RW Patrik Laine - Tappara, Liiga (2016 Draft) III

[JA]

Laine was ranked #1 on McKeen's Hockey January 2016 list; he is ranked #2 on their March 2016 list. It is still very close in the eyes of McKeen's, though.

Here's what was said in January 2016:

http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/mckeens-2016-top-30-nhl-draft-rankings-jan-2016/

McKeen’s 2016 Top 30 NHL Draft Rankings (Jan-2016)
By McKeen's Hockey On January 16, 2016 · Add Comment

McKeen’s top ranked prospect isn’t the “consensus” number one for the 2016 NHL draft, a distinction that has been bestowed upon Auston Matthews for the past year or more, yet Finland’s Patrik Laine has served notice to the scouting world that the decision on who goes first overall will not be an easy one, and that he is in the discussion.

“He’s the first prospect that reminds me of Mario (Lemieux) since Mario,” noted one senior NHL scout who was blown away by Laine’s performance at the WJC over the holidays, where the 6-4 left winger compiled seven goals and six assists in seven games while leading Finland to a Gold Medal victory at home.

“It’s ballsy to have him rated number one, but can’t say I disagree… he could be a home run.”

...

March 2016:

http://www.mckeenshockey.com/prospects-blog/mckeens-2016-top-30-nhl-draft-rankings-mar-2016/

McKeen’s 2016 Top 30 NHL Draft Rankings (Mar-2016)
By McKeen's Hockey On March 3, 2016 · Add Comment


...

Every six years, as it goes, there has been a heated neck-and-neck race between the top two prospects to grab the coveted first-overall spot.

...

The phenomenon continues this year with two teenage sensations in Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine waging a fierce battle to reach the finish line ahead. The contest has been nothing short of breathtaking to watch this season as the pair have jockeyed back and forth at the top of the McKeen’s ranking board.

It could ultimately come down to a toss-up decision by the time June rolls around, with the best ‘litmus test’ being the World Senior Championships in May.

...

Matthews is a ‘clear-cut’ No. 1 pick is many circles, however the staff here at McKeen’s feel that the rocket-like development of Patrik Laine this season has muddied the waters.

Laine made a number of new NHL believers playing recently in his international debut with the senior Finnish national team. “He was exceptional with the national team last week. Plays very well with good players,” said one top NHL scout.

Upon watching Laine’s masterful showing at the U20 World Juniors, another head scout suggested that Laine “reminded him of a young Mario.”

Those fortunate enough to have experienced the NHL career of Magnificant Mario Lemieux will no doubt see certain similarities in the style of Laine. His ability to dangle the puck anywhere within his body range, front, back, and side – combined with an innate sense for where the puck can be protected – is a bit eerily reminiscent of Lemieux.

...

 

[FinProspects]

Word has it that the scouts that are able to watch him play everyday say he's the most skilled player in the upcoming draft. That's what I've heard, not what I'm saying. Also "they've" said Matthews will be 1st and should be based on his position

Yeah, and top of that he is 195cm. So I dont see him dropping outside of top2. He was quite good actually yesterday, but did some unusual mistakes with the puck.. Well not mistakes, but couple of crosbyesque forced passes, especially in a 2vs1 where he should just buried the puck. But on the other hand he generated a lot of offense/shots, but Kilpeläinen was very good in the net.

So, a little snake bitten at the moment. But I'm very excited to see what he will do in playoffs!

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think Matthews will go #1, but I personally think that Laine will be the better NHL player, and not much better since I suspect both will be among the top players in the NHL eventually, but I'd prefer Laine.

 

[supermann_98]

I think Matthews will go #1, but I personally think that Laine will be the better NHL player, and not much better since I suspect both will be among the top players in the NHL eventually, but I'd prefer Laine.

In terms of scoring I don't doubt Laine could be better.

But if Matthews end up like the comparisons (Toews, Kopitar), well those are guys that are invaluable to winning a cup.

Would you want Toews or Ovie-lite?

Tough choice but I'd have to go with the proven winner

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

In terms of scoring I don't doubt Laine could be better.

But if Matthews end up like the comparisons (Toews, Kopitar), well those are guys that are invaluable to winning a cup.

Would you want Toews or Ovie-lite?

Tough choice but I'd have to go with the proven winner

Ovechkin's also invaluable to winning a cup. Ovechkin's playoff struggles are very overstated, its nowhere near as bad as players like Thornton and Nash.

I think the comparison you made of the playoffs they will become is inaccurate, but I'd take Ovie-lite over Toews with how tough it is to score goals in today's NHL, as long as Ovie-lite is the best goal scorer since Ovechkin, and isn't just some random Perry, Nash, Pacioretty type level talent, and instead pretty close to as good as Ovechkin.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

In terms of scoring I don't doubt Laine could be better.

But if Matthews end up like the comparisons (Toews, Kopitar), well those are guys that are invaluable to winning a cup.

Would you want Toews or Ovie-lite?

Tough choice but I'd have to go with the proven winner

Either one could and would help you win a cup. Chicago has Kane, arguably the best offensive player in the league right now. Point being, most cup winners have an elite scorer, and usually a Toews/Kopitar/Bergeron type as well. You need both and both are very difficult to find.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Ovechkin would've won a cup if his teammates were as good as him.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Ovechkin's also invaluable to winning a cup. Ovechkin's playoff struggles are very overstated, its nowhere near as bad as players like Thornton and Nash.

I think the comparison you made of the playoffs they will become is inaccurate, but I'd take Ovie-lite over Toews with how tough it is to score goals in today's NHL, as long as Ovie-lite is the best goal scorer since Ovechkin, and isn't just some random Perry, Nash, Pacioretty type level talent, and instead pretty close to as good as Ovechkin.

It's easier to build around a center than around a wing. You will not win a Cup without a dominant center. Marian Gaborik is the perfect example. Dominated his position for years without the benefit of a true No. 1 center...wins a Cup his first year playing with one and has a Smythe-worthy postseason.

Buyer beware to any team picking Laine ahead of Matthews.

 

[Daximus]

Ovechkin would've won a cup if his teammates were as good as him.

An entire team of ovechkins? Yeah good luck fitting that under the cap.

 

[BB88]

It's easier to build around a center than around a wing. You will not win a Cup without a dominant center. Marian Gaborik is the perfect example. Dominated his position for years without the benefit of a true No. 1 center...wins a Cup his first year playing with one and has a Smythe-worthy postseason.

Buyer beware to any team picking Laine ahead of Matthews.

Sure, but that team was LA kings where he went to, a team that had elite talent everywhere, quality depth, not just a #1C.

I definitely expect Matthews to go 1st, but no one knows which one will end up as the better player or which one will have a bigger impact on their future teams playoff runs.
Edmonton, Buffalo, Arizona, Calgary, Columbus have different needs.

 

[AlternateSideParking]

Sure, but that team was LA kings where he went to, a team that had elite talent everywhere, quality depth, not just a #1C.

I definitely expect Matthews to go 1st, but no one knows which one will end up as the better player or which one will have a bigger impact on their future teams playoff runs.
Edmonton, Buffalo, Arizona, Calgary, Columbus have different needs.

That elite talent was acquired after they drafted Kopitar. Getting Kopitar enabled them to build around him.

Like I said...buyer beware. God bless the GM that passes on Matthews for need.

 

[BB88]

That elite talent was acquired after they drafted Kopitar. Getting Kopitar enabled them to build around him.

Like I said...buyer beware. God bless the GM that passes on Matthews for need.

You don't seem like the biggest Laine fan.

I'm not even again talking that Laine will be picked 1st, no one knows which one will end up better for 100%/which one will have bigger impact on their teams playoff runs.

Eichel-ROR-Reinhart, add Laine into it or Dra-McDavid-RNH and add Laine into that, maybe Laine has bigger impact on those teams than Matthews could have.
And on Columbus Matthews on the other hand.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Its definitely a dilemma.

Laine plays a more valued style, a sniper with truly elite 40-50 goal potential. There's one player in the NHL that plays like that, and he's arguably the best player in the game because of purely goal scoring. Meanwhile, there's a number of two way PPG or close to it centers. OTOH, it definitely is true that center is a more valuable position than wing. Teams with the elite centers and defenseman usually win over the teams with the elite wingers and goalies.

Matthews is regarded as a safer prospect who's more NHL ready. He's had a good season, and hasn't done much other than a few poor WJC games to have people doubt his play this season. Meanwhile, Laine has burst onto the scene as an elite level prospect this season and had questions surrounding him prior to this season. I personally think you take the risk on Laine because of his goal scoring potential. Goal scoring is the most valuable commodity in the league over anything. If I get a player with that level of goal scoring, I don't know if I pass over that player. Who has had that type of goal scoring potential since Ovechkin? No one. Laine is an ultra rare prospect, which isn't to say he'll definitely be better than Matthews, but I think its worth taking the chance.

Also, there's also teams drafting for need. Does it really make sense for Buffalo or Edmonton to draft Matthews and have Reinhart or Draisaitl as a 3C when they have needs for a scoring winger? Eventually you have to make decisions based on need. There are only so many minutes for centers in a lineup. People always say take the BPA, but thats under the assumption that you'll always be able to get fair value when trading away your assets to account for the problems that taking BPA creates. A lot of the time that won't happen, and you'll have a situation where you aren't getting top value and are making acquisitions based on need instead of value. What makes it any worse to make those acquisitions for need in the draft than in trades?

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I wouldn't say a goal scoring winger is a more valued commodity over a true #1 center.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Goal scoring is the most valuable commodity in the NHL over any other skill.

 

[93LEAFS]

Goal scoring is the most valuable commodity in the NHL over any other skill.

very debatable, maybe the ability to create goals and with all the talk about him being a 2-way center people forget he's a very high end goal scorer. He has an elite shot and been a top scorer everywhere he goes. He tied Laine for goals at WJC, tied Laine at 2015 U-18 WJC, was tied for 3rd as a 17 year old at the 2014 U-18 WJC, pretty sure he has the USDP goal record, and had the highest gpg of any of the top 20 scorers in the NLA. Matthews probably won't score as much as Laine at the NHL, due to how a coach will maximize his utility, but he is capable of being a high end goal scorer at the NHL level. If he reaches his ceiling we are talking about a guy with the skills to be an elite scoring 2-way center like Sakic. I'm high on Laine, but I'd say Matthews skill set is more valuable.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Matthews is the better pick.

10/10 times Matthews will be picked first. He's a safer pick, franchise #1 C with defensive prowess. He's a cerebral talent.

This takes nothing away from Laine who will be a stud in his own right. I just don't ever see him going ahead of Matthews as it stands right now.

I know it gets boring to see the same guy at the top and people want dramatic things to happen but please be reasonable.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

Why does it matter if he goes first overall or not? What does that accomplish, in 5 years from now he could be the best player from his draft, will people care about who went where then?

This fascination with where everybody goes at 18 years young is bizarre. It's pointless, we have a 4th round pick in 2011 who's the best player from his draft. Did it matter he wasn't first?

 

[JA]

Laine doesn't need to go first overall . . . and for the sake of some of the teams looking to select him, it's better that he doesn't. If the Oilers have proven anything in recent years, it's that the luster of having been picked first overall disappears quickly if someone else taken in the draft performs better.

In the 1990 NHL Draft, Owen Nolan was selected first overall, while some believed that Jaromir Jagr was the best player available. Jagr was picked fifth overall.

The only thing that this accomplishes is it makes the teams who picked above his draft position wish that they had picked him instead.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

Matthews-Laine seems like it'll be the Malkin-Ovie draft.

 

[BM14]

Goal scoring is the most valuable commodity in the NHL over any other skill.

See: Kessel, Phil.

 

[Hagged]

See: Kessel, Phil.

This. Or Ovechkin, Alexander. Or Selanne, Teemu. Or Bure, Pavel.

 

[HockeyHistorian]

Laine is not a defensive liability and he also has great vision. He is not a one-trick pony offensively. I simply haven't seen enough of Matthews to say who is or will be better. I've only seen Matthews in WJC and U18 and I haven't been blown away by his game, but obviously it's more effective than it seems as evidenced by his production. I don't think any GM would regret drafting either of them. Based on my limited viewings (of Matthews) and their numbers they are very close and I very much doubt that 10/10 GMs (that is to say, all of them) would pick Matthews first.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Laine is less one-dimensional than Ovechkin with slightly worse goal scoring ability, but if you score like that, you get the label as a goal scorer first, and he should. Plenty of players handle the puck well, back check, have size, pass well, but very few are elite goal scorers.

 

[DeanYoungblood10]

Yeah I hope the leafs can get this guy if they miss out on Mathews. Is Laines season over as well, or does his team still have playoffs?