Colborne vs. Saad

[NikW71]

Not for team in sig .. who do you prefer? Here are the scoring categories ...

G - Goals
A - Assists
+/-
GWG - Game Winning Goals
PPP - Power Play Points
SHP - Short handed Points
SOG - Shots On Goal
FOW - Face Off Wins

[DuklaNation]

I take Saad easily here.

[dmvincent]

I'd go with Saad as well.

[Axeman33]

I went with Saad as well. I think he has a better chance to play top 6 minutes in Chi compared to Colborne in TO. I can see Colborne playing on the 3rd line but thats his ceiling for the forseeable future. Grabo is signed now so he will be centering the 2nd line and they will be looking to acquire that elusive top line centre via FA or trade. Colborne isnt that guy right now, nor anytime soon.

[RippedOnNitro]

As a true Dobberfan, I watch the top 215 prospects list every month.

In this case people seem to like Saad more than Colborne, however on the top 215 list Saad is ranked 41st (64.1 points), while Colborne is ranked 11th (77.3 points). That is quite a big difference.

Is that because of Colborne's higher upside on a more longer term? And Saad's lower upside on a shorter term?

I might have it completely wrong...???

[Kwazzie]

personally id go with colborne, theres gotta be a reason hes ranked 11th compared to saad as you said. I think they compared him to joe thornton "light" not a bad comparison at all. saad isnt guranteed anything yet in CHI, hes competing with 3 other highly touted prospects in their system at the moment, and is one of the youngest( was in OHL) Colborne is much farther along the path, and played not too shabby in his cup of coffee at the beginning of this year.

I think we see colborne as a regular faster then saad, and colborne as the higher ceiling as well. If it was a different comparison like nyquist to colborne i would say nyquist could see top 6 time next year consistently, and on top 215 prospects they are ranked closely (3 spots apart i believe). So im not too sure why so many answered a resounding YES to saad, there were tons of question marks about this kids scoring all season until recently in playoffs and what not, hes definetly coming into his own now i dont argue with that but half a season and playoff surge isnt enough to get you top 6 mins on a cup contender for at least another year or 2. hes no patty kane. He will pay his dues in the AHL like everyone else and get his cups throughout the next 2 years.

Of course this is all imho i just felt if anything it should be even arguement or a debate not a clear cut. So i chose to gave the OP a different POV not mentioned yet. Sure Saad could come in rock training camp and make the team, BUT the same could be said for colborne, and with a vacant number 1 center and carlyles statement "if we call up an ahl kid who plays a top 6 role/scoring role then we are going to play him there." grabo has 2nd line duties locked down, bozak fits better as a 3rd line (good defensively) leaving colborne only having to beat him out if theres no big trade. best free agent center available right now is olli jokinen and i'd take bozak over him anyday lol.

[4horsemen]

As a true Dobberfan, I watch the top 215 prospects list every month.

In this case people seem to like Saad more than Colborne, however on the top 215 list Saad is ranked 41st (64.1 points), while Colborne is ranked 11th (77.3 points). That is quite a big difference.

Is that because of Colborne's higher upside on a more longer term? And Saad's lower upside on a shorter term?

I might have it completely wrong...???

The answer is simple, Colborne plays for the Leafs now so you'll have to sift through piles of noise to get another honest opinion about him. You'll get your flat out Leafs bashers and others who don't think they are but deep down have a desire to see them fail (kind of like after you trade a player you always like to see them regress to make you feel better about the trade....maybe that's just me...hahahaha). On the other side of the coin you have your blue blooded Leafs fans who will completely overhype every prospect who comes along and a media who will scrutinize every move the organization makes to the point of distraction.

So, is Saad better than Colborne? I'm not sure, I haven't really seen enough of him, he's certainly ripping a new A-hole in the OHL right now but don't forget that Colborne was doing the same in the AHL for the first half of the year. Dobber's list takes into account timeline and Colborne should be in the NHL shortly. I have no idea why people are ready to go so far out on a limb to suggest that Saad will be a top 6 fixture next year.....I'll go with the odds and say he's not even in the NHL.

Right now I'm taking Colborne but Saad certainly has my attention

[bigbabybuda]

Colborne and it is not even close right now imo....

[RippedOnNitro]

Thanks for the explanations...still learning everyday

[wendelclark17]

To be honest last summer I would have said Colborne by a fair margin but I have changed my opinion over the course of the last year. I would be going with Saad right now if I had the choice.

Colborne is now 22 yrs old he has played two full seasons in the AHL. Last season he had 42 points in 75 games with Toronto and Providence combined (.56 ppg), this season he had 38 points in 63 games (.60 ppg). Not bad numbers but nothing amazing from a former 16th overall 22 yr old. He started the season on an absolute tear with the marlies but ended up slowing down significantly so his scoring drop of the map in the second half. For context Kadri had the same amount of points in in 16 less AHL games this season and Colborne finished tied for 8th among Marlies forwards in ppg production (only included guys who had played more than 20 games). He did play 10 games with the leafs this season while recording 5 points so Im not writing him off but Im also not expecting big things in the near future.

Saad on the other hand has by all accounts really impressed this season. Despite being picked 43rd overall last summer he almost made the hawks out of camp and from apparently really impressed the coaching staff in Chicago playing on the top line in camp. He got sent back to junior and proceeded to tear it up as a 19 yr old (turned 19 last October 27th). Last season he had 55 points in 59 games, this season he had 76 in 44 games and was, if im not mistaken the leading scorer in the OHL from Jan 1st onwards and finished with the highest ppg average in the OHL, however it must be remembered that his older than most players he was playing against. He is also leading in OHL in playoff scoring (or was before last night).

Here a good article from nhl.com yesterday re him and how the blackhawks view him
http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=627063

[Kudelskis Krushers]

Saad did make the Hawks out of camp and played in two games. Played 13 mins in one and almost 15 mins in the other. Even +/-, no points and 3 SOG. Some have called him the most dangerous player in the OHL heading into the playoffs, and I think he's justified that.

At the end of the day, though, I'm not crazy about either of these guys.

Colborne has struggled to put up numbers in the AHL, plain and simple. Has he had his streaks? Yes. But Kadri put up the same points as Colborne this year and in 16 fewer games. We've seen how well he's been doing for us poolies.

Generally, I'm wary of guys that put up big numbers in junior as older guys. Once in a while, you do get a guy who is just a later blooming star (see: Benn) but more often you get a guy that is just catching up to his peers. When I'm drafting, I prefer to find the guys that have consistently led their peers. Of course, my decision whether not to target one of these guys would entirely depend on the depth of the farm teams, the prospects available, how long you can keep them, etc.

One last thing to note is that Colborne should at least contribute in the faceoffs category, whereas Saad plays LW.

All that said, I chose Saad here because I see the upside as higher. Maybe he is that late-bloomer that was hampered by an unfortunate injury in his draft year but turns into a star. I'd rather gamble on that and then dump the guy in a couple of years then invest in a middling prospect. Then again, my opinion might differ depending on league format.