2023 NHL Entry Draft

[Adam Michaels]

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

This highlight video would be even better if it had "Gettin' Jiggy With It" playing during it.

 

[WeThreeKings]

He's absolutely unreal. Easy skill. High IQ.

Would be an amazing consolation prize.

 

[SlafySZN]

He's absolutely unreal. Easy skill. High IQ.

Would be an amazing consolation prize.

Imagine his playmaking abilities with Caufield, plus he can be a threat shooting too.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Imagine his playmaking abilities with Caufield, plus he can be a threat shooting too.

His shot seems to be the weakest part of his game IMO

Accurate but not much power, never seen him rip a laser. Not too worried though because he should add power as he gets older, and the whole team shoots at a lot of open nets because of his hands

 

[SOLR]

He's absolutely unreal. Easy skill. High IQ.

Would be an amazing consolation prize.

Imagine Jack Smith playing with Will Smith


lol

 

[le_sean]

That's cause you are a poster on a message board.

It's really easy to sit here and say, pick Michkov he's the 2nd best prospect in the class.

But if you are investing a highly valuable and rare asset on a player, you want some certainty and we have none right now.

Imagine we blow a top 5 pick on Michkov and Putin keeps him in the country? That's a pretty big risk.

This isn't taking Yurov and Miro in the 20s. This is a top 5 pick in the deepest draft in recent memory.

I think this staying in Russia thing is overblown. Worst case scenario is you smuggle a player out like they did in the 1980s. But it’ll never come to that. The KHL is a dying league with no real money, and even less in the near future. No real hockey player will stay.

 

[Goldenhands]

Only things he needs to improve is his strength and top speed and the last one should come as he gets stronger, more powerful. Kid has alot of room to grow IMO, I would let him marinate 2 yrs in the NCAA, then I cant imagine the player he will be... Skills and IQ are high end level.

 

[Mrb1p]

The future is now old man -Connor Bedard, probably.

His shot seems to be the weakest part of his game IMO

Accurate but not much power, never seen him rip a laser. Not too worried though because he should add power as he gets older, and the whole team shoots at a lot of open nets because of his hands

He got a pretty good one timey in the biosteel game

 

[Gravity]

Did he score though?

 

[Mrb1p]

Did he score though?

It rang off the back bar right to his stick and he scored a second one off the rebound

 

[WeThreeKings]

Can't wait to come out of this draft with *checks notes*

Riley Heidt and Samuel Honzek.

Tremble in fear, Eastern Conference.

 

[sandviper]

Can't wait to come out of this draft with *checks notes*

Riley Heidt and Samuel Honzek.

Tremble in fear, Eastern Conference.

Legit question (for anyone really, as I’m asking in earnest)…

Say the nightmare happens, and we pick say #9 and #15. Anyone we can walk away with and feel happy? Well, as happy as we could be in no man’s land.

Assume Michkov is off the board.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Legit question (for anyone really, as I’m asking in earnest)…

Say the nightmare happens, and we pick say #9 and #15. Anyone we can walk away with and feel happy? Well, as happy as we could be in no man’s land.

Assume Michkov is off the board.

Dvorsky and Dragicevic.

We'd probably feel alright about it but we'd be sitting there wondering how the hell we will have enough offense from the top 6. Would be a lot of size around Caufield/Suzuki but no real game breakers offensively.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

Dvorsky and Dragicevic.

We'd probably feel alright about it but we'd be sitting there wondering how the hell we will have enough offense from the top 6. Would be a lot of size around Caufield/Suzuki but no real game breakers offensively.

Sounds like the Habs' theme for the past 30 years, not enough gamebreakers.

I'd honestly be bargaining hard to move into the top 7 if I could, which is usually not recommended (better to accumulate picks on average) but I think it'd be worth it in this instance. Habs are not lacking in decent prospects, they are lacking high players and this is the year to give the move up a shot.

 

[Frozenice]

Legit question (for anyone really, as I’m asking in earnest)…

Say the nightmare happens, and we pick say #9 and #15. Anyone we can walk away with and feel happy? Well, as happy as we could be in no man’s land.

Assume Michkov is off the board.

Do a mock draft and remember what players you liked at 5,6,7 and 11,12,13 and don’t be surprised if we end up drafting 2 players you really like.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

i just want one of Bedard,Carlsson,Fantilli,Michkov or Will Smith please

 

[JustAHabFan]

i just want one of Bedard,Carlsson,Fantilli,Michkov or Will Smith please

That's not much too ask. Our wish should be granted. We have suffered long enough.

 

[tooji]

I think the question is where do we finish between 6-8, higher or lower then that seems unlikely looking at the standings

 

[WeThreeKings]

I think the question is where do we finish between 6-8, higher or lower then that seems unlikely looking at the standings

6 please. Gotta be protected against one team jumping us in lotto.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

I think this staying in Russia thing is overblown. Worst case scenario is you smuggle a player out like they did in the 1980s. But it’ll never come to that. The KHL is a dying league with no real money, and even less in the near future. No real hockey player will stay.

Most people don't care about the political situation in Russia, it's a contract situation like Kaprizov, who re-signed multiple KHL deals after he was drafted and made Wild fans panic on numerous occasions. Nobody even knows if Michkov wants to come to the NHL as soon as his contract is up.

I'm not very in tune with Russia hockey culture, but I assume there is a lot of debate about Michkov over there. Rotenberg and Michkov both probably aren't super happy with how he struggled with the team this season and now he has been lighting it up on loan.

Roman Rotenberg remaining in control of SKA and the National team is probably the worst possible news for Michkov. His father is an oligarch / known Putin ally and his whole family has been sanctioned by the USA and Canada for the war efforts.

6 please. Gotta be protected against one team jumping us in lotto.

Who are you looking to get at 6 or 7? Assuming the big 4 + Smith are gone...

Benson or Cristall? Wood or Heidt?

 

[Simarino]

I think the question is where do we finish between 6-8, higher or lower then that seems unlikely looking at the standings

Between 5-7 is pretty much a given imo. We wont finish below Anaheim Colombus Chicago and Arizona, dont see them finishing in front of Detroit Buffalo or even Ottawa with Norris coming back tonight. So we're competing against Vancouver and Sanjo for 5-6-7 spots.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Legit question (for anyone really, as I’m asking in earnest)…

Say the nightmare happens, and we pick say #9 and #15. Anyone we can walk away with and feel happy? Well, as happy as we could be in no man’s land.

Assume Michkov is off the board.

Wood/Reinbacher + Barlow/Sandin-Pelikka/Dvorsky

 

[waitin425]

I know we all want the highest picks possible. I do as well. But outside of Bedard, nothing is a sure thing in this draft. Just different versions of probability for each player selected. I am comforted by the fact that we have two first round picks that appear to be at least top 16.

It will be in subsequent re-drafts that we see just how good we make out this year.

Assuming Bedard is not ours. Sure, I would want one of Fantilli, Carlsson or Michkov. But....we also know from previous drafts that players like Smith, Yager, Cristall, Dvorsky, Sale, Wood, Leonard, etc. could end up better in a few years.

So my goal for today after reading all of the "we are doing too good" talk is.....to take a deep breath and convince myself "that's okay. We just won't know for a few years anyways."