2023 NHL Entry Draft

[windycity]

Lots of speculations...

Thinking about the future is by definition speculating

 

[L4br3cqu3]

Restrictions are just starting. How are the Russians doing in international competitions? Oh that’s right, they aren’t allowed to be involved anymore. It’s one step at a time. We know for sure he isn’t coming for two years. How much more can the situation degenerate in that timeframe? A lot.

Let's just say that if things keep degenerating like they are right now, hockey could become the least of our problems.

In the meanwhile, I know I prefer to get the BPA kid, cause the world situation will either get better (at this point, not sure how), or like I said, hockey will become an afterthought.

Outside of Bedard and perhaps Fantilli, we probably won't see those kids next year in the NHL anyway, so there's no real hurry, beside, not a fan of rushing prospects.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I'm very disappointed to see a few of you are willing to pass on Michkov if he was to be available at 5th overall. That to me is insane. I don't care about which other grade A prospect available, you take best projected player available.

Benson, Smith, Leonard, Moore, Sale, Cristall are not on the same level of potential as Michkov. No matter what the situation is, you pick him. If something happens, then it'll be a waste of a pick but so be it. I can live with that. You make it up with other picks or drafts. Because if you don't, you will repeat the same mistake as the Bergevin era with Kotkaniemi who was such a reach because we "needed" a center. If the center is not as good as the winger, you don't take him. You go with Brady Tkachuk. '

If Michkov falls, it's a blessing in disguise and we better hope that he is a Habs.

We would have gone with Zadina. I love how because Brady has become the most successful player, we get to rewrite history that the guy we passed on wasn't Zadina, it was Brady.

Zadina isn't going to "fill our and Ottawa's net with pucks" because he was rated lower than Brady Tkachuk.

You can't afford to scratch a top 5 pick in a rebuilding draft if there's so much uncertainty on a player that multiple teams pass on the guy.

All anyone has said is that if the team, and others pass on Michkov, they aren't doing it because of a talent reading, they are doing it because their intel is telling them it is not a reliable gamble to take vs. the upside of the player with certainty.

It's really not a hard concept to grasp yet we re-litigate it constantly.

 

[Schooner Guy]

I'm very disappointed to see a few of you are willing to pass on Michkov if he was to be available at 5th overall. That to me is insane. I don't care about which other grade A prospect available, you take best projected player available.

Benson, Smith, Leonard, Moore, Sale, Cristall are not on the same level of potential as Michkov. No matter what the situation is, you pick him. If something happens, then it'll be a waste of a pick but so be it. I can live with that. You make it up with other picks or drafts. Because if you don't, you will repeat the same mistake as the Bergevin era with Kotkaniemi who was such a reach because we "needed" a center. If the center is not as good as the winger, you don't take him. You go with Brady Tkachuk. '

If Michkov falls, it's a blessing in disguise and we better hope that he is a Habs.

Why would you be "very disappointed"? Nobody on here's making the pick. LOL!

It's also a valid opinion given the amount of non-hockey uncertainty that is completely out of the control of the Habs or the NHL.

 

[RationalExpectations]

We would have gone with Zadina. I love how because Brady has become the most successful player, we get to rewrite history that the guy we passed on wasn't Zadina, it was Brady.

Zadina isn't going to "fill our and Ottawa's net with pucks" because he was rated lower than Brady Tkachuk.

You can't afford to scratch a top 5 pick in a rebuilding draft if there's so much uncertainty on a player that multiple teams pass on the guy.

All anyone has said is that if the team, and others pass on Michkov, they aren't doing it because of a talent reading, they are doing it because their intel is telling them it is not a reliable gamble to take vs. the upside of the player with certainty.

It's really not a hard concept to grasp yet we re-litigate it constantly.

I would have gone Dobson / Boqvist, KK before Tkachuk you can throw your tomatoes

 

[ginomini]

We would have gone with Zadina. I love how because Brady has become the most successful player, we get to rewrite history that the guy we passed on wasn't Zadina, it was Brady.

Zadina isn't going to "fill our and Ottawa's net with pucks" because he was rated lower than Brady Tkachuk.

You can't afford to scratch a top 5 pick in a rebuilding draft if there's so much uncertainty on a player that multiple teams pass on the guy.

All anyone has said is that if the team, and others pass on Michkov, they aren't doing it because of a talent reading, they are doing it because their intel is telling them it is not a reliable gamble to take vs. the upside of the player with certainty.

It's really not a hard concept to grasp yet we re-litigate it constantly.

Thank you for this, seems like it needs to be said over and over again. Brady was never this boards favorite pick anyway. And KK was not really seen like a reach on draft day. It was in fact also confirmed that Arizona would have picked him at 5.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I would have gone Dobson / Boqvist, KK before Tkachuk you can throw your tomatoes

I had Boqvist ahead of them all. I'm not going to rewrite history because now we have more data to support something else.

 

[L4br3cqu3]

I would have gone Dobson / Boqvist, KK before Tkachuk you can throw your tomatoes

I wanted Zadina, or Tkachuk if Zadina wasn't available.

But I really wanted Zadina.

So it kinda work out in the end anyway, unfortunately for us cause KK isn't here anymore, but he's developing now.

But, yeah.

Thank you for this, seems like it needs to be said over and over again. Brady was never this boards favorite pick anyway. And KK was not really seen like a reach on draft day. It was in fact also confirmed that Arizona would have picked him at 5.

I remember people picking on Tkachuk cause 'size isn't everything', now it's a 'skill league', that he probably plateaued already or that he was a future 3rd liner...

Good times.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I wanted Zadina, or Tkachuk if Zadina wasn't available.

But I really wanted Zadina.

So it kinda work out in the end anyway, unfortunately for us cause KK isn't here anymore, but he's developing now.

But, yeah.



I remember people picking on Tkachuk cause 'size isn't everything', now it's a 'skill league', that he probably plateaued already or that he was a future 3rd liner...

Good times.

His stats were compared to Shane Bowers to show he wasn't that good.

 

[ginomini]

I wanted Zadina, or Tkachuk if Zadina wasn't available.

But I really wanted Zadina.

So it kinda work out in the end anyway, unfortunately for us cause KK isn't here anymore, but he's developing now.

But, yeah.



I remember people picking on Tkachuk cause 'size isn't everything', now it's a 'skill league', that he probably plateaued already or that he was a future 3rd liner...

Good times.

I had Dobson at 3.

It seems like for the KK and Slaf draft we have been unlucky in that for both drafts we ended up being the team that needs to make the first decision of the draft. Compared to for example Ottawa in 2020 where they would just pick whoever was left of Laf, Byfield, Stutzle.

We will again be in that unlucky position if we draft 5th this year and Michkov is gone.

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

I have no problems admitting I was 100% on the Kotkaniemi train at the draft. I was very much banking on a steady development curve though, I never expected him to be with the Habs on opening day that same october. I'll always maintain he was more of a development fail than a pure draft fail.

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I have no problems admitting I was 100% on the Kotkaniemi train at the draft. I was very much banking on a steady development curve though, I never expected him to be with the Habs on opening day that same october. I'll always maintain he was more of a development fail than a pure draft fail.

This.

Feels the same way with Slaf. Shouldn't have been here, but high picks have to be with the team in some unwritten rule.

Not like he crushed the FEL.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I have no problems admitting I was 100% on the Kotkaniemi train at the draft. I was very much banking on a steady development curve though, I never expected him to be with the Habs on opening day that same october. I'll always maintain he was more of a development fail than a pure draft fail.

Anyways, my intention wasn't to talk about who we all personally had ahead.. it's just that we can't keep doing this every time. Zadina was the consensus guy. Zadina had the most steam at that spot all year.

The Habs passed on Zadina. Brady Tkachuk was certainly in the conversation but it is total revisionism and trying to make things look worse, as if Brady was the consensus guy at 3 and we by-passed him.

The Habs wanted to trade down to take KK.. they found out AZ was going to take him at 5 and OTT didn't want to switch.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

I think I'd take Cristall over Benson, and I can't quite put my finger on why. I just don't feel like Benson's game is all that projectable, whereas I feel like Cristall has a pretty good chance to put up 70+ points.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I think I'd take Cristall over Benson, and I can't quite put my finger on why. I just don't feel like Benson's game is all that projectable, whereas I feel like Cristall has a pretty good chance to put up 70+ points.

Benson's game is pretty projectable, he does everything all over the ice. If you want to bet on Cristall having more offensive upside, I'll certainly listen.. but Benson will play in the NHL, even if it is as a 3rd liner who can chip in offensively and drag people into the battle. Kind of like Gallagher before he completely fell off.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Benson's game is pretty projectable, he does everything all over the ice. If you want to bet on Cristall having more offensive upside, I'll certainly listen.. but Benson will play in the NHL, even if it is as a 3rd liner who can chip in offensively and drag people into the battle. Kind of like Gallagher before he completely fell off.

Yeah I could definitely see that. I just feel like he plays a fairly simple game which doesn't project all that well offensively. No breakaway speed, a good but not great shot, not a ton of deception. Certainly still a smart player, but not overly creative. I'd feel much more comfortable with taking him with Florida's pick than ours.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

Michkov is a unanimous #2 if its not of the russian risk. He is ranked lower simply because of the risk. We all know his on ice greatness.

Also, Reinbacher hype don't need to stop. I believe he would be right up there with Nemec and Jiricek if they were on the same draft year. He is f***ing good.

No

 

[Frozenice]

Thank you for this, seems like it needs to be said over and over again. Brady was never this boards favorite pick anyway. And KK was not really seen like a reach on draft day. It was in fact also confirmed that Arizona would have picked him at 5.

Wasn’t Zadina abysmal at the combine? Was it him that couldn’t do a pullup? I could be wrong but I thought that was a major reason for his fall in the draft.

I liked Brady at the draft, I liked his father, I liked his brother and there was no reason to think he wasn’t going to be a useful player at the NHL level and he filled a need, a player with a bit of truculence.

 

[Schooner Guy]

Wasn’t Zadina abysmal at the combine? Was it him that couldn’t do a pullup? I could be wrong but I thought that was a major reason for his fall in the draft.

I liked Brady at the draft, I liked his father, I liked his brother and there was no reason to think he wasn’t going to be a useful player at the NHL level and he filled a need, a player with a bit of truculence.

I wanted him too. I liked his tools and his play at the WJC. It had been so long since the Habs had a player with the qualities you mentioned above. And now he's a PPG player.

He was also #3 on Bob McKenzie's list heading into that 2018 draft. I had reservations about Zadina and whether his game was translatable at the NHL level. I preferred KK over Zadina but Brady was the player I wanted.

Not sure how Zadina did at his Combine but I believe Sam Bennett is the player infamous for not being able to do a pull-up.

 

[Mrb1p]

I have no problems admitting I was 100% on the Kotkaniemi train at the draft. I was very much banking on a steady development curve though, I never expected him to be with the Habs on opening day that same october. I'll always maintain he was more of a development fail than a pure draft fail.

Amen

 

[Sterling Archer]

This would be a dream come true, if true!

 

[Mrb1p]

Wasn’t Zadina abysmal at the combine? Was it him that couldn’t do a pullup? I could be wrong but I thought that was a major reason for his fall in the draft.

I liked Brady at the draft, I liked his father, I liked his brother and there was no reason to think he wasn’t going to be a useful player at the NHL level and he filled a need, a player with a bit of truculence.

Everyone knew hed be a player. The narrative was that the Habs needed higher upside and play driving at C and that we had time to develop the player.

Bergevin had other plans though, plug and play the project instead of taking the plug and play 2nd liner.

 

[habsfan891]

This would be a dream come true, if true!

I wish that were true

 

[Sterling Archer]

I wish that were true

Same. Obviously fake text but would be nice to scoop him up at 5.

 

[Nico Cauzuki]

This would be a dream come true, if true!

i think Bobrov has a big say on who we draft from watching last years draft videos so does him being Russian help our chances of gambling on Michkov or no? i guess no one knows at this point Molson can also have a say on it