There is such nonchalance to Desi’s game. Finished watching the London game last night. There were several times he was two hard strides on the back check to catch his man and he just glides… Sam O’Reilly is a really good player, pity we didn’t get a chance to pick him.
Curious as to what you think on O’Brien’s weaknesses are. From what I’ve been reading I’ve seen some point out his skating explosiveness. As one of the younger players in the draft I think that could be improved as he gets stronger. I think he needs to add 15-20 lbs before he’s nhl ready.
Right now his 5v5 scoring, seems to be a PP specialist.
I never got the 2-way center aspect of his game, never saw it.
10 years from now robo-Clarke will be on Snow the Goalie with GM Scott Laughton to tell us how the scouts all wanted Bear, and how DB went rogue and overruled them.I snorted at the 2017 draft being weak and comparable to this one.
This shit is inevitable. They’ll get squeezed out of the top 4, and the consensus picks are all non-needle moving floor guys, and they’re too poor at drafting/cowardly to chase the non-consensus player that looks better without hindsight. Then there’s the pretending the obvious floor pick has home run upside for a few years — “professionals” vs. “amateurs” will be thrown around — while the player we identified as the BPA probably becomes a star.
And I think we already have a pretty firm grasp on Briere’s vision with late 1sts and 2nds. He sees shapes, nothing more.
You are so excited for this draft. I'm not looking forward to the inevitable kick in the nuts you're going to get from the Flyers.
I don’t think it’s a skating issue so much as it’s a pace issue with O’Brien. His feet are just stagnant. Forget stride mechanics, edge work, or strength—he simply doesn’t move his feet enough. That kind of lack of urgency feels innate, and to me, that’s one of the hardest things to teach or fix. The NHL gives you so much less time and space, and players who don’t keep their feet moving tend to struggle. It’s not impossible for a slower-paced guy to succeed, but the odds are definitely stacked against you. And when you combine that with only average skating (I'm being kind)? It’s a double whammy.
Maybe I’m into that type of thing
Briere bout to trade this 1st for their 1st next year
I don't hate the kid, I'm indifferent. He doesn't seem to be a difference maker and he's not having much impact in his last several games. If he was really, really fast, his skillset would play better, but he's not. If he was really intense and physical, his skillset would shine.
I think outside of a few players that fits this class to a T.
I would also wait until #5 pick was gone. At #6, in this draft, outside of Hagens/Martone I would be happy if what we got was a 2nd liner, plus get 2 more lottery tickets. Not saying that Hagens/Martone are slam dunk 1st liners but if they are gone with the profile of this class -- I like my odds with Hage.
He won MVP I believe and had a strong showing. I think he moved up hopefully to top 5.
The Memorial Cup tournament isn't over until Sunday. Desnoyers has been playing fine but not great. Even taking some shifts on the wing.
