Strome or Hanifin

[Warden of the North]

Strome. I feel we have a building block on D in Rielly, and nothing of equivalent talent up front. Nylander is a terrific prospect, but hes not a terrific prospect with size who plays C. I also feel its easier to find quality Dmen later in the draft then it is to find quality big bodied centres.

 

[HEAVY DUTY]

Hanifin. always have to go with BPA. if hanifin is there when we pick, we have got to take him.

 

[Nithoniniel]

In the Strome vs Marner thread I outlined things like this:

1) Better prospect
2) Ability to translate game to NHL
3) Position and skill-set impact on today's NHL.
4) Team need.

Between them it was a rather close affair. Here it's more:

1) Hanifin is the better prospect. Clear edge.
2) Forwards often translate better, however Hanifin feels unusually safe in that regard. Equal.
3) Slight edge for Hanifin, as a projected #1D that can play all situations for 25 mins.
4) A step back for Strome, as our center depth is weaker than our depth at defense. However, team needs are not that big of a factor this early in the rebuild. We need to strengthen both positions.

Hanifin rather easily IMO.

 

[Teeder9]

Not even close for me. Hanifin is a top pairing dman in the NHL. He's the guy Phaneuf has needed for years and Rielly would have for years

 

[Nylanderthal]

This is crazy talk. If you're going to see Hannifin at his ceiling then at least give Strome the benefit of the doubt to also reach his ceiling (Thornton/Kopitar and not Allison/Spezza).

I think you're short changing who Spezza and allison were in their primes, but fair enough. I just see a larger gap of floor to ceiling in Strome than I do Hanifin. Strome's piggybacked off mcdavid this year, Hanifin looks dominant as a young players in what is usually more of a young men's league. And like another poster said, build from the back out. Hanifin, Reilly, Gardiner, Percy, look is a nice starting point for an elite blue line going forward. I just think Noah is clearly the #3 guy available, and we're in no position to do anything short of taking the bpa.
It's going to be a long slow road, so might as well collect the best quality assets we can.
Imagine if Nashville flames out cause of a lack of a game breaker & we can revisit Kessel + for Jones +? In a few years our back end could look like
Hanifin-jones
Gards- Rielly
Who-cares (Percy, loov, granberg etc)

 

[WilliamNylander]

I think you're short changing who Spezza and allison were in their primes, but fair enough. I just see a larger gap of floor to ceiling in Strome than I do Hanifin. Strome's piggybacked off mcdavid this year, Hanifin looks dominant as a young players in what is usually more of a young men's league. And like another poster said, build from the back out. Hanifin, Reilly, Gardiner, Percy, look is a nice starting point for an elite blue line going forward. I just think Noah is clearly the #3 guy available, and we're in no position to do anything short of taking the bpa.
It's going to be a long slow road, so might as well collect the best quality assets we can.
Imagine if Nashville flames out cause of a lack of a game breaker & we can revisit Kessel + for Jones +? In a few years our back end could look like
Hanifin-jones
Gards- Rielly
Who-cares (Percy, loov, granberg etc)

I think I'd also take Noah Hannifin. Its unlikely he falls to us, but if he does we have to take him. We have so many holes, we should just take BPA at literally every spot and hope as many pan out as possible.

Watching Hannifin and Rielly play 25+mins per game for the next decade would be unreal.

 

[Durrr]

I think Strome is going to go third OA. Every team who's drafting besides the Oilers needs centers.

Personally, I'd have to say Strome though. Admittedly I haven't really seen much of Hanifin play, but I find it hard to pass on a top prospect from Toronto.

 

[Jozay]

The odds of Hanifin becoming a franchise D is much greater than the odds of Strome becoming a franchise centre, IMO.

I'd take Hanifin.

 

[91Stammer*]

If management thinks one of Percy/Loov/Valiev can become a top pairing stable D, I would lean towards Strome/Marner. If not Hanifin is god like prospect. 9.0 B for HF ratings.

 

[Durrr]

The odds of Hanifin becoming a franchise D is much greater than the odds of Strome becoming a franchise centre, IMO.

I'd take Hanifin.

Based on?

 

[KGL]

This is a tougher decision for me than Strome vs. Marner. I would take Hanifin in the end, but it would be tough to turn down Strome. As amazing as Strome and Nylander on our top line in the future sounds, Rielly and Hanifin as our top pairing sounds even better.

 

[Nylanderthal]

Based on?

Stromes skating comes to mind first, and then there's the point that there just isn't any glaring weakness in Hanifin's game. Already at his age playing versus mostly men he's dominant. I'd say Noah goes top 2 in every draft since stamkos-DD. He's that good.

 

[Bomber0104]

Tough call here but I'm going with the safer pick.

If Toronto had the ability to take risks at the top of the draft board, my vote might be different but I think they need as sure a thing as they can get.

 

[Nylanderthal]

Tough call here but I'm going with the safer pick.

If Toronto had the ability to take risks at the top of the draft board, my vote might be different but I think they need as sure a thing as they can get.

So that would be????

 

[Bomber0104]

So that would be????

I voted Noah Hanifin.

 

[Shwaguy*]

Strome I want Sundin back

 

[Razz]

Toss up for me. Strome wins the tie breaker because he's a local Canadian kid. If Strome wasn't from Mississauga and Hanifin was, I'd have probably voted Hanifin.

 

[Stats01]

Strome for me. I've outlined my thoughts on Strome in other threads so I won't go into again but my list is: 1.) Strome 2.) Hanifin 3.) Marner

 

[Razz]

I think the hockey world would be positively stunned if the Leafs don't pick a top end OHL player. I mean has anyone looked at our management staff lately?

 

[Stats01]

BPA according to the scouts. But come on already, how many draft related threads to we need. I'd like to actually read threads Leaf related than reading about 18 year old kids all the time.

You better find a new place to post then because the next 3-5 years it's all about the kids.

 

[LeafsNation149]

Need a #1C to play with Brown and Nylander so I'ma go with Strome

Leafs can pick a #1D next draft

 

[Nylanderthal]

You better find a new place to post then because the next 3-5 years it's all about the kids.

On HF none the less

 

[Nylanderthal]

Need a #1C to play with Brown and Nylander so I'ma go with Strome

Leafs can pick a #1D next draft

How about Auston Matthews next year?

 

[roosterman]

I love both but you have to take the BPA. Hanifin OR trade down if you get a good package for 4th OA.

 

[Semantics]

This is crazy talk. If you're going to see Hannifin at his ceiling then at least give Strome the benefit of the doubt to also reach his ceiling (Thornton/Kopitar and not Allison/Spezza).

I just don't get the Thornton/Kopitar comparisons are coming from. Where, other than his height, are the similarities? Those two were better offensive players at the same age as Strome, are more physical/intense players, and are great defensively. Spezza was a better offensive player at the same age too. Strome's probably going to be a better defensive player than Spezza and maybe better overall, but he's very unlikely to be as good offensively so I don't think there's a huge gap. Spezza was an absolute magician with the puck in junior, Lemieux-like almost, and I haven't seen much of that from Strome.

At least the Hanifin comparisons to Keith/Pietrangelo kind of make sense - highest rated d-man in his draft class, projects to be in the elite class of d-men for his age group along with the likes of Ekblad and Jones. Keith was a late bloomer, so Hanifin is actually better than both of those players were at the same age. I know there have been a lot of top 5 d-men picked over the last decade that have been underwhelming, but it doesn't look like any of them were as far along in their development as Hanifin is (some, like Gudbranson, hadn't actually shown all that much in junior and were just taken because lolsize, Hanifin is way more proven than that).