2021 NHL Entry Draft - Round 1: July 23 (8 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN, SN NOW, TVA Sports)

[King'sPawn]

You guys are dreaming about Edvinsson making it to 8...

2021 NHL Draft: Simon Edvinsson vs. Luke Hughes

In a poll conducted by NHL.com of 10 NHL scouts who were asked which player they would choose if given the option, Edvinsson earned an 8-2 advantage.

Besides Power, Edvinsson may be the first defenseman in the draft to go, with Hughes going right after him, perhaps leaving Clarke to fall to us at 8.

Though, it kind of depends on what Detroit does with the 6 OA.

That doesn't mean Edvinsson won't fall to 8. It just means they'd pick him over Hughes.

At least a quick glance at EP, who does consolidated rankings:

He's ranked between No. 2 and 14.
Hughes is ranked between 3 and 11.

I have concerns for both. Edvinsson is a great skater and defensively solid. His offense is very erratic and hard to pin down. Without translatable offensive skills, he'd be Derek Forbort. But if he can put it all together, he'd be like Hedman.

Hughes is a very dynamic skater and one of the youngest in this class. He tries to skate himself out of trouble. As competition grows tougher, that becomes more difficult. If he doesn't pan out, his floor is lower than Forbort. However, if he puts it all together, he could be like a Makar or Karlsson type player. The injury can be weighing in on these decisions, too.

Edit: if I were to rate my preference, right now, I'm choosing:
1. Clarke
2. Hughes
3. Power
4. Edvinsson

 

[kilowatt]

That would be an astronomical drop. But... like how Kaliyev dropped and thankfully we took him on Day 2... I do love me a draft day steal.

I'd take him at 49. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Steve Zissou]

That doesn't mean Edvinsson won't fall to 8. It just means they'd pick him over Hughes.

At least a quick glance at EP, who does consolidated rankings:

He's ranked between No. 2 and 14.
Hughes is ranked between 3 and 11.

I have concerns for both. Edvinsson is a great skater and defensively solid. His offense is very erratic and hard to pin down. Without translatable offensive skills, he'd be Derek Forbort. But if he can put it all together, he'd be like Hedman.

Hughes is a very dynamic skater and one of the youngest in this class. He tries to skate himself out of trouble. As competition grows tougher, that becomes more difficult. If he doesn't pan out, his floor is lower than Forbort. However, if he puts it all together, he could be like a Makar or Karlsson type player. The injury can be weighing in on these decisions, too.

Edit: if I were to rate my preference, right now, I'm choosing:
1. Clarke
2. Hughes
3. Power
4. Edvinsson

I’ve made my quams about Edvinsson on here a few times. I’m not saying I would take him over others, only that a majority of the scouts overwhelmingly would take him over Hughes.

I would also add Dougie Hamilton to that list. Clarke also has lot of upside and I don’t think he has even scratched the surface yet.

 

[LAKings88]

The more I think about this draft the less impressed I am with it. Hoping there are trades and movement to spice it up this year.

 

[funky]

The more I think about this draft the less impressed I am with it. Hoping their are trades and movement to spice it up this year.

I am opposite. Picking at 8 is cool as we will get a great player but the draft could play out in so many ways.

what teams will trade picks before us? Does Buffalo end up with 2 or 3 picks before we pick?

Does Blake trade ours?

Will a Defenceman slip to us?

Do we gamble on a goalie? If so which one?

Is there any way Guenther falls to us. Would love him with Byfield.

Do we gamble on McTavish? I think Turcotte on his wing would cause fits for other teams. Both relentless in your face players with high skill

can’t wait

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Modified title to remind us of date and time especially--though @King'sPawn 's OP has all the important info

 

[TruKingFan]

I am opposite. Picking at 8 is cool as we will get a great player but the draft could play out in so many ways.

what teams will trade picks before us? Does Buffalo end up with 2 or 3 picks before we pick?

Does Blake trade ours?

Will a Defenceman slip to us?

Do we gamble on a goalie? If so which one?

Is there any way Guenther falls to us. Would love him with Byfield.

Do we gamble on McTavish? I think Turcotte on his wing would cause fits for other teams. Both relentless in your face players with high skill

can’t wait

I agree totally. We'll see where the Kings are headed this year with this draft.

 

[Mats26]

I'll take any of the big 4 D men but we need Luke Hughes. Perfect fit in our pipeline. Hope we can move up because I don't think a miracle will happen and he falls to #8.

The draft is shaping up to be like the 2019 draft where we hoped that Byram falls to us...and he didn't. I think we'll settle for BPA (winger?). Kent Johnson also looks intriguing.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

I hope Clarke or Guenther falls to the Kings. Somewhat intrigued about Wallstedt. Still intrigued by Lucius.
After watching Sillinger scouching video, not sure about him. This season, he was not making plays
and seemed to try to be a 1 man offensive machine at shooting. Although his last season in the WHL,
he was not like that.

If Clarke or Guenther not there, would consider trading down some and getting Coronato or Lambos.
I think Coronato is underrated.

 

[funky]

I hope Clarke or Guenther falls to the Kings. Somewhat intrigued about Wallstedt. Still intrigued by Lucius.
After watching Sillinger scouching video, not sure about him. This season, he was not making plays
and seemed to try to be a 1 man offensive machine at shooting. Although his last season in the WHL,
he was not like that.

If Clarke or Guenther not there, would consider trading down some and getting Coronato or Lambos.
I think Coronato is underrated.

It’s funny, it seems after watching Scouching videos on every player I think the same thing - I don’t want that player. Then I watch others videos and they say something different. It seems that no one has a real true take on any of these players.

let’s hope our boys have dug in and really done their homework. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some really shocking picks in the first round.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

It’s funny, it seems after watching Scouching videos on every player I think the same thing - I don’t want that player. Then I watch others videos and they say something different. It seems that no one has a real true take on any of these players.

let’s hope our boys have dug in and really done their homework. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some really shocking picks in the first round.

I agree. Maybe I am putting too much stock in his assessments. I was looking back at his final ranking of 2019 class and he was the only real one out there, that
really liked Bjornfot and said he may end up being better than Broberg or Soderstrom of the 3. No one else was saying much of anything about Toby.

I don't know how he rattles off all of these metrics off his tongue....if these metrics were on a tele prompter, I could not read and speak them as fast
as he just spews this stuff out. He's dialed in and focused.

 

[King'sPawn]

Modified title to remind us of date and time especially--though @King'sPawn 's OP has all the important info

Awesome, thank you!

As for the excitement. I'm always excited about this time of year. New players in the system to learn about. New content. New people to watch grow. Working on an article last night and in my research saw a very weird tie to a former Kings staff.

I have a couple ready to be posted as well.

Then of course, after the picks are made, there's more content to write. We get to reevaluate our depth charts, see who has moved up, down, and where the new guys slot in.

If you aren't excited about the draft because you're hearing "the draft sucks" you are missing out.

 

[Reaper45]

I'll take any of the big 4 D men but we need Luke Hughes. Perfect fit in our pipeline. Hope we can move up because I don't think a miracle will happen and he falls to #8.

The draft is shaping up to be like the 2019 draft where we hoped that Byram falls to us...and he didn't. I think we'll settle for BPA (winger?). Kent Johnson also looks intriguing.

I like Hughes the least of them all to be honest. I think the a Devils will take him because of his brother but I’m not super high on him.

 

[Legionnaire]

I like Hughes the least of them all to be honest. I think the a Devils will take him because of his brother but I’m not super high on him.

I am. He can skate like the wind and is still really young.

 

[King'sPawn]

It’s funny, it seems after watching Scouching videos on every player I think the same thing - I don’t want that player. Then I watch others videos and they say something different. It seems that no one has a real true take on any of these players.

let’s hope our boys have dug in and really done their homework. I wouldn’t be surprised to see some really shocking picks in the first round.

I agree. Maybe I am putting too much stock in his assessments. I was looking back at his final ranking of 2019 class and he was the only real one out there, that
really liked Bjornfot and said he may end up being better than Broberg or Soderstrom of the 3. No one else was saying much of anything about Toby.

I don't know how he rattles off all of these metrics off his tongue....if these metrics were on a tele prompter, I could not read and speak them as fast
as he just spews this stuff out. He's dialed in and focused.

Like with most, I like the work Scouching has done. However, I have come across some criticisms as well that he's a great video editor, but there are remarks about where he has pulled his data, as well as criticisms of his talent evaluation. This was relayed to me before I even read what people were saying in the HF - Edvinsson thread.

So, that being said, I still watch him. I enjoy his insights provided, but I've refrained from making links in my articles until I find out more definitive and reliable information.

I would love to sit in on a session or two and watch him track a game to find out how he's gathering data. But that's also because I'm trying to understand different parts of analytics and an IT project I'm tackling.

 

[LAKings88]

I am opposite. Picking at 8 is cool as we will get a great player but the draft could play out in so many ways.

what teams will trade picks before us? Does Buffalo end up with 2 or 3 picks before we pick?

Does Blake trade ours?

Will a Defenceman slip to us?

Do we gamble on a goalie? If so which one?

Is there any way Guenther falls to us. Would love him with Byfield.

Do we gamble on McTavish? I think Turcotte on his wing would cause fits for other teams. Both relentless in your face players with high skill

can’t wait

Just feeling like some of these guys are being overhyped in a weak year. Could be very wrong and I do hope the Kings get a decent part of the future at the draft. Pick or trade.

 

[funky]

The nice thing about having someone as defensively sound as Doughty is we can grab a guy like Hughes or Edvinsson who have some questions about there defensive play and let them be our offensive guy while Doughty is there as an elite safety valve.

Drew is not this atheletic freak of nature who gets buy on his speed or strength. He has a million mile per hour brain and elite hockey sense which will age well. No matter what he should be a more mobile, better passing, more offensive Vlasic as he ages and protects our young pups like a Hughes

 

[Peter James Bond III]

The nice thing about having someone as defensively sound as Doughty is we can grab a guy like Hughes or Edvinsson who have some questions about there defensive play and let them be our offensive guy while Doughty is there as an elite safety valve.

Drew is not this atheletic freak of nature who gets buy on his speed or strength. He has a million mile per hour brain and elite hockey sense which will age well. No matter what he should be a more mobile, better passing, more offensive Vlasic as he ages and protects our young pups like a Hughes

That's all true. I sometimes wonder if he had a longtime pairing partner that was at least 85% as good as himself. He's never had a partner more than 2 yrs, it seems and has had to break in:
McNabb, MacDermid (omg) Forbort and now Anderson. Maybe Muzzin had 2 yrs pairing together? But sometimes wonder if he had a top level partner, he could have had even better numbers.

 

[funky]

That's all true. I sometimes wonder if he had a longtime pairing partner that was at least 85% as good as himself. He's never had a partner more than 2 yrs, it seems and has had to break in:
McNabb, MacDermid (omg) Forbort and now Anderson. Maybe Muzzin had 2 yrs pairing together? But sometimes wonder if he had a top level partner, he could have had even better numbers.

Very good point.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

That doesn't mean Edvinsson won't fall to 8. It just means they'd pick him over Hughes.


Edit: if I were to rate my preference, right now, I'm choosing:
1. Clarke
2. Hughes
3. Power
4. Edvinsson

I agree with your assessment. If Power was not 6'6" 215, he would not be rated #1...but he is 6'6" and that helps some, obviously .

I am curious how you would rank the D in Ontario:

Hults, Moverare, Durzi, Clague, Strand. May be hard to gauge Hults, as only got in about 20 games.
If I am calling Blake to make a deal, besides one of the top prospects, I would be trying to pry 1 of these too. (one of the 5 not named Durzi)

 

[Legionnaire]

The nice thing about having someone as defensively sound as Doughty is we can grab a guy like Hughes or Edvinsson who have some questions about there defensive play and let them be our offensive guy while Doughty is there as an elite safety valve.

Drew is not this atheletic freak of nature who gets buy on his speed or strength. He has a million mile per hour brain and elite hockey sense which will age well. No matter what he should be a more mobile, better passing, more offensive Vlasic as he ages and protects our young pups like a Hughes

He is a pretty damn good skater. He is super agile. I don't think if you would have put Doughty's brain in Matt Greene's body you'd end up with the same player. Doughty brain Greene would not have been nearly as good.

 

[King'sPawn]

I agree with your assessment. If Power was not 6'6" 215, he would not be rated #1...but he is 6'6" and that helps some, obviously .

I am curious how you would rank the D in Ontario:

Hults, Moverare, Durzi, Clague, Strand. May be hard to gauge Hults, as only got in about 20 games.
If I am calling Blake to make a deal, besides one of the top prospects, I would be trying to pry 1 of these too. (one of the 5 not named Durzi)

If ranking these guys exclusively by who I think has the best chance at an NHL career, I'd go with:
Strand
Moverare
Clague
Hults
Durzi

Though I'm waiting till after the draft to rerank the depth chart.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

If ranking these guys exclusively by who I think has the best chance at an NHL career, I'd go with:
Strand
Moverare
Clague
Hults
Durzi

Though I'm waiting till after the draft to rerank the depth chart.

Thanks. I was super impressed with Strand. He was quick in decision making and made almost 0 errors - gaffes. Maybe he is kind of like Willie Mitchell? Late blooming big, steady defenseman.

The Kings could use his size on the blueline. The Kings used to not have many RHD in the system and now have many,
including Faber and Grans. Seems Strand may end up becoming an NHL defenseman elsewhere. DD, Roy and Walker
hard to supplant. I would deal Walker in the right deal and give Strand a shot, but lots of youth already on D.
Things are against him here. Hope Moverare gets a chance. The Kings would have like 7 Swedes if he and Fagemo, Grans
make it. (and Grundstrom can hang)

 

[King'sPawn]

Interesting article from Jack Han, who writes about player development. This article talks about the relationship between frequency and success rate.

He doesn't name the prospect he spoke to in this article, but it sounds like he was talking to Kent Johnson.

Making the Most of Your Talent

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The nice thing about having someone as defensively sound as Doughty is we can grab a guy like Hughes or Edvinsson who have some questions about there defensive play and let them be our offensive guy while Doughty is there as an elite safety valve.

Drew is not this atheletic freak of nature who gets buy on his speed or strength. He has a million mile per hour brain and elite hockey sense which will age well. No matter what he should be a more mobile, better passing, more offensive Vlasic as he ages and protects our young pups like a Hughes

I think he's an excellent tutor/mentor

Though I think he'll age extremely well, it's more than high time we get him a partner that's an elite skater. He's getting to the stage of his career where he shouldn't be the best skater on his pairing--remember that late-career Lidstrom had Rafalski, not Kronwall.

That being said, I don't think we should be drafting for that reason at this stage. I think ti's more that all things being equal, we're missing a dynamic LHD.

That's all true. I sometimes wonder if he had a longtime pairing partner that was at least 85% as good as himself. He's never had a partner more than 2 yrs, it seems and has had to break in:
McNabb, MacDermid (omg) Forbort and now Anderson. Maybe Muzzin had 2 yrs pairing together? But sometimes wonder if he had a top level partner, he could have had even better numbers.

Doughty-Muzzin was arguably the best all-around pairing in the league. I can't even imagine if they gave him someone elite.

Though we got an approximation in the Olympics where he was nigh-unstoppable next to Vlasic/Weber and they gave best defenseman to a sheltered 2nd pairing Erik Karlsson because they wanted to spread out the awards