Prospect Info: 2022 Post-Deadline Devils-Centric Mock Draft 2.0 (thru NJ 2nd round)

[Lou Bloom]

I'm going to have to disagree a bit here with certain aspects of this.

1) Wright certainly has elite tools. His shot, his IQ and his two-way game are all tops in the class among forwards. That's three elite tools, with every other tool possible ranging from "plus" to "high end". I'd be shocked if he was not the top overall pick.

2) Though I agree Slafkovsky has not cemented himself as the #2 player in the consensus rankings, he's certainly on an upward trajectory and is a very strong bet to end the season in that spot. Many of the questions you're asking about both Wright and Slafkovsky were topics of discussion in November and December, but both prospects have enjoyed extremely strong finishes to their seasons and have quelled many of these concerns.

3) I agree on Jiricek and Nemec. They're very likely top 5 picks.

4) Cooley is terrific, and his skating is elite. I'd agree with your assessment and say he's the other "most likely" for the top 5.

5) Lambert could fall out of the top 10. He's had a really tough season and there are questions about his two-way dedication, overall team play and compete level. Yes, he's a top talent -- no doubt -- but it takes some serious gumption to take a player with compete questions in the #4-#8 range, especially with other top talents available.

6) Savoie could fall for the obvious questions of size, lack of elite skating, and uncertainty if he can remain at center at the highest levels. There is no doubt he is a tremendous offense force, maybe the top pure offensive player in the draft.

7) After a freakishly hot start, Kemell has come back to earth a bit. Some of that is injury related and no slight on his actual play, and the fact he's a high-compete guy with a good two-way game only helps him. Still, I can't see him going top 5 anymore. I'd say he's a likely pick for the #7-#10 range.

8) We also need to include Nazar, Yurov, Geekie and Gauthier in these discussions of top 10 possibles. Chesley could squeeze in as well, since he offers so much of what NHL scouts like more than draft-rankers, and right now he's the top shut-down defender in the entire draft. Yurov might be more volatile because of the New Russian Factor, but the general consensus still sees him as a top 10 talent. Nazar is a guy I feel is trending upwards, as is Gauthier -- who is the top pure power forward in the draft, and features goal-scoring ability from the wing to rival Kemell and Lekkerimaki.

Keep in mind I'm a fan of Wright as a prospect and I agree those are his best tools overall but I'm not sure I'd label any of them as elite (possibly his shot/composure). He should absolutely be a good player at the next level but his skating and creativity are both a bit lacking and I'm hard pressed to see him being a high end line driver at the next level. He's definitely still a top 5 prospect in this class but I personally have Jiricek and Slafkovsky over him right now and would take Cooley or Nemec over him depending on the situation.

I have Slafkovsky #2 on my board but I was just pointing out that I disagree with the idea that Wright/Slafkovsky are in a different tier of talent, considering how wide open the top of this draft class is. Also while Slafkovsky has definitely shown signs of improvement and players his size tend to have longer development curves I still think it's fair to say he still presents a risky pick and that his offensive game is still a work in progress.

Lambert is definitely a risky pick, but his skating and offensive potential is arguably the best in the entire class. And with theway Raty has bounced back after a disappointing draft season and with what I'd argue is better overall tools I could see teams giving the benefit of the doubt to Lambert and betting on the most dynamic talent available and one of the few prospects in this class with true star potential.

Savoie is definitely going to be an interesting one, He's having one of the most productive seasons out of anyone in the class and has arguably the most complete offensive skillset to go along with it. And despite his height he has a strong build and plays much bigger than his size would indicate and absorbs contact extremely well.

Kemell probably won't go top 5 (possibly not even top 10) but he's still a very good prospect who just put up an amazing season in Liga for a 17 year old. If he can improve his skating he can be a high end scoring winger with a solid two way game to complement it.

I'm a big Nazar fan, and I'd put him firmly in the top 10 in this class. Love his composure with the puck and his mix of skating, shot and playmaking to go along with it. If the Devils miss out on the top 5 I'd be happy with either him, Savoie or Lambert.

Yurov I've never been much of a fan of even before the whole Russia ordeal. His game is just very vanilla to me and I don't really see a standout skill that makes me see him as anything more than a potential middle 6er down the line.

Geekie will probably go top 10 in the actual draft even if a lot of online pundits have him lower. Power forwards are at a premium and a center with his size and high end two way potential is going to be too tantalizing to pass on.

Gauthier is a good prospect and I think more highly of him than Yurov but I do think some of the other forwards offer a bit more in terms of potential. I think he could end up developing into a Chris Kreider type which is a damn good player to have on your team but maybe not something I'd be overly excited about drafting inside the top 10 when guys like Savoie, Lambert and Nazar all could be high end play drivers at the next level.

I'm also a fan of Chesley and think there's more offense than many are currently projecting.

 

[StevenToddIves]

As of today, Montreal takes over the #1 overall slot, which I believe slightly changes the order at the top of the draft. Simply put, I am confident Arizona is taking a center, no matter where they draft, which drops Slafkovsky to #3. This is, of course, good for the Devils.

1 MTL Wright
2 ARI Cooley
3 SEA Slafkovsky
4 PHI Jiricek
5 NJ Nemec
6 CLB Geekie

The possible alternative, of course, shows why we need to root for the Canadiens to get that #1 overall pick.

1 ARI Wright
2 MTL Slafkovsky
3 SEA Jiricek/Nemec
4 PHI Jiricek/Nemec
5 NJ ???

Of course, as we all keep stating, Seattle is a wild card here because they need virtually everything and we have little by way of an MO on their draft tendencies. Could they take Cooley at #3? Sure. Could they surprise and take a player we expect to go later, like Nazar or Savoie or Lambert or Geekie? It's certainly not impossible.

Still, let's all root for Montreal to lose out. It creates a better scenario for NJ.

 

[Unknown Caller]

As of today, Montreal takes over the #1 overall slot, which I believe slightly changes the order at the top of the draft. Simply put, I am confident Arizona is taking a center, no matter where they draft, which drops Slafkovsky to #3. This is, of course, good for the Devils.

1 MTL Wright
2 ARI Cooley
3 SEA Slafkovsky
4 PHI Jiricek
5 NJ Nemec
6 CLB Geekie

The possible alternative, of course, shows why we need to root for the Canadiens to get that #1 overall pick.

1 ARI Wright
2 MTL Slafkovsky
3 SEA Jiricek/Nemec
4 PHI Jiricek/Nemec
5 NJ ???

Of course, as we all keep stating, Seattle is a wild card here because they need virtually everything and we have little by way of an MO on their draft tendencies. Could they take Cooley at #3? Sure. Could they surprise and take a player we expect to go later, like Nazar or Savoie or Lambert or Geekie? It's certainly not impossible.

Still, let's all root for Montreal to lose out. It creates a better scenario for NJ.

In the scenario the Devils are at 5, I'm perfectly content with Cooley sitting there for them. It would be nice to get one of Slafkovsky/Nemec/Jiricek, but Cooley could easily be the best player in the draft.

 

[TF1970]

As of today, Montreal takes over the #1 overall slot, which I believe slightly changes the order at the top of the draft. Simply put, I am confident Arizona is taking a center, no matter where they draft, which drops Slafkovsky to #3. This is, of course, good for the Devils.

1 MTL Wright
2 ARI Cooley
3 SEA Slafkovsky
4 PHI Jiricek
5 NJ Nemec
6 CLB Geekie

The possible alternative, of course, shows why we need to root for the Canadiens to get that #1 overall pick.

1 ARI Wright
2 MTL Slafkovsky
3 SEA Jiricek/Nemec
4 PHI Jiricek/Nemec
5 NJ ???

Of course, as we all keep stating, Seattle is a wild card here because they need virtually everything and we have little by way of an MO on their draft tendencies. Could they take Cooley at #3? Sure. Could they surprise and take a player we expect to go later, like Nazar or Savoie or Lambert or Geekie? It's certainly not impossible.

Still, let's all root for Montreal to lose out. It creates a better scenario for NJ.

if you pick inside top five, the fact that you are probably guaranteed to walk away w/ one of Cooley, Jiricek, Nemec or Slafkovsky (in theory at least) is at least a positive - as this roundabout of high picks with no postive movement in the standings continues.... if you drop outside the top five, it likely becomes really wide open.

 

[StevenToddIves]

In the scenario the Devils are at 5, I'm perfectly content with Cooley sitting there for them. It would be nice to get one of Slafkovsky/Nemec/Jiricek, but Cooley could easily be the best player in the draft.

There are a few players we can say could be the best in the draft -- not just Cooley, but also Wright, Slafkovsky, Jiricek, Nemec, or even Nazar, Savoie, Miroshnichenko or Lambert. I'd even throw Perevalov and Geekie into the mix.

The problem with Cooley is he fills none of the Devils pressing needs. He's not a guy who will be happy slotting as a 3C, he has little experience on the wing and he's far more of a playmaker than scorer. He's not really an interior threat, which is what the Devils are desperate for at forward.

If the Devils (hypothetically) drafted Cooley, it would be a huge luxury -- giving the Devils 3 high-end centers and giving a huge boost to team speed, which is already tremendous. However, the Devils would still have pressing needs at RD and for an interior/power winger for the top 6.

So, I'd have to say in this particular scenario, "team building" would be the discussion if I were sitting at the Devils draft table. I'd hope another team behind us would really want Cooley (I'd guess Detroit or Buffalo) and try to trade down a bit to take Chesley, Gauthier or Yurov here, I think. If no trade were available, I'd probably pass on Cooley and take Nazar instead. Nazar could function as a sort of swingman as 3C (and he's better defensively and more physical than Cooley) and top 6 RW, sort of like Mercer did for us this year. Though he's also (like Cooley) a bit more of a playmaker than finisher, he's got a more interior game than Cooley.

 

[StevenToddIves]

if you pick inside top five, the fact that you are probably guaranteed to walk away w/ one of Cooley, Jiricek, Nemec or Slafkovsky (in theory at least) is at least a positive - as this roundabout of high picks with no postive movement in the standings continues.... if you drop outside the top five, it likely becomes really wide open.

We also have to keep in mind the possibility that someone else sneaks into the top 5. I could see a team falling in love with the massive upside of a Lambert or Geekie, despite the intangibles/production issues. Nazar is another guy who could sneak in, simply because he's awesome and has really turned it on over the course of his draft-eligible campaign.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

There are a few players we can say could be the best in the draft -- not just Cooley, but also Wright, Slafkovsky, Jiricek, Nemec, or even Nazar, Savoie, Miroshnichenko or Lambert. I'd even throw Perevalov and Geekie into the mix.

The problem with Cooley is he fills none of the Devils pressing needs. He's not a guy who will be happy slotting as a 3C, he has little experience on the wing and he's far more of a playmaker than scorer. He's not really an interior threat, which is what the Devils are desperate for at forward.

If the Devils (hypothetically) drafted Cooley, it would be a huge luxury -- giving the Devils 3 high-end centers and giving a huge boost to team speed, which is already tremendous. However, the Devils would still have pressing needs at RD and for an interior/power winger for the top 6.

So, I'd have to say in this particular scenario, "team building" would be the discussion if I were sitting at the Devils draft table. I'd hope another team behind us would really want Cooley (I'd guess Detroit or Buffalo) and try to trade down a bit to take Chesley, Gauthier or Yurov here, I think. If no trade were available, I'd probably pass on Cooley and take Nazar instead. Nazar could function as a sort of swingman as 3C (and he's better defensively and more physical than Cooley) and top 6 RW, sort of like Mercer did for us this year. Though he's also (like Cooley) a bit more of a playmaker than finisher, he's got a more interior game than Cooley.

Is Nazar a pure center or does he play on the wing too?

 

[StevenToddIves]

Is Nazar a pure center or does he play on the wing too?

The US-NTDP top line (in terms of production) this year has been Cooley centering Gauthier on the left and Nazar on the right.

Nazar is the rare player who I would say is equally good on the wing as center. Right now for Team USA in the U-18 tourney, Nazar is centering a line with Howard on the left and Leonard (2023 eligible) on the right.

While Cooley is a slightly better center right now than Nazar (it's very close), Nazar also can excel on the wing, where Cooley has struggled in (very) limited play. The reason for this is that Nazar does his best work down low and in the interior, whereas Cooley excels the most in space and on the perimeter.

The U-18 USA team has chosen thus far -- with great effectiveness -- to spread out their talent over three lines, with Cooley centering Gauthier/Snuggerud on the de facto "top" line and McGroarty centering Lucius and a somewhat rotating band of LWs on the "third" line. But I'm pretty confident that if USA was trailing in a game late (which I don't foresee, they're awesome) they would stack a top two line combo of Cooley centering Gauthier/Nazar on the top unit and McGroarty centering Howard/Snuggerud on the 2nd unit. It's worked for them all year.

So, the answer to your question is yes, Nazar is a player you could define as either a C/RW or RW/C.

Were the Devils to draft him, Nazar would be somewhat akin to a Dawson Mercer role-wise, but the more apropos solution would probably be to shift Mercer (who has more defensive upside than Nazar) to full-time 3C and have Nazar (who has more scoring upside than Mercer) function as the RW for either Hughes or Hischier, with Holtz taking the other top 6 RW slot.

I'd say this is a big reason why I prefer drafting Nazar over Cooley, despite the fact that they are very equal in terms of overall talent and upside. Because Cooley is what we would call a "natural center", and his playmaking and speed play up better as a center. I think his game diminishes on the wing. And, as a natural creator and playmaker, I feel he needs high-end wings to fully produce to his capabilities -- something which will be hard to provide him with if he's the 3C behind Hughes and Hischier. Nazar's increased versatility would give the Devils more options, and his greater capacity in the interior would help solve the problem the Devils have with creating scoring off the cycle.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

The US-NTDP top line (in terms of production) this year has been Cooley centering Gauthier on the left and Nazar on the right.

Nazar is the rare player who I would say is equally good on the wing as center. Right now for Team USA in the U-18 tourney, Nazar is centering a line with Howard on the left and Leonard (2023 eligible) on the right.

While Cooley is a slightly better center right now than Nazar (it's very close), Nazar also can excel on the wing, where Cooley has struggled in (very) limited play. The reason for this is that Nazar does his best work down low and in the interior, whereas Cooley excels the most in space and on the perimeter.

The U-18 USA team has chosen thus far -- with great effectiveness -- to spread out their talent over three lines, with Cooley centering Gauthier/Snuggerud on the de facto "top" line and McGroarty centering Lucius and a somewhat rotating band of LWs on the "third" line. But I'm pretty confident that if USA was trailing in a game late (which I don't foresee, they're awesome) they would stack a top two line combo of Cooley centering Gauthier/Nazar on the top unit and McGroarty centering Howard/Snuggerud on the 2nd unit. It's worked for them all year.

So, the answer to your question is yes, Nazar is a player you could define as either a C/RW or RW/C.

Were the Devils to draft him, Nazar would be somewhat akin to a Dawson Mercer role-wise, but the more apropos solution would probably be to shift Mercer (who has more defensive upside than Nazar) to full-time 3C and have Nazar (who has more scoring upside than Mercer) function as the RW for either Hughes or Hischier, with Holtz taking the other top 6 RW slot.

I'd say this is a big reason why I prefer drafting Nazar over Cooley, despite the fact that they are very equal in terms of overall talent and upside. Because Cooley is what we would call a "natural center", and his playmaking and speed play up better as a center. I think his game diminishes on the wing. And, as a natural creator and playmaker, I feel he needs high-end wings to fully produce to his capabilities -- something which will be hard to provide him with if he's the 3C behind Hughes and Hischier. Nazar's increased versatility would give the Devils more options, and his greater capacity in the interior would help solve the problem the Devils have with creating scoring off the cycle.

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. It's always interesting to hear about these guys from someone who has watched them regularly.

Nazar and Gauthier are intriguing options if Slafkovsky, Jiricek and Nemec are already selected.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. It's always interesting to hear about these guys from someone who has watched them regularly.

Nazar and Gauthier are intriguing options if Slafkovsky, Jiricek and Nemec are already selected.

Trading down for Chesley is also an intriguing option. If you're watching the U-18 tourney, it's no contest who the best defenseman in the tourney is -- Ryan Chesley by a country mile. I mean, sure Nemec and Jiricek are not in the tournament, but it's still pretty clear who the Alpha D is in the tourney right now. I'd be fine with the Devils -- if they miss on the top options, of course -- trading down to the #9-#11 range and taking Chesley, while maybe picking up another early 2nd round pick in the process.

 

[Monsieur Verdoux]

Trading down for Chesley is also an intriguing option. If you're watching the U-18 tourney, it's no contest who the best defenseman in the tourney is -- Ryan Chesley by a country mile. I mean, sure Nemec and Jiricek are not in the tournament, but it's still pretty clear who the Alpha D is in the tourney right now. I'd be fine with the Devils -- if they miss on the top options, of course -- trading down to the #9-#11 range and taking Chesley, while maybe picking up another early 2nd round pick in the process.

I watched the first game by the Team USA, but unfortunately my service provider didn't show their game against Team Czechia. I was impressed by Chesley, so I agree that he is also an intriguing option.

 

[Eggtimer]

Do you want to bet on this? I will bet my life savings that at least one of them wins one more game.

Lol. Said this before I saw they play each other…

 

[My3Sons]

Trading down for Chesley is also an intriguing option. If you're watching the U-18 tourney, it's no contest who the best defenseman in the tourney is -- Ryan Chesley by a country mile. I mean, sure Nemec and Jiricek are not in the tournament, but it's still pretty clear who the Alpha D is in the tourney right now. I'd be fine with the Devils -- if they miss on the top options, of course -- trading down to the #9-#11 range and taking Chesley, while maybe picking up another early 2nd round pick in the process.

yes please.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Lol. Said this before I saw they play each other…

Ya lol. It’s nice for us. One or both of the teams 1 point away from us are picking up points tonight.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I watched the first game by the Team USA, but unfortunately my service provider didn't show their game against Team Czechia. I was impressed by Chesley, so I agree that he is also an intriguing option.

I think all we need to know about Chesley is this -- his consensus ranking is between #30-#40, with some ranks towards the bottom of the 2nd round. But the McKenzie ranking has him far higher, at #18 overall.

Again, this says more about the people doing the ranking than the player being ranked. Chesley lacks the immense size (he's 6'0-190) which many scouting bureaus require for their shut-down defenders, while he lacks the offensive numbers which many of the new-age draft analysts require for their defensemen.

But the scouts who actually do this for a living? They can easily see what the superficial elements of height or statistics cannot. Ryan Chesley is the best shut-down defender in the draft. He's smart, he's advanced both positionally and in terms of defensive awareness, he has a great stick and very good skates, he's physical and he wins battles with extreme regularity. As far as the offense goes, he's regularly paired with all-offense guys like Hutson and Duke, and as such he is very conservative in his rushes and pinches, playing a conservative defense-first role. If he played with the "f**k it, I'm going to try to score every time I touch the puck" mentality of a Ty Nelson, he's probably have 40+ points this year, but he wouldn't be as good of a hockey player.

We saw this with Brock Faber two years ago, and in a 2020 re-draft Faber is a top 15 pick. Chesley has more upside than Faber -- who is the same size as Chesley with similar skating acumen -- in the sense that his puck skills are more advanced at the same age, and he also features a howitzer of a shot from the point.

Ultimately, it's pretty clear to both myself and anyone I've communicated with in the know that Chesley is the runaway best defender in the current U-18 tourney, and he's produced 3 points in the first 2 games to go along with his sterling defensive work. He's going to rise in the final rankings for everyone except the pure numbers rankers, who are to be ignored, anyway. I'd say the final consensus rankings see Chesley in the #20-#25 range with a McKenzie ranking around #15.

Once Jiricek and Nemec are gone, Chesley's stock goes waaaaay up, as the next closest RD is a big drop to the "what if?" trio of Rinzel/Lamoureux/Warren and the drop after that also pretty steep. As such, I would not rule out Chesley being the biggest "surprise" in the top 8-12 picks. Buffalo really needs a RD to pair with Dahlin and Power, Anaheim really needs a shut-down RD to free up Drysdale for offensive deployments, while the the Islanders and Canucks need RD, period. It's difficult for me to envision a scenario where Chesley falls past #15 overall.

 

[Eggtimer]

I think all we need to know about Chesley is this -- his consensus ranking is between #30-#40, with some ranks towards the bottom of the 2nd round. But the McKenzie ranking has him far higher, at #18 overall.

Again, this says more about the people doing the ranking than the player being ranked. Chesley lacks the immense size (he's 6'0-190) which many scouting bureaus require for their shut-down defenders, while he lacks the offensive numbers which many of the new-age draft analysts require for their defensemen.

But the scouts who actually do this for a living? They can easily see what the superficial elements of height or statistics cannot. Ryan Chesley is the best shut-down defender in the draft. He's smart, he's advanced both positionally and in terms of defensive awareness, he has a great stick and very good skates, he's physical and he wins battles with extreme regularity. As far as the offense goes, he's regularly paired with all-offense guys like Hutson and Duke, and as such he is very conservative in his rushes and pinches, playing a conservative defense-first role. If he played with the "f**k it, I'm going to try to score every time I touch the puck" mentality of a Ty Nelson, he's probably have 40+ points this year, but he wouldn't be as good of a hockey player.

We saw this with Brock Faber two years ago, and in a 2020 re-draft Faber is a top 15 pick. Chesley has more upside than Faber -- who is the same size as Chesley with similar skating acumen -- in the sense that his puck skills are more advanced at the same age, and he also features a howitzer of a shot from the point.

Ultimately, it's pretty clear to both myself and anyone I've communicated with in the know that Chesley is the runaway best defender in the current U-18 tourney, and he's produced 3 points in the first 2 games to go along with his sterling defensive work. He's going to rise in the final rankings for everyone except the pure numbers rankers, who are to be ignored, anyway. I'd say the final consensus rankings see Chesley in the #20-#25 range with a McKenzie ranking around #15.

Once Jiricek and Nemec are gone, Chesley's stock goes waaaaay up, as the next closest RD is a big drop to the "what if?" trio of Rinzel/Lamoureux/Warren and the drop after that also pretty steep. As such, I would not rule out Chesley being the biggest "surprise" in the top 8-12 picks. Buffalo really needs a RD to pair with Dahlin and Power, Anaheim really needs a shut-down RD to free up Drysdale for offensive deployments, while the the Islanders and Canucks need RD, period. It's difficult for me to envision a scenario where Chesley falls past #15 overall.

Ya it’s settled. We are winning the lotto . I decided that’s what we are doing. Winning #1, trading down to #2 and picking Slaf , then gettig another asset where we package asstets and get Chesley . Our 2nd rounder we get one of the Russian kids. Preferably the that is sick but normally would be an easy 1st rounder - Miroshnichenko
So we leave the draft with Slafkovsky ,Chesley , Miroshnichenko .
Im not going to get too greedy so our pick after those are no biggie lol.

 

[Hisch13r]

Keep in mind I'm a fan of Wright as a prospect and I agree those are his best tools overall but I'm not sure I'd label any of them as elite (possibly his shot/composure). He should absolutely be a good player at the next level but his skating and creativity are both a bit lacking and I'm hard pressed to see him being a high end line driver at the next level. He's definitely still a top 5 prospect in this class but I personally have Jiricek and Slafkovsky over him right now and would take Cooley or Nemec over him depending on the situation.

I have Slafkovsky #2 on my board but I was just pointing out that I disagree with the idea that Wright/Slafkovsky are in a different tier of talent, considering how wide open the top of this draft class is. Also while Slafkovsky has definitely shown signs of improvement and players his size tend to have longer development curves I still think it's fair to say he still presents a risky pick and that his offensive game is still a work in progress.

Lambert is definitely a risky pick, but his skating and offensive potential is arguably the best in the entire class. And with theway Raty has bounced back after a disappointing draft season and with what I'd argue is better overall tools I could see teams giving the benefit of the doubt to Lambert and betting on the most dynamic talent available and one of the few prospects in this class with true star potential.

Savoie is definitely going to be an interesting one, He's having one of the most productive seasons out of anyone in the class and has arguably the most complete offensive skillset to go along with it. And despite his height he has a strong build and plays much bigger than his size would indicate and absorbs contact extremely well.

Kemell probably won't go top 5 (possibly not even top 10) but he's still a very good prospect who just put up an amazing season in Liga for a 17 year old. If he can improve his skating he can be a high end scoring winger with a solid two way game to complement it.

I'm a big Nazar fan, and I'd put him firmly in the top 10 in this class. Love his composure with the puck and his mix of skating, shot and playmaking to go along with it. If the Devils miss out on the top 5 I'd be happy with either him, Savoie or Lambert.

Yurov I've never been much of a fan of even before the whole Russia ordeal. His game is just very vanilla to me and I don't really see a standout skill that makes me see him as anything more than a potential middle 6er down the line.

Geekie will probably go top 10 in the actual draft even if a lot of online pundits have him lower. Power forwards are at a premium and a center with his size and high end two way potential is going to be too tantalizing to pass on.

Gauthier is a good prospect and I think more highly of him than Yurov but I do think some of the other forwards offer a bit more in terms of potential. I think he could end up developing into a Chris Kreider type which is a damn good player to have on your team but maybe not something I'd be overly excited about drafting inside the top 10 when guys like Savoie, Lambert and Nazar all could be high end play drivers at the next level.

I'm also a fan of Chesley and think there's more offense than many are currently projecting.

I really don’t know if you’re looking at a high end play driver in Savoie. I think he ends up more of like a good complementary 2nd liner who rips it up on the PP.

 

[My3Sons]

I really don’t know if you’re looking at a high end play driver in Savoie. I think he ends up more of like a good complementary 2nd liner who rips it up on the PP.

It could be worse. He could be a 3C

 

[Lou Bloom]

I really don’t know if you’re looking at a high end play driver in Savoie. I think he ends up more of like a good complementary 2nd liner who rips it up on the PP.

It's definitely a realistic outcome (how many people would have pegged Lafreniere as a complimentary winger coming out for example) but he definitely flashes the skillset to be a dynamic scoring threat. I'd argue Savoie has the best vision and passing in this class and his ability to slow the game down and manipulate defenses is top notch. Add in above average skating and shooting and there's just not much he can't do from an offensive perspective.

 

[StevenToddIves]

It's definitely a realistic outcome (how many people would have pegged Lafreniere as a complimentary winger coming out for example) but he definitely flashes the skillset to be a dynamic scoring threat. I'd argue Savoie has the best vision and passing in this class and his ability to slow the game down and manipulate defenses is top notch. Add in above average skating and shooting and there's just not much he can't do from an offensive perspective.

Savoie is no doubt a tremendous offensive talent, and he's certainly in the conversation for best playmaker in the 2022 class, while also having the scoring ability to be considered a true dual-threat. But I do not think he is a 1st line center at the NHL level. I think he's either a 2C or a 1LW.

But from a Devils standpoint, he's just not a guy you consider in the top 7 picks. Team-building is different than talent-stacking, and as such he's redundant to Hughes at C and redundant to Bratt as a LW, while lacking Hughes' franchise-caliber talent and Bratt's elite skating. I can't see taking him over Perevalov and Chesley, much less Slafkovsky, Jiricek and Nemec.

It's tough to forecast where Savoie goes, because so many teams drafting early place such a premium on size -- Philly, Columbus, Ottawa, Anaheim. Maybe Buffalo or Detroit take a swing for him in the 8/9 range? I feel Savoie has no chance for the top 3, and where he goes after that depends on the order. But he's a kid I can see dropping past #10, a la Cole Caufield.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Well with a point from us and a Seattle loss it’s fair to say they are out of the picture even though they aren’t mathematically. So we will finish in the 4-6 range. Here’s how things look right now.

27. Chicago 65 (2 games)
28. New Jersey 63 (2 games)
29. Philadelphia 61 (2 games)

Philly has the tiebreaker on us and we have it on Chicago. Really could go either way at this point.

We play Carolina (3) and Detroit (25).
Philly plays Winnipeg (19) and Ottawa (26). Chicago plays Vegas (17) and Buffalo (24).
So we have the hardest final two games mainly due to our game against Carolina but that means very little at this point as anyone can win any game. But a lose against Carolina and one or both of the other teams picking up points against easier matchups would he huge.

 

[Lou Bloom]

Savoie is no doubt a tremendous offensive talent, and he's certainly in the conversation for best playmaker in the 2022 class, while also having the scoring ability to be considered a true dual-threat. But I do not think he is a 1st line center at the NHL level. I think he's either a 2C or a 1LW.

But from a Devils standpoint, he's just not a guy you consider in the top 7 picks. Team-building is different than talent-stacking, and as such he's redundant to Hughes at C and redundant to Bratt as a LW, while lacking Hughes' franchise-caliber talent and Bratt's elite skating. I can't see taking him over Perevalov and Chesley, much less Slafkovsky, Jiricek and Nemec.

It's tough to forecast where Savoie goes, because so many teams drafting early place such a premium on size -- Philly, Columbus, Ottawa, Anaheim. Maybe Buffalo or Detroit take a swing for him in the 8/9 range? I feel Savoie has no chance for the top 3, and where he goes after that depends on the order. But he's a kid I can see dropping past #10, a la Cole Caufield.

I'd disagree that Savoie wouldn't be a good fit on the Devils, His Offensive IQ and ability to play off puck are both high end and he's not afraid to get into the dirty areas and make plays in close. I actually think he'd be a great fit to play alongside Hughes or Bratt since he has the skating to keep pace and the hockey sense to find the open areas. As much as the Devils offense has improved this season we're still only average at best relative to the rest of the league. Having another potential star forward that is a dual threat in terms of shooting and passing would certainly not be a bad option if we miss out on the top 2 defenders and Slafkovsky.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Chicago won and Philly lost. Likely we finish where we are in 5th last where our most likely pick is 6th.

To pass Chicago we would have to win our last two games while they lose their last game in regulation. That’s possible.

Philly passing us is probably slightly more likely but probably not gonna happen. Philly would have to win their last game against Ottawa and we would have to lose our final two against Carolina and Detroit.

 

[Devs3cups]

Chicago won and Philly lost. Likely we finish where we are in 5th last where our most likely pick is 6th.

To pass Chicago we would have to win our last two games while they lose their last game in regulation. That’s possible.

Philly passing us is probably slightly more likely but probably not gonna happen. Philly would have to win their last game against Ottawa and we would have to lose our final two against Carolina and Detroit.

We'd still have 27 W's and they'd have 26. Wouldn't that still put us ahead?

 

[Guttersniped]

We'd still have 27 W's and they'd have 26. Wouldn't that still put us ahead?

First tie breaker is regulation wins. The Flyers have 20 and we have 19.