NHL Entry Draft 2018 Draft - Prospect Discussion (Poll added)

[JungleBeat]

Best forward available after Svechnikov and Zadina. Can't teach his natural skills; he'll only get better. Some very slick moves last month at the U18's.

Would be an excellent choice at #4. Hughes,Wahlstrom and Bouchard are all great options.

I’d trade down a couple spots and pick up Kotkaneimi is the offer was worthwhile.

 

[Icelevel]

When a player's production does not meet expectations, generally they are missing something, or the expectations were unreasonable.

Expecting a potential top 4 pick to be able to hit double digits in goals and a PPG as an 18YR old in college is not unreasonable.

Tkachuk doesn't appear to lack hockey sense or skill, but I don't think he's as skilled as the other top forwards in the draft. He also doesn't have a goal scorers shot that can beat goalies clean, hence his low goal total.

There are better picks at 4.

I know players need to develop but for fun...,if you could insert one of the guys we think will be available for one playoff game tomorrow, who would you pick for biggest impact?

Does the answer change for 3 years away rather than tomorrow?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Dobson's OT Game winning assist today

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

 

[Icelevel]

Drouin for barkov. Good comparison

 

[Six Assets]

I would love if Kotkaniemi goes top 3. Would shake things up and probably save us from Tkatchuk.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I would love if Kotkaniemi goes top 3. Would shake things up and probably save us from Tkatchuk.

Kotkaniemi is one of 5 players I would be fine with the Sens drafting at 4. There are no indications from the Sens that they would draft Tkachuk so I am not sure they need saving from that.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

Kotkaniemi and Dobson are the two guys who would require no effort to get excited about, for me. They are the only guys outside of the top 3 who I see as pretty sure-fire top-liners.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Kotkaniemi is one of 5 players I would be fine with the Sens drafting at 4. There are no indications from the Sens that they would draft Tkachuk so I am not sure they need saving from that.

Same.

Dobson, Bouchard and Kotkaniemi are the 3 guys (other than Dahlin and Svechnikov obviously) that I'd be happy to end up selecting at 4th.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

Same.

Dobson, Bouchard and Kotkaniemi are the 3 guys (other than Dahlin and Svechnikov obviously) that I'd be happy to end up selecting at 4th.

Even above Zadina?

Also, how do you project Bouchard? I have yo-yoed a lot on him and sort of worry that he will end up as a Shattenkirk type at the NHL level. Not a bad player at all but not someone I want at #4. This is all based on scouting reports and highlight packs, though, so what do I know?

 

[Hale The Villain]

Even above Zadina?

Also, how do you project Bouchard? I have yo-yoed a lot on him and sort of worry that he will end up as a Shattenkirk type at the NHL level. Not a bad player at all but not someone I want at #4. This is all based on scouting reports and highlight packs, though, so what do I know?

I project Bouchard as a future top pairing D in the Carlson-mold.

His smarts, puck-moving ability, vision and shot are all elite. Hard to bet against a player with his kind of skillset and IQ.

Has some work to do on his skating, defensive game and effort level, but those are skills that can generally be improved, while you can't teach talent or hockey sense.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

This draft is just so weird. So many kids clustered together in the top 3-10 (maybe 12 now). Can't figure out if this is going to be a really good draft with a lot of kids becoming legit high quality NHLers, or something weaker than usual, where after the top 3, you get a bunch of journeymen and long-term question marks.

 

[JungleBeat]

Barkov was better than Kotkaniemi in their respective draft years. If we’re targeting Kotkaniemi trade down.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

This draft is just so weird. So many kids clustered together in the top 3-10 (maybe 12 now). Can't figure out if this is going to be a really good draft with a lot of kids becoming legit high quality NHLers, or something weaker than usual, where after the top 3, you get a bunch of journeymen and long-term question marks.

I think it will be the former. Picks 3-12 will be similar to the top 10 from 2011/the top 7 from 2006.

2006 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com
2011 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com

Probably a little weaker on the top end but similar in the sense that the worst player will be a 2nd pair DMan/2nd line forward. Maybe one guy busts but I think the vast majority will be highly serviceable.

Barkov was better than Kotkaniemi in their respective draft years. If we’re targeting Kotkaniemi trade down.

If Kotkaniemi was as good as Barkov was in his draft year, he'd be a consensus #2 or 3 pick.

 

[Icelevel]

Same.

Dobson, Bouchard and Kotkaniemi are the 3 guys (other than Dahlin and Svechnikov obviously) that I'd be happy to end up selecting at 4th.

Or Hughes or tkachuk for me

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Barkov was better than Kotkaniemi in their respective draft years. If we’re targeting Kotkaniemi trade down.

Kot is a high riser, he sky-rocketed as the season went on. He wasn't coveted to go this high up. Barkov was consensus top 3 pick even before the year he got drafted.

 

[DJB]

This draft is littered with talent in the top 10. We are getting a great player at 4. Lets hope its the right guy

 

[BondraTime]

You could tell Kotkanieni would be a guy who would be taken early, very early in the year. I couldn't believe he was ranked near the bottom of the first when I watched him, his tools are amazing, and he has a great toolbox to fit them. I thought he should have been a consensus top 10 pick for a while, I loved him as an underaged guy at last years U-18's and then again this summer at the Hlinka. He was slept on for a while, and I don't know how.

 

[Langdon Alger]

I project Bouchard as a future top pairing D in the Carlson-mold.

His smarts, puck-moving ability, vision and shot are all elite. Hard to bet against a player with his kind of skillset and IQ.

Has some work to do on his skating, defensive game and effort level, but those are skills that can generally be improved, while you can't teach talent or hockey sense.

With our luck he’ll turn into the next Ceci if we take him.

 

[Cosmix]

Personally I don’t know who to pick at #4 because I have not seen any of the players play enough to have an informed opinion. I trust the pro rating services and hope the Senators take the consensus pick at that position.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Personally I don’t know who to pick at #4 because I have not seen any of the players play enough to have an informed opinion. I trust the pro rating services and hope the Senators take the consensus pick at that position.

You hope they take the consensus pick from scouting services over their own list? Why?

 

[Ouroboros]

Think of all the money Melnyk could save if he fired all the scouts, then bought a subscription to Red Line Report and just drafted off of that?

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

Dobson is really dominant tonight. Definitely needs to be considered at 4.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Im still firm believer in Boqvist over any other defender. He's killing the same Hlinka tournament that Dobson is getting hype in but Im warming up to Kotk as the lead forward if Zadina isn't available.

 

[BondraTime]

Im still firm believer in Boqvist over any other defender. He's killing the same Hlinka tournament that Dobson is getting hype in but Im warming up to Kotk as the lead forward if Zadina isn't available.

What? Killing the same Hlinka Dobson is getting hype in? The Hlinka was 11 months ago, when Dobson was ranked as a 2nd rounder.