2022 NHL Entry Draft 8

[Michelangelo]

Draft Slaf this year. Bedard next year and there's 1/3 of your top 6 next season.

Slaff - Suzuki - Caufield
Hoffman - Bedard - Andy

Bedard becomes #1C in 2024

Yeah, make it happen hockey Gods!

brb barfing at the sight of Hoffman

 

[le_sean]

Not me, way too small. We would get physically steamrolled big time, especially in playoffs.

Just like Tampa.

Would you and others say the same if it was Bedard? Because he’s even smaller.

 

[G0bias]

Bedard is the prize but damn would Slaf/Cooley and one of Fantili, Carlsson, Yager set us up perfectly.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Weak competition but Korchinski has 6 points in 2 games to start the WHL playoffs. He had 61 assists this year.

 

[BergevinBurner]

I hate how there's no real consensus picks after Wright. I got a bad feeling we're gonna get a dud at 2 or 3 and a superstar is gonna go after our pick.

 

[The Great Weal]

I hate how there's no real consensus picks after Wright. I got a bad feeling we're gonna get a dud at 2 or 3 and a superstar is gonna go after our pick.

Cooley seems like the consensus 2. 3 will likely be Slaf but chance at Jiricek/Nemec too.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Just like Tampa.

Would you and others say the same if it was Bedard? Because he’s even smaller.

Tampa has a big mobile talented D including a Norris winner plus a Vezina winner (in his prime) between the pipes but after some great regular seasons followed by playoff futility they surrounded their elite smaller guys with beef and paid high prices to add sandpaper. You can have a line up with Nuke, Cooley, CC, Bedard but you can’t have them surrounded by Gallagher, Byron, Drouin. I know people will say those guys will be gone but a lot of our top forward prospects are on the smaller side too. Need to find a balance and add size to their lines to compensate, and not the Connor Crisps of the world.

So Slaf this year and Bedard next year

 

[BergevinBurner]

Is the hype around Slaf mostly because of his Olympics performance? Over his last 10 games he has 1 goal and 1 assist. Seems a little lackluster for a 3rd overall

 

[le_sean]

Tampa has a big mobile talented D including a Norris winner plus a Vezina winner (in his prime) between the pipes but after some great regular seasons followed by playoff futility they surrounded their elite smaller guys with beef and paid high prices to add sandpaper. You can have a line up with Nuke, Cooley, CC, Bedard but you can’t have them surrounded by Gallagher, Byron, Drouin. I know people will say those guys will be gone but a lot of our top forward prospects are on the smaller side too. Need to find a balance and add size to their lines to compensate, and not the Connor Crisps of the world.

So Slaf this year and Bedard next year

Question isn’t about what else Tampa has. This is specifically about being able to compete with small centres. Tampa proved you can. The rest will place itself. Always draft talent first.

I like Slafkovsky, but let’s stop getting ahead of ourselves and dreaming about long playoff runs where a 6’4 winger will help and first look to simply icing a talented and competitive team.

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Question isn’t about what else Tampa has. This is specifically about being able to compete with small centres. Tampa proved you can. The rest will place itself. Always draft talent first.

I like Slafkovsky, but let’s stop getting ahead of ourselves and dreaming about long playoff runs where a 6’4 winger will help and first look to simply icing a talented and competitive team.

But you can’t bring up Tampa as a success story and ignore there’s lots more to their success that we don’t have. I’m ok to go skilled small Cs if there’s a plan to fill out the roster that allows them to have success in the playoffs.

 

[NotProkofievian]

I hate how there's no real consensus picks after Wright. I got a bad feeling we're gonna get a dud at 2 or 3 and a superstar is gonna go after our pick.

I actually feel super comfy at the moment. Wright, Cooley, Jiricek and Slaf all tick boxes for me. Some others' opinions may differ, for example @Estimated_Prophet strongly prefers Nemec to Jiricek, @SOLR and @covfefe likely still have Savoie #1,but there's essentially no reason for anyone to worry that we'll be out of quality to pick.

 

[RationalExpectations]

I actually feel super comfy at the moment. Wright, Cooley, Jiricek and Slaf all tick boxes for me. Some others' opinions may differ, for example @Estimated_Prophet strongly prefers Nemec to Jiricek, @SOLR and @covfefe likely still have Savoie #1,but there's essentially no reason for anyone to worry that we'll be out of quality to pick.

I think it also comes down to whether you‘re looking at the likely outcome or the highest potential. I take two examples : people high on Slaf s argument is that he could basically become a new Jagr for MTL, but he could also bust. People higher on Jiricek than Nemec are because they think he can be a 1D in the league even though the likelihood of Nemec being a 2/3 D may be higher.
I am not really in favor of taking a winger top 5 (safe if you think he‘ll be the next superstar). Most SC winning teams have one center taken top 5 and one D taken top 5 (of course when you re PIT in the 2000s you get 3 centers and one goalie with top 2 picks ). This is why I would not take Slaf or Savoie but I ll cheer for them if MTL picks them

 

[Guess]

Eliteprospect recently did a video on the 2022 draft and they ranked the top 6:

Wright
Jiricek
Nemec
Nazar
Cooley
Slafkovsky

With Nazar ahead of Cooley because they think his game will transition better, and Cooley trying too many fancy plays.

I think Cooley has the best skillset of the forwards but I wonder how he will transition to the NHL, don't want another Marner who wilts in the playoffs.

 

[RationalExpectations]

Eliteprospect recently did a video on the 2022 draft and they ranked the top 6:

Wright
Jiricek
Nemec
Nazar
Cooley
Slafkovsky

With Nazar ahead of Cooley because they think his game will transition better, and Cooley trying too many fancy plays.

I think Cooley has the best skillset of the forwards but I wonder how he will transition to the NHL, don't want another Marner who wilts in the playoffs.

I fully agree with the top 4/5 but I d switch Jiricek and Nemec

 

[frapp10]

Eliteprospect recently did a video on the 2022 draft and they ranked the top 6:

Wright
Jiricek
Nemec
Nazar
Cooley
Slafkovsky

With Nazar ahead of Cooley because they think his game will transition better, and Cooley trying too many fancy plays.

I think Cooley has the best skillset of the forwards but I wonder how he will transition to the NHL, don't want another Marner who wilts in the playoffs.

I would be too ecstatic if our first round pick turned into a Marner

 

[SOLR]

I actually feel super comfy at the moment. Wright, Cooley, Jiricek and Slaf all tick boxes for me. Some others' opinions may differ, for example @Estimated_Prophet strongly prefers Nemec to Jiricek, @SOLR and @covfefe likely still have Savoie #1,but there's essentially no reason for anyone to worry that we'll be out of quality to pick.

Any of the top 7 is fine. There is a strong argument to be made that no one of the 7 has a real edge for number 1 overall - before interviews and background checking (this is where the pro scouts have a treasure trove of info we can't access and probably why me and @covfefe have Savoie #1 by betting on our guess that what's happening there for Savoie gives him an edge).

I also prefer Nemec to Jiricek in most universes.

 

[1000eeer]

Jordan Dumais can't be ignored anymore..

Incredible IQ, Incredible vision

I really don't care about the size factor if the skating is on point. Which is not.

That being said, I wouldn't be mad at all if we picked him with our second round pick (#33). With Calgary's pick? It depends on the draft board

 

[FrankMTL]

I would be too ecstatic if our first round pick turned into a Marner

Agreed. People shit on Marner for his playoff performances, but he's a career PPG player at the age of 24 and has 96 points in 70 games this season. I would take that on the Habs with open arms.

 

[A55P2]

Is the hype around Slaf mostly because of his Olympics performance? Over his last 10 games he has 1 goal and 1 assist. Seems a little lackluster for a 3rd overall

I'm wondering this too. It has to be that people project him to develop more because the stats are really nothing to write about. Kaapo Kakko who everyone knows has a bit of a hard time adjusting to the NHL had 38 points in 45 games in the Liiga and looked like a monster there. I remember lots of folks being very hyped up about him and for good reasons. Slaf isn't anywhere close to this production.

 

[Schooner Guy]

Cooley seems like the consensus 2. 3 will likely be Slaf but chance at Jiricek/Nemec too.

There's no consensus for #2. Cooley is anywhere between 2 and 4 on most lists. I just received my monthly RLR in the mail this week and he's #4 on their list.

 

[FrankMTL]

There's no consensus for #2. Cooley is anywhere between 2 and 4 on most lists. I just received my monthly RLR in the mail this week and he's #4 on their list.

I'm hoping it's a little clearer after the U18's, but in the end it really might just come down to team preference as the 2-5 rankings are pretty close. Some might even say the 1-7 rankings are close.

 

[1000eeer]

No sign of Matthew Savoie on the scoresheet for the last couple of games

Is he injured?

 

[1000eeer]

Where can we watch finland latvia?

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

I’m starting to mentally entertain the thought of Shane Wright being a Hab.

 

[le_sean]

But you can’t bring up Tampa as a success story and ignore there’s lots more to their success that we don’t have. I’m ok to go skilled small Cs if there’s a plan to fill out the roster that allows them to have success in the playoffs.

That’s where you’re conflating the argument of you can win with small centres with you will win with small centres. I never pushed the latter. The fact remains that it’s more important to focus on drafting the best talent as opposed to who we think will be able to cycle the puck better in the playoffs.