Prospect Info: [2024] 1st rd selection - #31 OA - RD, Ben Danford - Oshawa Generals, OHL (6′2″/191lb) --Signed to ELC

[BM14]

Acquiring a RD in his prime is one of the most coveted positions in sports and costs a lot in assets. It's cheaper to use a first on a player in the draft, than it is to trade or sign for one.

Would you rather have drafted a prime Tanev and had him on cheap deals or spend multiple picks and prospects acquiring him from another team or throw the bag at them in FA after he's past his prime?

I understand the thought process but you’re neglecting the fact that the trade proposal is for a proven commodity vs “could be as good as…”.

Regardless, I very much like this pick. I hope he gets 2-4 years of development; let him over-bake a bit and rather rewards later.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Dubas and Hunter took all kinds of swings at skill and we ended up with almost nothing to show for it outside of the very high picks and Matthew Knies.

How many Semyon Der-Arguchintsevs do we need?

Who was the skill we swung for the fences on? Most of the smaller guys they drafted were high work rate two way diet-grinder types that might turn into a Jarnkrok/Kerfoot one day, we weren’t taking gambles on Hutson ultimate boom/bust types. The SDAs of the world at least turn into productive AHL/KHL tweeners that will play NHL games somewhere, Hunter’s fridge drafts took a bunch of guys that couldn’t even hack it at the ECHL level.

There’s enough to dislike about Dubas’s targeting but it’s more that we already had Kerfoot’s stocked throughout the system and they’re not hard to get in trade or UFA, him swinging for the fences on skill is hard to make a claim for when Robertson is pretty easily the most skilled player he went for outside the first.

All the smaller guys like Hollowell, Hirvonen, Abruzesse, Voit have the same write up of being undersized but smart hard working two way players, none of them have any sort of stand-out home run swing skills at the cost of being allergic to contact or the D zone.

 

[uncleben]

Dubas and Hunter took all kinds of swings at skill and we ended up with almost nothing to show for it outside of the very high picks and Matthew Knies.

How many Semyon Der-Arguchintsevs do we need?

I understand the frustration and the tedium, but, personally, I do find it weird to purposefully avoid talent.

"Let's not take the guy with a high ceiling because he might not make it, and instead take the guy who plays a utility/depth role and might not make it" just seems counterintuitive

 

[Punch Drunk Loov]

I wish we drafted more prospects like Timashov, Dierzkiels and Korshkov. Even Bracco was a sleeper pick

 

[uncleben]

I wish we drafted more prospects like Timashov, Dierzkiels and Korshkov. Even Bracco was a sleeper pick

More 6'3"+ defensive bricks who don't translate, like Loov, surely

(I actually did like Loov, tbh, though. He was physical, had a pretty good read of the ice - was an intriguing pick - but just couldn't bring it to an NHL level and wasn't able to outplay Valiev, Percy, and Harrington (which says enough right there))

 

[BertCorbeau]

I wish we drafted more prospects like Timashov, Dierzkiels and Korshkov. Even Bracco was a sleeper pick

I mean Korshkov was the big body powered they wanted..ironically the small skilled forward approach would have been better here (Debrincat and Kyrou).

 

[ChazzMichaelMichaels]

I understand the frustration and the tedium, but, personally, I do find it weird to purposefully avoid talent.

"Let's not take the guy with a high ceiling because he might not make it, and instead take the guy who plays a utility/depth role and might not make it" just seems counterintuitive

I find trying to draft for an all purpose top 4 RHD d-man that doesn't need to be sheltered is shooting for a very, very important player and a swing at an essential talent.

Teams choose this profile of player over top 6 highly offensive wingers, they're much harder to get a hold of.

 

[The Management]

I know nothing about this kid, but I'm just glad we're making picks in the first round and rebuilding a pipeline of young talent. Danford, Cowan, Minten to some extent. Appreciate we're in "win now" mode but it's fun to have something to look forward to when we aren't winning (and we're pretty much experts at that).

 

[RoadWarrior]

Dubas and Hunter took all kinds of swings at skill and we ended up with almost nothing to show for it outside of the very high picks and Matthew Knies.

How many Semyon Der-Arguchintsevs do we need?

The leafs had a habit of drafting small and weak players with skill or big and slow players without skills. The focus was on “hockey IQ” not athleticism. Ultimately the strategy failed.

I wish we drafted more prospects like Timashov, Dierzkiels and Korshkov. Even Bracco was a sleeper pick

None of those guys could skate well enough to compensate for their small size. Drafting them was a wasted pick.

 

[LeafsGuy16]

I admittedly know nothing about this player outside of draft write ups, and have never seen him play outside of highlights. With that said, I don’t understand why so many people view this as a “safe” pick. There’s a lot of talk about a 4-5-6 dman.

Based on what I’ve read, it would seem to me that the upside of this pick is a legit top pair/ #2 RHD. Something like a Vlasic, Muzzin, or Seabrook. All of whom were Team Canada defenders. They’re not sexy, nor are they true #1s, but those are extremely valuable high upside players. I have to think if the leafs had him as bpa at 23, they see top pairing upside?

 

[Warden of the North]

How many draft picks have we traded in the past 5 years trying to find this exact player at the deadline?

 

[Donnie740]

None of those guys could skate well enough to compensate for their small size. Drafting them was a wasted pick.

That’s what Kyle Dubas could never figure out. Skating ability should be a minimum requirement for draft picks.

The risk of missing out on a slow footed plodding Hall of Famer like Dave Andreychuck is infinitely less than avoiding the huge number of busts who can’t skate well enough to keep up in the NHL.

 

[Byron Bitz]

How many draft picks have we traded in the past 5 years trying to find this exact player at the deadline?

Also, they are crazy expensive on July 1st

 

[Namikaze Minato]

 

[LaPlante94]

I understand the frustration and the tedium, but, personally, I do find it weird to purposefully avoid talent.

"Let's not take the guy with a high ceiling because he might not make it, and instead take the guy who plays a utility/depth role and might not make it" just seems counterintuitive

When you have a core that was drafted all in the top 10 in your top 6 you draft the best players to surround them with and that involves the depth roles so we aren't spending 1st and 2nd round picks every year on bottom 6 players. Use those picks to either upgrade the top 6 with much better players at the deadline or fill up the prospect pool even more.

 

[Stephen]

I understand the frustration and the tedium, but, personally, I do find it weird to purposefully avoid talent.

"Let's not take the guy with a high ceiling because he might not make it, and instead take the guy who plays a utility/depth role and might not make it" just seems counterintuitive

I find this size vs talent dichotomy has taken on a weird folklore, stemming from the Biggs and Gauthier disaster picks, and then the reform of taking Nylander after, and forever after you were picking small skill with enormous upside, or a mutant that can't play, skate, think.

Any team needs a diverse draft class of all positions, body types and skill levels each graduating to different places on the roster. You don't draft for need but over a long enough runway if you ignore your needs you never solve them either.

 

[ULF_55]

Acquiring a RD in his prime is one of the most coveted positions in sports and costs a lot in assets. It's cheaper to use a first on a player in the draft, than it is to trade or sign for one.

Would you rather have drafted a prime Tanev and had him on cheap deals or spend multiple picks and prospects acquiring him from another team or throw the bag at them in FA after he's past his prime?

You don't get a prime age Tanev on a team controlled 6-7 year contract for a a late 1st. round pick.

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

You don't get a prime age Tanev on a team controlled 6-7 year contract for a a late 1st. round pick.

That's my point. I was saying to the poster that it's cheaper to use your own first to draft a player like a Tanev and have him be cost controlled than it is to acquire a player like him in his prime. Teams generally don't give them up and if they do, you are paying a premium. We are getting him when he is on the back 9.

He said he doesn't like the pick.

 

[Martin Skoula]

That's my point. I was saying to the poster that it's cheaper to use your own first to draft a player like a Tanev and have him be cost controlled than it is to acquire a player like him in his prime. Teams generally don't give them up and if they do, you are paying a premium. We are getting him when he is on the back 9.

He said he doesn't like the pick.

How many D do you have to draft with 1sts to get one Tanev though? Prime aged established #2D go for 2 mid-late 1sts pretty frequently, if your scouting staff has a 50% hit rate on Tanevs at 20-30 overall you need to back up the Brinks truck and lock them down for life.

 

[horner]

How many D do you have to draft with 1sts to get one Tanev though? Prime aged established #2D go for 2 mid-late 1sts pretty frequently, if your scouting staff has a 50% hit rate on Tanevs at 20-30 overall you need to back up the Brinks truck and lock them down for life.

Chadwick has climbed very quickly.
Invitation to the WJC Canadian team.

 

[Donnie740]

How many D do you have to draft with 1sts to get one Tanev though? Prime aged established #2D go for 2 mid-late 1sts pretty frequently, if your scouting staff has a 50% hit rate on Tanevs at 20-30 overall you need to back up the Brinks truck and lock them down for life.

Tanev get put on a pedestal for blocking so many shots and taking away passing lanes with his positioning and stick work - - and that’s EXACTLY what Danford does. They’re two very similar players.

The biggest difference between them is that Danford is a much better skater than Tanev.

 

[Martin Skoula]

Tanev get put on a pedestal for blocking so many shots and taking away passing lanes with his positioning and stick work - - and that’s EXACTLY what Danford does. They’re two very similar players.

The biggest difference between them is that Danford is a much better skater than Tanev.

Ok so we got a better skating version of prime Tanev? He looks more physical and better offensive instincts too, maybe a 50 point elite shutdown D on the conservative side.

 

[Da Mash]

Trust our scouts.
NHL draft isn’t like the NFL where you later picks are valuable and it’s not as bad as the NBA where after the lottery top 5 it’s hard to make it.

Every GM has their preference and their vision. Burke liked his style and it failed. Dubas liked his and failed. Now let’s see how Tre does.

And while they all have their preferences they also all have to use the cap. Unlike years past where no one knew gilmour was one of the highest paid players.
(if this old man memory is correct)

 

[RoadWarrior]

Trust our scouts.
NHL draft isn’t like the NFL where you later picks are valuable and it’s not as bad as the NBA where after the lottery top 5 it’s hard to make it.

Every GM has their preference and their vision. Burke liked his style and it failed. Dubas liked his and failed. Now let’s see how Tre does.

And while they all have their preferences they also all have to use the cap. Unlike years past where no one knew gilmour was one of the highest paid players.
(if this old man memory is correct)

The leafs have had some success at the draft. It hasn’t all been a failure. Most recently Matt Knies was a great pickup in the second round. Cowan was a steal as a late first rounder.

 

[Commander Clueless]

I wanted Solberg but Dan Benford might be a gem for us. Extra 2025 2nd doesn't hurt either.