The Windsor-Plymouth playoff series in the OHL has made travel for the league’s scouts and GM easy, as consensus top-two prospects Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin are squaring off in the series. Even Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli was on hand to take in the action Thursday night.
Some are saying the series might serve as a sort of tie-breaker when it comes time to choose one player over the other in June, but Chiarelli told The Sporting News’ Craig Custance he and his staff already have their mind made up.
“We’ve got one guy higher than the other,” Chiarelli told Custance. “Unless there’s a monumental change in this series — but I doubt that will change our mind.”
Of course, then there’s the whole matter of the Bruins even getting a chance to pick between the two or take the one that’s still available. Toronto keeps inching up on Florida, the New York Islanders and Carolina in its attempt to escape next-to-last place in the overall standings. Nothing would stop the Bruins from trading up if they wind up with a pick outside the top two, but then Chiarelli would be in the unenviable position of convincing other GMs he has an assets worth taking.Blake Wheeler? Matt Hunwick? If you value those guys, I have some Enron stock to sell you.









Fair enough.
Wheeler at 24-years-old could have put more pucks in the net, but the kid came straight out of college. Usually a player needs around 3-4 years of pro experience yet he has less than two and already close to 40 career goals.
Normally I would write a player off like this, but he moves well for a big man while still developing. Compare him to a player like Brian Boyle and he is light-years ahead.
Heck, I’d even let Wheeler hit the open market on Jun. 1 and take the compensatory drafts picks. But if they could trade him as part of a package to move up to the top-2 pick, that’d a no-brainer.
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He’s an RFA that’ll probably wind up being overpaid based on potential. Players his size without that killer instinct at his age rarely learn it and that leaves him at best as a third-line player who kills penalties. Maybe last year’s vanishing act was due to just more than being tired out as a first-year pro.
MK
Hey Matt,
Are you THAT low on Wheeler at this point?
I know he may not have the value to receive the first overall pick in exchange for the first, but he looks like a solid secondary threat with plenty of upside.
At 6-5 and almost two twenty-goal seasons under his belt, shouldn’t he garner some interest? Or hold some value no less?