GDT: 2023 Caps NHL Draft Thread

[Langway]

Some, uh, questionable descriptions. Smith hard working? Gauthier big? No Lardis?

The way Lardis is trending he may go shockingly high. Could be a darkhorse top 20 candidate the way he's produced in the second half.

 

[ovikovy817]

I believe in hockey gods.
Ovi is #8
so this number must be good for Caps. Hope we can win the lottery.

Imagine after the DET logo they show directly the PHI logo.

 

[John Price]

 

[pman25]

Some, uh, questionable descriptions. Smith hard working? Gauthier big? No Lardis?

The way Lardis is trending he may go shockingly high. Could be a darkhorse top 20 candidate the way he's produced in the second half.

Any viewings of Gracyn Sawchyn? He's one I was thinking about for the 2nd rounder but he is also rising lately. Good producer in Seattle. He's been on a loaded team, but actually has had lower minutes with Guenther and Lambert joining them. His counting stats should rocket up next year. Plays with good pace and intensity too, something we should be looking for

 

[RandyHolt]

If Pitt wins the lottery again... something something

 

[Calicaps]

If Pitt wins the lottery again... something something

they can only get as far as #4, which would still suck a lot

 

[Langway]

Any viewings of Gracyn Sawchyn? He's one I was thinking about for the 2nd rounder but he is also rising lately. Good producer in Seattle. He's been on a loaded team, but actually has had lower minutes with Guenther and Lambert joining them. His counting stats should rocket up next year. Plays with good pace and intensity too, something we should be looking for

Some. I have him as a very late first rounder so if he lasts until 40 it's strong value. It's probably unlikely, esp. with Seattle poised to play more high visibility games. I struggle to come up with all that many upside forwards for that pick that may slide. A couple of OHLers come to mind: Carson Rehkopf and Luca Pinelli. But that may be more of a D/G range. Those two probably won't have much chance of going in the first round whereas there are quite a few bubble D (Price, Molendyk and about 4-5 RD).

 

[Langway]

Benson back in the lineup for Winnipeg.

 

[Langway]

Allen, Dragicevic, Price and Bjarnason may be options at 40. A bit late for all but Allen I'd think but you never know.

 

[Langway]

FWIW.

 

[Kalopsia]

FWIW.

Matthew Wood as the #4 NA skater ahead of Benson, Moore, and Leonard seems surprising, haven't seen him talked about here before. Any thoughts on him?

 

[Langway]

Any thoughts on him?

Skating is a severe issue. Despite that he produced quite well as a freshman but he'll have to put in a lot of work to be less easily contained. Doesn't really play to his size very much either at this point. Good skill but more of a 15-20 guy IMO.

 

[usiel]

Matthew Wood as the #4 NA skater ahead of Benson, Moore, and Leonard seems surprising, haven't seen him talked about here before. Any thoughts on him?

Yeah that was the main thing that stuck out to me.

 

[MileHighCapsFan]

Hot take - Caps lose the #1, but win the #2 lotto draw and get the player better for the franchise short/long term in Fantilli. Beniers trajectory with size. Could slot in 2C within 2 yrs (comes over in '24 after soph season at Michigan) and takes 1C shortly after (by start of '25-26).

Bedard would be nice too, but could end up as a winger ala Kucherov/Kane. Fantilli gives a long term 1C solution. Can slot in McMike/Hendrix as 2C/3C and Miro/Suz as 1LW/2LW youth options.

3. Adam Fantilli, C, Michigan (BIG10)

Oct. 12, 2004 | 6′ 2.0″ | 195 pounds | Shoots left
Tier: Projected elite NHL player

Skating: NHL average
Puck skills: Elite
Hockey sense: NHL average
Compete: High-end
Shot: Above NHL average

Player comparable: Jonathan Toews

 

[Devil Dancer]

Uh, great, are you running the lottery? I guess I'd be ok with the #2 pick.

 

[Cush]

 

[YippieKaey]

Can we find a way to get Fantili AND Bedard? Maybe trade our entire middle 6? I'd honestly do that haha.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Can we find a way to get Fantili AND Bedard? Maybe trade our entire middle 6? I'd honestly do that haha.

No one is trading the Bedard pick. When you consider the upside with Bedard and the fact that he’s cost controlled for cheap for his ELC then he’s under team control for a few years after that before he gets to UFA status it’s an untouchable asset. This isn’t a Nail Yakupov or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Nico Hischier or Juraj Slafkovsky type talent… this is Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, or Sidney Crosby. A potentially generational first ballot HoFer. Someone who could lead your organization for the next 15 years and give them a chance every year to compete.

McDavid is probably the only player in the NHL worth trading that pick for.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

No one is trading the Bedard pick. When you consider the upside with Bedard and the fact that he’s cost controlled for cheap for his ELC then he’s under team control for a few years after that before he gets to UFA status it’s an untouchable asset. This isn’t a Nail Yakupov or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Nico Hischier or Juraj Slafkovsky type talent… this is Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, or Sidney Crosby. A potentially generational first ballot HoFer. Someone who could lead your organization for the next 15 years and give them a chance every year to compete.

McDavid is probably the only player in the NHL worth trading that pick for.

So…….you’re high on Bedard? Lol…..

 

[Langway]

Yager now up to 14 points in seven playoff games as Moose Jaw took a 2-1 series lead over Winnipeg. The 8th pick remains too rich but he may be working himself into a late riser. Still not sure he's a center and overall I find both him and Danielson somewhat bland. Both good shooters. Yager has more playmaking but profiles less well defensively. I'd give the edge to Yager on upside but probably as a RW and, as-is, neither brings routine explosiveness that IMO you'd want out of a player taken that high.

Whereas with Moore & Leonard it's more routinely evident and central to their game. Also I wonder if Benson has a fairly quiet second round exit how that impacts his stock. It seems like since around the mid-way point Benson & Smith had elevated themselves as the best of the rest after the top four. May that change after the playoffs and U18s? Still up for grabs I'd think.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

So…….you’re high on Bedard? Lol…..

If you believe the hype he’s the best prospect since McDavid who was the best prospect since Crosby. I have questions about him, mainly at 5’10” and 185 pounds does he have the size and strength to be dominant at center? His offensive gifts are beyond question and he’ll already have one of the best shots in the NHL the minute he plays his first shift but he’s never really been asked to be defensive minded as a center. In Regina he had free reign to score because his team needed his production and Team Canada is normally stacked with guys they can fill in around him to take the tougher defensive assignments. It’s not that he’s not capable of being a two-way center but because he’s so good offensively he’s never been deployed that way.

In fairness to Bedard though, McDavid isn’t exactly a Selke candidate himself and he’s pretty ok as a player.

 

[Langway]

If Jack Hughes can hack it at center so can Bedard, esp. with where the league is heading. He'll have to fight through checks but if he lands in right spot it may not take very long for a 100 point season. His small area manipulation is elite.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

“Small area manipulation”…..eww….

 

[YippieKaey]

No one is trading the Bedard pick. When you consider the upside with Bedard and the fact that he’s cost controlled for cheap for his ELC then he’s under team control for a few years after that before he gets to UFA status it’s an untouchable asset. This isn’t a Nail Yakupov or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins or Nico Hischier or Juraj Slafkovsky type talent… this is Connor McDavid, Alex Ovechkin, or Sidney Crosby. A potentially generational first ballot HoFer. Someone who could lead your organization for the next 15 years and give them a chance every year to compete.

McDavid is probably the only player in the NHL worth trading that pick for.

I guess you never heard of Carl Hagelin.......

 

[YippieKaey]

If you believe the hype he’s the best prospect since McDavid who was the best prospect since Crosby. I have questions about him, mainly at 5’10” and 185 pounds does he have the size and strength to be dominant at center? His offensive gifts are beyond question and he’ll already have one of the best shots in the NHL the minute he plays his first shift but he’s never really been asked to be defensive minded as a center. In Regina he had free reign to score because his team needed his production and Team Canada is normally stacked with guys they can fill in around him to take the tougher defensive assignments. It’s not that he’s not capable of being a two-way center but because he’s so good offensively he’s never been deployed that way.

In fairness to Bedard though, McDavid isn’t exactly a Selke candidate himself and he’s pretty ok as a player.

I mean worst case scenario with his defensive abilities he becomes a smaller version of Ovi who coasts but still scores 50 goals most years. I'll take it. And he has that firehydrant build so he'll probably end up around 200 lbs with a Crosby like build.