Prospect Info: Welcome to Montréal, Jesperi Kotkaniemi (1st round pick, 3OA 2018 - signed ELC)

[Mrb1p]

And Bergevin won't be here to trade him for a winger with 9 goals where half of them are empty netters.

More so, he'll be developped properly. No rushing him to the NHL, no trying to win at all cost, no Therrien, etc.

 

[Kriss E]

Kotkaniemi is the best center prospect in this draft, hes right along the lines of the ones drafted last year and the year before, haven't had anything close to that at C since Galchenyuk, there is a reason were excited.

Galchenyuk was a better prospect to draft, and look how he turned out. So ya, cool prospect, but I'll wait before doing victory laps.

 

[The Great Weal]

It'll be a very good draft pick as long as he outplays Zadina and actually becomes a top center in NHL.
Nothing negative about my post. But hey, sensitive Habs board...

Timmins is actually right, going by most valuable asset should be how you take players. If Kotkaniemi becomes a 50ish point centerman(really doubt he will be just that) and Zadina a 60 point winger, the centerman is more valuable even if the winger puts up more points.

 

[jaffy27]

Timmins is actually right, going by most valuable asset should be how you take players. If Kotkaniemi becomes a 50ish point centerman(really doubt he will) and Zadina a 60 point winger, the centerman is more valuable even if the winger puts up more points.

Why do you not think he’ll attain the 50pt mark??

He’s 17 playing in a men’s league. When he started playing in the men’s pro league, he had barely been removed from 16yrs old.

This is amazing!!!....when this kid fills his frame and improves his skating which it will, he will be a force!!

I agree with the point of your post btw

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

It's not just Zadina he will be compared with, fair or not, he'll be compared to the likes Tkachuk, Hayton, Hughes, Boqvist, Kravstov, Bouchard, Wahlstrom, and Dobson as well because he went ahead of all those guys.

Ultimately he will need to be a #1 Center to prove worthy of the pick to both fans and outsiders/media alike (again, fair or not).

 

[The Great Weal]

Why do you not think he’ll attain the 50pt mark??

He’s 17 playing in a men’s league. When he started playing in the men’s pro league, he had barely been removed from 16yrs old.

This is amazing!!!....when this kid fills his frame and improves his skating which it will, he will be a force!!

I doubt it because I'm pretty sure he will score more.

 

[Andrei79]

Galchenyuk was a better prospect to draft, and look how he turned out. So ya, cool prospect, but I'll wait before doing victory laps.

No, theyre comparable prospects. Galchenyuk went 3rd in a weak draft due to injury concerns. Kotkaniemi went 3rd in a strong draft at the top.

Galchenyuk definitely had, and has, the skills to be a high end point producer.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

We need him to be a 60P 2-way #1 AT LEAST

 

[jaffy27]

Galchenyuk was a better prospect to draft, and look how he turned out. So ya, cool prospect, but I'll wait before doing victory laps.

Turned out pretty good.....tied for pts in the entire draft, the production is there.

He’s still the second best pick of that draft

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

No, theyre comparable prospects. Galchenyuk went 3rd in a weak draft due to injury concerns. Kotkaniemi went 3rd in a strong draft at the top.

Galchenyuk definitely had, and has, the skills to be a high end point producer.

If anything Galchenyuk has taught us the importance of hockey IQ, effort level, and work ethic in terms of reaching ones potential as a centerman- all things Kotkaniemi has in spades.

 

[Andrei79]

We need him to be a 60P 2-way #1 AT LEAST

Yeah, thats how I see him. A 60 point two way guy with a diverse offensive skillset.

 

[jaffy27]

I doubt it because I'm pretty sure he will score more.

Touché!!!!

 

[Andrei79]

If anything Galchenyuk has taught us the importance of hockey IQ, effort level, and work ethic in terms of reaching ones potential as a centerman- all things Kotkaniemi has in spades.

Absolutely. I liked Galchenyuk quite a bit, but thats because I'm a sucker for pure skill. Incidently, while I get some good calls because of it, I also get burned quite a bit with those picks.

Agreed about JK. The skating is the big issue atm, but the effort, compete and IQ are all there.

 

[jaffy27]

It's not just Zadina he will be compared with, fair or not, he'll be compared to the likes Tkachuk, Hayton, Hughes, Boqvist, Kravstov, Bouchard, Wahlstrom, and Dobson as well because he went ahead of all those guys.

Ultimately he will need to be a #1 Center to prove worthy of the pick to both fans and outsiders/media alike (again, fair or not).

And Tkachuk will be compared to everyone behind him, and Zadina will be compared to players behind him, and Hayton will be compared to players behind him, and Hughes will be compared to players behind him, and Boqvist will be......well, you get where I’m going with this.

 

[Laurentide]

So much for drafting according to "BPA" rankings eh. BPA don't exist... Each team has their own targets. Drafting according to the "popular" rankings done by other people is stupid. Position of need is always taken in consideration and Center has lots of value. They are just simply hard to acquire if you don't draft them.

Ideally you want the BPA to also play the position with which your team requires the most help but usually you have to choose one or the other. Kotkaniemi is years away from being able to help the Habs but given their awful history with developing centers it's unlikely that their depth at that position will be any better when the kid is ready to step in than it is right now so I have no issue with picking him. The thing is though, drafting centers (or any other position) isn't difficult. What is difficult is drafting good ones. If you draft 5 centers and not one of them turns out to be even as good as DLR you're no further ahead. So we need to hope that Kotkaniemi (and Poehling, for that matter) become what they are projected to become. In the meantime, I'm doing my best not to get excited. Given that this is the Habs, I'm finding it pretty easy to stay cool.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Ideally you want the BPA to also play the position with which your team requires the most help but usually you have to choose one or the other. Kotkaniemi is years away from being able to help the Habs but given their awful history with developing centers it's unlikely that their depth at that position will be any better when the kid is ready to step in than it is right now so I have no issue with picking him. The thing is though, drafting centers (or any other position) isn't difficult. What is difficult is drafting good ones. If you draft 5 centers and not one of them turns out to be even as good as DLR you're no further ahead. So we need to hope that Kotkaniemi (and Poehling, for that matter) become what they are projected to become. In the meantime, I'm doing my best not to get excited. Given that this is the Habs, I'm finding it pretty easy to stay cool.

Galchenyuk didn't work. That's don't mean Kotkaniemi will turn out the same. You have to draft them and we did. Kotkaniemi was our BPA with the 3rd pick and people should not have any problems with this. Blue Jackets had PLD as their BPA and passed on Pool party.

Poehling and Kotkaniemi are solid assets at center. Lets see how they develop further in the next 12 months.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Absolutely. I liked Galchenyuk quite a bit, but thats because I'm a sucker for pure skill. Incidently, while I get some good calls because of it, I also get burned quite a bit with those picks.

Agreed about JK. The skating is the big issue atm, but the effort, compete and IQ are all there.

The skating is definitely the wildcard. If he is able to get stronger and fix his technique I think it'll really propel him up a tier since combined with his reach and skills will make him incredibly dangerous on the rush. I don't doubt his skills as an o-zone player as well as a d-zone player, it's whether he can be a threat taking turnovers the other way and that comes down to speed. I think the hope is that he is on track to be that 60p 2 way guy- but if he can improve his skating he could take it to that true #1 ceiling level perhaps.

 

[417]

Galchenyuk was a better prospect to draft, and look how he turned out. So ya, cool prospect, but I'll wait before doing victory laps.

Was he though?

 

[NotProkofievian]

It's not just Zadina he will be compared with, fair or not, he'll be compared to the likes Tkachuk, Hayton, Hughes, Boqvist, Kravstov, Bouchard, Wahlstrom, and Dobson as well because he went ahead of all those guys.

Ultimately he will need to be a #1 Center to prove worthy of the pick to both fans and outsiders/media alike (again, fair or not).

This is what I said a few weeks ago. The reason that Svechnikov was a clear 2nd is because you'd take the bet that he'll be better than anyone from the group after him. That is, if you were given the choice between Svechnikov now, and the right to select the best prospect from the group after him a couple years from now, you'd still probably take Svechnikov. The whole problem of this draft was that this wasn't the case for anyone available at 3.

Might as well take the guy who minimizes your regret. Our maximum regret would be missing out on a 1C again for the billionth time. Might as well roll the dice.

 

[BB88]

I've seen quite a few games by Montreal, not surprisingly, I've read lot of thoughts from Montreal fans, affected by Boston vs Montreal thing.

Kotka hits majorty of the things as a prospect today that Montreal fans have been screaming for.
One would think there would be more happiness but I guess there's always wanting more.

 

[Mrb1p]

Galchenyuk was a better prospect to draft, and look how he turned out. So ya, cool prospect, but I'll wait before doing victory laps.

So, basically every single prospect is the same

 

[Laurentide]

Galchenyuk didn't work. That's don't mean Kotkaniemi will turn out the same. You have to draft them and we did. Kotkaniemi was our BPA with the 3rd pick and people should not have any problems with this. Blue Jackets had PLD as their BPA and passed on Pool party.

Poehling and Kotkaniemi are solid assets at center. Lets see how they develop further in the next 12 months.

This is another problem Habs fans have: we're impatient. 12 months won't tell us much about those two players than we know already. We need to accept the fact that they are both likely 2 to 3 years away from even being considered for full-time employment with the big club and even then it may take another season before they start making a real impact.

But you and I both know that if they aren't on fire by this time next year some on this board will declare them to be busts. I've already seen it happen with Sherback, who could easily become our next star player if he doesn't get traded first due to impatience on the part of management. All I know is that when he was drafted people were very high on him and his high-end offensive skills.

 

[Habs Halifax]

This is another problem Habs fans have: we're impatient. 12 months won't tell us much about those two players than we know already. We need to accept the fact that they are both likely 2 to 3 years away from even being considered for full-time employment with the big club and even then it may take another season before they start making a real impact.

But you and I both know that if they aren't on fire by this time next year some on this board will declare them to be busts. I've already seen it happen with Sherback, who could easily become our next star player if he doesn't get traded first due to impatience on the part of management. All I know is that when he was drafted people were very high on him and his high-end offensive skills.

100% agree. Patience is needed with both our fan base and management. Bergevin is too quick to jump on young players and gives the vets and our own management a break.

 

[Garbageyuk]

And other people here get confrontational and judgemental.

It's best to stick to hockey and agree to disagree lest we make fools of ourselves.

Personally I get excited about high picks when we get them and tend to be patient while we watch them develop. There are very few players whose careers exactly correspond with their draft position.

Indeed. And as I said, I like Kotkaniemi, and I'm excited he's a part of the Canadiens now. I truly hope he does become a player we need. I just have tempered expectations, and I'm not as impressed with Timmins' track record as some are.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Indeed. And as I said, I like Kotkaniemi, and I'm excited he's a part of the Canadiens now. I truly hope he does become a player we need. I just have tempered expectations, and I'm not as impressed with Timmins' track record as some are.

Tempered Expectations means what with your opinion about Kotkaniemi? What do you think his ceiling and basement are?