William Nylander
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
Coco-puffs
New member
As Carlton pointed out, TSN has been trading Nylander all season long. It's getting ridiculous.
I don't agree with Jeff O'Niell. Just because wing is "easier" doesn't mean Nylander won't excel at Center once he gains more experience and strength, especially in a 2a/2b scenario with Kadri getting the tougher matchup/defensive zone starts.
Adam Brooks is highly skilled and looks promising, but I'm not ready to say he's going to be an NHL player. Yes he's scoring at a very high rate- but as an overager on a stacked team. It will be interesting to see what he can do in the AHL next year. Should he make the NHL in a couple of years, having Willie be a swiss army knife is a great thing to have.
That said, I'm not totally against trading Nylander. The return would just have to be very good.
I don't agree with Jeff O'Niell. Just because wing is "easier" doesn't mean Nylander won't excel at Center once he gains more experience and strength, especially in a 2a/2b scenario with Kadri getting the tougher matchup/defensive zone starts.
Adam Brooks is highly skilled and looks promising, but I'm not ready to say he's going to be an NHL player. Yes he's scoring at a very high rate- but as an overager on a stacked team. It will be interesting to see what he can do in the AHL next year. Should he make the NHL in a couple of years, having Willie be a swiss army knife is a great thing to have.
That said, I'm not totally against trading Nylander. The return would just have to be very good.
Coco-puffs
New member
herman said:
There have been many 19 year old / Overage players that have looked too good for the CHL. That doesn't mean they are going to be NHL players. Lets see what he can do against men, not boys, in the AHL next year.
Highlander
Active member
Why don't we start a Brooks thread? Already wanting to jettison Nylander is crazy. He is still a boy-man. Wait till the frame fills out with 20lbs of lean muscle and he builds his game. I think he is going to be scary good in about 3-4 years.
Kin
New member
herman said:
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/player-age/20-year-old-nhl-players.html
And last year, was Brooks' Draft +2 year. He turned 20.
Nik the Trik said:
And his combine weight was 169, so he's already gained his 20 pounds.
Nylander's physique also just shouldn't worry anyone. He's built a lot like Martin St. Louis was. His thighs are like tree trunks.
Britishbulldog
Active member
I was hoping after this season and next season that October 2018 would see Nylander filling Bozak's spot at center with Marner on his right wing and someone not named E Kane would be on his left wing.
I have no desire to trade him or make any huge moves at this point in the rebuild.
I have no desire to trade him or make any huge moves at this point in the rebuild.
Coco-puffs
New member
herman said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clarke_Trophy
11 of the 15 Players who led the WHL in scoring between 99-00 and 13-14 did not make the NHL (more than 40 games). Note, Brendan Leipsic may reduce that number to 10.
Players who led the WHL in scoring that also had NHL careers:
Linden Vey
Troy Brouwer
Eric Fehr
Erik Christensen
(Edited to fix my counting error and add the list of players who DID make the NHL)
herman
Well-known member
Coco-puffs said:
Ooh, nice.
I'll roll back my excitement a tad and wait to see him on the Marlies.
In terms of junior overage dominance, is age the huge advantage driver, or is it size? Because Brooks is teenager sized even now and his emergence looks to be more a factor of deployment + size bias.
herman
Well-known member
Frank E said:
That's a new phrase to me.
I still feel pretty safe banking on Brooks due to the way he was deployed on a stacked team and overlooked and underrated (size, age). He plays the way I see the Leafs trending.
The way I see it, we got a prospect with two free years of additional development at a crap-shoot pick slot, and his growth trend has been exponential. Compared to our 2014 picks where he would have normally been picked, his development is more than satisfactory. Of the players from that draft held back in junior, which ones have done better than he did last year as a 19 year old?
http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2016/8/3/12334780/top-25-under-25-the-case-for-adam-brooks
I think that a common Brooks comparison when he was drafted was Connor Brown. And I basically view Brooks with the same optimistic caution that I did with Brown during his junior career. I was happy with his results, but they didn't really mean much to me until he produced in the AHL.
It's worth pointing out too that Brown's 18 and 19 year junior season are actually a tad better statistically than Brooks' were. As 18-year olds it was 1.09 vs. 0.97 and as 19-year olds it was 1.88 vs. 1.67. As a 20-year old Brown led his AHL team in scoring while Brooks is running hog-wild in the WHL. Admittedly the comparison is a little tricky as Brown had McDavid with him as a 19-year old, but Brooks' 20-year old season has him on an absolutely dominant offensive team that actually sees him trailing Sam Steel by a few points.
But I think it's fair to say that if you compare their developments Brown has always either been slightly ahead of Brooks or roughly on par. If that holds, we should get a pretty effective middle-6 forward type player out of Adam Brooks. But Brown's biggest test came in his first AHL season, Brooks hasn't gotten that far yet. But if he does pass that like Brown did then we should get a pretty effective middle-6 type forward out of him. As far as 4th round picks go that's pretty good. But it's not really the type of player that makes a William Nylander expendable.
It's worth pointing out too that Brown's 18 and 19 year junior season are actually a tad better statistically than Brooks' were. As 18-year olds it was 1.09 vs. 0.97 and as 19-year olds it was 1.88 vs. 1.67. As a 20-year old Brown led his AHL team in scoring while Brooks is running hog-wild in the WHL. Admittedly the comparison is a little tricky as Brown had McDavid with him as a 19-year old, but Brooks' 20-year old season has him on an absolutely dominant offensive team that actually sees him trailing Sam Steel by a few points.
But I think it's fair to say that if you compare their developments Brown has always either been slightly ahead of Brooks or roughly on par. If that holds, we should get a pretty effective middle-6 forward type player out of Adam Brooks. But Brown's biggest test came in his first AHL season, Brooks hasn't gotten that far yet. But if he does pass that like Brown did then we should get a pretty effective middle-6 type forward out of him. As far as 4th round picks go that's pretty good. But it's not really the type of player that makes a William Nylander expendable.
dekedastardly
Member
I remember a time not all that long ago when this team didn't have ANY skilled players like him in their system. I like Willie the Kid. Wicked shot, slick passer, deadly on the PP. Alex Steen was given up on far too soon. I think Nylander will be dynamite in a year or two.