But one name that?s been floating across my radar for a few months is Ryan Merkley, who we profiled here just a couple weeks ago. I can?t count how many times I?ve seen ?I hope Merkley is there at 25th? scroll through my Twitter timeline from Leafs supporters. Another thing I picked up quickly is that apparently this kid has had a tough time climbing the draft rankings due to some ?character issues?.
From what I can gather, this has the makings to be a draft day story-line that?ll be followed pretty closely, especially in our neck of the woods, because there?s a high chance Merkley is on the board when Kyle Dubas steps to the podium to make his first selection Friday night.
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But I think most people know, or knew, someone on their sports team growing up who probably fits the description above. Someone who flips out when things go awry, blames everyone else, takes misconducts. It can be a bad scene. Bob also goes on to say that the scouts (who all work for NHL clubs) that he uses to create his pre-draft aggregated rankings have Merkley rated anywhere from the late teens to the third round. He?s all over the place.