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

[Kents polished head]

Move back to 6 pick up the Vegas 1st from Detroit & pick up Bergrren, Dellandrea, Sandin or Kaut?

Pick Dobson or Kotkienemi at 6?

Yeah... I could live with that....


Dreaming...

Do you realize how absurd it is to dream about 30th-50th overall pick caliber guys that are longshots to even play in this league one day?

Keep 3. Get the consensus pick. It doesn't get any simpler than that. But of course, Timmins will find a way to f*** this one up. That and all 4 second rounders this team has this year.

Leblanc, Tinordi, Beaulieu, Galchenyuk, Collberg, Thrower, McCarron, De La Rose, Lehkonen, Fucale. That's what this genius got us with the 10 top-60 picks in the span of 5 years between 2009 and 2013. 3 of which were pretty darn high 2nd rounders, too. So yeah. Before dreaming about stockpiling 2nd round picks and assets to trade down, remember this goof has landed only 1 50 points calibre forward, no NHL goalie, and 1 top-6 D with all of these high picks. Now, remember he's the one making the calls at the draft table this year. If anything, we should use the picks we already have in the 2nd round to move up as much as possible to limit the risks of him f***ing up again. I don't care if we give up all 4 of our 2nd rounders to move into the top-15 again. I'd still rather that than Timmins making the calls and ruining 4 picks.

 

[Maitz]

The question is does Kotkaniemi have 1C potential? If not I’m not interested. Pick Zadina.

 

[Kents polished head]

I didn't follow the draft, I have one question. Would people still be as high on Kotkaniemi if we actually had good centers on the team ?

How much of it is people blinded by our biggest need?

Of course not. You have guys like Zadina and Tkachuk who are considered leaps and bounds better than him by pretty much all recruitement centrals out there. But here we are again, trying to re-invent the wheel once again.

The question is does Kotkaniemi have 1C potential? If not I’m not interested. Pick Zadina.

The guy has barely play center in the last 2 years. Last time he was considered a regular C he was 15 years old. It's completely ridiculous to expect he'll play C one day for a team that is known for f***ing up their players developement by moving them to the wing time an time again. Lapierre, Grabovski, Leblanc, Galchenyuk... the list goes on and on. And all of a sudden we'll have the patience to commit to playing a guy who didn't even play C lately at C? This is ridiculous. Go with Zadina or Tkachuk and call it a day.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I didn't follow the draft, I have one question. Would people still be as high on Kotkaniemi if we actually had good centers on the team ?

How much of it is people blinded by our biggest need?

Yes. Lost in the ''center'' discussion is the fact that he's just a top player. He has great hands, amazing vision, high hockey IQ, a variety of NHL caliber shots (seriously, check out his one timer against Sweden and tell me that any NHL goalie is saving that), and he's highly competitive. Lost in the ''needs'' discussion is the fact that every team, practically, could use another top center. They're just the most valuable assets in the league.

 

[NotProkofievian]

The question is does Kotkaniemi have 1C potential? If not I’m not interested. Pick Zadina.

Who is the worst 1C that you would still consider a 1C?

 

[Janne Niinimaa]

Of course not. You have guys like Zadina and Tkachuk who are considered leaps and bounds better than him by pretty much all recruitement centrals out there. But here we are again, trying to re-invent the wheel once again.

I wonder if Columbus, Winnipeg and Florida regret taking Johansen, Scheifele and Barkov over the consensus players that were ranked above them.

 

[Goldenhands]

Gotta say I was completely wrong about Miller vs. Wilde back at the 5 nations. Good thing I noticed it before the draft, eh @Goldenhands?

I dont watch as many prospects games as some of you guys, but Ive been watching a bunch of NTDP U18 team games and Miller was clearly the one that stood out for the good reasons among the 3 big names on defense, I really like his game outside some moments where he can look over confident or even a bit lazy on some plays but nothing really alarming or that can be worked on... I have Miller around 15-25 personally...Wilde is basically on my NDL since the first time I watched him, his hockey IQ is just that bad...

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

Kotkaniemi .51ppg (.508)
Aho .43 ppg

That's their draft year in the Finnish league.

Not saying he'll be as offensive but he has to have some skill.

 

[Habs Icing]

I'll just leave it here, take your own thoughts.

2018 NHL Draft: Joe Veleno vs Andrei Svechnikov

Made some interesting points.

 

[sandviper]

The question is does Kotkaniemi have 1C potential? If not I’m not interested. Pick Zadina.

Yes, he has 1C potential. I’m not being facetious here. Assume he develops properly and reaches potential, he’d definitely be a 1C for us, but also for many teams. He’s not going to be in the franchise center range (McDavid, Matthews, Crosby) of 1C, but he’ll still be a quality center.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I'll just leave it here, take your own thoughts.

2018 NHL Draft: Joe Veleno vs Andrei Svechnikov

Lol, what a stupid article.

 

[sandviper]

Lol, what a stupid article.

Must have been edited by Don Cherry. I stopped reading at “history on this type of player”

 

[Mrb1p]

Yes, he has 1C potential. I’m not being facetious here. Assume he develops properly and reaches potential, he’d definitely be a 1C for us, but also for many teams. He’s not going to be in the franchise center range (McDavid, Matthews, Crosby) of 1C, but he’ll still be a quality center.

Shit, I'm not even sure Matthews is that out of range. Might just be me underrating Matthews, but Jesperi has the skillset to be this good too. He probably has a similar skillset to Matthews with a bit more sluggish skating, because Matthews is a pretty good skater.

 

[Kents polished head]

I wonder if Columbus, Winnipeg and Florida regret taking Johansen, Scheifele and Barkov over the consensus players that were ranked above them.

These guys have competent scouts calling the shots. The guy we have in place has a very unimpressive track record since taking over. If you're still confident with him calling the shot, good for you. You're probably living in a fairy world with rainbows and candy canes all around.

Also, HUGE difference reaching for a guy ranked 7-8th at 4 (Johansen), a guy ranked 10-12th at 7 (Scheifele) and a guy ranked 4th-5th at 2 (Barkov) and reaching for a guy ranked around 10th at #3!

 

[sandviper]

****, I'm not even sure Matthews is that out of range. Might just be me underrating Matthews, but Jesperi has the skillset to be this good too. He probably has a similar skillset to Matthews with a bit more sluggish skating, because Matthews is a pretty good skater.

Interesting comparison. I guess because Matthews has the skating, I never drew parallels with Kotkaniemi. They do play similarly as well. That said, I’d probably put Matthews in the franchise center range. I’m not sure I see it yet with Jesperi, but he’s still very young and his draft year is better than many if you compare against other prospect’s D-1 seasons.

 

[NotProkofievian]

****, I'm not even sure Matthews is that out of range. Might just be me underrating Matthews, but Jesperi has the skillset to be this good too. He probably has a similar skillset to Matthews with a bit more sluggish skating, because Matthews is a pretty good skater.

Man, come on. Makin' us Jesperians look bad with this stuff.

 

[Mrb1p]

Man, come on. Makin' us Jesperians look bad with this stuff.

I don't think so. Matthews is great and all but I don't think he's the top 5 player Leafs fans make him out to be. Kotkaniemi certainly has most of the tools Matthews have. Obviously this is theoritical, hes a 17 year old prospect, a lot can happen. If his growth keeps up, and it usually does with players who peak the way Jesperi does, hes bound to be great.

 

[CoopersFalls]

Although not my first option at 3, I can’t say I will be mad if we select Tkachuk. He may not be the best guy available, but he’s the exact type of top 6 forward we lack. When’s the last time we had a young true power forward with skill ? (Aside from McCarron, who lacks the same skill and potential).

Probably John Leclair.

Who wants a less tough, more disciplined, higher skilled Tom Wilson?

 

[BeliveauFan4ever]

Do you realize how absurd it is to dream about 30th-50th overall pick caliber guys that are longshots to even play in this league one day?

Keep 3. Get the consensus pick. It doesn't get any simpler than that. But of course, Timmins will find a way to **** this one up. That and all 4 second rounders this team has this year.

Leblanc, Tinordi, Beaulieu, Galchenyuk, Collberg, Thrower, McCarron, De La Rose, Lehkonen, Fucale. That's what this genius got us with the 10 top-60 picks in the span of 5 years between 2009 and 2013. 3 of which were pretty darn high 2nd rounders, too. So yeah. Before dreaming about stockpiling 2nd round picks and assets to trade down, remember this goof has landed only 1 50 points calibre forward, no NHL goalie, and 1 top-6 D with all of these high picks. Now, remember he's the one making the calls at the draft table this year. If anything, we should use the picks we already have in the 2nd round to move up as much as possible to limit the risks of him ****ing up again. I don't care if we give up all 4 of our 2nd rounders to move into the top-15 again. I'd still rather that than Timmins making the calls and ruining 4 picks.

Thing is we could keep No. 3, and MB could still swing and miss.

Current staff aside, it's great to have a stockpile of seconds because they're coveted selections.

Keep them, you increase your odds of finding productive players. Dealing them could mean they're used to help bring in a proven player, or packaged to get another first, or a second to get a player you really want but won't be there when your turn comes.

One of the first drafts I followed closely was in'74.

Habs had picks 5, 7,10,12 and 15. Five first-round picks.

They found three useful players, Risebrough, Chartraw and Tremblay. There were two busts, Cam Connor and Gord McTavish.

There was an inexplicable miss of Pierre Larouche who went to Pit at 8. Bryan Trottier went Round 2 22nd overall.

Habs Drafting Trottier that year would have certainly screwed the Islanders Cup success while possibly extending Habs' run at the top.

So that management team, so much better than MB's, had an embarrassment of riches and yet only emerged with a Meh grade, in retrospect.

Larouche had 94-157-251 with totals with Sorel that year; can't believe they passed on him - twice.

You CAN have the picks, and you CAN still fail to really deliver. But use them or trade them, they're real handy to have.

 

[WeThreeKings]

It's that time of year where us draft junkies are inundated with the entire fan base.

 

[WeThreeKings]

"You're just an armchair scout who doesn't know shit! I know for a fact you are wrong, I picked up THN for 5.99 at the check out of Couche Tarde when I was buying some darts!"

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

"You're just an armchair scout who doesn't know ****! I know for a fact you are wrong, I picked up THN for 5.99 at the check out of Couche Tarde when I was buying some darts!"

By the same narrative you're expecting people to take your word for it and praise you.

Just because someone watches 16 games of a prospect doesn't mean they know what they're looking for.

Also, if many of you have a compiled list if 100+ prospects you should really reach out to NHL teams. I mean why pay numerous scouts all that money and their plane tickets/hotel fare for them when you can get someone who claims to watch a ton of games for the prospects while watching a bunch of NHL games ? You'd save franchises millions of dollars. Why are you wasting your talents here?!

 

[le_sean]

I mean people should know by now that Bode Wilde just isn’t good.

 

[WeThreeKings]

By the same narrative you're expecting people to take your word for it and praise you.

Just because someone watches 16 games of a prospect doesn't mean they know what they're looking for.

Also, if many of you have a compiled list if 100+ prospects you should really reach out to NHL teams. I mean why pay numerous scouts all that money and their plane tickets/hotel fare for them when you can get someone who claims to watch a ton of games for the prospects while watching a bunch of NHL games ? You'd save franchises millions of dollars. Why are you wasting your talents here?!

I don't want any praise and I don't want any one to take my word for it either, but that doesn't change the fact that saying someone's opinion is flat out wrong when they've spent time watching that player rather read a report, is a bit different than someone giving a report on a player after multiple viewings.

We do this in here for fun but there is definitely value for a team to actually scour places like this for additional input on players; not to take anyone's word for it but to gather further information, identify trends and compare and contrast to things they have seen.

I wouldn't actually want to be a NHL scout. It's fun as a hobby and to watch from the comfort of your home, but taking planes and spending a shit load of time away from your family to watch games? That's a hard life.

 

[Janne Niinimaa]

By the same narrative you're expecting people to take your word for it and praise you.

Just because someone watches 16 games of a prospect doesn't mean they know what they're looking for.

Also, if many of you have a compiled list if 100+ prospects you should really reach out to NHL teams. I mean why pay numerous scouts all that money and their plane tickets/hotel fare for them when you can get someone who claims to watch a ton of games for the prospects while watching a bunch of NHL games ? You'd save franchises millions of dollars. Why are you wasting your talents here?!

There is a difference between being a pro scout (who don't always make the right decisions BTW, they have biases as well), being a fan of prospects and doing your research, watching games, etc... (which a few of us in this thread have done all year) and showing up right before the draft saying "ZADINA AND TKACHUK ARE RANKED HIGH WE WANT THEM" (which quite a few posters have done) and calling out the opinions of some of us have had most of the year since it goes against consensus.