HF Habs: 2023 NHL Draft part 2

[Mrb1p]

Heidt plays like he's 6'3.

Cristall has to figure out about 75 % of the rink, he can take the next 3 years in junior to do so. Perron is another diminutive fwd...I'd pick him in the 4th round if available.

Perron also plays like that, and hes the same size as Heidt. 4th round is a bit insane.

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

Why no USNTDP players ??

I just don't like the risks - Smith (who most people have as the highest) doesn't look as good as Benson to me, and Benson (while I like him quite a bit) is probably not as good as the other 4 (Bedard Fantilli Carlsson & Michkov) - so at 5 I would pass on those usntdp guys. It's so hard to scout draft eligibles playing on the same line. Perreault could end up being the best of the 3.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

View attachment 719179

Damn, Buffalo is drowning in great forward prospects as is.

 

[Skip Bayless]

Perron also plays like that, and hes the same size as Heidt. 4th round is a bit insane.

Not really, Perron isn't a softie, but is not physical like Heidt. He's also 5'7 at best. I'm not interested in Perron though.

If he's there in the 4th round, why not though.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I just don't like the risks - Smith (who most people have as the highest) doesn't look as good as Benson to me, and Benson (while I like him quite a bit) is probably not as good as the other 4 (Bedard Fantilli Carlsson & Michkov) - so at 5 I would pass on those usntdp guys. It's so hard to scout draft eligibles playing on the same line. Perreault could end up being the best of the 3.

The USNDTP is probably the best place to draft from in recent years.

And I don't know what you're watching if you can't see Smith is a big step up from Benson.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

My top 50 (having admittedly not seen a lot of prospects in the 2nd-3rd round and beyond range):

1. Connor Bedard
2. Matvei Michkov
3. Leo Carlsson
4. Adam Fantilli
5. Will Smith
6. Ryan Leonard
7. Matthew Wood
8. Zach Benson
9. Dalibor Dvorsky
10. David Reinbacher
11. Gabe Perreault
12. Oliver Moore
13. Brayden Yager
14. Andrew Cristall
15. Daniil But
16. Colby Barlow
17. Samuel Honzek
18. Gavin Brindley
19. Dmitri Simashev
20. Nate Danielson
21. Axel Sandin Pellikka
22. Lukas Dragicevic
23. Mikhail Gulyayev
24. Gracyn Sawchyn
25. Tom Willander
26. Riley Heidt
27. Calum Ritchie
28. Quentin Musty
29. Bradly Nadeau
30. Etienne Morin
31. Aydar Suniev
32. Eduard Sale
33. Koehn Ziemmer
34. Jayden Perron
35. Otto Stenberg
36. Nick Lardis
37. Tanner Molendyk
38. Ethan Gauthier
39. Charlie Stramel
40. Oliver Bonk
41. Beau Akey
42. Michael Hrabal
43. Maxim Strbak
44. Noah Dower Nilsson
45. Oscar Fisker Molgaard
46. David Edstrom
47. Danny Nelson
48. Nico Myatovic
49. Kasper Halttunen
50. Mathieu Cataford

 

[Mrb1p]

I just don't like the risks - Smith (who most people have as the highest) doesn't look as good as Benson to me, and Benson (while I like him quite a bit) is probably not as good as the other 4 (Bedard Fantilli Carlsson & Michkov) - so at 5 I would pass on those usntdp guys. It's so hard to scout draft eligibles playing on the same line. Perreault could end up being the best of the 3.

Im with you on this, though Im not gonna be sad if they pick either of the US player as theyre both great players. Its a clear separation after 6 IMO, Wood/Smith/Leonard/Yager/etc are all very close.

Damn, Buffalo is drowning in great forward prospects as is.

Benson on Cozens wing would be godlike. He would do so much with Cozens size and physical game. Cozens is basicslly a better version of Savoie and Benson manipulated the play so good around Savoie.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Im with you on this, though Im not gonna be sad if they pick either of the US player as theyre both great players. Its a clear separation after 6 IMO, Wood/Smith/Leonard/Yager/etc are all very close.

Benson on Cozens wing would be godlike. He would do so much with Cozens size and physical game. Cozens is basicslly a better version of Savoie and Benson manipulated the play so good around Savoie.

That would be something to see - I've got Leonard to AZ at 6 and Benson to them at 12, which I think would be just as nutty.

 

[Jack Skellington]

The USNDTP is probably the best place to draft from in recent years.

And I don't know what you're watching if you can't see Smith is a big step up from Benson.

 

[Mrb1p]

That would be something to see - I've got Leonard to AZ at 6 and Benson to them at 12, which I think would be just as nutty.

Yep thats a good one too with Leonard. The problem is that Arizona has Cooley and Keller too though. Lots of small manipulator.

View attachment 719188

WTK being WTK. Mans got the forbidden truth.

 

[xposbrad]

Just curious. Suppose we draft Leonard. There are 3-4 teams almost guaranteed getting a better prospect than us. Then about 5-10 teams probably getting an equal value prospect. How do we win the draft? I don't see Leonard as a super high ceiling guy, but more of a consistent probably 2nd line ceiling guy.

Hugo needs another top 12 pick if we aren't taking Michkov if he's there. Maybe I am crazy but I think if we don't take a potential superstar, then what was the point of tanking this year? We would have been getting the same value prospect picking 8th or 10th if we aren't taking the highest upside guy (Michkov).

 

[WeThreeKings]

Just curious. Suppose we draft Leonard. There are 3-4 teams almost guaranteed getting a better prospect than us. Then about 5-10 teams probably getting an equal value prospect. How do we win the draft? I don't see Leonard as a super high ceiling guy, but more of a consistent probably 2nd line ceiling guy.

Hugo needs another top 12 pick if we aren't taking Michkov if he's there. Maybe I am crazy but I think if we don't take a potential superstar, then what was the point of tanking this year? We would have been getting the same value prospect picking 8th or 10th if we aren't taking the highest upside guy (Michkov).

You win the draft by finding the hidden gems and developing them.

Dallas was a winner of a draft, not because they got Heiskanen at 3.. but because they got Oettinger and Robertson later.

Regardless of what Montreal does at 5 (unless they take Michkov and he doesn't ever come over), they will get a key piece to the team, and it may develop into a superstar or it might not. But what is more important is turning picks 31 and 37 into something substantial.

We could do a similar thing here by grabbing Hrabal at 31 and picking someone who slipped into round 2 with a boat load of talent but is overlooked for one reason or another (Robertson, it was his skating).

 

[Mrb1p]

Just curious. Suppose we draft Leonard. There are 3-4 teams almost guaranteed getting a better prospect than us. Then about 5-10 teams probably getting an equal value prospect. How do we win the draft? I don't see Leonard as a super high ceiling guy, but more of a consistent probably 2nd line ceiling guy.

Hugo needs another top 12 pick if we aren't taking Michkov if he's there. Maybe I am crazy but I think if we don't take a potential superstar, then what was the point of tanking this year? We would have been getting the same value prospect picking 8th or 10th if we aren't taking the highest upside guy (Michkov).

They didnt tank. They half assed it. The superstar are in the top 5 and now theyre overthinking it and are gonna pick a sligthly better Lekhonen. They should at least be trading down IMO.

 

[HabbyGuy]

You win the draft by finding the hidden gems and developing them.

Dallas was a winner of a draft, not because they got Heiskanen at 3.. but because they got Oettinger and Robertson later.

Regardless of what Montreal does at 5 (unless they take Michkov and he doesn't ever come over), they will get a key piece to the team, and it may develop into a superstar or it might not. But what is more important is turning picks 31 and 37 into something substantial.

We could do a similar thing here by grabbing Hrabal at 31 and picking someone who slipped into round 2 with a boat load of talent but is overlooked for one reason or another (Robertson, it was his skating).

Of course you win a draft by finding hidden gems later on and developing them. That doesn't however excuse them from taking lesser value with their best pick. After suffering a hellish year in order to be in that position in the 1st place.

Especially if you pass on a chance to draft someone who clearly has the potential to be exceptional. For reasons that are out of his control.

 

[jaffy27]

Lets talk about a more interesting subject.

What is the archetype we aim for with FLA? If Cristall, Heidt, Lardis, Perron, Perrault are there, do we go for them? Cristall is a slam dunk for me, but what do you guys think?

Would you rather go for a RD? Brzustewicz? Willander of course if hes there, but he wont. Strbak, Dragicevic?

Do we go for more of a size/grit pick? Nelson? Ziemmer, Wahlberg, Rehkopf?

Its been so lame around here, lets discuss something else.

Select the top goaltender, I think they’ll still all be there. We desperately need a stud between the pipes.

Of course you win a draft by finding hidden gems later on and developing them. That doesn't however excuse them from taking lesser value with their best pick. After suffering a hellish year in order to be in that position in the 1st place.

Especially if you have a chance to draft someone who clearly has the potential to be exceptional. For reasons that are out of his control.

Leonard, Michkov or Smith…..those young men will almost surely be 30g 75pt+ players

 

[WeThreeKings]

Of course you win a draft by finding hidden gems later on and developing them. That doesn't however excuse them from taking lesser value with their best pick. After suffering a hellish year in order to be in that position in the 1st place.

Especially if you pass while having a chance to draft someone who clearly has the potential to be exceptional. For reasons that are out of his control.

The reasons were in his control.. he was an idiot to have signed that deal in the KHL in the first place. It's a red flag and I don't know why people excuse that so easily.

 

[Mrb1p]

Of course you win a draft by finding hidden gems later on and developing them. That doesn't however excuse them from taking lesser value with their best pick. After suffering a hellish year in order to be in that position in the 1st place.

Especially if you pass on a chance to draft someone who clearly has the potential to be exceptional. For reasons that are out of his control.

Dallas wouldn't look like winners if they drafted Lias Andersson or Cody Glass 3rd overall, thats for sure.

Select the top goaltender, I think they’ll still all be there. We desperately need a stud between the pipes.


Leonard, Michkov or Smith…..those young men will almost surely be 30g 75pt+ players

Youre going in asset management jail, sorry Jaffy. No goaltenders in the top 50. Aiden Hill, Darcy Kuemper, Matt Murray, Anti Niemi.

Acquire talented skaters, worry about the goaltenders later.

 

[jaffy27]

Dallas wouldn't look like winners if they drafted Lias Andersson or Cody Glass 3rd overall, thats for sure.

Youre going in asset management jail, sorry Jaffy. No goaltenders in the top 50. Aiden Hill, Darcy Kuemper, Matt Murray, Anti Niemi.

Acquire talented skaters, worry about the goaltenders later.

Lol

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

The reasons were in his control.. he was an idiot to have signed that deal in the KHL in the first place. It's a red flag and I don't know why people excuse that so easily.

Disagree. Whatever trajectory I was on at that age, if I could have set myself up for life in case of factors out of my control (injury, politics in an unstable region), and been able to come over at 21 anyway, I would have signed the dotted line in a second.

 

[Andrei79]

The reasons were in his control.. he was an idiot to have signed that deal in the KHL in the first place. It's a red flag and I don't know why people excuse that so easily.

I'll add it's not only a question of coming over, but all of the other factors in terms of team control and contracts. Michkov can use his KHL leverage to come at the age he wants, to reduce his ELC years as much as possible, meaning the advantage of having him cost controlled for years goes out the window. Kaprizov used the KHL to get a 9M$ deal after 50odd NHL games. It ended up being worth it, but it's much more of a gamble than a player you've seen for the last 3 years.

There are a lot of external factors at play here.

 

[HabbyGuy]

The reasons were in his control.. he was an idiot to have signed that deal in the KHL in the first place. It's a red flag and I don't know why.

Lol at calling someone an idiot without knowing the context of why a 15/16 year old might want to sign essentially a million dollar contract. You don't know if he was doing it for his family or whatever.

Besides it was signed 2 years prior to this draft and as I said no longer in his control.

 

[Mrb1p]

Making 200k a year from 16 until 21 and potentially taking your parents out of the financial hole vs appeasing greasy posters on a hockey forum, I really wonder which one Id rather...

He's making money most of us make in 2-3 years and has been doing so since he's 16. If you're offered this kind of money at 16 and you say no because you might be paid that salary at 19, you're out to lunch and don't know anything about financial security. Money now is always greater than money later, especially for such a volatile environment as contact sports.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Disagree. Whatever trajectory I was on at that age, if I could have set myself up for life in case of factors out of my control (injury, politics in an unstable region), and been able to come over at 21 anyway, I would have signed the dotted line in a second.

He would make more on an ELC with bonuses than he will in his KHL contract.

He signed a bad contract. This isn't KK signing an offer sheet for more money than he's worth.. this is the guy, who, at the time, was battling Bedard head to head for #1 in the 2023 NHL draft. No agent would have recommended he do what he did.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

He would make more on an ELC with bonuses than he will in his KHL contract.

He signed a bad contract. This isn't KK signing an offer sheet for more money than he's worth.. this is the guy, who, at the time, was battling Bedard head to head for #1 in the 2023 NHL draft. No agent would have recommended he do what he did.

Yeah, and if he suffers a career ending injury like countless other prospects in a dangerous contact sport, or ends up with a freak ailment like Amirov, he's still set up financially for life from the age of SIXTEEN.

 

[Kaladin]

The reasons were in his control.. he was an idiot to have signed that deal in the KHL in the first place. It's a red flag and I don't know why people excuse that so easily.

Furthest thing from a red flag. You're judging him so harshly over a decision he probably had very little authority over. A lot more likely he was just following what the people around him told him to do at that young age. You've really been drinking the anti Russia Kool-Aid all year.