krsmith17

Comparing a very good defensive center that has already proven that he can put up close to a point per game at the age of 22 (now 23) to Patrice Bergeron... The LUNACY!!! You go on to compare him to a 40-50 point 3rd line center. Yeah, that's exactly what Larkin is... Is this guy really that dumb? Or am I that dumb for responding?...

Because you say so right? I suggest you dig a little deeper into advanced stats and rely less on the ol' eyeball test, because your eyes are clearly s***. Your credibility is going way down with these ridiculous claims...

Yup, I agree. I think ideally Bertuzzi is a middle six winger, but he could slot anywhere in the lineup, and not look out of place. He's similar to Hyman with the Leafs in that way. I'm all for spreading out the talent though.

Remember, this is the guy that thinks Zadina is a "bust"... But yeah, completely agree. Larkin is / will be a legit 1C, and Veleno has all the tools / ability to be a very good 2C. I'm not as worried about our center position as some. I'm more worried about adding elite talent throughout the lineup, and that means drafting BPA.

Larkin has all the tools, and the defensive game to be a Bergeron type center. Is Bergeron not a legit 1C? Larkin's point totals have suffered this season because the team is s***, but his underlying stats prove that he has been a been a legit 1C. His puck possession, shot suppression, etc. have been off the charts, and he's only going to get better. Give him two legit top line wingers (Mantha / Lafreniere) and that line could potentially be one of the most lethal lines in the entire league. Again, you never pass up on a far superior player for a position of need. If Byfield were close, I'd consider, but in my opinion, he's not at all.

Yeah, I guess the people that are advocating taking Byfield over Lafreniere don't yet understand how great of a player this kid is going to be. Another argument I've heard is that Lafreniere is playing in a higher scoring league than Byfield. That used to be the case, but it's actually the opposite the past couple seasons. I can't remember the exact numbers, but the OHL is actually a higher scoring league than the QMJHL the past couple years. Which makes the numbers Lafreniere is putting up, that much more special. Lafreniere - QMJHL - 23 goals, 70 points in 32 games / WJC - 1 goal, 4 points in 1 game. Byfield - OHL - 22 goals, 57 points in 30 games / WJC - 0 points in 1 game.

I think we're pretty much in agreement. I just don't agree (with others) that Larkin needs to be pushed down to 2C. Larkin is a more than capable 1C with the right wingers and with depth throughout the lineup. I think the people that want to take the lesser player because of position, are the same people that think only centers can drive offense. Lafreniere can drive offense from the wing, as good or better than most centers, and would make everyone around him that much better. Yeah, Lafreniere is That Good, and he absolutely does have The It Factor. That's why he will go number one overall, guaranteed, by whoever wins the draft lottery.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't get the logic, for this reason (bolded)...

LOL How was that being abrasive?

Really? I've yet to hear a good one... "He plays center"... "He's 10 months younger"... "He's a couple inches taller"... "He's not a soft Frenchie"... "He has better eyebrows"... Lafreniere is far and away the best player in this draft class, the best in most draft classes, and whoever is lucky enough to win the draft lottery will be getting a far superior player.

Ok, so you think there's an 18.5% chance you'll be wrong. Got it... Any other team would be smart enough to draft the BPA. Yzerman isn't that smart though. He would take the 2nd BPA because he plays center...

Not a single person thought Datsyuk and Zetterberg were going to be Datsyuk and Zetterberg when they were 19/20 years old. There were fans clamoring to trade both early in their careers. Thankfully Holland wasn't that dumb. Hopefully Yzerman won't be either. On any other team this kid would already be a superstar. On this team he will be when we're good in a few years. The thing is, I wouldn't care if we traded him in the right package. If we were able to get a Sergachev or similar player, like you mentioned previously, I'd at least have to think long and hard about it. Zadina (or any player on this team) definitely isn't untouchable.

Soooo much wrong with this post... First of all, as much as you want to pretend you know, no one knows what a 23-24 year old goaltender will be in 2-3 years time, including Comrie. We've seen countless times, a goaltender develop, become an NHL starter, and even win the Cup beyond the age of 24. It absolutely can happen. Not to say it will happen with Comrie. The odds are definitely against him, but like I mentioned previously about the 5-10% vs 0%... I never said to "ignore the present". Ignoring the present would include selling off every piece for the future. I'm simply saying to rid ourselves of one broken down piece, in favor of a young potential piece. Complete conjecture, but if I were to guess, I would bet the young core would have preferred to keep the young goaltender that is around their age, and can develop with, rather than the goaltender that will be gone next season / the following season. I'm sure these guys want to win every single night, but they're also not clueless to the situation. They know they aren't doing s*** this season. Losing Howard or Bernier does not affect this team. They've both been good for about 4 goals against per game. Not good. I wasn't at all against signing Filppula or Nemeth. I just didn't think they were necessary. Mainly Filppula because he was an exact replica of Nielsen, up until this season. It turns out Filppula has had a much better season, but that could have just as easily gone the other way. I didn't love the Nemeth signing, but I understood it from a management perspective. No one is giving you "backlash" for not giving a s*** about Comrie. I don't think anyone here cares too much about Comrie. A few of us would have just preferred to move on from the old broken down goalie, and kept the younger, equally as s***ty goalie. None of this has nothing to do with Comrie. Next season, it comes down to Nielsen or Turgeon / Ehn for the final roster spot. One has had a solid NHL career, but is washed up as f***. The other hasn't shown a whole lot of promise thus far, but is much younger, would be as good now, and potentially better in the future, and costs a fraction of the price. Who do you waive? I don't think anyone would be too upset about losing a Turgeon / Ehn to waivers, but pretty much everyone would be upset with the decision to waive either over Nielsen. Very similar situation...

What does us winning (or not winning) the draft lottery have to do with anything I said?

Not even close to being the same... Zadina is playing in the NHL, and you're claiming he's a bust. I say you can't declare a player a bust at the age of 18/19/20, especially when he's performing as well or better than his draft class peers. I didn't say you shouldn't consider Lafreniere's and Byfield's age when comparing them (you absolutely should), I said "age aside", Lafreniere is and will be the better player. Same goes for position. You should always consider position, but never take a lesser player because he fills a position of need. Media will try their damndest to hype up Byfield and say it's a close race for number one overall. In reality, it won't be close at all. I guarentee whichever team wins the draft lottery will take Lafreniere.

Already past. I think it was December 1st, or somewhere around there...

Lafreniere isn't an "overager" though. He's an undrafted (just turned) 18 year old... The only reason to be "happy with either", is if they're equal. Lafreniere and Byfield are not equal. Age aside, looking at each player individually, one is elite (borderline generational), and the other is high, high end.

Sounds eerily similar to two Euro's we drafted in the 6th / 7th rounds of '98 / '99...

Mantha also plays like the complete opposite of how Seider plays. Should trade him too...

Yup, he might be better for a few more seasons. But then again, he might not. Which is my whole point. This team isn't winning anything in the next few seasons with a 32+ year old average goaltender. They might win in the next few seasons with a 24ish year old goaltender though. When you're a team in the position the Wings are currently in, you need to make decisions based on the future, not the now. Howard sucks, because he's old. Bernier sucks, because he's getting old, and was never great to begin with. Comrie sucks, because he's young and isn't finished developing. He might always suck, but he might not... Anyway, I'm done with this. Agree to disagree.

Lafreniere has barely left the ice, making things happen every shift. Byfield has seen limited minutes, and hasn't shown much so far. Veleno has looked really good as well. Monster on the draws.

BuT wE nEeD a CeNtEr...

It's amazing how many people don't understand such a simple concept. BPA to one GM, isn't necessarily the consensus BPA to all GM's. Yzerman had his target, and wisely tried to acquire another asset, while getting his BPA. Found out another team(s) was also interested in Seider, and decided to take his man at 6.

No, your bar is set too high, and you're also way too low on Zadina, based on what he's shown so far. He's not an "average NHL top 9 winger". You're literally the only person that believes that. You ever think that maybe your assessment is off? Not the other million people that have watched him play, and see top 6 winger (at worst)...

Give up with the "3rd overall" bulls***. He was drafted 6th overall. I don't give a s*** where he was "projected" to go... Tatar was drafted in the 2nd round. But you know how many actual busts come from the 2nd round and even earlier? The only player drafted in the 2nd round that year that is indisputably better than Tatar is Ryan O'Reilly. Tatar is easily a 1st round talent in a re-draft. Tatar is Zadina's floor. If you told me leading up to that draft that we were guaranteed to get at least a 50-60 point winger, I'd be thrilled. As most people would. To you, that's a bust though...