DON Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I dont know if got best player. Seems to be a solid pick. But, is just way too early to make any call yet, most havent even entered the NHL yet. Darn Bruins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Reading the earlier parts of this thread, it's clear that a lot of us were worried that HuGo had gone for size over skill. I was also bothered by the "W over C" aspect of the choice. The Slaf we've seen over the second half has plenty of skill, with room to keep growing in that area...and his physical strength and power look really impressive at times. Cooley may end up outscoring him, but it's hard to see, at this juncture, where Slaf doesn't look like a realistic bet to be at least as valuable as Cooley. As 2024 winds down, it looks like HuGo knew exactly what they were doing. We should revisit this thread next season around the same time and see how things stand then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 And Slafkovsky is still only 20, almost four years younger than Kotkaniemi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs Fan in Edmonton Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 1 hour ago, The Chicoutimi Cucumber said: Reading the earlier parts of this thread, it's clear that a lot of us were worried that HuGo had gone for size over skill. I was also bothered by the "W over C" aspect of the choice. I don't think a 17 year old can lead the Olympics in goals and be MVP playing on a big ice surface without having a fair bit of skill. I just think there was too much hype regarding Wright because he peaked early (declared a generational talent when he was 16). He still may be a very good NHL player but the hype was a little much. Obviously the Habs went with BPA instead of worrying about position. It's still early though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 34 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said: Obviously the Habs went with BPA instead of worrying about position. It's still early though. 6'3" 230lb Slaf; 6'3" 209lb Reinbacher; 6'4" 217lb Dach 6'3" 210lb Centre Cayden Lindstrom, must be already ranked pretty darn high on Habs scouting list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs Fan in Edmonton Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 4 minutes ago, DON said: 6'3" 210lb Centre Cayden Lindstrom, must be already ranked pretty darn high on Habs scouting list. I hope so as I like Lindstrom. Size without skill is useless but if you can get both!! You also don't need to be a monster. Suzuki is only 5' 11" but he is over 200 lbs and has excellent core strength and balance. He is hard to knock off the puck. A lower center of gravity is not a bad thing if you are strong. Certainly part of the reason Suzuki doesn't seem to get hurt much. I would take another Suzuki in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir_Boagalott Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 On 3/18/2024 at 6:40 PM, Habs Fan in Edmonton said: I don't think a 17 year old can lead the Olympics in goals and be MVP playing on a big ice surface without having a fair bit of skill. I just think there was too much hype regarding Wright because he peaked early (declared a generational talent when he was 16). He still may be a very good NHL player but the hype was a little much. Obviously the Habs went with BPA instead of worrying about position. It's still early though. I'd say that Hughes hasn't drafted BPA yet - thank god. Wright was supposed to go #1. Hughes isn't likely to start drafting BPA unless the Habs win the 1st overall pick. On 3/18/2024 at 7:38 PM, Habs Fan in Edmonton said: I hope so as I like Lindstrom. Size without skill is useless but if you can get both!! You also don't need to be a monster. Suzuki is only 5' 11" but he is over 200 lbs and has excellent core strength and balance. He is hard to knock off the puck. A lower center of gravity is not a bad thing if you are strong. Certainly part of the reason Suzuki doesn't seem to get hurt much. I would take another Suzuki in a heartbeat. Yes, its best if you can get both but size with the absence of high skill isn't entirely useless. After all, its unarguable that it is a physical sport with body contact. In 7 game series size and strength matters and that becomes more true the deeper a team gets. I agree with your monster comment and Suzy is definitely very strong for his height - that's what is important. For decades the Habs have been chronically under weight for their height. Having a high center of gravity is the issue with tall people that aren't strong. i.e. a much shorter guy can push them around easily. I also believe Suzy's strength is why he has an ironman streak going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeLassister Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 10 hours ago, Sir_Boagalott said: I'd say that Hughes hasn't drafted BPA yet - thank god. Wright was supposed to go #1. Hughes isn't likely to start drafting BPA unless the Habs win the 1st overall pick. The "supposed" BPA is maybe not the same one as Hughes and his crew have on their list. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GHT120 Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 11 hours ago, Sir_Boagalott said: I'd say that Hughes hasn't drafted BPA yet - thank god. Wright was supposed to go #1. Hughes isn't likely to start drafting BPA unless the Habs win the 1st overall pick. I think Hughes has done exactly that ... BPA means the player that a team has ranked highest on their internal draft lists when their pick comes up, not the various "expert" rankings ... most (all?) teams rank their lists based on their projections of the players' pro potential (not just draft-year perromance), thus there is not absolute uniformity across those lists ... whether or not scouts, and management to a lesser degree (they also have responsibility for trades, free agents, contracts), keep their jobs depends on how well they rank the players Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCHabnut Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 His statement every year has been that if BPA stands out as better than others, you draft him, but if there isn't a clear cut BPA, you draft by need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs Fan in Edmonton Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 6 hours ago, GHT120 said: I think Hughes has done exactly that ... BPA means the player that a team has ranked highest on their internal draft lists when their pick comes up, not the various "expert" rankings ... Of course, the opinion of the BPA is going to vary from team to team, it might be the same when the pick is obvious (ie. McDavid, likely Celebrini) but it's not always obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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