I could pass on drafting a LHD or a RW unless of course the player is lights out.
We need in priority:
Top end C
Top end LW
Top end RHD
Wright-Cooley
Slaf
Jiricek-Nemec
so no matter what, we are addressing a need
2022 NHL Entry Draft 8
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We need in priority:
Top end C
Top end LW
Top end RHD
Wright-Cooley
Slaf
Jiricek-Nemec
so no matter what, we are addressing a need
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Same with me. Wright or Slaf is my preference. Don't hate Cooley but I'm just not sure he ends up as good as what a top 5 pick can be. Guess work for sure and can be totally wrong on that.
Jiricek would be my 3rd choice.
If we are building a contender, we are going to need to have big skilled players that skate. So if not Wright, I'm taking one of Slaf or Jiricek.
That's my top 3 and in the same order....
As for Cooley, I think he's super talented, I'm just not keen in selecting a 5'10 C when we already have Suzuki, Caufield, Gallagher, Pitlick and up coming fwds Kidney, Farrell, Roy, Mysak.
Like nothing against short talented players, I just don't want the entire team being 5'10
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Cooley report on a potential weakness (see below)... I'm not so sure this is a 100% lock to call it a moot point. Centers taking faceoffs and dealing with other bigger forwards who also can skate in the NHL should not be thrown under the rug. So what are building? A contender or a pretender? I don't hate Cooley and won't complain too much if we draft him but there is just not that many smaller type centers in the NHL. We can name names for sure but that's don't prove the point or general rule is wrong... it only proves there are exceptions. Is Cooley the type who will add muscle in the right spot and be a skilled but a tough/strong type? Very possible I am wrong. Brayden Point is 5'-10" and 183 lbs. Yeah, I know that.
There are not many weaknesses to Cooley’s game as he is as well-rounded as they come. The only thing that may hold him back is his size, but even that shouldn’t matter too much when he makes it to the NHL. He’s just too smart and shifty to have that be the thing that holds him back. Throw in his work ethic and never-quit mentality, and his lack of size should be rendered almost moot when it comes to being a weakness.
There are not many weaknesses to Cooley’s game as he is as well-rounded as they come. The only thing that may hold him back is his size, but even that shouldn’t matter too much when he makes it to the NHL. He’s just too smart and shifty to have that be the thing that holds him back. Throw in his work ethic and never-quit mentality, and his lack of size should be rendered almost moot when it comes to being a weakness.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
I hate to devalue Cooley but that is kind of where my mind is at too. If we want a contender, we can only afford to have a few undersized/skilled ones.
Cup contenders and Final 4 year/year teams in the playoffs have the right mix of skill/size/skating/goaltending/toughness. Suzuki and Cooley as a 1/2 punch? I'm not super excited about that.
But then there is a part of me that thinks BPA and if Cooley is much better than Slaf and Jiricek, we look like fools. Drafting the right one is not easy.
What I say is stay out of trouble and draft the guy with the skill/size/skating package. KK wasn't it cause he lacked the skating. Slaf and Jiricek have all 3.
WeThreeKings
Demidov is a HAB
The only thing size matters for a center is handling forwards down low, as we can see with Suzuki, that can be done with smarts and anticipation. Also, down low is almost never solely a center by himself, and since the composition of our defense is going to be Guhle Romanov Barron, we have more than enough size and mobility to mitigate the risk.
Also don't worry too much about the size, we will be running a top 9 that's skilled under MSL, and you could do Suzuki Caufield Cooley Roy XX Farrell as duos and have room for a Tuch, Anderson etc on each. A composition not dissimilar to what cup winners have run.
Also don't worry too much about the size, we will be running a top 9 that's skilled under MSL, and you could do Suzuki Caufield Cooley Roy XX Farrell as duos and have room for a Tuch, Anderson etc on each. A composition not dissimilar to what cup winners have run.
Thats true, I'm not sure that Cooley is a good enough goaltender to justify a top 3 ranking.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
To be serious here. Most top centers in the NHL have very good height/size. When I see Cooley, I think a potential Point type center? No two players are a like but that's the body size I see him topping out at for 5'-10".
Suzuki is 5'-11" and 205 lbs. Do you see Cooley topping out around 190-200 range? Or like Point and around 185 range?
Size is not a moot point to me. Maybe others think size don't matter anymore but I'm not on that bandwagon. With my contending buildup, I would limit how many skilled/smaller types we have. Not going to act like a baby and complain if we draft Cooley but also not going to jump up for joy either. I'm I'm wrong on him, so be it. I can take it.
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Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Former Selke Trophy winners... Like how some scouts are saying Cooley might win one in the NHL down the road... Would Datsyuk be the one to compare Cooley towards in terms of guys under 6'-0" and 200 lbs but has skill to their game? We are looking at someone overall better than Peca and Draper right?
Barkov
Couturier
ROR
Kopitar
Bergeron
Toews
Kesler
Datsyuk
Brind'Amour
Draper
Lehtinen
Peca
Madden
Yzerman
Barkov
Couturier
ROR
Kopitar
Bergeron
Toews
Kesler
Datsyuk
Brind'Amour
Draper
Lehtinen
Peca
Madden
Yzerman
DramaticGloveSave
Voice of Reason
- Apr 17, 2017
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Would be sweet if he could come back and show the knee is fine and rise fast heading into the draft. Would make the big 3 a big 4
thing is we are also drafting top 4, it's not like we are drafting 15 and Caufield falls to us and we decide not to draft him like Philly because he's 5'7, that would be worthy of forum hysteria......
To be serious here. Most top centers in the NHL have very good height/size. When I see Cooley, I think a potential Point type center? No two players are a like but that's the body size I see him topping out at for 5'-10".
Suzuki is 5'-11" and 205 lbs. Do you see Cooley topping out around 190-200 range? Or like Point and around 185 range?
Size is not a moot point to me. Maybe others think size don't matter anymore but I'm not on that bandwagon. With my contending buildup, I would limit how many skilled/smaller types we have. Not going to act like a baby and complain if we draft Cooley but also not going to jump up for joy either. I'm I'm wrong on him, so be it. I can take it.
Slaf, Cooley, Jiricek and Nemec all bring something and when you consider their talents, size, skating and production at their respective positions, picking one over the other depending on the team selecting and their needs, well, they'll be no WTF moments within this group of 4
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Like I said, I hate putting focus on the size concerns towards Cooley cause he could be a good one. My mind is just at the general rule vs the exception. The top centers in the game have both size/weight but yeah, there are exceptions. So is Cooley the exception? I think you think he is but I'm just not sure.
If I'm picking 4th and he is still on the board where Wright, Slaf, and Jiricek are gone. Take Cooley. I'd be fine with that. I just don't know if he is BPA above them.
DramaticGloveSave
Voice of Reason
- Apr 17, 2017
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The thing is we already know Suzuki and Caufield can perform in the playoffs. We don’t need to force size. I like Slaf and would be happy with him but we don’t need size just to add it.
DramaticGloveSave
Voice of Reason
- Apr 17, 2017
- 14,819
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I meant in the draft, but I can dig it. Still hoping for a forward though.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Yeah, BPA applied when Caufield slipped to us. I liked that pick. So lets apply that to Cooley... if Wright, Slaf, and Jiricek are gone and we are picking 4th... take Cooley. At that point I do believe he would be BPA. Just don't know if I can say he is above those 3.
If there is a guy with all 3... Size, Skill, Skating, I'm taking that guy. With me, that applies to Wright, Slaf, and Jiricek.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
That's not really my approach though. It's not just about size. It's about going after guys with all 3... Size/Skating/Skill. With the KK pick, the skating was missing.
Suzuki and Caufield performed in the playoffs cause we had a good mix of size/skating/skill/goaltending/team D. When you add more skill/smaller types in the mix, the dynamics changes.
Do you think Cooley has enough skill to push him above the skill that the others have who also have skating/size to their games?
le_sean
Registered User
- Oct 21, 2006
- 43,226
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I’m not concerned with Cooley’s size. We specifically drafted a 6’2 centre with glaring weaknesses at 3rd overall and look at how that turned out. His glaring weaknesses are still an issue and exacerbated even more in the NHL. His size didn’t help him overcome anything.
So why not draft a 5’10 centre with no weaknesses? A great player is a great player. I want an elite offensive centre to finally have two top-6 centres that can create something out of nothing. We haven’t had that since Damphousse/Turgeon/Koivu.
So why not draft a 5’10 centre with no weaknesses? A great player is a great player. I want an elite offensive centre to finally have two top-6 centres that can create something out of nothing. We haven’t had that since Damphousse/Turgeon/Koivu.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
If that is our D after adding Jiricek and it disappoints, I'm giving up on evaluating prospects
Kent Nilsson
No trust
- Jan 31, 2016
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People who obsess about size remind me of the dinosaur scouts in moneyball.
le_sean
Registered User
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You have to be like Tampa. Build a team with talent. If you eventually get beat up in the playoffs, turn around and trade for size. That’s what they did and they might three-peat.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
Go to NHL.com and run a filter for the last 3-5 years for top producing centers only. Then count how many 5'-10/5'-11 and under guys that are also below 200 lbs.
People can ignore size but we should not. Yes there are exceptions but the exception is not the rule. This is the point. Ignoring the general rule cause there are exceptions is hope.
KK lacked skating. Go after someone with all 3... size/skating/skill. That to me is Wright, Slaf, and Jiricek.
I'd take Cooley 4th if he is still on the board.
Habs Halifax
Loyal Habs Fan
One answer to that... There are exceptions to the general rule but the exception is not the rule. You and others are basically ignoring the rule cause you see exceptions.
If you really want to evaluate the general rule in good faith and have the time to do it without any bias, List me your top 50 NHL centers. Like true type centers. Then lets look at all their height and weight. Cause when I say size, it's not 100% on height. I think you will see the general rule vs the exceptions and can quantify it.
So, if you like Cooley, you think he is an exception. That's basically it. Personally, Cooley is my 4th ranked BPA. I'm not dead set against him but I'd take others over him. Wright, Slaf, Jiricek
le_sean
Registered User
- Oct 21, 2006
- 43,226
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I don’t need to go to NHL.com for it. Our current #1 centre who just led us to four series wins in his first two seasons, never showing any type of negative in the playoffs, is 5’11. So why would I be scared about drafting someone who looks even better at the same age?
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