Gil Gunderson
Registered User
It’s insane how the Leafs make the playoffs every year and somehow drafted way better players than us since 2021. Where is our Matthew Knies?
2023-24 Senators Prospect Watch
- Thread starter mianjo
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Well…. I mean we have Ullmark for one first, and a whole lot of huge dude long shots… so there’s that.
Oh and Yak
Sens in Process
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- Oct 1, 2012
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I’d guess most posters here haven’t had the chance to watch Yakemchuk play much, if at all—maybe just a game or two. The writer of the article, though, seems to have seen at least a couple of games in person, which is likely more than any of us can claim, so I don't agree he has the same knowledge as the average poster.
It is interesting to see someone who wasn’t initially sold on the pick come around after watching him live. I’ve caught about sixty of Yakemchuk’s games online this year myself. If you check my posts about Yakemchuk from the beginning to the end of regular season, you’ll notice they closely align with the writer’s take—they’re practically identical. I am not patting myself on the back; I think many would have same impression and others, obviously, would have different ones as well. People disagree on players.
There’s a clear synergy between Calgary’s push to play more structured, winning hockey and Ottawa’s plan for developing Yakemchuk, but I doubt the Sens had much influence over the junior team. Calgary was a bit of a mess last year, missing the playoffs with a system that just didn’t hold up. Then comes Paul McFarland, a new coach with solid NHL experience, ready to set things straight from day one(not unlike Travis Green). The team did not have Howe, Mynio, and Parker early in the season, but were winning games, despite having awful goaltending, so the team decided to go all in with big trades.
God Says No
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- Mar 16, 2012
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I don’t think physicality is just about laying big hits. Tampa was built with massive dmen on the backend and while yes they were very talented, they were built for tight-checking hockey. A lot of relentless forecheckers were on that team that won.
I think it’s a nuanced conversation, and when people dismiss the importance of size and being able to fight for pucks, get to the front of the net and create traffic, or move bodies out of the way they are doing a disservice to what playoff hockey is actually like.
No one is disagreeing that high-end skill is what wins. The reality is the Sens have no reason to try and build a team similar to Pittsburgh when they don’t have and will never have players like Crosby and Malkin. If they are going to win, they are going to win by being a heavy and hard team to play against. And it’s not like they took a grinder ahead of Buium, Yak has plenty of skill himself.
Gil Gunderson
Registered User
People confuse toughness with toughness that can actually play (like Brady). They’re called unicorns for a reason. Most of the Ben Roger clones we keep drafting will end up as pretty much wasted picks. Their ceilings are guys you can pick up on day 75 of free agency.
It’s such a dumb draft strategy. Who is actually succeeding using the same draft criteria we are?
We missed out on talent like Stankoven because we spent the entire 2021 draft focusing on career AHLers. We just drafted Gabriel Eliasson over Cole Hutson even though we have Kleven and Andonovski.
It’s such a dumb draft strategy. Who is actually succeeding using the same draft criteria we are?
We missed out on talent like Stankoven because we spent the entire 2021 draft focusing on career AHLers. We just drafted Gabriel Eliasson over Cole Hutson even though we have Kleven and Andonovski.
And how many teams take a skill and finesse player that doesn’t pan out? This is a dishonest argument because the Sens aren’t always going to get it right no matter what their draft strategy is. You’re praising the Leafs for Matthew Knies as if they didn’t spend five years drafting a bunch of undersized players that never got a sniff of NHL hockey.
Cole Hutson makes no sense in Ottawa. Where is he playing? He’s not moving Sanderson off PP1, and they just used a 7th overall on Yak. You are not going to get what you need from him here. Most teams have about 2 offensive dmen, the rest have different roles.
What happens at the draft with players like Stankoven imo, is that teams likely don’t see them as a top 4 forward on a winning team. Then you have to ask if a player is not going to get prime offensive opportunities to score (ie PP1 time), what else do they bring to a team? And then often times teams want other elements like grit or defensive play. So of course that’s a simplistic way to look at it, because a good NHL player can still garner you a return via trade and is better than a bust, but teams are trying to find players that will help them - sometimes they will pick wrong.
Anyway, the argument isn’t that the Sens always make the right choice. I’ve also said many times I’d like to see them revamp their strategy a bit and get some fresh blood in there - they’re a bit too stuck in their ways. But I think these arguments as if they’re drafting talentless hacks every pick are dishonest. People would complain if they drafted someone like Cernak and then be thrilled to have him on the team. Those are important players too and trying to find them is worthwhile. Most of the time, teams find their true skill players at the top of the draft. You don’t really expect to land superstars with your 2nd round picks. I’d like to see the Sens take more swings, especially with forwards, but that doesn’t mean they’re inept.
BondraTime
Registered User
Sens desperately, desperately need to get a new director of amateur scouring
I'd like to see our amateur scouting section completely revamped with Steve's guys. It's pretty much the last remaining stench from the Melnyk years.
From the 2020 draft, the Sens have gotten 5 legit NHL players. That same draft, the Leafs had 12 draft picks and have nothing to show for it. Knies is the first impactfull player that the Leafs have drafted since Mathews in 2016. If you're going to criticize the Senator scouts and praise the Leafs at least keep things in context.
I don't have a problem keeping him around as a scout. But at 72 years old, I think they need someone younger as director of amateur scouting.
Bjornar Moxnes
Stem Rødt og Felix Unger Sörum
Not drafting Cole Hutson isn't what's upsetting me. From all accounts, Cole isn't Lane. Lane controlled play every step of the way. The advanced stats I've seen of Cole indicate he's what people stereotyped Karlsson to be... I'm more upset we failed to get a high upside forward like Luke Misa, Ilya Protas, Battaglia, Walton, etc. With our 2nd rounder when we so desperately need one.
SlapJack
Scum bag Sens
- Dec 6, 2010
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Oh what I meant by knowledgeable was more along the lines of astute hockey insight by what they are seeing, not so much what they have seen in general. I don't recall exactly what was said and it wasn't necessarily that one guy talking about Yakemchuk, but in general they were saying things that sounded more like they're stat watching vs actual play. More the guy in the middle, but none of them spoke well to be honest.
Case in point, I'm leaning more towards your commentary than those guys and do appreciate how you've communicated the same. And that's why I pointed out how they're no more an authority than some posters here.
It is great to hear that Yak is becoming a more rounded player. If he only ever becomes average in his own end, I think he'll end up being a fantastic pick with the skillset he has in other areas. Don't care about Parekh or Buium or whoever if Yakemchuk can blast pucks clean through goalies with the added dimension of those silky mitts and physicality. He's as much of a unicorn as Tkachuk and would make Ottawa so much better if he pans out.
The leafs have had 3 world class coaches in a row now and have 3 super star forwards and 1 former super star forward. (Who is still scoring like 30-40 a year AND ppg).
At this point they could probably make the playoffs with their eyes closed.
Gil Gunderson
Registered User
Aside from Knies, the best they’ve got since the Auston Matthews draft is what?
Sandin? Durzi? Robertson?
Not seeing great draft success there.
It’s fair to be dissatisfied with the Sens drafting but the Leafs aren’t exactly putting up Dallas Stars like draft results here.
Gil Gunderson
Registered User
Minten is good, Cowan is good. That’s pretty decent for a team that finished near the top every yeat since 2021.
OD99
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- Oct 13, 2012
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Are they? They haven’t proven anything yet. Even if they pan out, they project as defensively responsible middle six forwards and were picked in the late first and early second.
Maybe analogous to say, Shane Pinto and Ridly Greig?
Leafs drafts definitely get more hype and are preferred by YouTube scouts but I’m seeing a lot of birds in the bush and not that many in the hand.
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Well the thing is. They at least draft good junior players. We barely even do that.
Of the last 4 drafts which players were high level junior players?
Our drafting is so bad that the players we draft fail to even be key players in their junior teams
Cowan and minten are immediately are 2nd and 3rd best prospects. Cowan arguably our best prospect
Like I said, it’s legit to be dissatisfied with the sens drafts.
The objective of the draft isn’t to select the best junior players. It’s to draft NHL contributors and I’m not seeing the Leafs as a team to emulate on that front.
Well the thing is. They at least draft good junior players. We barely even do that.
Of the last 4 drafts which players were high level junior players? Boucher n
Gil Gunderson
Registered User
Yea, we have 0 since 2021 despite finishing bottom 10 every every. That’s kind of the point.
Me neither. But over the past 4 years they’ve been better than we have. We’ve probably been the worst in the league.
So yeah I would swap our drafting with their theirs quite easily
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