Draft 2020 Draft & Undrafted Free Agent Thread: Part V

[Kovalev27]

That's still 2 concussions before the draft. Big red flag

hed be a top 10 pick otherwise. That’s the point

 

[Kovalev27]

The Andersson pick doesn’t bother me (not that it did before) after we won the lottery. Every choice the Rangers have made, everything that has happened the last few years put them in the perfect chain of events to win the right to select Lafreniere.

Had they chosen differently, we may not be in this situation today.

Even Lias Andersson tripping on that wire and humiliating himself was enough of a ripple to get Lafreniere. I can get behind this lol

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

hed be a top 10 pick otherwise. That’s the point

I know Craig Button had him in his top-10 but I don't see it, in this year. If this was 2018 or 2019, then sure

 

[Leetch3]

Scouts move around a lot these days- but I would development into that as well. Look at CLB, their top 4 has two home grown 4th (Savard) and 6th (Gavrikov) round picks. They hit on multiple 2nd round picks (Jenner, Texier, Peeke, Stenlund), 3rd rounders (Korpisalo, Bjorkstrand, Merzlikins), 4th rounders (Anderson, Mike Reilly, Bemstrom), they got Nutivaara in the 7th.

Of the 12 I listed, 11 are on their current playoff roster. No one makes more than $4.5M and 8 are below $2M. Good news is that the guy that built that team is sitting in same seat in the Rangers front office. JD was a fan of Jarmo since his broadcasting days since the Sens teams were so good in the late 90s and early oughts. Hired Jarmo as a AGM in STL, took him to CLB and made him GM.

Not a surprise that the Blue Jackets are one of the better scouting and development teams out there.

What you see with the blue jackets and blues is hopefully our future with jd here and they are already working to try to improve our development system

 

[Kovalev27]

You don’t see it because he only played 19 games. If healthy is the point. He wasn’t. But on talent. He woulda been a top 10 pick if healthy. He was on that trajectory. If we’re talking boom/bust picks and we are. There’s no one that fits that bill more than Lapierre

 

[Leetch3]

If the Carolina pick is in a slot where you can get a real boom pick who is maybe 3-4 years away and will need a lot of coaching and development, do you do it?

My philosophy has changed, you are getting the biggest boom with the safest pick, so taking another swing is not a bad idea. This is a very good draft imo, and one that does not seem to have the usual concensus you would see form with the end of year tourneys and playoffs.

There are guys I like a lot who are not universally rated as high players. Some I think will be available in the 2nd and 3rd.

So if the 21st pick is a player who can be one of the 2nd or 3rd best player at his position- and he is 3-4 years away with a lot of development needed, do you take it and wait?

Or do you take a player who has middle of the line-up upside that can play in 1-2 years?

You ALWAYS take the player that you think will be better in the long term and be patient. And that doesn’t just mean boom prospects.

We all love seeing kids play in ny but you don’t draft to fill immediate needs. And as our system is restocked it lets us being even more patient with guys. It might take guys like miller and lundqvist 3-4 years post draft to make it but if they end up as top 4 guys it was worth the wait.

 

[Edge]

Lapierre definitely qualifies as a high risk /high reward player.

If he’s healthy you’re talking about someone with first line playmaking ability.

But the health concerns are a serious issue at this point in time. It especially becomes an issue depending on who you have sitting out there.

Assuming there are no surprises and Mercer, Lundell, Jarvis are off the board, he becomes part of that consideration with guys like Bourque and maybe Perrault.

If they’re off the board, and the Canes pick is later, that appeal factor could increase.

 

[broadwayblue]

Before last Monday I would have said take the "boom" all day, but I think the lottery (aka adding another hopefully huge $ player in the near future) plus the "flat cap era" makes me wonder if finding cheap depth on ELCs may actually be more beneficial to the NYR.

They are gonna need depth to win a Cup and with the studs they have in the roster/pipeline they are likely not going to be in a position to pay that depth.

I agree. If you can find and develop guys who can become integral parts of a supporting cast, that's pretty big. I'm not opposed to taking big swings, but perhaps it makes more sense to use our 3rd rounders for that. With the late 1st I'd love to find someone in the mold of Tom Wilson or Brock Nelson...guys you don't necessarily expect to be top line players, but who have a decent shot to have nice careers as a middle 6 guy. Guys who you make you pay in the corners and in open ice. I know these two guys worked out really well for mid to late 1st rounders, and maybe they are more of the exception than the rule...but that's the kind of player I'd love us to go after if there are no potential 2C propects available. All this is assuming we actually make the pick, which is obviously far from a sure thing.

 

[I Eat Crow]

I'm totally on board for Perreault if he's around with the Carolina pick. The Rangers haven't had a player like him in a long time. Whether he becomes a center or a winger at the NHL level, the kid flat out knows how to put the puck in the net. He may be a good player to put in the middle of a playmaker like Lafreniere or Panarin.

 

[duhmetreE]

What would it take to get to pick #6 or #8 for Lundell?

We have chips... Why not get the player we want? ADA, Buch, Chytil, Kravtsov, Lias, CAR 1st etc.

These types are very rare. We thought we had it in Lias

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

What would it take to get to pick #6 or #8 for Lundell?

We have chips... Why not get the player we want? ADA, Buch, Chytil, Kravtsov, Lias, CAR 1st etc.

These types are very rare. We thought we had it in Lias

Harrington wrote about Buffalo being willing to trade 8th overall for an established center.

 

[TopShelf86]

Harrington wrote about Buffalo being willing to trade 8th overall for an established center.

Strome, Car 1st...and go from there
Probably too wishful but I dont see why that offer cant start a conversation at least

I doubt they do it tho

 

[Irishguy42]

Harrington wrote about Buffalo being willing to trade 8th overall for an established center.

See...there's the problem with that report.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

See...there's the problem with that report.

I know he's Buffalo's equivalent of Larry Brooks, but if Ranger fans take him serious...

 

[Mac n Gs]

The more I watch him, the more I want them to swing for Mavrik Bourque with that second first round pick. He definitely has warts and needs to be more consistent, but I think he can hit a Konecny-esque ceiling if everything falls into place for him.

He definitely needs work defensively, but I think he can learn that with time, especially with how good of a skater he is.

 

[Leetch3]

Harrington wrote about Buffalo being willing to trade 8th overall for an established center.

so we just need to acquire a center first and then we can give them a call lol

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

so we just need to acquire a center first and then we can give them a call lol

Strome and we throw in Georgiev for a 2nd

 

[bobbop]

Just taking a quick look at various mock draft sites and rankings with the Rangers first round. Obviously Lafreniere is a given, but some interesting names associated with the Canes picks. Some haven't been updated yet. When in doubt, I am listing the 24th ranked player. Some more than others:

DraftSite.com - Ridly Greig

MyNHLdraft.com - Kaiden Guhle

Tankathon.com - Jan Mysak

BleacherReport.com - Kaiden Guhle

TheSportsBank.net - Rodion Amirov

TheHockeyWriters.com - Justin Barron

NBCsports.com - Justin Barron

SportingNews.com - Jan Mysak

CSB NA - Ty Smilanic

ISS - Ponomarev

Elite Prospects - Peterka

Future Considerations - Foerster

TSN/Button - Kaiden Guhle

ESPN - Brendan Brisson

McKenzie Rankings - Ridly Greig

McKeen's - Ridly Greig

So, for those keeping score: Greig (3); Guhle (3), Barron (2); Mysak (2); and everyone else with 1.

I’ve just recently started to see Ridley Greig’s name start to pop up in this space. @Edge, @Joey Bones @Amazing Kreiderman Thoughts?

In a composite of 34 mock drafts, he is ranked #41.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I’ve just recently started to see Ridley Greig’s name start to pop up in this space. @Edge, @Joey Bones @Amazing Kreiderman Thoughts?

In a composite of 34 mock drafts, he is ranked #41.

I've seen him play in a couple of games since he's in the WHL and his quick release is definitely a weapon. I think he sometimes needs to make better decisions on whether to shoot or pass but when he passes it's on the money. His weakness is probably his defensive game which is important for a center.

I have said this before, but the revamp of the WHL scouting under Konowalchuk is the main reason I would not be surprised if we go with a WHL kid late in the first. He's a good skater, especially the first few steps which are crucial in tight areas. I think he has some nice tools that the Rangers could fall for, but he's not that 2-way center some fans are looking for. If he can fill out a bit and still have those quick first 2-3 steps, he can make it. But when you get to this range, you have to accept that there's always a risk.

His dad played NHL hockey and we all know how much the Rangers love those bloodlines.

 

[Edge]

I’ve just recently started to see Ridley Greig’s name start to pop up in this space. @Edge, @Joey Bones @Amazing Kreiderman Thoughts?

In a composite of 34 mock drafts, he is ranked #41.

Looks like he could be a solid support player. While not necessarily a speedster, he has a good zip in his skates and keeps his feet moving.

His skill level is solid, but he probably doesn’t have any one stand-out attribute. He makes his bones with a straight-forward meat and potatoes style that includes energy, simple passes and high percentage shots.

I think I like him better as a wing as he moves forward. I think he does best when he can stick his lane and have someone else create the play.

Personally I peg him as more of a second round type, but he’s probably fair game in the 20s.

 

[Mikos87]

Strome, Car 1st...and go from there
Probably too wishful but I dont see why that offer cant start a conversation at least

I doubt they do it tho

I don't know. I think that's a team that will have to get a bunch of guys off of waivers to field a team this upcoming year. You know they desperately need NHLers. And they do not get free agents without over paying. So if there is a team that needs players, doesn't have a farm system that's going to feed 3-4 players, and one with almost 10 spots available at the NHL level... it's Buffalo.

That's a very fair proposal imo. But the Rangers will need a top 6 center, and even if Strome is not a long term solution, he's a much better NHL option than a pick. I think the Rangers are in a position to grab younger NHL players, and they can add to Strome to do that.

The question is if this draft and free agency is another where the Rangers are in somewhat of a sell mode to still build out the team and get more assets, or if they take NHL players and package what they have for roster upgrades.

I think it's the latter, but you never know.

 

[Mikos87]

Heard his name get brought up before. What's everyone's thoughts on Jake Neighbours?

 

[bobbop]

Scouts move around a lot these days- but I would development into that as well. Look at CLB, their top 4 has two home grown 4th (Savard) and 6th (Gavrikov) round picks. They hit on multiple 2nd round picks (Jenner, Texier, Peeke, Stenlund), 3rd rounders (Korpisalo, Bjorkstrand, Merzlikins), 4th rounders (Anderson, Mike Reilly, Bemstrom), they got Nutivaara in the 7th.

Of the 12 I listed, 11 are on their current playoff roster. No one makes more than $4.5M and 8 are below $2M. Good news is that the guy that built that team is sitting in same seat in the Rangers front office. JD was a fan of Jarmo since his broadcasting days since the Sens teams were so good in the late 90s and early oughts. Hired Jarmo as a AGM in STL, took him to CLB and made him GM.

Not a surprise that the Blue Jackets are one of the better scouting and development teams out there.

Also good to know that JD hired several of their scouts

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Heard his name get brought up before. What's everyone's thoughts on Jake Neighbours?

He's a good prospect but I don't think he will be the best option on the board when we are up with the CAR pick. I know there's of course some familiarity with him from a Rangers perspective, playing with Robertson but I don't see that being enough to grab him.

He's more a 200 ft player than Grieg who someone asked about earlier. I think his biggest issue is consistency but his transition game is the "sexy bit" about his game IMO. It reminds me of Grabner at times.

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Wouldn't want to break the bank we just built to pick in the top 10 again.

I'd like to see a deal like we did for K'Andre, move up couple of spots and target a sniper.

Perreault has been mentioned and I like him a lot. Kid is heavy af.