DickieDunn

They waived him in case they need to get a D up. Because it makes time, they need to do it ahead of time.

I hate every other NHL team

They need a high end D and a bigger top 6 forward. They have pieces toove to do it, as long as they don't get sentimental and panic that a prospect might end up better, because most prospects don't hit their ceilings. Not that long ago Sproul was untouchable, now he's looking like he might not even be an NHL player, much less a top pair D.

Not a surprise. Kindl isn't a good NHL player, Marchenko is better.

So is John Scott. So are a bunch of generally unspectacular players. Once again I ask you, what about his game right now makes him elite, other than the cherry picked +/- stat. He's a center who needs to learn how to win faceoffs, he needs to get stronger, and he needs to stop making rookie mistakes. All that combines to make him NOT elite yet.

A lot of it is who they take in the first 2 rounds. Since 2000 they've had 26 picks there. 19 forwards, 5 D, 2 goalies. It's harder to find NHL talent later in the draft, so by using about 20% of their pucks on D, they've limited themselves a bit.

So he's elite because of +/- and because he's an all star after a bunch of vets said no.

So tell me Bill, what other than +/- which is a flukey stat, makes Larkin elite RIGHT NOW. Not in 5 years, or 3 years, or even next year. Right now today.

Johnson may retire due to all the lingering injuries he's had. Bad news is, they lose an all world WR. Good news is they'd gain $24 mil in cap space.

Getting Zetterberg and Datsyuk and having both turn out as good as they were was luck.

That right there is the flaw in your argument. Potential as an elite player doesn't mean currently elite. If Larkin is elite right now, so are Panarin, Pavelski, Kuznetsov, Steen, Hoffman, Cammaleri, Sharp, Eriksson, Little, Hartnell, and the other 64 forwards who have as many or more points.

Luck

He's also slow and lazy

Define elite. To me it's bthe very best. Top 10 forwards, top 5 D, top 3 or 4 goalies, or there about. Guys who are up there every year. Larkin isn't close to that. Throwing age out, there are a ton of guys I'd trade him for right now, just for this season. Some people seem to define it as he's good and on my team and I like him and I think he's going to get better. Lots of guys have great rookie years and plateau early. Way too soon to call him generational, especially when he's not even close to a point a game.

NTC. He can block crap teams

I'm just waiting to see how people react when Mrazek has a bad stretch.

Montreal, Toronto, Vegas, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philly, Columbus, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, and a roller hockey game in Miami. Everyone gets an outdoor game!

Smith doesn't think quickly enough to be good. I'd settle for useful and not a complete train wreck in his own end.

Rychel was a first rounder because daddy fed him a ton of minutes and told his team to make sure Kirby got plenty of shots, according to a couple pre draft reports I read about him.

Helm is neither a big body not as skilled as Abdelkader. He's a check line player, period.

No, they're pretty even.

Yup, Mrazek is still the new shiny. Howard is old. Therefore Mrazek is better, even if he's not.

Who said wasted pick?There's a big difference between that and saying he's not living up to (overhyped) expectations, or that he was overhyped frm day 1.

The Oven

What gets me is the statement of facts about what he WILL do. No maybes, or I thinks, or ifs. He WILL score 30 goals, he WILL be great. Nobody knows. He could be that good. He could be a 20 goal 40 point winger you have to play on the third line and find the right matchup for every shift. Moat likely I think he'll score around 25 goals, play mediocre in his own end, and be constantly criticized for not using his size and lack of effort. In other words, French Franzen. Frenchzen, if you will.