2018 NHL Entry Draft Thread (Less then 24 Hours Edition)

[Habs Halifax]

I'm done with the BPA style of drafting. It's not really rosters that have needs, it's organizations, and I don't think you get in trouble when you draft for need. You get in trouble because you don't draft a very good player. That, to me, sounds like a scouting issue, not a strategy issue.

Moreover, I think that wingers tend to look better than centers, ceteris paribus, which would lead you to erroneously say that the winger is ''BPA'' way more often. Hell, there are twice as many wingers as there are centers, so if you don't make it a priority to draft centers, for example, you could very well end up drafting none, and be left with the impossible task of trying to trade for one.

You explained this better than I did about the BPA vs Needs. Totally agree with what your saying! We need to figure out a way to add a grade A prospect at center from this draft. It’s so obvious it’s not funny!

It will be a major disappointment if we walk way with no grade A prospect at center from this draft IMO

 

[Habs Halifax]

Very curious to see how much better Zadina will be than Wahlstrom

Im sure it will vary year by year and depends on what team they play for. I think the potential is very similar.

 

[Mrb1p]

You explained this better than I did about the BPA vs Needs. Totally agree with what your saying! We need to figure out a way to add a grade A prospect at center from this draft. It’s so obvious it’s not funny!

It will be a major disappointment if we walk way with no grade A prospect at center from this draft IMO

Its not necessary to draft a blue chip C this year, its a long term philosophy.

 

[L4br3cqu3]

This organization has holes pretty much everywhere, EXCEPT with RHD and Goalies.

So logically, targets are pretty easy to point.

And please, skill before anything else, that's our real need, Lefebvre is finally gone so we can finally hope they'll draft skilled kids who are bad defensively and develop them correctly.

Cause you can teach defensive positioning, but can't teach skill...

 

[Habs Halifax]

Its not necessary to draft a blue chip C this year, its a long term philosophy.

Except my preference would be to have our guys ready and possibly making an impact before Price and Weber are gone or past the age of 35. This years draft picks will be age 20 or 21 when Weber is 35 and Price is 33 I believe. We then would have a mini 3 year window to compete... possibly

I’m ok with trading Patch, Petry, Byron, Lindgren, Schlemko, Shaw, Benn, Alzner for more futures. I’m even OK with trading Price and Weber if the return is fair and we get younger assets. Doubtful we would though. My plan is to win with them.. unless they ask for a trade or we get a offer we can’t refuse

Do what we got to do now and acquire that young center. I’m even ok with another tank year next year. Then we see where we stand for the 2019/2020 season. Insert our picks from this year and last year and the team could be much more balanced with Price and Weber and a more matured Drouin, Galchenyuk, Lehkonen, Scherbak, Mete, Juulsen

The other important factors is to add around Drouin, Galchenyuk, Gallagher in their prime years as well. That’s the next 3-5 years

 

[Habs Halifax]

This organization has holes pretty much everywhere, EXCEPT with RHD and Goalies.

So logically, targets are pretty easy to point.

And please, skill before anything else, that's our real need, Lefebvre is finally gone so we can finally hope they'll draft skilled kids who are bad defensively and develop them correctly.

Cause you can teach defensive positioning, but can't teach skill...

Can you teach attitude or character? Or is that a result of the culture you have on your farm team?

Looking forward to a new beginning again in Laval with a new coach. Should of happened last year

 

[sandviper]

Can you teach attitude or character? Or is that a result of the culture you have on your farm team?

Looking forward to a new beginning again in Laval with a new coach. Should of happened last year

Well, I am under the belief that yes, you can teach attitude and character so long as the person isn’t a complete coaches’ nightmare to begin with.

Say for arguments sake the Habs get Bouchard for Laval. That man only knows winning and while this won’t equate immediate success in Laval, he is bright, a good communicator and can lead that culture on the farm.

 

[Mrb1p]

Price and Weber can be Luongo/Chara for us, theres no purpose in trying to rush things.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Well, I am under the belief that yes, you can teach attitude and character so long as the person isn’t a complete coaches’ nightmare to begin with.

Say for arguments sake the Habs get Bouchard for Laval. That man only knows winning and while this won’t equate immediate success in Laval, he is bright, a good communicator and can lead that culture on the farm.

Money talks, Bouchard walks! Give him a solid contact! Let’s fix our farm team. 1 playoffs in what? 6 years. Brutal!

 

[Habs Halifax]

Price and Weber can be Luongo/Chara for us, theres no purpose in trying to rush things.

I hope you are right. But at age 36, I start to worry. Not so much worried about 35 and under. Hard to say what they do past 35 IMO. Not sure if Weber plays past 37. I think he would need to be on a cup contender in order for him to consider playing those $1M years.. if he can substain his level of play like Chara

 

[WinterLion]

I'm done with the BPA style of drafting. It's not really rosters that have needs, it's organizations, and I don't think you get in trouble when you draft for need. You get in trouble because you don't draft a very good player. That, to me, sounds like a scouting issue, not a strategy issue.

Moreover, I think that wingers tend to look better than centers, ceteris paribus, which would lead you to erroneously say that the winger is ''BPA'' way more often. Hell, there are twice as many wingers as there are centers, so if you don't make it a priority to draft centers, for example, you could very well end up drafting none, and be left with the impossible task of trying to trade for one.

I think you are right, and I also think that the league is starting to think like this. The good young players are coming in so quickly now and making an impact.

Wingers are just worth less than D and Centres. Recently at the draft you see Centres go higher than predicted... I think it is becoming part of the value of a player.

Great post.

 

[Clearedwaivers]

I know Bergy is wasting two on a new Shaw so im not excited.

Those two seconds you speak of will be traded to the Leafs for Plex, so he can try to sign him before July 1st.

 

[Anardil]

If the Panthers are willing to do a Patch for the 15th pick and Mascherin. I'm taking Zadina and who is left from Kotkaniemi, Veleno, Hayton, Kupari at the 15th spot. It's almost 100% chance that one of those guys will be available.

Zadina, and a grade A prospect at Center along with our other 9 picks from 35-128 range. It would be a great Draft! Might measure up to the 07 draft. Maybe? lol.

Problem is that there are no grade A centers available this year.

 

[admiralcadillac]

I think you are right, and I also think that the league is starting to think like this. The good young players are coming in so quickly now and making an impact.

Wingers are just worth less than D and Centres. Recently at the draft you see Centres go higher than predicted... I think it is becoming part of the value of a player.

Great post.

Yeah let's just draft centers and d men the whole way through the draft and forget about talent differences. Sounds fantastic. The team needs talent above positions, unless there is a comparable center don't draft a guy who isn't likely to have the same impact.

Problem is that there are no grade A centers available this year.

Et voila

 

[Mrb1p]

Problem is that there are no grade A centers available this year.

Kotkaniemi is as good a center as any center drafted in the past... hmmm so many years. Matthews is the only one that is ahead of him at the same age.

 

[le_sean]

Kotkaniemi is as good a center as any center drafted in the past... hmmm so many years. Matthews is the only one that is ahead of him at the same age.

That’s pushing it. He’d be behind Hischier, Patrick, Pettersson, Glass last year, especially considering he only played as a centre at the U18 for 7 games.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

Ya he'd be behind half a dozen guys just from last year alone...

 

[G0bias]

Jesperi's my boi but that's ...

He played seven at the U18s plus another four at the 5 nations though.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Problem is that there are no grade A centers available this year.

I just don't buy this, how many drafts in the last 20 years failed to yield at least one C better than anything we have had in our system?
The answer is 3

2000, 2002 & 2012 (which should have...)

Maybe they're not all slam dunk easy picks like Matthews, maybe they're a sleeper like Datsyuk but they're there but you need to take shots at them - you miss 100% of the shots you don't take

 

[HuGort]

Kotkaniemi is as good a center as any center drafted in the past... hmmm so many years. Matthews is the only one that is ahead of him at the same age.

Who would you rather have Kotkaniemi or Thomas?

 

[Mrb1p]

That’s pushing it. He’d be behind Hischier, Patrick, Pettersson, Glass last year, especially considering he only played as a centre at the U18 for 7 games.

Its easy to claim this from hindsight, but theres no real separation between them on draft day. The numbers of games played dont matter either, you have to consider the projections and obviously development matters.

 

[Mrb1p]

Who would you rather have Kotkaniemi or Thomas?

Jesperi 2000 times out of 2000

 

[Chadstudsky]

I see the same names get thrown around that fans want the habs to pick in the 2nd or even trade pacioretty to get a mid/late first. Remember in 2012 posters thought we killed that draft. Collberg, thrower, bozon, Vail. None of them even played a game. Truth is 30% of 1st rounders and 65% of 2nd rounders don't amount to anything special or bust completely. So I'm kind of skeptic. If we get 3 nhl players out of this entire draft I'll be happy.

 

[Janne Niinimaa]

I see the same names get thrown around that fans want the habs to pick in the 2nd or even trade pacioretty to get a mid/late first. Remember in 2012 posters thought we killed that draft. Collberg, thrower, bozon, Vail. None of them even played a game. Truth is 30% of 1st rounders and 65% of 2nd rounders don't amount to anything special or bust completely. So I'm kind of skeptic. If we get 3 nhl players out of this entire draft I'll be happy.

Depends on the draft. 2012 was awful, but if we had 4 2nd`s and an early 3rd in 2011 we could have walked out with a mix of Jenner, Gibson, Rask, Saad, Kucherov, Karlsson, Edmundson, Granlund, Trocheck and Lowry who are all impact players.

 

[le_sean]

Its easy to claim this from hindsight, but theres no real separation between them on draft day. The numbers of games played dont matter either, you have to consider the projections and obviously development matters.

No, I’m not at all speaking from hindsight. Those players projected better on draft day and were actual centres all year. They were all better skaters (except for Patrick, who is a similar skater) and all elite playmakers, better than Kotkaniemi. It’s not a slight to him, but the group in 2017 was ridiculous.