There’s a nice sample size of Michael Misa so far and we’re about to see Martone play a bit, I’m curious looking at #2 to #10 would you take any of the players there instead of Kindel? Me personally I say no.
There’s a nice sample size of Michael Misa so far and we’re about to see Martone play a bit, I’m curious looking at #2 to #10 would you take any of the players there instead of Kindel? Me personally I say no.
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He’s not as flashy as some of the others but his hockey IQ is crazy good
It’s been most of one season. Right now probably not but who flipping knows at this stage
Proven NHL production goes a long way so at this point no. I still expect Misa and Martone at least to be very good eventually though but those are the only two (aside from Schaefer) I’d even have to think about it for and even then I’d put my chips on Kindel right now over both of them.
What he’s doing as an 18 year old in the NHL has pretty much translated to eventual 40-goal, PPG, first line production almost 100% of the time among players who have done this at this age. It’s insane stuff, he’s not only going to stick as an NHL regular but his probability of eventually developing into a legitimate star player is already off the charts.
It depends. We want to be competitive for the next couple years with Malkin and Crosby right? So then no I wouldn’t take anyone other than Schaefer. If we were looking at the bigger picture though, I’d probably want Misa or Frondell long term, but who knows. Kindel is really good, would probably go 3rd or 4th in a redraft.
Probably just Misa and Schaefer honestly. I think a quality center goes a long way and Misa has looked promising, but Kindel is a perfect player to rely on for years to come if he continues to develop
It is way too early to be having this conversation
No, I was a little bewildered when he was taken, but aside from Schaefer, I would keep him 100%.
I would be a little sad about accepting the trade, but that’s because I’m loyal, haha.
Schaefer is a really great kid though and I love him as a person as much as a player. Anyone else and it would be really hard to consider.
Yohe mentioned in an article a few months ago that the penguins had kindle 4th on their board. I would love to know who the other 2 ahead of him were. As of now no I would not take anyone else. Kindles impact is better than his raw numbers and he is 18.
Way too early. Olli Maata looked like a revelation in his rookie year too. Let’s just let things develop a little bit. Looks like a big hit on the 11th pick though which is great for Dubas and team.
I think Hagens and Frondell are gonna be good, Frondell already has a couple points in his first 3 NHL games. I don’t know how sold I am on McQueen at this point, his NCAA season was underwhelming to me.
A good question is would you take any players who were still available *after* him (i.e., players the Pens passed on).
But that is a question that really can’t be answered for a couple years after all have developed.
Hard to say without seeing the others play
Misa, Hagens, Frondell, possibly McQueen, Martin and O’Brien.
Not at all. Kindel isn’t just a slick skater, he has patience and boldness that is not detrimental to the team. My wife likes to joke that he always looks scared on the bench lol he is 18 after all. Whether or not he’s actually scared, it’s obvious to me he’s willing to give/take a hit and he plays hard but smart. I think the kid has serious potential. Comparing him to granny-skater Olli Maata is ridiculous.
Regardless of who was available he looks all the part of NHL player and solid at that
Anyone see that smirk before his shootout winner the other night? The kid loves the show.
Well I can’t prove it but I don’t think any of them would be practicing nailing faceoffs and shootouts as much as he clearly is.
I was the minority that wanted Kindel cuz I was very keen on looking at the prospects that year and if you look at TankAThon metrics, Kindel had a high one relative to his draft pick (helps he had like 90+ points). The only other players I was hoping to land were Martone or Hagens. Martone for the physicality and Hagens because college-players seemed to transition to NHL better recently.
Schaefer obviously everyone wants but I don’t think the Pens were trading up to #1 obviously; however there were rumors(could’ve been false) of Pens maybe trading up for Martone at the time.
His first few games showed he belonged, but his overall development has been accelerated by playing with Crosby and Malkin and seeing how the elites do it. If he went back down, I fear we don’t see him for two years.
Ask again in 3 years. Atm no, but at the draft I was hoping Martone or McQueen. Still bummed we didnt get Smith with Kindel
To soon to tell. He’ll have the usual slump next year, so depends on how he handles that situation we’ll know more his 3rd season if he is the real deal or not.
… I don’t know. Way too early to tell.
I do think Ben is where he belongs, 3rd line center, plus minutes on both special teams.
As a Ben, I couldn’t be more thrilled to see one of my kind excelling
Yes. Making the NHL early doesn’t mean he’s got the highest ceiling and going to be the biggest talent of the bunch.
Ben probably tops out at line 2. He’s still not projected to be a star top line player.
Rose colored glasses off, he’s a great find for the team. But no, not the best talent in the top 11 group. And I want the best talent for the Penguins.
I’d take any of Frondell, Misa, Hagens, Martone, McQueen, or Mrtka over him in a heartbeat.
These guys are projected to be massive impact star players.
Yes. Being NHL ready now or not doesn’t show an indicator for success in the long-term. Any of those picked before could possibly better in 4 or 5 more years time.
Yeah. Misa in particular.
Even if he tops out as 65-70 pt guy it’s still a massive win
It’s hard to say. Ben trades flashy dekes and dipsy-doodles for S-tier decision making. He has a surprisingly sneaky shot and he just has this “gravity/anti-gravity” factor that few players have, much less 18-year olds.
He makes space for himself (way more then you expect a rookie to get/have), the puck “finds” him, he causes that extra little bit of trouble for the opposing team when they have the puck.
At first glance, he may not look like an explosive skater, but he takes a couple strides and all of a sudden he’s 10 feet away from every opposing player.
He just somehow makes SPACE for himself and his linemates, and that is the number 1 thing that allows talent to take over. The most talented player in the world can’t do much of anything if they don’t have space.
I’d only take Schaefer, Misa, and Hagens and even then I think Ben has the best NHL hockey IQ out of the bunch except for Schaefer, who is, as we all know – otherworldly.