2016 NHL Entry Draft Discussion

[truck]

I would say the most important position is G.

I also think you are underrating the Jets at C. We have 1a, 1b with Little & Scheif though neither is an 'elite' 1C. Then we have Perreault, Lowry, Burmi and Copp.

That said we could certainly use an upgrade at 1C. If we have Bryan Little playing 3C in a couple of years C is a strength.

I think if we draft in the first 3 the choice makes itself. If we are 4 it gets tougher. Is PLD going to be that elite level 1C? Is one of the D going to develop into a true #1? If we are 6 or lower PLD may be gone and the D are definitely the way to go.

There is no guarantee that MP will be here beyond next year. Little will be a UFA the following year. That makes it a position of concern.

 

[Constable]

pld in the first and one of the glut of LD with high potential in the 2nd

 

[garret9]

Always need more Cs.

 

[Daximus]

Always need more Cs.

This. Virtually every C is a capable winger but the opposite is usually not true.
Little is a 2C on pretty much every contender without question or likely pushed to the wing on others. Sheifele is a great 2C. If anything we have 2 very good 2Cs that are capable 1Cs. Will PLD be that guy? Hard to say. But he plays well enough at this point to take a shot.
The only guys I will be disappointed with us taking if we have a top 10 pick is Tkachuk or McLeod.

 

[Aavco Cup]

pld in the first and one of the glut of LD with high potential in the 2nd

As of today were picking

#4
#29
#34

 

[CaptainChef]

Could he have 1B upside, I wonder? Would two 1B's (Scheif and Dubois) be enough to offset not having an "elite" 1C?

Thinking about it another way: if we had Couturier and Scheifele splitting duties as 1B's (different deployments), would this be enough to move us into a position to compete with the big dogs?

Just ruminating...

I realize that BPA is probably the way to go, just hoping if we don't get one of the top 3, we go for the best D or C prospect available (positions of greatest need down the road for sure)

 

[Jetabre]

Unless the winger is indisputably BPA by quite a bit, we really need a C or D more than high end wingers in the system.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

There is no guarantee that MP will be here beyond next year. Little will be a UFA the following year. That makes it a position of concern.

Possibly. It certainly should be on the radar. I don't think it is as likely a problem as LHD where we are already thin and can expect Toby to decline about the same time his contract expires. He only needs to lose a half step to become ineffective. He can't compensate for slow feet with his great size.

I expect both MP and Little to be re-signed but you never know. I don't expect more than another 3 years from MP (4 from now that is). His small frame takes quite a beating. Little is less of a concern that way but he will have to drop down the depth chart.

There are no easy solutions. We can only fix one problem by neglecting another.

 

[Channelcat]

I would say the most important position is G.

I also think you are underrating the Jets at C. We have 1a, 1b with Little & Scheif though neither is an 'elite' 1C. Then we have Perreault, Lowry, Burmi and Copp.

That said we could certainly use an upgrade at 1C. If we have Bryan Little playing 3C in a couple of years C is a strength.

I think if we draft in the first 3 the choice makes itself. If we are 4 it gets tougher. Is PLD going to be that elite level 1C? Is one of the D going to develop into a true #1? If we are 6 or lower PLD may be gone and the D are definitely the way to go.

Thats a good point. As much as I go on about needing an elite C, there is a very good argument to be made for a balanced offence. Countless times I've watched the Pens and thought....man, if they didnt have 20M tied up in two centers maybe they could balance out this team.

 

[ps241]

So interesting the gang over at Hockey Prospects has PLD up to #4 on their rankings.

The first change on the new list is Pierre-Luc Dubois jumping from 6th overall last month to 4th overall this time around. HockeyProspect.com’s Mark Edwards on Dubois’ rise. “I saw him a couple more times since our last ranking, he continues to impress both myself and our QMJHL based scout Jerome Berube. I also went back and watched his points from all his games going back into mid November. It was impressive to watch.” Edwards feels that Dubois is one of the more ‘NHL ready’ players in this year’s draft class. “When he’s physically ready he will make the jump, because I think other than getting a bit stronger, he could play tomorrow.”

http://www.hockeyprospect.com/2016-nhl-draft-hockeyprospect-com-february-top-60-rankings/

 

[Grind]

So interesting the gang over at Hockey Prospects up to #4 on their rankings.




http://www.hockeyprospect.com/2016-nhl-draft-hockeyprospect-com-february-top-60-rankings/

I hereby take full credit for all increasing interest and love of PLD.

Really though, he was a guy that when i first saw his location on scouting lists my jaw dropped. His pace crazy, his size is good, he's convertable to C. What's not to love?

The only downside i know of is that he's playing with Evgeni Svechnikov, so there may be a flag as to who's the driver there but if i understand correctly he appears to be it

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Interesting video of Dubois - I've been trying to find some games online to watch something other than highlights, and I found this "iso" of him. It's basically just video of only his shifts so you can concentrate on his play during the game:



Seems to have pretty good situational awareness, and definitely likes to sit "high" in the d-zone, like many junior level "aces" do. Scheif used to do this a LOT with Barrie when I watched him. Doesn't seem to mind the physical stuff (shouldn't, given his size), covers a lot of ground while not looking like he's that fast, and seems to have good hands and vision.

Anyway: thought the vid might be interesting for those that haven't seen it.

 

[Grind]

Interesting video of Dubois - I've been trying to find some games online to watch something other than highlights, and I found this "iso" of him. It's basically just video of only his shifts so you can concentrate on his play during the game:



Seems to have pretty good situational awareness, and definitely likes to sit "high" in the d-zone, like many junior level "aces" do. Scheif used to do this a LOT with Barrie when I watched him. Doesn't seem to mind the physical stuff (shouldn't, given his size), covers a lot of ground while not looking like he's that fast, and seems to have good hands and vision.

Anyway: thought the vid might be interesting for those that haven't seen it.

Pffft. I dont watch hockey, just stats!

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Pffft. I dont watch hockey, just stats!

Apologies! I should have realized this would be a "trigger" for some.

 

[Stej]

Interesting video of Dubois - I've been trying to find some games online to watch something other than highlights, and I found this "iso" of him. It's basically just video of only his shifts so you can concentrate on his play during the game:



Seems to have pretty good situational awareness, and definitely likes to sit "high" in the d-zone, like many junior level "aces" do. Scheif used to do this a LOT with Barrie when I watched him. Doesn't seem to mind the physical stuff (shouldn't, given his size), covers a lot of ground while not looking like he's that fast, and seems to have good hands and vision.

Anyway: thought the vid might be interesting for those that haven't seen it.

Thanks! I love these "iso" videos. Best bang for your buck for learning about prospects in my opinion.

 

[Mathil8]

Just reading briefly on Dubois and how much time he's been playing center. It looks like he was playing center for all but 2 games in February, does anyone know how much center he was playing before February, if any?

Also I'm curious to know if Clayton Keller has been playing center for all his games or not.

Anyone got any insight on this? Thanks!

 

[Daximus]

Hey Garret do you think you could tell me what Nolan Patrick's Adj PTS/GP in his draft-1 year are? or how to figure it out with WHL players?

 

[JetsFan815]

Dubois is a C? For some reason I under the impression that he was like a 5'10 170 lbs winger. Looks like he has the size, the scoring and the plays a critical position. What's not to like? I still would take Laine 2nd overall though, that guy is producing at Barkov level lately

 

[tbcwpg]

If the Jets picked 5th or lower, I would hope for Dubois, maybe even at 4, but it would be tough to give up Chychrun at 4 if that's where we pick.

 

[Bob E]

If we packaged Chicago's 1st and our 2nd, how far could we move up in the draft?

 

[JetsFan815]

If we packaged Chicago's 1st and our 2nd, how far could we move up in the draft?

From 30th overall to like 20th maybe?

 

[Duke749]

From 30th overall to like 20th maybe?

Yeh not really worth it unless you really value one guy and see a big drop off at a certain point.

 

[garret9]

Hey Garret do you think you could tell me what Nolan Patrick's Adj PTS/GP in his draft-1 year are? or how to figure it out with WHL players?

Well the adjusted age production is designed specifically with 17 year olds in mind.

You can use it for non-17 year olds, but that's not what it's made for.

 

[garret9]

If we packaged Chicago's 1st and our 2nd, how far could we move up in the draft?

Depends on where that 1st and 2nd land, but for an example:
26th and 35th overall on average trades up to about a 16.

The draft value of a pick grows exponentially as you move towards first overall.

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Dubois is a C? For some reason I under the impression that he was like a 5'10 170 lbs winger. Looks like he has the size, the scoring and the plays a critical position. What's not to like? I still would take Laine 2nd overall though, that guy is producing at Barkov level lately

Yep. 6'3" C, who seems to be moving up the various draft ranking charts. Don't know that I'd take him as high as 2nd, but if we end up picking 3-5th, I'd seriously consider him.