Toronto Maple Leafs TIDBITS & QUICK HITS!

Oh yeah, Larsson was taken 4th... so why are we even debating this?

Well, I guess you can say that Larsson isn't a franchise defenceman, since he is only in his rookie season. But he definitely can be... will he, I don't know. But he could very well be.

Big Ev wrote:

Riprock wrote:How can you say that is who the Sens would have taken. By all accounts Larsson is and was the BPA. Taking him regardless of depth on D is a no brainer. He provides a bargaining chip or makes others expendable to trade for a forward in a worst case scenario.

Larsson > Strome, which os obvious by him playing in the NHL already, despite injuries, and logging the most minutes on the team.

I'd rather have Larsson over Strome but he would have been taken before our pick regardless. He wasn't dropping to 5.
That being said Larsson is not a franchise D by any means.

I bet the Islanders would have taken Strome at 4. Regardless Dougie Hamilton might wind up being the best Dman in the draft. Oh what the leaves could have had.

Riprock wrote:Oh yeah, Larsson was taken 4th... so why are we even debating this?

BECAUSE I TRICKED YOU ALL!!!! HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Big Ev wrote:Yeah but if we finished 5th we would have taken Strome and I'd rather have Zibanejad.

Okay, that's different, Zibanejad over Strome (barely).

tim1_2 wrote:

Riprock wrote:Oh yeah, Larsson was taken 4th... so why are we even debating this?

BECAUSE I TRICKED YOU ALL!!!! HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

YOU BASTARD!!!!

Big Ev wrote:Yeah but if we finished 5th we would have taken Strome and I'd rather have Zibanejad.

What about Couturier? Can't teach size.

I know some Sens fans that are pissed the Sens didn't take Couturier.

Leafs death watch games tonight:
- Sabres @ Bruins
- Lightning @ Capitals
- Isles @ Devils
- Jets @ Canucks

Riprock wrote:I know some Sens fans that are pissed the Sens didn't take Couturier.

I would have been OK either way. I liked his size, and now that he's over his mono he could go on to really bulk up that frame.

That he made Philly speaks a lot about his abilities.

wprager wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Yeah but if we finished 5th we would have taken Strome and I'd rather have Zibanejad.

What about Couturier? Can't teach size.

Upside isn't there.

Riprock wrote:That he made Philly speaks a lot about his abilities.

It speaks that he can kill penalties and play 3rd line. Philly isn't as stacked as some people think .

haha "upside"... like that means anything. I can say that Zibanejad has the upside of being a prime Peter Forsberg and that doesn't mean anything.

And 22 pts in 60 games as a "3rd line PKer" is respectable. Zibanejad had 1pt in 9 games as a top line winger.

Riprock wrote:haha "upside"... like that means anything. I can say that Zibanejad has the upside of being a prime Peter Forsberg and that doesn't mean anything.

And 22 pts in 60 games as a "3rd line PKer" is respectable. Zibanejad had 1pt in 9 games as a top line winger.

Um yes, upside literally means everything when you are drafting. You are drafting on their upside - what they will be in 5+ years time. You compare players based on what you see them doing in the future.

Couldn't care less about points...you watch the two play side-by-side and you get way more excited about Zibanejad. Couturier is a lot older as well. Not surprising he is in the NHL right now due to that and his size, and I am very annoyed when people call him a steal just because he kills penalties. He was a very safe pick.

In a 2011 re-draft, this is how I would draft:

Landeskog
RNH
Huberdeau
Larsson
Hamilton
Zibanejad
Strome
Bartschi
Scheifele
Brodin
Couturier

and so on

Upside is unpredictable and indeterminable. Patrick Stefan, Alexandre Daigle for example are guys who then were seen with upside... how did that turn out?

There's no absolutely no way to determine, 100% guarantee that any player will turn out as someone "predicts". That is all it is. A prediction. Many players are "predicted" to be like "player X" and they "disappoint". I use that term lightly because to put those expectations on someone else is unfair.

Then there are players taken very late, where you are lucky to make the AHL, let alone the NHL, that go on to become superstars.

Riprock wrote:Upside is unpredictable and indeterminable. Patrick Stefan, Alexandre Daigle for example are guys who then were seen with upside... how did that turn out?

There's no absolutely no way to determine, 100% guarantee that any player will turn out as someone "predicts". That is all it is. A prediction. Many players are "predicted" to be like "player X" and they "disappoint". I use that term lightly because to put those expectations on someone else is unfair.

Then there are players taken very late, where you are lucky to make the AHL, let alone the NHL, that go on to become superstars.

I just think Flyers are really going to regret drafting Couturier over Hamilton and Jonas Brodin IMO. That's a case where they didn't actually scout heavily due to their lack of a 1st round pick at the time.

A lot of people can say that about players their team drafted.... in hindsight.

Riprock wrote:A lot of people can say that about players their team drafted.... in hindsight.

I'm not talking in hindsight. I am talking about at the time of the draft. A defenseman was simply a better option for the Flyers. Their future D is atrocious.