PLD-Rep

[Avalanche_Ambush]

Wondering what you guys think Pierre luc Dubois will turn into. When he was drafted I was reading comparisons to Jamie Benn. But lately I've been reading others say he'll be a david backes. I was offered him in a points only dynasty and don't really know what to thin of him. He did well statistically in his draft year but struggled this season. He has NHL size and can play all 3 forward positions but will he ever live up to his draft position? If so how long until he starts showing it?

[Jouko-Pouko]

He will live up to his draft position but it will take a few years. Solid 70+ point upside IMO.

[Avalanche_Ambush]

He will live up to his draft position but it will take a few years. Solid 70+ point upside IMO.

So do you see him bumping wennberg from 1c or playing on his wing? or centering the 2nd line?

[Jouko-Pouko]

So do you see him bumping wennberg from 1c or playing on his wing? or centering the 2nd line?

Too early to tell if he can succeed at the NHL level playing center. But he has enough talent to become a better player then Wennberg is, so I don't worry too much about him right now. Playing wing is also a real possibility for Dubois.

[tcat]

I'm personally a bit concerned about his points production and also don't love how he didn't really make a statistical step forwards after his draft year. If I had him I'd likely shop him around looking for someone to overpay... But that's just me. He could be useful in other stat categories though and to maybe make up for him never getting to that top line point level.

[yougo]

He will live up to his draft position but it will take a few years. Solid 70+ point upside IMO.

My live-viewing sample size is small but I really don't see the offensive upside in Dubois. To be honest, I only saw his WJC final performance and the last games of the Q finals of him. I was underwhelmed. I did not see a skillset that seems to translate to the NHL. His hands were not particularly fast, his foot speed was average and his shot unimpressive. With that said, he has a really good hockey IQ. He's always at the right place. He's not afraid of throwing his weight around. It's too early to really get a fair opinion about his potential but I don't think he should have been a 3rd overall(or top5 pick).

[PenguinHunter]

I am concerned... I think he was relied upon too much in his draft year and was able to put up a tonne of points.

But last year Giovanni Fiore was the guy and totally stole the show from Dubois... I am selling him if I can in any leagues I own him... which is none.

[Jouko-Pouko]

It's funny how quickly most fantasy hockey GMs start doubting top prospects and often times even give up on them but when you're patient, you sometimes end up with guys like Johansen, Scheifele and Draisaitl. I remember a lot of people doubting those guys as well early in their careers. Not saying Dubois will be as good as them, just saying that many times patience is a virtue when it comes to top prospects. I always try to take advantage of this whenever I see it happening, and so far I've been very happy with that strategy.

[yougo]

It's funny how quickly most fantasy hockey GMs start doubting top prospects and often times even give up on them but when you're patient, you sometimes end up with guys like Johansen, Scheifele and Draisaitl. I remember a lot of people doubting those guys as well early in their careers. Not saying Dubois will be as good as them, just saying that many times patience is a virtue when it comes to top prospects. I always try to take advantage of this whenever I see it happening, and so far I've been very happy with that strategy.

I agree with you. Even after all I said, I'd actually try to buy low on Dubois because his Draft+1 season has been really underwhelming and he can only improve on that IMO. He's no Jake Virtanen that's for sure.

[forsbergfan]

I agree with JP above. I'm a big believer in Dubois. The Jackets want him to be their number 1 center, but if he plays wing, that's still perfectly fine (maybe better) fantasy-wise. Definitely more talent than Wennberg, who I really don't see as a solid number 1 center long term.
Jarmo Kekelainen is one of those GMs that you don't doubt. So far, every other questionable move he's been right about, so he gets the benefit of the doubt on Dubois as well.

[Axeman33]

It's funny how quickly most fantasy hockey GMs start doubting top prospects and often times even give up on them but when you're patient, you sometimes end up with guys like Johansen, Scheifele and Draisaitl. I remember a lot of people doubting those guys as well early in their careers. Not saying Dubois will be as good as them, just saying that many times patience is a virtue when it comes to top prospects. I always try to take advantage of this whenever I see it happening, and so far I've been very happy with that strategy.

Truth!

I tend to go with this philosophy. I've said it many times, not everyone explodes like we wish but it's the fools who jump ship early.

[yougo]

Speaking of PLD. Here's an article that came out a couple of minutes ago about his Draft+1 season and the concern that might come with it.

http://thesportsdaily.com/buckeye-st...e-for-concern/

[tcat]

Truth!

I tend to go with this philosophy. I've said it many times, not everyone explodes like we wish but it's the fools who jump ship early.

For the record I wasn't suggesting selling for the heck of selling, but if you can find someone that overvalues him then by all means take advantage. If his value is low then of course hold onto him til the bitter end

[rataylor22]

It's funny how quickly most fantasy hockey GMs start doubting top prospects and often times even give up on them but when you're patient, you sometimes end up with guys like Johansen, Scheifele and Draisaitl. I remember a lot of people doubting those guys as well early in their careers. Not saying Dubois will be as good as them, just saying that many times patience is a virtue when it comes to top prospects. I always try to take advantage of this whenever I see it happening, and so far I've been very happy with that strategy.

I wasn't sold on Dubois actually being a top prospect in his draft year, and as such I'm still not sold on it. Big risers in their draft year based on point production in the Q always makes me hesitate.

[bergman]

His stock should never have been so high as to allow part of one junior season to lower it, in my opinion. If memory serves me, he was also tried at Centre for a significant amount of time in Cape Breton, whether or not that had anything to do with the lower production than the season before, I don't know. He went on to produce at close to his draft-year rate for Armada, so he clearly hasn't lost any pure capability. He put up over a point per game in the playoffs.

I'm with JP's camp on the hold and see approach. I like that he'll be coached by Torts and I think he's goin to be a strong multi-cat player with the same upside he had at the time of his draft - 65-70 pts. Also, I think his production will pick up more quickly if he's kept at wing. If he's allowed to learn to play Centre at the NHL level, I think he still has similar upside but it would lag behind by a few years.