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

[KingTech]

How does the Lucic trade have anything to do with Werenski? He's restricted. Choosing to sign in Detroit wouldn't even be an option for another 5 years at least, and probably longer as the Kings would lock him up long term.

so we get him for 2 years then he goes for nothing If hes not resigning its the same as the Lucic trade no matter how good he is in the two years your losing assets for a guy thats gone in 2 years

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

If the Kings can’t find the right deal in moving the 8th pick, I think this is the right type of prospect to add to the system. Sounds like a Ryan O’Reilly type player.

 

[SmytheKing]

If the Kings can’t find the right deal in moving the 8th pick, I think this is the right type of prospect to add to the system. Sounds like a Ryan O’Reilly type player.

He's the guy I'd like if Clarke isn't there at 8. He just screams Brendan Shanahan, Shane Doan, David Backes, Ryan O'Reilly, etc. No idea if he ever reaches those levels but that sort of style for sure.

 

[Lt Dan]

If the Kings can’t find the right deal in moving the 8th pick, I think this is the right type of prospect to add to the system. Sounds like a Ryan O’Reilly type player.

He's the guy I'd like if Clarke isn't there at 8. He just screams Brendan Shanahan, Shane Doan, David Backes, Ryan O'Reilly, etc. No idea if he ever reaches those levels but that sort of style for sure.

me three

 

[Telos]

I have a feeling that if Hughes or another quality defender isn't there at #8 then Blake and company will either trade the pick or select a goaltender. The more it gets talked about, the less surprised I'll be if they select Wallstedt or Cossa. I love Petersen but he doesn't scream solid #1 yet, he may get there, but adding a second could guarantee the net after Quick's imminent departure. I mean, Cal is already 8 years older than either of these prospects, he is pretty much in the middle of Quick and any prospect they draft now. The pipeline needs a goaltender, preferably this year and there are two very high-end talents in this draft.

 

[RaymondReddington]

Kings trade down and take a goalie

 

[ru4reals]

Kings trade down and take a goalie

Agree not a big fan of taking a goalie at 8. Having Bernier flashbacks if we do draft one of the two goalies. Perhaps if the player they really want is not there at 8 and feel they can trade down to nab one of the goalies then maybe not a bad thing to do I guess. Said it before, I'm happy with whatever we do this team seems to have holes everywhere except center.

 

[Reclamation Project]

I’m very nervous about trading down, if you want him, just take him. What if you trade down and someone else picks him before? Then you lose the 8OA talent AND the goalie you wanted. Pass.

 

[RaymondReddington]

I’m very nervous about trading down, if you want him, just take him. What if you trade down and someone else picks him before? Then you lose the 8OA talent AND the goalie you wanted. Pass.

Isn't there a way teams have of preventing that scenario? Some gentleman's agreement of communication under those circumstances?
I have always wondered how that worked, if it does.

 

[Reclamation Project]

I doubt it and even if there was I wouldn’t trust them.

 

[Brodeur]

Agree not a big fan of taking a goalie at 8. Having Bernier flashbacks if we do draft one of the two goalies.

Not sure why it takes longer for people to get over a 1st round goalie who wasn't a star rather than a skater who didn't pan out. It's almost like saying you wouldn't draft a defenseman because of Derek Forbort or Tampa should have passed on Andrei Vasilevskiy because they used a 2006 first rounder on Riku Helenius.

Edit: And it's not like Bernier was an embarrassing pick compared to the guys who went around his spot.

7. Kyle Okposo
8. Peter Mueller
9. James Sheppard
10. Michael Frolik
11. Jonathan Bernier
12. Bryan Little
13. Jiri Tlusty
14. Michael Grabner
15. Riku Helenius
16. Ty Wishart

 

[tbrown33]

Bernier at 11 in that draft was a great pick, he’s had a nice long career and still has miles left

 

[Matt13]

 

[Reclamation Project]

The beginning of Bernier's end...

 

[Maynard]

Bernier at 11 in that draft was a great pick, he’s had a nice long career and still has miles left

Taking a goalie at #11, you’d want him to become a starter at some point and he never really did for anyone. Tough to call it a great pick.

 

[DAkings20]

 

[kings11]

Still think he lands in Detroit..
1- Power
2- Eklund
3- Beniers
4-Brandt
5-Johnson
6- Wally
7- Hughes
8- Edvidsson/Guenther/MacTavish

 

[Reclamation Project]

Boom!

 

[tbrown33]

Still think he lands in Detroit..
1- Power
2- Eklund
3- Beniers
4-Brandt
5-Johnson
6- Wally
7- Hughes
8- Edvidsson/Guenther/MacTavish

Maybe, but they just got Nedeljkovic, and he's only 25. Florida did sign Bobrovsky for a billion years after drafting Knight though so who f***in knows.

 

[King'sPawn]

Not sure why it takes longer for people to get over a 1st round goalie who wasn't a star rather than a skater who didn't pan out. It's almost like saying you wouldn't draft a defenseman because of Derek Forbort or Tampa should have passed on Andrei Vasilevskiy because they used a 2006 first rounder on Riku Helenius.

Edit: And it's not like Bernier was an embarrassing pick compared to the guys who went around his spot.

7. Kyle Okposo
8. Peter Mueller
9. James Sheppard
10. Michael Frolik
11. Jonathan Bernier
12. Bryan Little
13. Jiri Tlusty
14. Michael Grabner
15. Riku Helenius
16. Ty Wishart

Here's my article on Wallstedt which finally was published. Hoping one more will get posted before tomorrow if it's applicable. Been working on getting content ready for this weekend: 2021 NHL Draft Preview: Goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, Sweden

The final thoughts/conclusion at the end further emphasize what I previously mentioned about using a first-round-pick on a goalie. It's not a bad idea inherently, but you just have no choice but to hit on it. Even if a forward/defenseman doesn't pan out or hit their potential, they can still salvage a bottom-six or bottom-pairing player. With goalies, you either get a starter or a bench warmer. Apparently the Kings see it as a possible chance worth taking.

 

[Fishhead]

so we get him for 2 years then he goes for nothing If hes not resigning its the same as the Lucic trade no matter how good he is in the two years your losing assets for a guy thats gone in 2 years

Werenski is a RFA. If the Kings were to trade for him, he cannot sign with any other team than the Kings when his contract expires. He doesn't have a choice, he cannot just leave after two years. The Kings would tender a QO, so the only way he could leave is if a team were to offer sheet him. To get the Kings not to match, it would cost a minimum of a first, second, and third-round pick. More likely it would be 2 firsts, a second, and a third. There is zero possibility of him leaving for nothing.

Lucic was unrestricted, he could go wherever he wanted at whatever price. They are about as different of situations as you can get. Trading for a young, top defenseman who is restricted is the absolutely perfect scenario for this offseason.

 

[La sports fan]

I can confirm this!

 

[LAKings88]

Curious if San Jose looks at taking a goalie.

 

[Brodeur]

It's not a bad idea inherently, but you just have no choice but to hit on it. Even if a forward/defenseman doesn't pan out or hit their potential, they can still salvage a bottom-six or bottom-pairing player. With goalies, you either get a starter or a bench warmer. Apparently the Kings see it as a possible chance worth taking.

Sounds good in theory, but I had this conversation with an Ottawa fan awhile back. He had the same rationale, but it gets murky when you insert names into the equation. John Gibson was a bubble 1st rounder in 2011. Ottawa ended up with two picks late in the round and spent it on Stefan Noesen and Matt Puempel. They didn't provide much utility (granted Ottawa traded Noesen while he still had value).

Buffalo passed on Andrei Vasilevskiy twice for Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons. Even in the moment, some were worried whether Grigorenko was a boom/bust project and Girgensons had limited upside. Heck, Tampa took Slater Koekkoek before Vasilevskiy.

I thought San Jose might have interest in Thatcher Demko in 2014, but they opted for Nikolai Goldobin.

TL;DR 1st round forwards/D becoming replacement level guys happens more frequently than most of us like to ackwnowledge. I'm not saying the Kings need to take a goalie at #8 since it looks like there's a top tier of 9 skaters who could be top PP unit type guys, but I think it's a conversation to be had.

 

[Brodeur]

Curious if San Jose looks at taking a goalie.

Random trivia, San Jose/Minnesota (and Vegas/Seattle) are the only teams to have never used drafted a goalie in the first round. I think I read a recent blip from their beat writer who didn't expect that to change this year.