This forum is always quixotic about prospects. Usually, that's meant taking a pathetic group and pumping it up into a half-decent one...but now when the prospect pool is indeed excellent, it gets amplified into being legendary. All this leads to unreasonable expectations about players, on the staff, and about the timeline.
What I'm going to propose is a modification of the 3P method (Possible, Plausible, Probable) as outlined by Hakan Andersson to classify players; I hope others will follow. From an undeniable non-expert opinion, looking at scouting reports, numbers, and draft positions for skaters under 25:
| 90% | 75% | 50% | 25% | 10% |
Celebrini | Generational | Franchise | Franchise | 1A | 2nd line |
Smith | Franchise | Elite | 1B | 2nd line | 3rd line |
Eklund | Elite | 1B | 2nd line | 2nd line | 3rd line |
Zetterlund | 1B | 2nd line | 2nd line | 2nd line | 3rd line |
Musty | Elite | 1B | 3rd line | 4th line | NA |
Chernyshov | Elite | 1B | 3rd line | Journeyman | NA |
Bystedt | 1A | 2nd line | 3rd line | 4th line | NA |
Edstrom | 1A | 2nd line | 3rd line | 4th line | NA |
Halttunen | Elite | 2nd line | Journeyman | NA | NA |
Graf | 1A | 2nd line | 3rd line | Journeyman | NA |
Gushchin | Elite | 2nd line | Journeyman | NA | NA |
Cardwell | 2nd line | 3rd line | 4th line | Journeyman | NA |
Bordeleau | 2nd line | 3rd line | 4th line | Journeyman | Journeyman |
Dellandra | 2nd line | 3rd line | 4th line | 4th line | 4th line |
Wetsch | 3rd line | 3rd line | 4th line | NA | NA |
Lund | 2nd line | 4th line | Journeyman | NA | NA |
Dickinson | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4-5 | Journeyman |
Mukhamadullin | #1 | #3 | #4-5 | #6-7 | Journeyman |
Henry Thrun | #2 | #3 | #4-5 | #6-7 | #6-7 |
Jack Thompson | #2 | #3 | #4-5 | #6-7 | Journeyman |
Sahlin-Wallenius | #2 | #4-5 | Journeyman | NA | NA |
Pohlkamp | #2 | #3 | #4-5 | #6-7 | NA |
Cagnoni | Elite | #3 | Journeyman | NA | NA |
Havelid | #3 | #6-7 | Journeyman | NA | NA |
Goaltenders are too difficult to nail down; I couldn't think of anyone else in the system who has at least a 50% chance of being a "Journeyman". Still, just looking at it I think I'm being polyannish.
Here is the key:
Key | F Example | D Example |
Legendary | McDavid | Orr |
Generational | Crosby | Makar |
Franchise | Kopitar | Karlsson |
Elite | Pavelski | Vlasic |
1A/#1 | Marleau | Boyle |
1B/#2 | Couture | Ehrhoff |
2nd line/#3 | Sturm | Braun |
3rd line/#4-5 | Coyle | Ferraro |
4th line /#6-7 | Wingels | Ryan |
Journeyman | Gambrell | Joslin |
NA | <100/50 games | |