GDT: 2023 Caps NHL Draft Thread

[Calicaps]

My point being 5 years from now with no Ovechkin on the roster there are no superstars. McMichael, Lapierre, Protas, Suzdalev, Miro (star potential), Iorio, or any player we pick this year are all great pieces but not the elite game breaking piece that someone like Michkov would be.

could be. it's this kind of baseless certainty that is leading folks here to absolutely irrational proposals. he could be a game-breaker. he could be a dud. you sell the farm for the young RFA who's already shown that his game translates to the bigs, not for the draft prospect who won't even sniff the NHL for years

 

[Langway]

Ixnay on the Ichkovmay.

 

[OV Rocks]

could be. it's this kind of baseless certainty that is leading folks here to absolutely irrational proposals. he could be a game-breaker. he could be a dud. you sell the farm for the young RFA who's already shown that his game translates to the bigs, not for the draft prospect who won't even sniff the NHL for years

Again, I am not in for selling the farm, I think 8OA, 40, and 24 OR 25 1st is a fair deal to move up to 5 and ensure we get him.

Now, if the deal is only 24 and 25 1st I am not opposed to it but I don't love it.

Also heard yesterday on 32 Thoughts or Marek show, "don't be surprised if Anaheim takes him at 2" which kills all of this

 

[Langway]

Intrigue and excitement in the Year of Connor Bedard at the NHL Draft | TSN

The 2023 NHL Draft is about so much more than just the phenom who will go first overall to the Chicago Blackhawks in Nashville, Bob McKenzie writes. Scouts are very enthused about the depth of this year’s class.

www.tsn.ca

“Those interviews are going to be so important,” one scout said. “We couldn’t interview [Michkov] [at the NHL Combine in Buffalo] because he wasn’t there. We couldn’t interview him in Russia because we weren’t there. Does he want to play in the NHL? How soon might he be able to come? Is there any chance he could sign an extension in Russia? Does he want to play for a particular team? How he answers the questions, how he carries himself in those interviews, will determine how high he’ll be taken or how far he’ll fall, and which team is prepared to take him.”

One scout said Michkov is likely the only prospect in this draft who would require an NHL owner to sign off on before a team would take him in the top five or even top 10.

Pre-draft scuttlebutt, for whatever that is worth, suggests Michkov won’t get by the Washington Capitals, who pick at No. 8. The Caps, of course, are the team of Alexander Ovechkin — Michkov is touted as the best Russian prospect since Ovechkin — and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Washington also didn’t hesitate to take Russian forward Ivan Miroshnichenko 20th overall last year, even though there were concerns about his illness, injury, and the so-called Russian Factor.

Washington will no doubt be one of the teams interviewing Michkov and those talks will be critical to any draft-day decisions, but one has to allow for the possibility some other team could still claim Michkov before Washington.

Still, the sense is Michkov is the most likely member of the top five who could conceivably fall out of the group for any of number of reasons, but on talent and potential, he’s a top-five talent all day. If he does fall out, there are no fewer than three other prospects who could tabbed to fill the void.

 

[phillytennis]

I think if Caps draft Michkov, he will come over sooner then later because of the OV factor.

What did u Caps fan think of Brown. He was hurt early but I believe he played a few games

Hi Caps fans...I am a Habs fan...I come in peace.
The Habs are to interview Matvei Michkov in the few days.
What would be prepared to offer us for the 5th pick overall??....The 8th pick +....?

 

[HTFN]

Vegas - Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo

St. Louis - Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O'Rielly then was a super star, can't judge him right now

Jack Eichel is a super star. I remember watching him in the Vegas vs. Caps game this year that ended in an OT win for Vegas. He is a better goal scoring version of what Backstrom was at his peak

Backstrom wasn't a superstar either, unless all good players are now superstars there aren't 50+ in the league right now, this is a kind of warped definition to make this point fit.

Ryan O'Rielly? Superstar?

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Hi Caps fans...I am a Habs fan...I come in peace.
The Habs are to interview Matvei Michkov in the few days.
What would be prepared to offer us for the 5th pick overall??....The 8th pick +....?

Hi Habs Fan. Always respect the Original Six, so welcome!

Some on here have been suggesting they would be willing to give up to two or three future 1st round picks as there is a bit of (justified) excitement about the potential for us to get Michkov. Others (like myself) are less willing, as we think draft capital is really important to our trajectory (I'll offer a 2025 2nd).

Either way, what matters is what GMBM is willing to do, and that may still be up in the air (pending interviews).

Concern you should have at 5 looking to go back to 8 is do you have a real target, and are you willing to lose out on them at 6/7 if things dont go to plan?

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

Paragraph in today's Bob MacKenzie final rankings jumped out at me. I have been under this impression for a while, and it seems the polled Scouts agree. If we select wisely we can get a very good prospect at 40. Maybe the 'move up' the Caps follow through on is going after someone in the low mid 30s. If we can get more picks in the top 50 this is a good year to do so....

""Suffice to say there is a high degree of interchangeability between the bottom third of the first-round prospects on the TSN list and those prospects ranked from Nos. 33 right to 50-plus. A good many of the TSN second-round prospects have varying degrees of support as late first-round picks.""

 

[Serial_Derecho]

Hi Caps fans...I am a Habs fan...I come in peace.
The Habs are to interview Matvei Michkov in the few days.
What would be prepared to offer us for the 5th pick overall??....The 8th pick +....?

Seems like this topic has been beat to death, and I may be in the minority, but if it was me, Im not trading anything. Id be willing to roll the dice and not give up any additional assets that the Caps will desperately for the post-Ovechkin era.

For me, it doesnt make much sense to trade for #5. If Montreal really wants Michkov, then they are taking him. End of story. They are only trading the pick if they choose not to take him, and feel the Caps do want him. Beyond Montreal, that leaves Arizona at #6, which doesnt really seem like a fit. At #7, the Flyers could be possible, but I feel they are going to want more certainly with that pick given their own on-going rebuild. So, that leaves the Caps at 8. Even if one of those teams do pick him, the Caps are still getting a great pick, AND will still have their other assets.

 

[Oilers in NS]

Hi Caps fans...I am a Habs fan...I come in peace.
The Habs are to interview Matvei Michkov in the few days.
What would be prepared to offer us for the 5th pick overall??....The 8th pick +....?

Im not a Caps fan, Oilers fan.
Not sure what they would offer you though. With Michkov, there is the uncertainity of when he is coming.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

My point being 5 years from now with no Ovechkin on the roster there are no superstars. McMichael, Lapierre, Protas, Suzdalev, Miro (star potential), Iorio, or any player we pick this year are all great pieces but not the elite game breaking piece that someone like Michkov would be.

If Ovi is healthy he very well could still be playing on one-year-at-time reduced cost contracts in a realistic role. Look, he loves playing (like Tom Brady did...) and his kids will be older and can appreciate it more, and if the Caps are a serious Cup contender in the 4 - 8 year window I bet he'd want to be part of that.

I disagree with your assumption we can't draft potential All Stars over the next 2 or 3 years and also build up the prospect pool so we can use pieces in Hockey Trades.

I'll be excited if we get Michkov at 8, but he is not the only path to Cup Contention.

 

[Langway]

Mahoney holding his cards pretty closely. Some interesting organizational nuggets in there, though.

A few thoughts on Bob's list:

- Stenberg over Willander was surprising. Thought Willander might fall closer to 10 than 20.
- #35-40 are Molendyk, Edstrom, Halttunen, Hrabal & Wahlberg. All solid options. All good size except for Molendyk but he makes up for it with plus mobility.
- If the top 7 goes this way and it's primarily between Reinbacher or Benson at 8 I guess I'd go Benson but it's the worst-case IMO.
- Thought some of the other goalies would come in closer to the early second than late but you never know if run starts.
- Again, Scott Ratzlaff seems absurdly low here as well. He's legit.

I think Philadelphia is probably the biggest threat for Michkov. Not just picking him but potentially trading back a bit depending on how the board falls. Will a bidding war break out? Detroit has a lot of ammo in this draft if they want to be aggressive.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

- If the top 7 goes this way and it's primarily between Reinbacher or Benson at 8 I guess I'd go Benson but it's the worst-case IMO.

I'd be very pleased with Benson. I have a bit of hunch (could be wrong though) someone picks a D in front of us. Someone could also go off the board a little, giving us an additional unexpected option.

 

[ArmadilloThumb]

I think Philadelphia is probably the biggest threat for Michkov. Not just picking him but potentially trading back a bit depending on how the board falls. Will a bidding war break out? Detroit has a lot of ammo in this draft if they want to be aggressive.

I agree about Detroit having the ammo. Does Philly have a specific target, and are they worried if the Caps take that target?? Dunno. Moving down more that one spot is risky if they have one particular player in mind, less so if they have a few on their list ranked equally.

 

[Jags]

Mark Stone and Jack Eichel are both superstars. Stone has the best GAR/60 in the entire NHL over the past 5 years, and Eichel is #22.

St. Louis was the team I was thinking of but even they had Tarasenko and O’Reilly who were #14 and #22 in GAR/60 in the 5 years leading up to their Cup win.

Yeah, if you have to make a case and quantify it? Not a superstar.

Superstar - there's a handful of these at best in the league at any given time.
Star - Pretty much every team has 1 or 2.
Everybody Else

I listened to a podcast last year with Matt Damon and he told this story about the Ocean's 11 premiere in Italy. Huge crowd, so they had to walk up a street for a block to get to the red carpet. He was walking with Casey Affleck and people were going nuts.

Damon said it was the first time he felt that kind of star power. He was so excited, so proud, and he said to Affleck, who he'd known most of his life, "Wow. This is another level. We've really made it big."

Then Brad Pitt showed up.

Damon said what had been happening a moment earlier -- which was far and away the biggest response he'd ever received -- multiplied several times over. It was pandemonium, and the kicker was that Pitt looked and acted like it wasn't even happening; just a smile and a wave and a casual walk.

THAT is a superstar. No question that Matt Damon is a star, but then there's the type that entire solar systems revolve around...

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

If Michkov is there at 8 and they don’t take him it’s incredibly stupid and shortsighted. If there’s a way to get him without giving up a crippling number of assets then do it.

Ovi is my favorite athlete ever and I’ll be crushed when he retires but Father Time is undefeated and Ovi won’t be around forever. They have an incredibly unique opportunity to draft a potential franchise-altering, generational talent who would slide in right as Ovi’s career is winding down. This is a guy who would be the guaranteed second overall pick this year if his name was Michael Masterson or Matty Michelson and he was from Winnipeg or Minnesota. His player cards are identical to Sidney Crosby’s at his age. He would be number one in pretty much every draft since 2010 except for McDavid and maybe Matthews. To be able to get a guy like that at 8OA is pretty much unheard of and they shouldn’t overthink it. Would much rather they take the chance and go for Michkov and eat it if he doesn’t come than not take the chance and play it safe with a guy they think can be a contributor in two years.

I like a lot of other players in this draft but this is too good an opportunity to pass up if it presents itself.

 

[twabby]

Yeah, if you have to make a case and quantify it? Not a superstar.

Superstar - there's a handful of these at best in the league at any given time.
Star - Pretty much every team has 1 or 2.
Everybody Else

I listened to a podcast last year with Matt Damon and he told this story about the Ocean's 11 premiere in Italy. Huge crowd, so they had to walk up a street for a block to get to the red carpet. He was walking with Casey Affleck and people were going nuts.

Damon said it was the first time he felt that kind of star power. He was so excited, so proud, and he said to Affleck, who he'd known most of his life, "Wow. This is another level. We've really made it big."

Then Brad Pitt showed up.

Damon said what had been happening a moment earlier -- which was far and away the biggest response he'd ever received -- multiplied several times over. It was pandemonium, and the kicker was that Pitt looked and acted like it wasn't even happening; just a smile and a wave and a casual walk.

THAT is a superstar. No question that Matt Damon is a star, but then there's the type that entire solar systems revolve around...

Not to sound too disrespectful, but if you can't recognize Mark Stone as a superstar it makes me question your ability to analyze hockey. He's a perfect example of why eye tests should be treated as a curiosity, and nothing more.

 

[NobodyBeatsTheWiz]

Not to sound too disrespectful, but if you can't recognize Mark Stone as a superstar it makes me question your ability to analyze hockey. He's a perfect example of why eye tests should be treated as a curiosity, and nothing more.

Says a guy that admittedly only watches boxscores.

But hey, one esoteric stat says the guy is a superstar, that means it's true...that is, until the data bois decide a different metric is the true indicator.

 

[EroCaps]

If Michkov is there at 8 and they don’t take him it’s incredibly stupid and shortsighted. If there’s a way to get him without giving up a crippling number of assets then do it.

Ovi is my favorite athlete ever and I’ll be crushed when he retires but Father Time is undefeated and Ovi won’t be around forever. They have an incredibly unique opportunity to draft a potential franchise-altering, generational talent who would slide in right as Ovi’s career is winding down. This is a guy who would be the guaranteed second overall pick this year if his name was Michael Masterson or Matty Michelson and he was from Winnipeg or Minnesota. His player cards are identical to Sidney Crosby’s at his age. He would be number one in pretty much every draft since 2010 except for McDavid and maybe Matthews. To be able to get a guy like that at 8OA is pretty much unheard of and they shouldn’t overthink it. Would much rather they take the chance and go for Michkov and eat it if he doesn’t come than not take the chance and play it safe with a guy they think can be a contributor in two years.

I like a lot of other players in this draft but this is too good an opportunity to pass up if it presents itself.

Crosby is another player that came to mind watching Michkov. The quality touches are all over the place. He doesn’t always stick out on film but you check the box score at the end of the game and it’s 2+2 or 1+3.

I hope he’s not a shit head.

 

[AlexModvechkin8]

Crosby is another player that came to mind watching Michkov. The quality touches are all over the place. He doesn’t always stick out on film but you check the box score at the end of the game and it’s 2+2 or 1+3.

I hope he’s not a shit head.

I hope he’s a shit head to everyone but us.

 

[Jags]

Not to sound too disrespectful, but if you can't recognize Mark Stone as a superstar it makes me question your ability to analyze hockey. He's a perfect example of why eye tests should be treated as a curiosity, and nothing more.

Can we let this be the semantic argument that it clearly is and not an indictment of my hockey knowledge? Stone is one of my favorite players in the league and I understand very clearly what he brings to the ice. You and I disagreeing over the subjective ranking of "star" versus "superstar" is a separate thing.

My entire point was that if you have to analyze to make the distinction, you've already lost the plot. I told a kinda fun story about what I feel the distinction between star and superstar is. Didn't leave much to the imagination. If it helps, pretend that Matt Damon is playing the role of Mark Stone and Brad Pitt is playing Connor McDavid.

Other folks said that "Generational Talent" is its own category and prefer to look at it that way. Okay, who cares? It's a silly, subjective classification that you're suddenly serious about and trying to define with stats and player cards. I'm defining it by imagining Mark Stone playing The Talented Mr. Ripley. You know, because it's a silly conversation to begin with...

 

[HTFN]

Not to sound too disrespectful, but if you can't recognize Mark Stone as a superstar it makes me question your ability to analyze hockey. He's a perfect example of why eye tests should be treated as a curiosity, and nothing more.

He's not. He might be your personal stats and graphs superstar, and hockey fans who care enough to pay attention to the league will know "oh he's one of this team's best/star players" but he's not a superstar. Dude wasn't making headlines or worth more than a passing mention even when he was in Ottawa and that hasn't changed. All-Stars aren't superstars, and Stone is very comfortably in the All-Star range.

That isn't how it works. You don't hit an overall rating and suddenly become reclassified.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Again, I am not in for selling the farm, I think 8OA, 40, and 24 OR 25 1st is a fair deal to move up to 5 and ensure we get him.

Now, if the deal is only 24 and 25 1st I am not opposed to it but I don't love it.

Also heard yesterday on 32 Thoughts or Marek show, "don't be surprised if Anaheim takes him at 2" which kills all of this

Adding another probable lottery pick (much less 2) is not “fair” IMO, it’s reckless.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Not to sound too disrespectful, but if you can't recognize Mark Stone as a superstar it makes me question your ability to analyze hockey. He's a perfect example of why eye tests should be treated as a curiosity, and nothing more.

Maybe you should watch a game or two with REAL superstars, then you may get it.

 

[usiel]

I still feel Simashev will be the best dman to come of the 1st round when all is said and done.