam Barker deal looks better and better every day watching Leddy play in the NHL.

 

[R S]

He sure needs work defensively, but once he improves in that area he is easily a top 4 dman.

 

[Happyhary9]

He sure needs work defensively, but once he improves in that area he is easily a top 4 dman.

Yes he need to improve in his own end, but he has also improved in every game in this area. Kid is going to be real good down the road. I think on the d side he has looked good with his reads (after first game) and positioning. Were he still has work is the physical part, but that will come in time as he is a small 19 year old kid.

Tonight he will get some big mins with Hammer gone for 2 games. Excited to see how he reacts.

 

[Hawksfan12*]

He sure needs work defensively, but once he improves in that area he is easily a top 4 dman.

Yes he need to improve in his own end, but he has also improved in every game in this area. Kid is going to be real good down the road. I think on the d side he has looked good with his reads (after first game) and positioning. Were he still has work is the physical part, but that will come in time as he is a small 19 year old kid.

Tonight he will get some big mins with Hammer gone for 2 games. Excited to see how he reacts.

Yeah. He is already better then Barker. Easy Win in that deal.

 

[Scouter]

I am shocked he cracked the roster, I easily have Vishnevsky ahead of him, Leddy probably won't last the season, I wonder why Chicago already signed him after being just 1 year removed from high school and not getting 1 full college season in, he's not considered to be one of the top D prospects, like I said about Vish, I thought Chicago had better and more advanced D prospects than Leddy.

 

[Teemu]

Vishnevskiy had a pretty bad camp, so I completely understand why he didn't make the team. However, I think at this point, the Hawks should cut their losses and give someone like Connelly a try. Leddy just is not at the point where he can physically handle the NHL. I see why the Hawks like him, and I think that he can be a useful contributor in the future, but not today

 

[puckfan13]

I hope the 'Hawks don't sewer his confidence too early into his career. Once a young d-man starts piling on those dashes in the +/- column they start feeling like they're drowning and simple plays start to become complicated ones and it is hard to rescue them. Especially for his offensive development, it is important for him to learn how to powerplay a quarterback in the minors and learn the pro game and adjust to the rigors and physicality.

Sure, let him get his taste of the big show now but send him down to the A for seasoning soon for maybe a season or two. When him and Olsen are 22 and ready to share the load with Keith and Seabrook, the 'Hawks defense will be downright scary AND lethal.

Remember, one and a half years ago this kid was still living in his parents house not even graduated high school yet in a Twin City suburb. He's living in the third biggest media market in the United States right now and he is only 19. It is a gigantic transition and he is under a lot of pressure to succeed; I just hope the 'Hawks aren't giving him more to bite on than he can chew.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

John Scott cant skate/play D or handle a puck ,,,,, Hell he cant even stand upright

I would rather take my chances with Leddy over him

Send Scott to AHL and call up Connelly ,,,,

 

[Marc the Habs Fan]

I think the term ''shocked'' best describes what I think of him (I selected him in my keeper league, so I have been keeping a close eye on him).

Shocked the Wild traded him so fast.

Shocked the Blackhawks signed him after 1 year in the NCAA that certainly wasn't great.

Shocked he made their opening roster.

Shocked he played 19 minutes last night, including being on the ice for the last minute PK that the Hawks gave up a goal on.

I think down the road, he could be a solid #3 defenceman who contributes 40 points a season.

 

[AmericanDream]

the kid is only a minus 1 in 4 games and nearly 16 minutes of ice time a night...he is only going to continue to get a longer look with BC out..I have no problems with this kid in comparision to who could be playing those minutes: Hendry, Scott, and Boynton.

 

[firstroundbust]

Shocked the Wild traded him so fast.

Barker was available, and Chuck Fletcher is trying to retool on the fly. We have a surplus of D prospects, so in a sense Leddy was expendable. Chicago had tried to trade up to get Leddy in the 09 Draft, so they clearly liked him.

Shocked the Blackhawks signed him after 1 year in the NCAA that certainly wasn't great.

After he returned from the broken jaw early in the season he began to come around and was arguably the U's best player by season's end.

Shocked he made their opening roster.

If you had a good camp, and your contract is pretty cheap...

I think down the road, he could be a solid #3 defenceman who contributes 40 points a season.

I think that's about right...a poor man's Duncan Keith imo.

 

[Hawksfan12*]

I hope the 'Hawks don't sewer his confidence too early into his career. Once a young d-man starts piling on those dashes in the +/- column they start feeling like they're drowning and simple plays start to become complicated ones and it is hard to rescue them. Especially for his offensive development, it is important for him to learn how to powerplay a quarterback in the minors and learn the pro game and adjust to the rigors and physicality.

Sure, let him get his taste of the big show now but send him down to the A for seasoning soon for maybe a season or two. When him and Olsen are 22 and ready to share the load with Keith and Seabrook, the 'Hawks defense will be downright scary AND lethal.
Remember, one and a half years ago this kid was still living in his parents house not even graduated high school yet in a Twin City suburb. He's living in the third biggest media market in the United States right now and he is only 19. It is a gigantic transition and he is under a lot of pressure to succeed; I just hope the 'Hawks aren't giving him more to bite on than he can chew.

Forgot Soupy and his 6 years on his deal, and Hammer and his 4

 

[State of Hockey]

I've been trying to watch Leddy as much as possible, and I guess if I were managing I wouldn't have him out there yet. Physically he's got some growing to do. But, he's clearly shown the tools to be a future #2/#3 defensemen. It pains me to see him play, because I know the Wild has no blueline prospects with that much offensive skill. I would have never traded him like that.

 

[MN_Gopher]

I think Leddy and is one of those types that have to see it first hand to grow. I watched players like Paul Martin and Zach Parise alot in the WCHA. They rarely made the same mistakes twice. As did Leddy at the U. Leddy, right now, is going to be a poor mans Keith or any other top d man. Keith had he gone to the NHL instead of played his sophmore year would have been judged the same way IMO.

Chicago does not want Leddy to master the AHL. They want him to have success at the NHL level. He needs to experance what NHLers can do. Might as well get the adjustment now. He has the head for it. I do not think he will hurt Chicago in the process. He got his jaw broken by keeping his head down and watching the play. He never came close to that play, yet was not timid. He will learn what he can and cannot do. Make the adjustments and grow. He had by all acoounts a terrible first game. He has played better, from reports, and i see no reason why his last game will still be his worst.