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with Connor Brown signing for aav $3.6m https://www.nhl.com/news/connor-brown-signs-with-senators/c-319293176?tid=281072352 my hopes for an under $4m contract for Bert are rising...

Well I mean, choosing U23 as the main parameter seems pretty arbitrary. Some Athletic subscribers claim it's just so he can put Mathews in the 1 spot. Same with the organizational rankings and Toronto being #4 solely on the back of Mathews. Make the cut off U22 and suddenly they're in the mid 20s. Fukin Leafs

I´ve only seen the first and third period of Seider´s game, but Seider left a real good impression, playing in all situations. First Period for Raymond was tough, in the third he picked his game up a bit, but nothing noteworthy.

Yeah if Yzerman can get Bertuzzi locked up under $4M, and Mantha under $6M, those would be great contracts. Something in the neighborhood of 4×4 and 6×6...

I'm not sure. It looked like the hand or wrist. I'm not sure if it's broken or fractured or what... He took a hit from behind. I'm not sure if he was injured from the hit into the boards, or from the fall to the ice... Seider vs Raymond / Niederbach / Soderblom today at 1:00 EST. Veleno also playing same time. Berggren's game is being postponed...

Yeah, I don't disagree. Even more disappointing that we don't have a single player in the top 15. Like any list though, you need to take it with a grain of salt. Give it another year and we should have 5-6 players on this list. We're definitely not through the rebuild yet, but I do think we're at the point where we should start to see some significant improvement over the next couple seasons.

https://theathletic.com/2132927/2020/10/22/ranking-the-best-nhl-players-under-23-corey-pronmans-top-155/ 17. Lucas Raymond, LW, Detroit March 28, 2002 | 5-foot-10 | 170 pounds Tier: Elite/high-end bubble Skating: 55 Puck Skills: 70 Physical Game: 35 Hockey Sense: 65 Raymond has incredible talent and hockey sense. With the puck on his stick he’s incredibly dangerous. His hands are elite and his ability to beat defenders one-on-one clean in ways unlike other players can create a lot of highlight reel moments. He will be a true PP1 quarterback in the NHL because of the unique plays he can make. He has a unique way of navigating with the puck in the offensive zone, showing the patience and vision of a top NHL playmaker in how he picks apart defenses and find seams. Raymond isn’t the biggest guy and isn’t a guy you will tab to kill penalties, but he competes well and gets to the net. While he’s more of a passer, he does have a good shot when he looks to shoot. My one concern is his just average foot speed, particularly as a 5-foot-10 forward. He has good edgework and a powerful first step, with a wide stance he employs when trying to protect pucks, but lacks an NHL caliber separation gear. 38. Moritz Seider, D, Detroit April 6, 2001 | 6-foot-4 | 207 pounds Tier: High-end NHL player Skating: 55 Puck Skills: 55 Physical Game: 70 Hockey Sense: 55 Seider isn’t a flashy player but he’s very well-rounded. He’s a 6-foot-4 defenseman who is highly mobile for his size, can move the puck well and is a top-end defender. His wingspan, great mobility and elite physicality allow him to make so many stops and project as a tough minutes defenseman in the NHL. Seider can move the puck, although I don’t ever see him as a big offensive player, as there will be stretches he can be quite bland with the puck. There are stretches he makes a very nice outlet pass with pace, as well. 61. Filip Hronek, D, Detroit Nov. 2, 1997 | six-foot | 170 pounds Tier: High-end/very good bubble Skating: 55 Puck Skills: 55 Physical Game: 50 Hockey Sense: 60 Hronek has been very impressive the last two seasons, as a 40-point-pace, big-minutes defenseman in the NHL. His skill set doesn’t jump off the page as a six-foot, quick but not amazingly quick defenseman, which is partly why he went 53rd in the 2016 draft. But he’s a very smart and competitive player. Hronek makes a ton of great passes from both ends in terms of making the right decisions and showing a high level of creativity. He has enough quickness to play at an NHL pace and jump into attacks. He defends very well due to his IQ, feet and physicality. On a contending team he may not be playing more than 25 minutes a game, but he wouldn’t be far off. 71. Filip Zadina, RW, Detroit Nov. 27, 1999 | six-foot | 196 pounds Tier: High-end/very good bubble Skating: 55 Puck Skills: 65 Physical Game: 45 Hockey Sense: 60 Shot: 60 Zadina is a tough evaluation case, as I’ve seen the highs and lows of his game over the last five years. He’s extremely skilled and has the ability to beat pro defenders clean with his puckhandling. Zadina is known as a goal-scorer, possessing a high-end wrist and slap shot to beat goalies from range. He’s also a very good passer, though, and makes creative feeds often. He’s a good, not great skater, but can make very skilled plays on the move. In his first pro season I thought he was a very perimeter player, and while I still wouldn’t call him hard-nosed, he wasn’t as perimeter I felt last season. I do feel he is quite inconsistent though, from watching him over the years. I still think he’ll be a top-six NHL forward and I still see top-line talent if he maxes out.

I watched a Skelleftea game last week, and that entire game Berggren played on the top line wing, with (ironically) Andreas Wingerli as his center. I could be wrong, but I don't think he's played much, if any center at all this season. I do find it kind of funny though, that you of all people, not only brought this up, but are "overjoyed" by Berggren potentially playing center. Berggren was drafted as a winger. How is it possible that a winger can transition to center? That can't happen... Can it?

Huge if true. The Hockey News penned an article about the top players in Europe and highlighted Jonatan Berggren. They have him listed at center. Not sure if he's currently torching the SHL down the middle, but if so I'm overjoyed. "Jonatan Berggren, C, Skelleftea (SHL): Speed, smarts and great hands are Berggren's trademarks and the Detroit Red Wings prospect has really been putting all three together with 13 points in nine games for Skelleftea, making him the third-highest scorer in the league right now. The 2017 second-rounder has already eclipsed the 12 points in 24 games he had in the SHL last season."

I would like to add that it's also important in todays speedy hockey that you have a defense that consists of players that can play the puck. They don't all need to be "puck moving defensemen", just capable of sending the puck out of your own zone to the right adress. A good transition game is key today.