NHL Draft Preview: Matt Duchene

FanHouse is previewing the prospects of the top players and teams with high picks in Friday's NHL Draft. This is the fourth post in a six part series.

In this year's draft, the consensus is that there are three players who are head and shoulders above all the rest: John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene. Today, we'll take a look at Duchene, a 5-foot-11 center from Peterborough, Ontario, and what he brings to the table.

NHL Draft Previews: Islanders | Lightning | Avalanche

What He Is

For most of the year, Duchene has been widely regarded as the second-best forward in the draft behind Tavares. Ahead of the rest of the pack, but not close to The Newest Chosen One. However, that gap has closed in many circles since the Islanders obtained the first overall pick in the lottery back in April. Maybe because of his performance at the combine and OHL playoffs, or simply an urge to sell scouting reports, many people who are a lot smarter than I and scout players for a living have moved Duchene up on their draft board.

And that is perfectly fine. What Duchene brings to the table is completely different than what Tavares or Hedman bring. Each player plays a different position and has different talents. If you're looking for a stud two-way center in this draft, Duchene is your guy. When you think of this kid, think of Steve Yzerman. A fast center -- scouts rave about just how fast he is -- with a scoring touch, who is responsible in his own zone.

What He Isn't

A few people have had made the argument that Duchene is the type of player who would bring home a Stanley Cup, while Tavares is simply a scorer who doesn't bring the intangibles to accomplish that. Make no mistake, either player could help bring home a Stanley Cup. A two-way center is no more valuable to a Stanley Cup winning team than a 40-goal scorer unless, you know, you have too many of one and too few of the other.

Both Tavares and Duchene should be great forwards in this league. Let's not start to declare that one can lead a team to the promised land and the other can't before they've even skated on NHL ice.

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