Alright. I need you to listen carefully here.
Cayden Lindstrom is going to be drafted way before Seattle is ever gonna get the chance. Like, way, way, way before. It’s not going to be close. The chances of anyone being stupid enough to let him fall more than 5 spaces would end up with a mass firing of junior scouts.
…But there is Always A Chance, as we’ve learned throughout the years. So let’s talk about Cayden Lindstrom; one of the most impressive players in the draft…while also being one it’s most mercurial.
Who is he?
Cayden Lindstrom is a Canadian-Born Forward who measures up to 6’4, and weighs in at 216 pounds. He plays in the Canadian Junior WHL, and he plays for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Central Division.
What’s he good at?
Goalscoring.
Cayden Lindstrom, if he gets drafted and his 2023-24 turned out to be nothing but bad luck, could be such a steal for anyone who gets him. This kid is just a goddamn rockstar of a forward.
Being a big body and being more than willing to use it is one thing; that would make him an attractive to just about any NHL team. Lindstrom combines that willingness to crash and bash with some truly phenominal skating; able to get to a high speed quickly, and his lateral movement seems to lose no momentum when he uses it, turning him from a freight train into a frenetic missile headed straight for the opponent’s net. What makes him even more impressive is his ability to maneuver with the puck; his hand-eye coordination and playmaking vision makes him not just a dangerous scorer; given that he can put an absolute bomb on net thanks to his impressive strength, but also a dangerous passer; allowing him to be a potent part of Medicine Hat’s offense.
On Defense, many of the same qualities of his game that make his offense fun and dangerous, such as his sheer determination, his willingness to play the body, and his skating, make him just as much of a handful to deal with in his own end of the ice. Due to being a gigantic lad, he very clearly enjoys imposing his will when he gets the chance; throwing checks to shut down offensive chances, or rapidly shutting down lanes with his mobility and frame. Thanks to being extremely hard to shake off, board battles with him become fierce and pitched, and often a win for Medicine Hat thanks to his long stick and clever use of it, and when he re-establishes possession, his strong passing and skating means he can either create a safe zone exit with his legs, or potentially open up the ice with .
Let me be clear here; a player with his skillset and frame is rare. Guys who can do this stuff at even a fraction of what they’re capable of at the NHL level generally have pretty long careers. So what could possibly have him fall all the way to 8th overall?
Well…
What does he need to work on?
Not getting hurt is THEE biggest thing he needs to work on. By a mile and a half.
Cayden Lindstrom’s toolset probably should’ve gotten him shot into the top 3 had he finished both of his first two seasons with the Tigers. Regrettably, Lindstrom’s luck seems absolutely shot for his draft year; spending a lot of it on the mend no thanks to a back injury and hand injury that kept him out of action for most of the back half of the year, as well as keeping him out of international play; only managing to log 32 games in total. In his short stint back with Medicine Hat in the WHL playoffs, he also looked noticeably hobbled, only able to conjure a pair of points through four games. While Lindstrom did manage to bounce back strong and is expected to take part in the Draft’s fitness testing, the fact we only got a taste of what he’s truly capable of that leaves him at a nearly total unknown.
What we do have is pretty understandable given his relentless style of play; because he tries to create plays almost out of habit, he can sometimes force an unintended turnover when trying to create a scoring chance, or find himself a little lost in the defensive end if he doesn’t have a guy to hound for the puck. Further, given that he’s always trying to accelerate into a full blown cycle on his own, his stride is a little unusual; moving a bit stiff while at speed, and as such it gives his transition game a little bit of a telegraph of trying to blow past a player with a quick motion and a self-pass; which smart players can and have caught him on as he tries to move around them on the play and turned the puck back up ice. If he can iron that out, he can give himself a lot more tools to evade backcheckers in the neutral zone, and get back to the thing that he likes doing best; creating plays and problems for the other team.
But of course, that’s only from a very select few games at the beginning of the year. Perhaps he just had a rough go and that can be the end of it, and he’ll have a 100+ point season out in Medicine Hat…but the questions remain about whether or not his back will hold up to scrutiny. Injuries like this have followed players into the NHL, and have cut their careers in half by being aggravated.
My Verdict
Again. There is no way in hell a 6’4 dude who can move like Lindstrom does, score like he does, and can force as much space as he does is going to be available at 8th overall.
Even with the substantial injury risk, a big man who can do what he does is worth a Top 5 pick. He’s a 200 foot player who skates like a waterbug and is well over a point per game even in his extremely limited time, and would’ve almost certainly been a representative of Canada in the U18 Worlds if he was able to be. The stuff he’s capable of doing will make him a legend in Medicine Hat if he can complete his next season.
But…the injuries he’s faced are rough. Sure, the hand injury healed pretty quick, but back injuries that aren’t consistently maintained are liable to return in force. Someone might get a little antsy about it. Seven whole GMs might get antsy about it.
On the very off chance that they do…you will have to think very long and hard about this. Even with the risk, the chance of having a dude who can be all these things would be committing to a potential grand slam of a prospect. All of the things you ask for in a player in one guy.
If he’s available, what do you do?
Stats via EliteProspects.com
Well hey! Told you we’d get to forwards! Next week will be me trying to right this derailed train as we move into Berkly Catton, Trevor Connelly, and yes…Cole Eiserman.
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