Nico or Nolan

[NJDfan1711]

On 5/3/2017 at 3:46 PM, Jimmy Leeds said:

Yet, I'd prefer a swap with Philly (with something nice tossed in) and let them decide. Consequences be damned

Never gonna happen.  As much as we hate them and would love to think they're stupid, they ain't the Chicago Bears

8 minutes ago, roomtemp said:

Would a swap be realistic and what in return would we be able to get in doing so? Maybe if it was the Chicago Bears a 1st next year but is Philly that stupid?

Haha, I was 8 minutes too slow in responding.  Gmta

[Antiquated Colorado Rockie]

-Nico looks to be a more explosive skater, more dynamic and has better youube highlights so I'll go with him, lol.

-more seriously, his first season in NA was seriously impressive and on a bad team and he wowed against the top players in the world in his age group at the world juniors.

 

can't be no.1 from the trainers table

#teamnico

 

Edited May 7, 2017 by Antiquated Colorado Rockie

[Onddeck]

i cant see this team passing on Nolan.. before the injury this last year he would've been unanimous #1... You cant teach size and he's a huge guy (Nico actually isn't small either)

there is a part of me that LOVES the flashy player but i think you HAVE to discount the Q league Nico plays in

[LittleBallofHate]

I'm looking forward to seeing the Pre-Draft Final Rankings; it's amazing how close the latest TSN rankings were, per Bob MacKenzie: 

"For TSN's Draft Lottery edition, five scouts ranked the 6-foot-2, 198-pound Patrick No. 1; five scouts ranked the 6-foot-1, 176-pound Hischier No. 1. The Swiss pivot has closed the gap with his dynamic play, which came at a time when Patrick's injury-riddled season was ended prematurely by an upper-body ailment that wasn’t related to the groin/abdominal issues that plagued him for the first half of the season.

In order to break the Nolan-Nico dead heat, TSN decided to survey another 10 scouts representing another 10 teams and – yup, you guessed it – five named Patrick as No. 1 and five put Hischier at No. 1.

Twenty NHL teams; another deadlock.

In order to break the tie, TSN surveyed three more scouts from three more teams. Patrick got two votes for No. 1; Hischier got one."

I read an old article on Ray Shero that stated he was a Scout for 6 years before he started doing the Assistant GM thing so he must know a thing or two about what to look for (and I'm hoping Castron is no slouch either).  In a recent interview, Ray said he's been on the road for most of the second half of the season, watching our kids and prospective draft picks (since the NHL Devils were so lousy there was no use watching them). 

[sokar]

Just wondering but what is the difference between WHL and QMJHL

[Antiquated Colorado Rockie]

2 hours ago, sokar said:

Just wondering but what is the difference between WHL and QMJHL

locale.

WHL - Western Hockey League; in western Canada and a few teams in the Pacific NorthWest.

QMJHL - Quebec Major Junior Hockey League; Quebec and the Canadian eastern maritime provinces.

WHL is known as a more defensive, tougher brand of hockey, QMJHL is more offensive and wide open.

[nessus]

One thing about Patrick that I'm not seeing many people mentioning is that he is such a great goal scorer. It's not just that he's got an incredibly accurate or powerful shot. You'll look at some of these highlight videos, and see he scores so many different types of goals. He can carry the puck from his own D zone and score. You'll also see some Ovechkin-like goals where he'll go wide, and cut to the middle. Slap shots from far out, quick and unexpected wrist shots from the blue line, garbage goals, getting to the right place at the right time. This guy really does it all when it comes to goal scoring, and I'm not sure why this isn't being emphasized.

As far as playmaking, he seems to be one step ahead of most players on the ice, and is always very aware of where his teammates are. This is where I brought up the Matthews comparison before, with the way that Nolan seems to be on another level compared to his peers. He will make these deceptive no-look passes and make them look easy. All around, great hockey IQ.

The thing with Hischier is that his game relies heavily on his speed and stickhandling. This isn't a bad thing, but compared to Patrick, who isn't as fancy, it seems as if Patrick isn't on Hischier's level. But Nolan does have a lot of skill, and he is a pretty fast skater as well. He just plays smart so that he doesn't need to rely on his speed or fancy moves to get the job done. This is definitely not a knock on Hischier, but rather pointing out different approaches to the game.

This is why I'm really hoping Shero and Castron go with Nolan Patrick. Both seem like great options, but Nolan is too good to let the Flyers take, in my opinion.

[LittleBallofHate]

I enjoyed reading Draft Site's write-ups on Patrick & Hischler so I figured I'd post them here...  

They have Nico going to us at #1 so I'll post his first (Edited to add that they have his "secondary position" as Right Wing): 

The best Swiss player in the 2016 World U-18s, graduated to become their best player in the 2017 World U-20. He is a centre-wing with quickness and skill. Has a scorer's mentality, but displays high passing skills to go along with his elusiveness. Great vision and follow through. He reads the play in both ends and when in control of the puck, he uses his soft hands and stick skills to move the pace of the game. Plays fast. Is great on his edges and his agility lets it appear as if he fazed in from nowhere to control pucks and score. Maybe more importantly, he seems anchored to the ice sheet -- unfazed by contact -- and plays strong on the puck, continuing through traffic to finish. In a congested crease area, he seems to root around and find the truffle before others realize it's in the back of the net. He takes the pucks in open areas, reads the ice in front of him, slashes through defenders in the hard areas to the front and lets it fly with an extremely quick deceptive release. Adequate in his own end (positionally strong), but he knows what side his bread is buttered. Not big or edgy, and there is room for growth in both areas, but displays toughness in how he attacks, attacking the box and letting his sneaky wrist shot fly. In a draft class with the early marquee choices injured and the best of the rest seeing their production fall off, why not first over-all? He lacks thickness and can add pounds and muscle. 

Nolan: 

To most he is the 2017 draft class front-runner who does everything well. His greatest strengths at this point are his on-ice vision, maturity and competitiveness. Hopefully he will continue to improve into a three-zone player. He is already big and has displayed a notable improvement in his skating, mobility and strength. Excellent stop and start skater who explodes away from defenders. Light on his edges; difficult to contain when on the fly. Patrick is a terrific passer who holds the puck until just the right moment and then finds his spot. Goes to the net hungrily and with all possible dispatch. A good decision maker; his development is coming along nicely, especially skating and on-ice pacing. Nephew of James Patrick. 

Edited May 8, 2017 by LittleBallofHate

[Devilsfan118]

Hischier seems to be getting more popular every day as the #1 guy.  Not sure if it's legit or if it's just people trying to generate hype for the draft (like many did with Eichel vs. McDavid).

[DevsMan84]

After reading about both for the past week or so, I am going to go with hoping Nolan Patrick will be selected with our pick.

[Devs3cups]

7 hours ago, DevsMan84 said:

After reading about both for the past week or so, I am going to go with hoping Nolan Patrick will be selected with our pick.

Why so? Curious to read your opinion. 

[Chimaira_Devil_#9]

The more I read and the more I see I am leaning towards Hischier. He seems much more dynamic that Patrick. 

If the Devils are still looking at building around that "fast, attacking , supportive" motto you would expect them to take Hischier. 

[lucifer91]

16 hours ago, DevsMan84 said:

After reading about both for the past week or so, I am going to go with hoping Nolan Patrick will be selected with our pick.

I am with you on this.  I have been flipping back and forth on this but it comes down to this. NP has been under the microscope for 2-3 years, whereas Nico hasn't been as long. So Nolan feels like less of a bust potential.  I am afraid (and I admit I don't know prospects as much as some of you), that Nico will turn into a Yakupov or alexander daigle type.  We can't afford that.

If he is healthy I have to say we have to go with Nolan.

[Jerzey]

Some think Nico will end up on the wing at the NHL level. If that's true or even possible I'd rather go with Nolan. It looks like we're already moving Zacha to wing and I'd rather have that true 1C than another dynamic winger. Still be happy with either though.

[DevsMan84]

10 hours ago, Devs3cups said:

Why so? Curious to read your opinion. 

Nico just seems to be 1-dimensional and looks like he benefited from a good season in a weak league.  Nolan has a little more accomplished body of work and seems the more safe bet.

[Devilsfan118]

1 hour ago, Jerzey said:

Some think Nico will end up on the wing at the NHL level. If that's true or even possible I'd rather go with Nolan. It looks like we're already moving Zacha to wing and I'd rather have that true 1C than another dynamic winger. Still be happy with either though.

If Nolan is the true center of the two, it's a no brainer for me.  HAVE to take the natural center.  We don't need another elite winger (I mean, we do, but..) we haven't had an elite center with size in ages.

[Lateralous]

2 hours ago, Jerzey said:

Some think Nico will end up on the wing at the NHL level. If that's true or even possible I'd rather go with Nolan. It looks like we're already moving Zacha to wing and I'd rather have that true 1C than another dynamic winger. Still be happy with either though.

Has anyone ever said this or was it just assumed when we won the draft lottery combined with McLeod really picking up his game in the second half of the year?   I know Zacha produced much better as a wing this year but that's to be expected of a rookie.     

[DevilMinder]

I am taking the we need a natural center route also. Another big thing to me is that one of these guys is going to one of our arch rivals right after we pick.

 

Who would you rather not play multiple times a year?

[aylbert]

I'm going Nolan Patrick; I think he's a better fit for us and I hope he overcomes the injuries.
Nico, to me, seems like a better fit for the Flyers.

But honestly, either of them are great picks to have.

[HOLLYWOOD]

Comparison I'm probably picking Nico since Bettman and the NHL have turned the game into a Kentucky Derby race of speed.  They used to say about hockey that skating was 75% of the game. I think it's up to 80% today, with speed and moves defenses have to give you more room, which equates to the advantage today.

[Jerzey]

6 hours ago, Lateralous said:

Has anyone ever said this or was it just assumed when we won the draft lottery combined with McLeod really picking up his game in the second half of the year?   I know Zacha produced much better as a wing this year but that's to be expected of a rookie.     

Definitely my assumption since that's where he played most of last season. He was centering Hall at the very end of the year so maybe he will end up at center. I thought he played pretty good when he was at center they just didn't give him great line mates. 

Whatever happened with him and the Czech team? I heard he didn't pass his physical. 

[lazer]

if ilya is back does that change who you pick depending if ilya stays or does that have no effect

right away you say no effect but...yeah

[dmann422]

22 hours ago, lazer said:

if ilya is back does that change who you pick depending if ilya stays or does that have no effect

right away you say no effect but...yeah

I can guarantee that it will have no effect. Shero will pick who he thinks is the best player. That's all you ever do with the first overall, no matter the sport- you maximize the value by picking the best player no matter how it fits with the team. (There may be few exceptions)

I also don't buy into Dreger's bs that the pick may be traded... it's a desperate attempt to build drama when there's barely any surrounding this draft. I just can't see a scenario where we pass on a potential #1C- be it Nico or Nolan unless a team makes a stupid offer, and it doesn't seem like either of those two guys have the pedigree to attract stupid offers.

My money's still on Patrick as the pick.

[CommonDreads]

If you're looking at who would be a better fit with Taylor Hall down the road, I think Nolan Patrick should be the guy. Just feel like Patrick plays a more all-around game than Nico and Nolan has a more natural scorers touch, whereas I see Nico as more of a playmaker. Nolan can play both ends of the ice and finish when Hall sets him up, basically we saw last year that Zajac was a pretty good fit for Taylor because of Travis' two-way game, I think Nolan could be a similar fit but with much more offensive potential.

[Marshall]

6 hours ago, CommonDreads said:

If you're looking at who would be a better fit with Taylor Hall down the road, I think Nolan Patrick should be the guy. Just feel like Patrick plays a more all-around game than Nico and Nolan has a more natural scorers touch, whereas I see Nico as more of a playmaker. Nolan can play both ends of the ice and finish when Hall sets him up, basically we saw last year that Zajac was a pretty good fit for Taylor because of Travis' two-way game, I think Nolan could be a similar fit but with much more offensive potential.

I'd let Nico carry his own line. Spread the wealth.