Prospect Info: 2020 Devils-Centric Mock Draft, Conference Finals Edition

[beekay414]

There are actually several reasons to sign Andy Greene. He would almost certainly be willing to come back at a one year deal, below market. And if the Devils find themselves on the outside looking in come next trade deadline, you deal him and pick up another third-round pick. It would double as a feel-good move for Fitzgerald, since the Devils' players and fans alike love Andy Greene.

I've advocated for bringing Greene back solely for the purpose of pairing him with Ty Smith on the third line, as you have listed on your blue line DC. It makes all too much sense.

 

[Forge]

There are actually several reasons to sign Andy Greene. He would almost certainly be willing to come back at a one year deal, below market. And if the Devils find themselves on the outside looking in come next trade deadline, you deal him and pick up another third-round pick. It would double as a feel-good move for Fitzgerald, since the Devils' players and fans alike love Andy Greene.

I have no problems with bringing Greene back. I would prefer not to bring back Greene + Mueller, but I'm happy with Greene on the third pairing. Blocks a ton of shots still, kills penalties...still has it upstairs. Small one year deal is fine with me.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I'm a big fan of Swiss hockey players, and choosing Nico was a double joy for me.
In fact, I don't think being biased by nationality is so bad. What a terrible thing I said. I mean, I understand why some managers don't want to take Russian players, for example, if you have two players of the same talent on the table. Or why fans of the devils can be set negatively to pick Finns or Swedes.
I like Raymond even more than Lafrenier. But I wouldn't put Raymond above the German Stuzle. And I can't put Stuzle above Lafrenier. Here there is a conflict of personal preferences in the style of play and harsh reality, from which we should already draw the right conclusions.
It seems to me that the best approach is to evaluate a bunch of specific skills relative to the tasks that the player will perform on the ice.

Speaking of Reichel, I'm delighted that 38 percent of his shots are from dangerous area. His ShAtt from dangerous zone per 60min 5on5 stat is remarkable. Lukas is just a great winger for Hughes, who can and gives unexpected and clever passes, but no one can take advantage of them. Perhaps Reichel even more suitable than Holtz, who does not see the rink very well and doesn`t understand the game well, if we believe the statistics, and if we watch several games with Holtz. Reichel isn`t a guy who can score 40-50 goals, sometimes he can be useless on boards, but what i see in his games against swiss - he understands zone pressure on both sides of the rink and it`s a sign for me he can be coached in board challenges. I`m not saying he is a two way player, but he isn`t useless, like Perreault can be. And what can i say specifically say about Reichel(and Raymond too) both of them are good back skaters, this helps them easily switch from defense to offense. Lukas is very young, he can`t make a jump right into the NHL, this is a player worth waiting for.He is a Raymond type of player but with lower ceiling andhe is more shooter.

If Fitz doesn't make any trades, most likely between Reichel, Perreault, and Gunler maybe, he will choose. If Raymond is the 7th , then the 18th and 20th need to take stronger hockey players. If Rossi is the 7th, it would be very good to take the dynamic and sharp Reichel.



And we will see Senators will pick him and Foudy in 2nd round. I can't imagine how Ottawa will look like in four years.

By the way, in the interest of representing all the nations, we should probably add...

Best Belgian in the 2020 draft: RW Senna Peeters, Halifax QMJHL
Best Hungarian in the 2020 draft: C Kristof Papp, Des Moines USHL

I'm still waiting for someone from Iceland to make their mark in the NHL. It seems such a natural fit, right?

 

[Xirik]

@StevenToddIves

I was wondering whats your thoughts on the various "Tall/Big" players in the draft are. Specifically from the 2nd round on. Do most of them fit the "Can't skate and is a giant pylon" type or the "me big but not smart"stereotype? Is there a diamond in that group? Do you see any of them making it to the NHL and playing lots of games?

edit- found a helpful 2020 draft list that sorts by height
2020 Draft Prospect Rankings | NHL Draft Prospect Rankings

 

[StevenToddIves]

@StevenToddIves

I was wondering whats your thoughts on the various "Tall/Big" players in the draft are. Specifically from the 2nd round on. Do most of them fit the "Can't skate and is a giant pylon" type or the "me big but not smart"stereotype? Is there a diamond in that group? Do you see any of them making it to the NHL and playing lots of games?

Not to be a pain, but this would be easier for me if you mentioned specific players and asked me to analyze them. I've done a whole bunch of "draft sleeper profiles" over on my draft rankings thread and have mentioned several big players I feel have very good NHL upside like Jack Finley and Jeremie Biakabutuka and so on. If you give me a specific name to focus on, chances are I've done some degree of research. But there are just so many draft eligible players, it would be a lot of work to compile a list by height.

I will piggy-back on your point by saying that big players tend to garner attention strictly on the basis of being big, so it's tougher to find sleepers with size than smaller sleepers. For example, if Tristen Robins and Marat Khusnutdinov were the exact same players but 6'2, they would be top 10 picks. But if (as much as I love them) Braden Schneider or Anton Lundell were 5'10, they would be 3rd or 4th rounders.

 

[Xirik]

Not to be a pain, but this would be easier for me if you mentioned specific players and asked me to analyze them. I've done a whole bunch of "draft sleeper profiles" over on my draft rankings thread and have mentioned several big players I feel have very good NHL upside like Jack Finley and Jeremie Biakabutuka and so on. If you give me a specific name to focus on, chances are I've done some degree of research. But there are just so many draft eligible players, it would be a lot of work to compile a list by height.

I will piggy-back on your point by saying that big players tend to garner attention strictly on the basis of being big, so it's tougher to find sleepers with size than smaller sleepers. For example, if Tristen Robins and Marat Khusnutdinov were the exact same players but 6'2, they would be top 10 picks. But if (as much as I love them) Braden Schneider or Anton Lundell were 5'10, they would be 3rd or 4th rounders.

sorry you've been such a font of information I sorta forgot that you are only human.

Anyway, Here is a list of a couple guys I would like to know your thoughts on

LOUIS CREVIER, 6'8
IGOR CHIBRIKOV, 6'7
Matthew Rempe 6'8


and I know that you find rating goalies hard and its a bit of a crapshoot but if you have any thoughts on these giants since the NHL is continuing the trend of playing bigger and bigger goalies

COLIN PURCELL, 6'7

HUGO OLLAS, 6'7

thanks in advance.

-edit I suggest perhaps making a sleeper thread as you made so many of them and they are on different pages which make it hard to find.
edit 2 added Matthew Rempe

 

[beekay414]

By the way, in the interest of representing all the nations, we should probably add...

Best Belgian in the 2020 draft: RW Senna Peeters, Halifax QMJHL
Best Hungarian in the 2020 draft: C Kristof Papp, Des Moines USHL

I'm still waiting for someone from Iceland to make their mark in the NHL. It seems such a natural fit, right?

I'm still waiting for Gunner Stahl to take off. He was so damn dominant at the junior goodwill games. Julie the Cat must've ruined him.

 

[Guttersniped]

sorry you've been such a font of information I sorta forgot that you are only human.

Anyway, Here is a list of a couple guys I would like to know your thoughts on

LOUIS CREVIER, 6'8
IGOR CHIBRIKOV, 6'7
Matthew Rempe 6'8


and I know that you find rating goalies hard and its a bit of a crapshoot but if you have any thoughts on these giants since the NHL is continuing the trend of playing bigger and bigger goalies

COLIN PURCELL, 6'7

HUGO OLLAS, 6'7

thanks in advance.

-edit I suggest perhaps making a sleeper thread as you made so many of them and they are on different pages which make it hard to find.
edit 2 added Matthew Rempe

I’m not much of an amateur scout but they all seem very tall.

 

[Guttersniped]

Damn. I hate the fact that Robins rose as much as he has. Makes me want to trade 18 for 27 and 36, just so we can scoop him at 27 while still getting another high end prospect at 36. With the obvious caveat of neither Mercer or Jarvis being on the board at 18.

EDIT - 28 and 33 (Ottawa) seems more reasonable than Anaheim's picks but the point still stands. Not sure how draft pick trade values are but I'd assume 28 and 33 for 20 would be too costly so I'd also add in the Boston 4th or our 5th to get it done.

It was a while ago but at the 2009 draft Columbus traded #26 & #37 for #21.

To be more specific, Columbus traded their 1st rd #16 and 3rd rd #77 to the NYI for 1st rd #26, 2nd rd #37, 3rd rd #62 and 4th rd #92. (The 3rd & 4th were the NYI, the Isles got the 2nd from Toronto for Luke Schenn & the San Jose 1st had been passed around more than a... it was traded 5 times.)

Columbus traded back #62 and #92 to the NYI for 2nd rd #56 that the Isles got from Boston for Finnish plugger Petteri Nokelainen. Not sure why this was a separate trade but it happened.

Columbus then traded the #26 and #37 to Anaheim for 1st rd #21 the Ducks got from Philly for Pronger.

So in the end Columbus traded #16 & #77 for #21 & #56 but there were multiple steps involved and the four picks they first got from the Isles seem better than the final two but what do I know.

The Blue Jackets then drafted John Moore with the #21 and the Ducks drafted Kyle Palmieri with the #26 and the rest is history.

 

[StevenToddIves]

sorry you've been such a font of information I sorta forgot that you are only human.

Anyway, Here is a list of a couple guys I would like to know your thoughts on

LOUIS CREVIER, 6'8
IGOR CHIBRIKOV, 6'7
Matthew Rempe 6'8


and I know that you find rating goalies hard and its a bit of a crapshoot but if you have any thoughts on these giants since the NHL is continuing the trend of playing bigger and bigger goalies

COLIN PURCELL, 6'7

HUGO OLLAS, 6'7

thanks in advance.

-edit I suggest perhaps making a sleeper thread as you made so many of them and they are on different pages which make it hard to find.
edit 2 added Matthew Rempe

Louis Crevier: he's actually a very interesting prospects, and I thought about adding him on my sleeper list just because he was pretty awful in 2018-19 and made huge strides in his game to become a very solid defenseman in 2019-20. Crevier was mostly paired with a very good NHL prospect in Artemi Kniazev for Chicoutimi, which helped him keep his game simple as the straight man for Kniazev's starring role. Crevier has a good shot, but the release takes forever. He's improved with his passing and puck-handling, but there is still a ways to go. Defensively, his size alone makes him tough to play against, but he really lacks any sort of mean streak you would like to see. Positionally and in his decision making -- again, he has really improved. I think Crevier is a nice late round pick just because when you see such a huge development curve in a layer's draft-eligible season, it makes you extremely curious what they are capable of in their draft+1 campaign.

Igor Chibrikov: I'm a little more skeptical with this player. His skating worries me a bit -- the straight-forward speed is okay, but his agility leaves a lot to be desired. If a quick forward can get past his reach, it only takes a decent move or two to turn Chibrikov inside out. While Crevier has simplified his approach, Chibrikov is a bit more error-prone in terms of mental mistakes and giveaways. Unlike Crevier in Chicoutimi, Owen Sound did not lean on Chibrikov to shut down the best position forwards. As with Crevier, this is not a player with an aggressive mind-set, which is a bit baffling to me in that his size and strength advantages are clearly what would represent his gateway into professional hockey.

Matthew Rempe: this player is a bit different in that he's a center, not a defenseman. At the beginning of the season, he was skating bottom-6 minutes for Seattle and nothing much popped out about his game for me except his size. I felt he really improved as the year went on and put up some nice numbers towards the end of the WHL season. He's not as polished or aware as a fellow huge center like Jack Finley and he lacks the mean streak of a Boyle. But I do think a kid with that size and solid offensive skill will be drafted in the 5th-7th rounds.

I can't really help you as much as I'd like with the goaltenders. I can say that, in my viewings of Ollas and Purcell (I've seen more of Purcell in the USHL), they both struggled. But again, goaltenders take a long time to develop, and sometimes a few tweaks from the right coaches can turn a mediocre amateur into a very good pro, which is why there is so much discrepancy in where to draft them.

 

[Brodeur]

When I went back and looked at our opponents/lines during the 2000 Cup run, there were a few names that I had zero memory. One of them was Mark Greig who played a handful of games for the Flyers that postseason. So it would be an interesting tidbit if his son ended up there.

Ridley Greig is one of my favorite players in the draft. Had the Devils pick via Vancouver fell to #28, I would have focused on him a lot more here. But the kid is just a bulldog and he's got plenty of skill to boot. I think he's a very likely pick for Philadelphia.

Just stumbled on an article, his dad is a WHL scout for the Flyers: 2020 NHL draft profile: Ridly Greig, son of Flyers scout Mark Greig, is a center with 200-foot bite

At times it seems like teams would avoid using a high pick on a scout's kid to avoid the appearance of nepotism, although I'm reminded of the Oilers taking David Musil #31 in 2011 when his dad Frantisek (Bobby Holik's brother-in-law) was an Edmonton scout.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Just stumbled on an article, his dad is a WHL scout for the Flyers: 2020 NHL draft profile: Ridly Greig, son of Flyers scout Mark Greig, is a center with 200-foot bite

At times it seems like teams would avoid using a high pick on a scout's kid to avoid the appearance of nepotism, although I'm reminded of the Oilers taking David Musil #31 in 2011 when his dad Frantisek (Bobby Holik's brother-in-law) was an Edmonton scout.

The difference with Ridly Greig is that he's just a terrific hockey player. There is no one in the entire 2020 draft with a higher compete level, and he's a tremendous 200-foot player and forechecker. Greig is not an elite skill player, but certainly has the offensive talent to play in an NHL top 6 role. I'm a huge fan of this kid. He's not a lock for the first-round, but he's certainly a name to think about in the #21-#40 overall range.

 

[Guadana]

By the way, in the interest of representing all the nations, we should probably add...

Best Belgian in the 2020 draft: RW Senna Peeters, Halifax QMJHL
Best Hungarian in the 2020 draft: C Kristof Papp, Des Moines USHL

I'm still waiting for someone from Iceland to make their mark in the NHL. It seems such a natural fit, right?

I'm a big fan of players from exotic countries, hockey players have to go through great trials on their way, but to recruit players in the draft solely because of the originality of their origin is like a bored billionaire expand his horizons.
But we can take unusual one. If he will be bad, we'll play him in one game and then show him in the Museum.

 

[Based Anime Fan]

Think there's any way, from your viewing of this whole round, that the Devils could trade up to take Schneider at 16?

 

[StevenToddIves]

Think there's any way, from your viewing of this whole round, that the Devils could trade up to take Schneider at 16?

I doubt Montreal would be willing to trade down.

 

[Guadana]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Trade for Schneider... Don`t hurt me please.
Do we really forgot about Zboril, Juulsen, McIlrath, Morin and Siemens. He is the perfect candidate in all respects to become the first most clearly overrated first rounder.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Trade for Schneider... Don`t hurt me please.
Do we really forgot about Zboril, Juulsen, McIlrath, Morin and Siemens. He is the perfect candidate in all respects to become the first most clearly overrated first rounder.

I have to say that Schneider has very little in common with any of those players. None of those players could skate as well as Schneider or had his passing ability or hockey IQ.

 

[Guadana]

I have to say that Schneider has very little in common with any of those players. None of those players could skate as well as Schneider or had his passing ability or hockey IQ.

You think you`re so big? You think you`re so tough? Huh? (it`s an irony here and further on the board)
Schneider did. But is it tranlate well from WHL to NHL for this type of D? Taking into account previously named names - not always. Guys have pretty similar stats.

I can`t talk about his IQ, he isn`t consistent in this aspect, but it`s ok for 17-18 yo player. It`s too complicated and hard theme for my poor english.

But his skating is an aspect where i can`t agree with you.
There is one his game shift by shift.


And he is looking pretty well in it. But we are talking about skating.
2-10 He make a stop when he went from skating back to skating forward.
4-07 Kinda a similar situation. Takes extra steps.
6-42 He doesn't start skating backwards, he turns around.
8-58 He play well there, but he lost one step against forward at a small distance. I really like the way he chooses a position and compensates for his speed in his zone.
9-56 He went from skating back to skating forward. This is one of his skating weaknesses.
10-40 I will talk about not only his problem. Great puck protecting.
11-46 Like in 6-42 moment he turns around, he doesn`t start backward well and he gets confused in the legs.
12-12 - 12-15 Good north-south skating
13-12 There is a goal. But he lost his balance, he misses at first shot. And after all they scored.
14-31 ? He isn`t great when he skates with the puck from west to east. 14-40 Same weak step
17-11 He lost two steps against forward. Anyway he isn`t play badly here.

From there we can see he isn`t a very high iq player but he doesn`t have to. He makes safe simple decisions and it`s good for defensive defensman. He sometimes loses a position and player he is following, i still think he is good at it. He was very good in PK, he protecting the puck very well.

But his skating isn`t good. He isn`t good back skater. He has real problem with skating with the puck. Often he`s makin stop moves when he`s trying to make pass or shot. He is bad when he skates with the puck from east to west. His starting speed is maximum... avarage for his type of D. It seems to me that his upper body and lower body are not always in agreement. I think you watched the video of his draft profile on youtube where he lost the puck on the blue line.

And i don`t think he is bad at all. I think he is good. We have problems with RD deap. But what I wouldn't do for him is to do the trade up. We still have some defensive defensemen and he can`t be our "all or nothing" target. And I think given his strengths, his weaknesses and draft history, he's the most obvious candidate to be a bust in this draft. Reason why i want him only at 20, not earlier. I can understand tradeup move for Quinn, Mercer or Jarvis, but not for Schneider.

And if we talk about the draft in general, Amirov, Holloway, Perrault, Gunler, Reichel are more interesting and important players for our team for my taste. In the first round of next year, the set of D will be more interesting.

 

[StevenToddIves]

You think you`re so big? You think you`re so tough? Huh? (it`s an irony here and further on the board)
Schneider did. But is it tranlate well from WHL to NHL for this type of D? Taking into account previously named names - not always. Guys have pretty similar stats.

I can`t talk about his IQ, he isn`t consistent in this aspect, but it`s ok for 17-18 yo player. It`s too complicated and hard theme for my poor english.

But his skating is an aspect where i can`t agree with you.
There is one his game shift by shift.


And he is looking pretty well in it. But we are talking about skating.
2-10 He make a stop when he went from skating back to skating forward.
4-07 Kinda a similar situation. Takes extra steps.
6-42 He doesn't start skating backwards, he turns around.
8-58 He play well there, but he lost one step against forward at a small distance. I really like the way he chooses a position and compensates for his speed in his zone.
9-56 He went from skating back to skating forward. This is one of his skating weaknesses.
10-40 I will talk about not only his problem. Great puck protecting.
11-46 Like in 6-42 moment he turns around, he doesn`t start backward well and he gets confused in the legs.
12-12 - 12-15 Good north-south skating
13-12 There is a goal. But he lost his balance, he misses at first shot. And after all they scored.
14-31 ? He isn`t great when he skates with the puck from west to east. 14-40 Same weak step
17-11 He lost two steps against forward. Anyway he isn`t play badly here.

From there we can see he isn`t a very high iq player but he doesn`t have to. He makes safe simple decisions and it`s good for defensive defensman. He sometimes loses a position and player he is following, i still think he is good at it. He was very good in PK, he protecting the puck very well.

But his skating isn`t good. He isn`t good back skater. He has real problem with skating with the puck. Often he`s makin stop moves when he`s trying to make pass or shot. He is bad when he skates with the puck from east to west. His starting speed is maximum... avarage for his type of D. It seems to me that his upper body and lower body are not always in agreement. I think you watched the video of his draft profile on youtube where he lost the puck on the blue line.

And i don`t think he is bad at all. I think he is good. We have problems with RD deap. But what I wouldn't do for him is to do the trade up. We still have some defensive defensemen and he can`t be our "all or nothing" target. And I think given his strengths, his weaknesses and draft history, he's the most obvious candidate to be a bust in this draft. Reason why i want him only at 20, not earlier. I can understand tradeup move for Quinn, Mercer or Jarvis, but not for Schneider.

And if we talk about the draft in general, Amirov, Holloway, Perrault, Gunler, Reichel are more interesting and important players for our team for my taste. In the first round of next year, the set of D will be more interesting.

I've been watching a lot more Reichel film because of you. I had Peterka higher all year long, but I might be starting to come around to seeing things your way. More on that later.

But I think the point here is Schneider -- and I absolutely love the kid. But I have not advocated for the Devils drafting him at all. I agree with you 100% that the high-end forwards who will be available at #18 and #20 are what the Devils need to be focusing on.

I also agree with you on this -- I have not advocated trading up from the #18 spot. I think the only exception conceivable would be if Seth Jarvis somehow fell to #15 or #16 and the teams picking there weren't charging an extraordinary return to move down a few slots. To me, Jarvis is literally just a hair below Lucas Raymond, and they're very similar-type players.

Thanks again for the film and breakdown of Schneider. Really great stuff there. I'm going to check it out in great detail as soon as I get the chance.

 

[Guadana]

I've been watching a lot more Reichel film because of you. I had Peterka higher all year long, but I might be starting to come around to seeing things your way. More on that later.

But I think the point here is Schneider -- and I absolutely love the kid. But I have not advocated for the Devils drafting him at all. I agree with you 100% that the high-end forwards who will be available at #18 and #20 are what the Devils need to be focusing on.

I also agree with you on this -- I have not advocated trading up from the #18 spot. I think the only exception conceivable would be if Seth Jarvis somehow fell to #15 or #16 and the teams picking there weren't charging an extraordinary return to move down a few slots. To me, Jarvis is literally just a hair below Lucas Raymond, and they're very similar-type players.

Thanks again for the film and breakdown of Schneider. Really great stuff there. I'm going to check it out in great detail as soon as I get the chance.

Thank you, that's nice to hear. This forum is a great place.
It will be very interesting for me to read your thoughts about Deutschland players. It's great that the new look helps us look at things differently. It's the same with me. Especially when we talk about such a metaphysical thing as a player's perspective. There is not much time left before the draft, the tension is growing, and it will be interesting to see how general managers will act in the end, what decisions they will make, which of them will choose exclusively according to the BPA principle, who will choose by positions, and who will choose with some specific tactic. Evaluating the administration of organizations helps us look at the perspective of these organizations soberly. Bad managers don't win almost anything.
You have all the time in the world for Schneider's video. Apparently, the world has until October 6.

And i agree with you about Jarvis. I really hope Fitz can somehow get Edmonton's first pick. And even such a sacrifice as carrying the Neal`s Cross seem to me necessary True. If Jarvis, Quinn or Mercer will be there. This will change the franchise. After this move, devs will need to find only one or two top(or perspective top) defensemen. If 7th pick will be Def - even more so.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Thank you, that's nice to hear. This forum is a great place.
It will be very interesting for me to read your thoughts about Deutschland players. It's great that the new look helps us look at things differently. It's the same with me. Especially when we talk about such a metaphysical thing as a player's perspective. There is not much time left before the draft, the tension is growing, and it will be interesting to see how general managers will act in the end, what decisions they will make, which of them will choose exclusively according to the BPA principle, who will choose by positions, and who will choose with some specific tactic. Evaluating the administration of organizations helps us look at the perspective of these organizations soberly. Bad managers don't win almost anything.
You have all the time in the world for Schneider's video. Apparently, the world has until October 6.

And i agree with you about Jarvis. I really hope Fitz can somehow get Edmonton's first pick. And even such a sacrifice as carrying the Neal`s Cross seem to me necessary True. If Jarvis, Quinn or Mercer will be there. This will change the franchise. After this move, devs will need to find only one or two top(or perspective top) defensemen. If 7th pick will be Def - even more so.

I strongly feel there is no chance for Jack Quinn. I would not be amazed if he went as high as #5 to the Senators or #6 to Anaheim. Ottawa drafted Mark Stone, who is a pretty good comparable to Quinn in myriad ways.

Jarvis is a slim possibility, but that possibility exists. This kid is amazing -- he's just dangerous every time he touches the puck. I think people don't realize how close it is between Jarvis and the duo of Raymond/Perfetti, who are routinely ranked far higher. He would be my #1 Devils "trade up" candidate, and apparently yours, as well.

Mercer is a player who could conceivably fall to #18. Though his upside is a bit below Perreault and Gunler, you could make the argument that he has the highest floor in the draft after the first dozen picks. And this is not a knock on Mercer's upside -- the kid's hands are magic and he can be a first-line scoring RW without any doubt in my mind.

 

[tailfins]

I strongly feel there is no chance for Jack Quinn. I would not be amazed if he went as high as #5 to the Senators or #6 to Anaheim. Ottawa drafted Mark Stone, who is a pretty good comparable to Quinn in myriad ways.

Jarvis is a slim possibility, but that possibility exists. This kid is amazing -- he's just dangerous every time he touches the puck. I think people don't realize how close it is between Jarvis and the duo of Raymond/Perfetti, who are routinely ranked far higher. He would be my #1 Devils "trade up" candidate, and apparently yours, as well.

Mercer is a player who could conceivably fall to #18. Though his upside is a bit below Perreault and Gunler, you could make the argument that he has the highest floor in the draft after the first dozen picks. And this is not a knock on Mercer's upside -- the kid's hands are magic and he can be a first-line scoring RW without any doubt in my mind.

What draft would you compare this to?

In terms of depth, it sounds a lot like 2015 from the way I'm reading your (and others) posts. Am I being overly enthusiastic with that? I know there's no McEichel in the draft, but otherwise, is that the right comp?

 

[Ripshot 43]

I strongly feel there is no chance for Jack Quinn. I would not be amazed if he went as high as #5 to the Senators or #6 to Anaheim. Ottawa drafted Mark Stone, who is a pretty good comparable to Quinn in myriad ways.

Jarvis is a slim possibility, but that possibility exists. This kid is amazing -- he's just dangerous every time he touches the puck. I think people don't realize how close it is between Jarvis and the duo of Raymond/Perfetti, who are routinely ranked far higher. He would be my #1 Devils "trade up" candidate, and apparently yours, as well.

Mercer is a player who could conceivably fall to #18. Though his upside is a bit below Perreault and Gunler, you could make the argument that he has the highest floor in the draft after the first dozen picks. And this is not a knock on Mercer's upside -- the kid's hands are magic and he can be a first-line scoring RW without any doubt in my mind.

I was all set to cross my fingers for Quinn when I thought we would have the #10 overall and had my heart broken when the puck dropped after the Coyotes 1st round win. Now you are saying Quinn is comparable to Mark Stone?!?! That’s it, I’m going to go lock myself in my bedroom with a gallon of rocky road ice cream.

 

[StevenToddIves]

What draft would you compare this to?

In terms of depth, it sounds a lot like 2015 from the way I'm reading your (and others) posts. Am I being overly enthusiastic with that? I know there's no McEichel in the draft, but otherwise, is that the right comp?

Excellent top 12 overall. Deepest draft for RW I can remember, and not too far off for LW. 2020 has an inordinate amount of snipers. I'd say the draft is solid at center, thin at LD and positively anemic at RD.

I think 2020 will certainly be remembered for the wingers, especially RW . I mean, you have kids like Perreault and Gunler who could fall to the 20s and have just superstar potential. Really great RWs like Wiesblatt and and Foerster and Tullio and Colangelo are first rounders almost any year, but will likely fall to the second in 2020. Players like Evangelista, Foudy, Sourdif, Coe and Miettinen could fall to the mid-rounds and be impact NHL-ers.

 

[Guadana]

I strongly feel there is no chance for Jack Quinn. I would not be amazed if he went as high as #5 to the Senators or #6 to Anaheim. Ottawa drafted Mark Stone, who is a pretty good comparable to Quinn in myriad ways.

Jarvis is a slim possibility, but that possibility exists. This kid is amazing -- he's just dangerous every time he touches the puck. I think people don't realize how close it is between Jarvis and the duo of Raymond/Perfetti, who are routinely ranked far higher. He would be my #1 Devils "trade up" candidate, and apparently yours, as well.

Mercer is a player who could conceivably fall to #18. Though his upside is a bit below Perreault and Gunler, you could make the argument that he has the highest floor in the draft after the first dozen picks. And this is not a knock on Mercer's upside -- the kid's hands are magic and he can be a first-line scoring RW without any doubt in my mind.

14 isn`t enough? Trade 14 and 18 for 10. Some fantastic twists and turns went.
I like Mercer`s game a lot. He will be perfect man for Hughes in center and Raymod on left side).
If we look closely at the game of Colorado and Dallas, we can see how Heiskanen looked better than Makar. If the Vegas and Vancouver games-Hughes ' problems came to the fore and his time was cut.
What I'm saying? Our centers need the right partners. If Fitz thinks it's Mercer, devs need to do everything they can to get it. If it's Jarvis , it's the same story. I understand that Quinn is more difficult. I understand that Quinn should be first target to trade up, but he isn`t look like a real possible target.
I understand that this is very presumptuous, but I think the top 9 have a better potential to be the leading players in top lines. Quinn, Mercer and Jarvis look like top line players, but they will need leading partners. The other players are either a risky bet like Perrault or +/- guaranteed middle 6/second line.
We need two players with top 3 potential from this draft.