LGR4GM

Comps are for playing style not, this guy will be this guy in 5 years.

Well I didn't say that. If you draft a guy like Eiserman to replace Skinner in this scenario, that is mistake. You have 2-3 years of Eiserman no where near the NHL and then another 2-3 years of Esierman adapting to the NHL. Maybe in 5 years you might have Eiserman able to replace Skinner. Skinner and Eiserman aren't connected IMO. The player on track to replace Skinner is either Benson or Kulich.

They don't play similar IMO. Eiserman has a better shot and not the shifty skating. Demidov would be a better comparison to Skinner.

Explain what about it? Well I doubt he is available if a player like Matthews is available, you make room for his contract.

Sometimes. But I also think that Tuch waxes and wains with his checking. The takeaway part would be the main concern I have with Eiserman as I think that is a weak spot. In the offensive zone though, you see him carry in or through traffic. He isn't a perimeter type of guy, he goes inside to get shots off... he also will sometimes toss pucks on net from the outside cuz I think he doesn't always pick the best play. He's an incomplete player more so than some others which is hard to evaluate because he's got the tools but pulling them out of his toolbox is a bit hit and miss (except his shot, that's great). I gotta watch more on him and read more on him. I feel like I don't have a good feel for him.

He just beat Caufield's USDP scoring record but he's bigger than those 2 guys listed, significantly. I think due to not being a 5'8" which is small, he will be able to do some more things if he rounds out his game. At 6' 200lbs already with a late August birthday, we are talking about the potential for a 6'1" 210lbs forward with his shot and if he spends some time in college and maybe even the AHL really working on his game, there's a Alex Tuch with a better shot type of guy there. He's a hard projection because his floor is pp specialist who's a 3rd liner that is fine at even and his ceiling is Auston Matthews scoring with less of a 200ft game.

"he won't be rushed! but also he wants to act quickly and he won't wait" ... lovely contradictory tweet going on here

Who?

Well if it is like the Sabres search they talked to him before firing Keefe and should have it wrapped up within the week.

What if I told you that there was a guy in the draft who had scored 90 goals in the 88 games he played this season between the USDP, USHL, and WJC-U18? It is time to discuss Cole Eiserman, the 6' 196lb winger with a very late August bday who is only about 16 days shy of being 2025 draft eligible. He put up 90 goals and 133 total points in his 90 games played as a true 17yr old. In most years, this would be a top 5 guy so why is his consolidated ranking 14? Let's start with the good and work our way down. First this is a player that has a ptsPG number higher (1.55) than Cooley (1.49), Zegras (1,45), or Boldy (1.27) at the USDP. He is just behind Caufiled at 1.56 and that puts Eiserman at 5th for the USDP over the last 20 years. Shots, shots, shots! Let's just cover his shot. It is the best shot in this class and is closer to Bedard than it should be. He can shoot from just about anywhere at anytime and he can shoot heavy and quick. He is accurate. In fact there is not a single bad thing I can say about his shot. Go watch the highlights, he scores from everywhere. Now there is some debate when you get into his skating but I don't really understand it. He doesn't have any stride issues I see and he generates power and speed, often leading the rush. His skating is above average IMO with some need to incorporate more east/west cuts but again, he can do them. His shot and skating allow him to use his hands which are good but they aren't great. He catches pucks at weird angles sometimes and still manages to shoot which is impressive. His dangles though are just fine, nothing crazy that I have seen but you also aren't worried he can't manipulate someone a hair to get his shot off. Final thought is there are clips you can find where he is really physical. There is one I saw where he is driving down the wing and just pushes his way through a guy, I love it. But that is a good segue. So the reason Eiserman is sliding on boards is consistency. That applies to all levels of the ice IMO. Less so in the offensive zone but sometimes without the puck he is just kinda there. On defense though, we have a problem. He does a lot of drives bys. Just cruises by, puts his stick in and circles back. It drives me up a wall because, he also sometimes will engage on the defensive side and he is pretty good. He tosses his body in there and will battle and win. The issue is it doesn't happen often enough. Idk if it improved a bunch over the year (because I don't watch all the games or guys all year because I am human) but there is some stuff in reports indicating it is getting better. With all that said, I don't get the impression that Cole doesn't care about defense. In fact, I have the opposite impression and it has to do with game maturity. That sounds like I am saying he is immature but it is more like he's still learning. Look if he was a October 27th bday, I would be really worried but he's an August 29th bday meaning he just hasn't gotten all that development some others have. That brings me to this quote: He's smart and he is mature in the traditional sense. He just needs to focus and develop the defensive side of his game which is why everyone talks about "rounding out his game". I think he can get there because I get the impression he cares a lot and has worked hard to improve his game. There is another quote from the same article from Eiserman: He seems very aware of his faults and idk, I like the edges to him. He has a bit of an attitude but it isn't a bad attitude but more of a determined attitude. Hard for me to explain. Basically I think that Eiserman is only getting better and his goal scoring will translate to the NHL. We haven't really talked about his passing but he makes some really nice passes and I think he sees the ice well, not great but well enough that he can make passes and setup teammates. The more he develops that part of the game the more it will give him tools to manipulate defenses. Is he shooting or passing? That said, his shot is good enough idk if it matters if you know he is shooting. Either way, he is a fun kid and a fascinating study. If he makes it to 14 which is San Jose again, they will take him. Mack Celebrini and Cole Eiserman are buddies and get along well. God help the NHL if Celebrini and Eiserman are playing off eachother. That's like giving Crosby Ovechkin as a winger. Final thought, there is a chance you are getting a pure shooter who ends up as a PP specialist but never really is a solid top line option. Is Eiserman better Olofsson or is he discount Auston Matthews? Hard to tell right now but at 11 he would be a worthy pick and is different than our other forwards. He has top line potential and if he continues to grow, could be a major steal in the draft. Hope to read some final reports on him before the draft to really give him solid consideration for the top 10.

I thought about Crosby the other day too. No idea if he'd ever be available but Pittsburgh has to rebuild and we have enough pieces to execute that trade.

Hmm. Maybe.

Yes. Trade for him.

Well in my defense, this sentence is nonsensical. "Do you likewise find pics of one young centre who got a 7-8 year deal based on a small sample size (career year?) congratulating a younger teammate (also a centre) who similarly got extended (big term, small sample size, big year) on a team that missed the playoffs and then regressed and a franchise that is continually setting a record for playoff futility?" Are you asking if we can find other pics of two teammates drinking on a beach after signing contracts?

This has us taking Eiserman ftr.

If Adams doesn't add enough nhl veterans to block the 20yr old kids in Rochester from the 3rd and 4th lines, he's failed.

You're mad about 2 guys on vacation having a beach drink? Holy ***** are we missing the forest through the underbrush.

Tomorrow. I've watched a lot of Eiserman. I have some thoughts. Then I'm done for a bit. Also, I encourage everyone to watch video and read yourself. Form your own opinion.

We have no idea what this team needs 3 years from now. I will say, I think you always need talented grit.

Let's talk about Berkly Catton, the 5'11" 163lb the 54g, 116pts Assistant Capt. of the Spokane Chiefs. First, I honestly hope he slides simply to watch this place meltdown over the fact he is 160lbs and only 5'11". Please let me have that. He was the best player on his team but sadly his team didn't make it out of the first round of the WHL playoffs. Catton had 8 more points than his linemate Roulette but 45 more points than the 3rd player on his team. He is the offensive engine, the driver of his team. Really, quick a stat that pops up in a couple of place (I didn't find this on my own) is that Catton sits 3rd for PtsPG for draft eligible players in the WHL over the past 25 years. Bedard (2.51) and Reinhart (1.75) are the two players above Catton (1.71) with Jarvis (1.69) and Draisaitl (1.64) coming just after. That is some really good company to be a part of. Let's start with the shot because his shot is one of the best in the class and it will only get better as he gets stronger. Quick release that is accurate and already hard, he has that ability to get his stick loaded and fire. He really can fire rockets. You don't get 54 goals if you can't and he can. But if you are just a shot threat, that becomes easier to take away, so maybe we should look at what might be the best passer in this class not named Celebrini or Demidov. Because he has such great hands and a threatening shot, Catton really can manipulate opposing defenders. Once he does that, he has great vision and can make any pass you want. He loves to work pucks inside and find guys on the inside. Watch his reels and you can see him manipulate plays and either speed things or slow them down depending on his feels, which are basically always correct. He reminds me of Jack Quinn in some ways as he can do a bit of everything. Now his skating his just fun to watch. He builds speed with crossovers, he has agility, quickness, and overall great skating. His pull away speed is there but should improve with added strength. He really uses his skating to link his other skills together as he keeps his hands high on on his stick and then uses those dekes while moving to really open things up. Every report talks about how good he can be on the rush and I fully agree. Flies up ice, manipulates the defense, can load up a shot, or make a great pass. Love it. Alright, he isn't all sunshine and sparkles. His defensive zone coverage is meh. It isn't terrible but I wouldn't call it good either. He sometimes loses his guy and even if Spokane is playing more of a zone, he seems to not understand exactly where to be or how to defend it all that well. He does backcheck and forecheck well but needs to get stronger. I think in the NHL, he might end up a winger over center because of that less developed defensive game. Really quick, he will play defense and I think he does try physically but they are underdeveloped aspects of his game that need work. Not surprising for an 18yr old. Overall I would like to see him stronger on pucks in the D zone and to see that offensive hockey IQ translate to the D side of things. I like Catton. He has the skills you want in a first line forward coupled with the IQ to make it all work. His size can be questioned as he physically needs another 15lbs or more of muscle mass to be able to handle some of the rigors he will face as he goes up a level. I think the overall package is nice and when, not if, he develops physically, you could have a nice player that can really break games open offensively while not being a liability defensively. I think Catton slides on draft day if he clocks in at under 6ft and 175lbs because that is the trend in drafts. He shouldn't be available at 11 but could be.

That type of thinking is how you let Zach Benson fall to 13.

Love Keon... but dude. Georgia would have rolled you. Let it go. You don't get to not play in a game and then talk s##t about UGA beating your team down. Georgia wasn't taking out any frustration on FSU for losing to Bama in the SEC championship. Kirby Smart has that team keyed up to win every game, they don't need some magical motivation from losing to Bama to destroy a depleted FSU team. Also, tossing out that Georgia chokes, they literally beat Alabama for the Natty 2 years previously. Kirby has developed a culture where playing for your team even in a didn't matter bowl, matters and talking crap about them is laughable. Again, I love Keon but dude, walk away from this one. FSU got screwed by the CFP committee, they were undefeated and should have gone regardless of injuries just like UGA fans all agree we shouldn't have gone because we lost to Bama, is what it is. Don't invent some bs alternative world where FSU beats UGA because UGA wins the SEC, it doesn't exist. Keon is mad at UGA because if UGA beats Bama, his logic is that Texas then doesn't get it in. So he is blaming UGA for the Committee keeping FSU out. If he and his fellows really felt that way, they should have shown up and beat UGA and ended undefeated, allowing them to have a nice little asterisk about how they should be CFP champions but they didn't. They didn't because they were mad and deep down they KNOW that if they had turned up with all their starters and lost, everyone would have been like "see, you weren't good enough". It was a lose lose. Anyways, still love Keon's personality. His take here is laughable but no one is perfect.

Well, I guess I know who I am doing next.