GDT: 2023 Caps NHL Draft Thread

[Random schmoe]

To use Kuzy to trade up one of those teams above them would have to want Kuzy, think he has positive value for them. Given the various teams and status of rebuilds, this isn't a foregone conclusion. The only one I think would want Kuz would be the flyers at 7. That team continues to make dumb decisions, but to be fair we really don't know yet what approach Jones and Briere will bring. With those two specifically, I doubt Kuz plays the style of game they'd put high value on.

Let's not kid ourselves that Kuz has the same value he did a few years ago. There's a reason we're all talking about trading him, and that's because he's underperforming his contract, role, and true talent level. Other teams see that too.

They might be better off trading Kuz for a first lower in the draft, somewhere like Minnesota at 21 or Colorado at 27, and then packaging that pick with the 8th and maybe something else to move up.

If we assume 1-4 are staying put due to the quality of player they'll get at those spots, I could see Montreal at 5 and Arizona at 6 as valuing acquisition of two firsts vs where they are currently.

But don't forget to factor in that there will likely be competition. If you're Montreal for example, would you rather trade 5 for 8 and 21, or with Detroit for 9 and 17. Several recent draft pick value charts out there give more value to the 9+17 than the 8+21 positions.

 

[Langway]

A small, thin Russian winger locked into a KHL contract. Outside of character/off-ice concerns there's no worse profile for a prospect to have these days. We're already seeing Benson's stock slide even without half the baggage. Michkov will slide. The top four should be well established. Dvorsky & Leonard have seemingly emerged as next best options after the U18s. Main question is who's the other player off the board by 8? Reinbacher? Benson? Moore?

I think you've just got to roll the dice Michkov will be there at 8. If Detroit wants to be aggressive and pin their hopes on him down the line and moves up a couple spots, so be it. I could see the Caps being aggressive adding one of their '25 seconds move up a couple spots to remove doubt. Less so the 40th pick or another acquired first. But that in part also depends on what other trade action they've got cooking, how they value other second tier draft options, etc.

Re: the KHL contract, what's to stop Ovechkin from loaning Michkov the money to buy out his contract? There are rules against NHL teams doing it. But players?

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Just take BPA….we need a 10 year core guy from this pick.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Only way Caps should give up 8 OA + Kuzy is for 1 OA, and that's not happening.

If our internal list (I keep referring to the Caps intenal list, as they know more than any of us, and have more context on their projections with all other players under contract) shows Michkov that favorably I agree with Langway in offering a '25 2nd to move up a few spots if there is a dance partner to grab him. Same goes for anyone else we have #1 on our list if they are still there at 5/6/7.

What I am singing from the mountain top is getting TWO from very high up on our internal list from THIS draft should be THE the goal. It's the fastest way to an great retool.

Having say a top 3 C and a top 3 wing from this draft on ELC gives us great flexibility in working other chess pieces. It also allows for competition to drive the best from Miro/CMM/HL/AP/Suz and maximize value if any are truly redundant in say two or three years.

So, I still contend we should make it a priority to get another 1st round pick. Be aggressive in trying. Limits I would place would be trade NONE of our prospects at this point, do not trade the 8 OA.

Imagine ending up with Michkov at 8 (or at 5/6/7 if we give a 2nd for next year if someone on the block does not want him) AND also get one of Barlow/Benson/Crystall/Sale/Moore/Stenberg. Or imagine TWO of Barlow/Benson/Crystall/Sale/Moore/Stenberg, plus another quality prospect at 40 (or maybe a little higher than 40, if we move up).

Getting two or three really solid prospects that could make a real impact as soon as 1 - 2 years out, and that means that we could be a contender for the last year of Ovi's contract - and **because Ovi loves to play hockey** maybe he would want to continue, and be OK with a reasonable cost one year contract each off-season and chase Cups.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Nah….Ovy didn’t sign up to waste the next 2 years. Stick with what you have in the 8th. Make a great pick. Would only trade it for an all star-level C coming back.

 

[Acallabeth]

The player comps that I have seen are Kucherov and Federov, I will take that

He plays nothing like them, especially far from Fedorov.
In fact, Michkov has stated that the player whose style he enjoys and is possibly influenced by is Sidney Crosby!

 

[Kap-the-Head]

A small, thin Russian winger locked into a KHL contract. Outside of character/off-ice concerns there's no worse profile for a prospect to have these days.

That was a year ago. But I am pretty sure the Sharks will take him at 4, if he is still available.

 

[Holtbyisms]

View attachment 708278

That was a year ago. But I am pretty sure the Sharks will take him at 4, if he is still available.

Lol I've said it about 100 times now...that 148 weight was from when he first gained some fame and has been copy and pasted from stats page to stats page. He's the same height and weight as the almighty Bedard.

 

[Raikkonen]

A small, thin Russian winger locked into a KHL contract. Outside of character/off-ice concerns there's no worse profile for a prospect to have these days. We're already seeing Benson's stock slide even without half the baggage. Michkov will slide. The top four should be well established. Dvorsky & Leonard have seemingly emerged as next best options after the U18s. Main question is who's the other player off the board by 8? Reinbacher? Benson? Moore?

Re: the KHL contract, what's to stop Ovechkin from loaning Michkov the money to buy out his contract? There are rules against NHL teams doing it. But players?

KHL contract is a plus for Caps, Ovi knows Michkov personally IIRC. A potential for a slide is surely there.

 

[Qwijibo]

I just don’t see Montreal, Arizona, or Philly taking him. I don’t think Montreal can take another wing that high, Bill Armstrong wants to draft Michov for his replacement, or Philly can resist taking an American. So why trade up if he gets by SJ?

Hughes did an interview immediately after the draft lottery and said they’d be taking the BPA regardless of position.

 

[Langway]

That was a year ago. But I am pretty sure the Sharks will take him at 4, if he is still available.

He's not not thin. That said, he's 18 so plenty of time to add mass. Most players will look small alongside Ovechkin but it's not an element in his favor. He's probably close to Bedard in frame but also not routinely pulling people out of their seats to where the hype is quite as strong as it once was. It's still there. He's a quality player, not to disparage him, but the competition has closed strongly. You've got Fantilli taking the Hobey, Carlsson playing 1C at the WCs and Smith coming off of a MVP U18 performance. That's about as good as it gets.

The scenario IMO where it makes the most sense for the Sharks to land Michkov is to try to get Florida's first from Montreal to move down a spot. That way they still get their guy at 5, adding yet another pretty high pick. Montreal gets one of the coveted centers, playing a somewhat high price to move just one spot but nothing outrageous. That seems like the most realistic scenario for Michkov going top 5. But we will see. Montreal should take him if he gets to five without question. It's still early for teams but that it's not believed to be a lock I think says a lot about both Michkov and how teams view even some of the other alternatives after the big four centers (Dvorsky, Leonard and Reinbacher mostly).

 

[SecretaryofDefense5]

Dvorksy seems like a safe pick. Definitely seems to have the toolset to make the NHL but his upside seems limited. I’m only going off of a few minutes of tape and editorials from the pundits so take that for a grain of salt.

Feels like guys like Michkov and Benson are smaller stature but much more dynamic.

 

[895]

I think if Jarmo doesn't take Michkov, he has a pretty good chance of sliding to us.

Sharks will still have Carlsson/Smith on the board

Mtl was burnt on a controversial pick recently

Arizona doesn't believe they have the pull to get Michkov out of his contract

Philly...they might go for him but I have to think a first time GM like Briere will go for a safer pick.

I'll say less than 30% chance of it happening but definitely in the realm of possibility.

 

[895]

Also I'll say that if Michkov wants to come to DC he can surely help his case by saying he wants to stay in Russia forever, not attending the combine, etc, etc. How much does he really want to become Ovechkin's heir and how much is projection on our parts?

 

[Langway]

Western Hockey League

Headquartered in Calgary, Albert, the Western Hockey League (WHL) consists of 22 Member Clubs located throughout Western Canada and the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

whl.ca

Two goals for Benson last night in a losing effort. Series tied at 1. Benson's skating is not bad but he doesn't exactly have separation speed and it makes it a bit tough to project. He's much better than Cristal but is he a top-line LW in the NHL? Not sure he's shifty enough but he does have the IQ and consistency to build up to it. In the playoffs I'm not sure I'd expect, like, franchise winger type potential and it's why he stands to slide a bit I think.

For the Caps, of course, it's less of a concern while Ovechkin is still around. Benson can slot in as the 2LW and make a second-line more deadly. But will he impact the game as much as a two-way center like Dvorsky? Or a power winger that can PK like Leonard? Tough call. He's probably not going before those two at least. Should Michkov/Dvorsky/Leonard be off the board I think it mainly comes down to Benson or Moore. Their upside wins out vs. Reinbacher, a player also at arguably the most secure position in the organization for the next 3-5 years at least. Other options like Wood, Barlow, Honzek or Sale may offer more size but I'd bank on the skill level and consistent engagement of Benson or Moore above the rest. Moore is the better skater but doesn't quite control the game as much on the puck currently. Taking him over Benson would in part be positional value but, again, there's something to be said for the impact of all-situation centers vs. wings that are less versatile and all-around impactful.

Reinbacher will be on NHLN at 1pm taking on Sweden (and Leo Carlsson) at the World Championships.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Fedorov was big, strong, skated like a wind and could do it all.

Michkov aint it, right?

Yeah, Feds was one of the rarer skill packages you'll ever see. S-tier skater with great size, elite hockey sense, legit Selke-level defensive ability, and enough offensive juice to be a Hart contender. Bergeron is probably the closest we've seen since, and he's not the skater Feds was.

If Michkov was truly a Fedorov comp, Bedard isn't going #1.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Kucherov/Panarin are the comps not Ovi or Fedorov.

 

[Langway]

Kaprizov is the best one I think.

Sandin just blew up Reinbacher with a hip check as he was trying to split the D for a breakaway. He may have injured his left leg but stayed on the bench.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Kaprizov is the best one I think.

Sandin just blew up Reinbacher with a hip check as he was trying to split the D for a breakaway. He may have injured his left leg but stayed on the bench.

Also a decent comp. Michkov needs to add a little more weight to get there but doable.

 

[ynotcaps]

Since none of us knows what definitely will happen with the draft, and since a good operation will ask every question and prepare for every eventuality, curious what people think we might be able to get on draft night with a package of #8, Kuzy and CMM?

This could be with Mich available or already gone.

Maybe they would never do this, but maybe this specific scenario spurs some ideas.

Posing this because my favorite moves in all team sports are the ones where you go, "holy shit, where did THAT come from?!"

 

[Rayquaza64]

Since none of us knows what definitely will happen with the draft, and since a good operation will ask every question and prepare for every eventuality, curious what people think we might be able to get on draft night with a package of #8, Kuzy and CMM?

This could be with Mich available or already gone.

Maybe they would never do this, but maybe this specific scenario spurs some ideas.

Posing this because my favorite moves in all team sports are the ones where you go, "holy shit, where did THAT come from?!"

Moving all of that would have to be for a star forward, no idea who that would make sense for though

 

[pman25]

Kuznetsov just isn’t an attractive trade piece really, he’s too pricey and also had like his worst year ever and is only getting older. He’s not really a throw in to move up in the draft. McMichael or another prospect could be, but generally moving within the top 10 requires another 1st

 

[895]

Why is there a rule that player comps always have to follow nationality? It just seems so lazy.

 

[EroCaps]

Size isn’t an automatic deal breaker if he’s willing and able to get his nose dirty. It’s an element.

Pasta, Kane, St. Louis, Kucherov.

All smallish wings. All MVP/Cup winners.
I’d be more concerned about the Russia factor.

 

[Holtbyisms]

Why is there a rule that player comps always have to follow nationality? It just seems so lazy.

Who does his play style remind you of?