Quoting: exo2769
We can agree to disagree on DeHaan. We'll likely have to do the same for Nylander. I don't dislike the kid and I do think the BUF fans were overblown about his lack of effort overall. I can even admit that my reaction to the trade (probably the most unhappy out of anyone) was overblown.
https://www.capfriendly.com/forums/thread/250338
With that said, I do very much think that at least for the short term...he proven that he can NOT be a top 6 player in the NHL. Not only have other quality players decreased when Nylander's been introduced to their line...his own play has decreased when assigned a top 6 role.
As for the AHL thing.
https://thehockeywriters.com/top-10-best-ice-hockey-leagues/
I get what you are saying about Nylander and true but the issue with Suter is he is a complete mystery never having played on NA ice. More often then not, the best kids out of Europe are playing on NA ice and to be 24 and never played here, well the odds are against you. Yes, there are needles in a haystack in Panarin or Kubalik but the large majority never make it while they can maintain successful careers in Europe. I hope Suter is another Kubalik, but watching a lot of his videos, I see more Kahun in him which is great, a good find by the European scouts and should make for a good 3rd maybe 2nd line winger.
Nylander on the other hand has without question more raw talent then Suter based on everything I've seen. The biggest issue is can Nylander put it all together and IMO get the smarts to react and predict plays faster...still a lot of hesitation to his game and wondering if he's just not all that bright. That said, both players are very different. Suter is a 200 ft player that isn't going to dazzle in any one area but is really well rounded (hence the Kahun comparison) whereas Nylander is all offensive playmaking.
I agree Nylander isn't ready for a top 6 role but we don't have anyone else unless we weaken the 3rd line. If we are trying to balance 3 lines with solid 2 assets on each line (Toews/Kubalik, Kane/Dach, Strome/Debrincat) and keeping with the theme of 3 roles on each line (2 way defense guy, playmaker and shooter), then the above makes sense and what I was going for.
I agree the AHL is not better then the top teams in the KHL as 2 maybe 3 of them could actually play in the NHL as a bottom 3rd team in the league. However, the bottom teams in the KHL are not good at all, very big disparity in that league. The SHL or Liiga were traditionally close to behind the KHL but Czech, Swiss and German leagues are getting better with the Swiss probably being the standout of those three.
That all said, while AHL teams as a whole may be a bit behind the SHL, Liiga, NLA; you will usually find 3 or 4 players in the AHL that are better then the top 3 or 4 players from those teams in those leagues given this is indeed a NHL development league with players with NHL careers ahead of them or back and forth. As an example, put Hagel on a European league and he'd be a stud; same can probably be said for Kurashev (who'd be playing in the Swiss league if that was the best league for him to enter the NHL).
It's an interesting debate and I know that Hockey Writers article is a couple years old (updated for 2020) but don't necessarily agree with the rankings. Here's a deeper analysis that is interesting as well.
https://hockey-graphs.com/2020/03/02/which-league-is-best/