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Laine v Matthews

zeke said:
to be honest, I was never really worried about not having the 1st overall. The juju has changed.

Laine has just wowed me in ways matthews hasn't, and given the leagues they've played in and their age difference I'm not overly confident in the statistical comps.

and i'm glad we got marner, not Strome.
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Please stop using youtube highlights to evaluate players.
 
He'll be a great scorer, no doubt. But so will Matthews. And Matthews also has playmaking, and two way ability that Laine doesn't even come close to having.
 
just haven't seen matthews dominate the puck and ozone for entire shifts like laine seems to be able to do almost effortlessly.

i will be glad to be wrong though.
 
would be nice to see matthews show the ability to toy with the opposition like laine does, though.
 
not a lot of guys are able to toy with nhl defensemen, though.

sometimes it's the guys who do it a bit quieter who have the better careers.

matthews looks to me like the total package. he does everything well. skates well, shoots well, moves the puck well. he's got some good size. he's good on the draw. he plays both ends of the ice.

laine has some dynamite skill but that doesn't always translate as well (in fact, usually it doesn't).

also, watching crawford get interviewed today - he seemed genuinely blown away by matthews. he thinks he's a superstar.
 
nah crosby made people look silly on the reg.

i mean obviously matthews is great, and rock solid all around, but i've always said go for upside no matter what and laine has some magic that not many do.

i don't think it's a no-brainer, at least.

the world championships are gonna be an interesting showcase.
 
I agree with you but Matthews has a higher upside than Laine and I don't think that's close. We're talking John Tavares-level good here. Like.. Top 3-5 center in the NHL-level good.
 
Marc Crawford describes him as a mix between Kopitar's dominant two way game with Sakic skill level and Benns edge. Matthews' highlights might seem boring, but he is scoring at the same or better rate to Laine playing an NHL style game. Crawford was raving about how the guy dominated the Swiss league like no one he's ever seen before, including the NHLers during the lockout, and was one of the best players he's coached... And he's coached some good ones. Elite #1 center that cup winning dynasty's can be built around is pretty high upside. Even if he's not on the nightly highlights of the night like Bure or Selanne.
 
And the reality is there are so few opportunities to add that center, and it is a necessary piece to any cup winning team. Toews, Kopitar, Crosby/Malkin, Datsyuk/Zetterberg, Geztlaf, Staal, Lecavalier/Richards, Sakic/Forsberg, Yzerman/Fedeorov, Modano/Nieuwnedyk, Messier, Lemieux/Francis, Getzky/Messier, Trottier, Nieuwnedyk/Gilmour. So few teams win a cup without a hall of fame #1 center or two. The Devils, Bruins and Canadiens are the only teams to do it in the last 30 years, if not ever, and they all had some of the best goaltending of all time (Roy, Brodeur, Thomas).
 
well we may have a pretty good one already.

Age 18

Nylander (SWE): 21gms, 20pts (#6 ppg)
Matthews (SWI): 36gms, 46pts (#4 ppg)

Nylander (WJC): 7gms, 10pts
Matthews (WJC): 7gms, 11pts

Age 17

Nylander (WJC18): 7gms, 16pts
Matthews (WJC18): 7gms, 15pts
 
Yeah and now we have two.

Matthews/Nylander for the next decade plus down the middle is unreal. Two elite players that can anchor lines. That essentially sets up the team to contend for 10-15 years. Throw in Kadri for the next 6 years and this team should be real tough to play against down the middle. Throw in Marner on the wing, and Reilly on the blue line and that is one hell of a home grown core to build a team around. This team should be competitive real soon.
 
the positional argument doesn’t do much for me, tbh. like I said i'm glad we have marner not strome. I think kane is more important than toews.
 
I'm glad we have Marner instead of Strome too, because Marner is better and will be our version of Kane. At worst Laine is in the same conversation with Matthews (which I don't think he is) and all other things being equal position comes into play.

Kane may be more important than Toews, but that doesn't make Toews any less important. They don't win 3 cups without either of them.
 
people didn't agree marner was better on draft day.

and drafting for need is never a good argument either, imo, and especially since we have a damn good center prospect already.
 
zeke said:
especially since we have a damn good center prospect already.
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And Matthews is better.

Your over-rating Matthews makes no sense and is happening at the same time all the media retards are suggesting the same.

Matthews > Laine.
 
I thought Marner was better on draft day and would have picked him over Strome if we picked 3rd. I said at the time he'd be right there with Eichel for #2 if he were 6'2 200.

Matthews isn't drafting for need, its just the rare occasion where the stars align and the BPA and need line up. Matthews is the best hockey player in this draft IMO. If I thought Laine was a better hockey player I'd be with you, just like I was with Marner over Strome last year.
 
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