Prospect Info: 2024 Draft Day One Winners/Losers + Best Available For Day Two

[Guadana]

Ustinkov went undrafted, which is baffling to me.

Carolina vs Devils draft is baffling to me.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Carolina vs Devils draft is baffling to me.

I think the NJ Russian scouting is just as good as Carolina's, but Carolina is smart enough to listen to the Russian scouts again and again and keep dipping into the same well. I think the Devils want to give all their scouts "a guy".

The Devils would have been better off -- far, far better off -- taking "best available Russian" with every pick this year than with the players they actually drafted.

 

[Guadana]

I think the NJ Russian scouting is just as good as Carolina's, but Carolina is smart enough to listen to the Russian scouts again and again and keep dipping into the same well. I think the Devils want to give all their scouts "a guy".

The Devils would have been better off -- far, far better off -- taking "best available Russian" with every pick this year than with the players they actually drafted.

They literally drafted all of my guys who were high on my depth list. And even all of my guys who were in the middle of my depth list.

Yes every player will not pan out. But with regularly drafting guys like Perevalov, Trikoziv, Krutov, Ponomaryov, Pashin, Mukhanov, year after year after year they will have great assets to trade and some or even a couple have a chance to break all the walls, turn all the corners and develop into the solid top six player as a pick from the depth of the draft.

We will not find new Gritsyuks and Bratts in players like Hauser, Cheslock, Braun, Graham etc.

It is sad. I don’t know why Fitz doesn’t fully trust to his MHL crew. They did huge job. And most of those 7th rounders have better career than most 3rd-6th rounders from all over the worlds from our drafts.

 

[Oneiro]

Totally agree with @Guadana

Look at the bottom six of FLA: Rodrigues, Tarasenko, Okposo, Luostarinen, Lomberg, Stenlund.

journeyman, reinvented vet sniper, vet on last legs, trade throw-in prospect, undrafted FA, journeyman


TB in '21: Maroon, Coleman, Goodrow, Gourde, Johnson, Colton

vet grinder, prime grinder via trade, prime grinder via trade, undrafted FA, undrafted FA, 4th round pick

Why the f*** would you draft for those kind of players? You want to sit through the development curve of the least skilled guys in your pool? No, of course not. You need the draft capital to trade for them when they're experienced, defensively strong with PK ability and are comfortable getting in the face of anyone on the ice. It's just stupid and low-percentage to try to cover those roles from within and sit through the growing pains. As we've seen today, teams will always take a chance on someone who can score.

 

[Nubmer6]

Ustinkov went undrafted, which is baffling to me.

Must be the name.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Drafting grinders is stupid and I hate basically everything we did this weekend. Fitz has done a lot of good but his drafting is approaching late Lou levels. It's getting unforgivable. You never draft for need. You always draft the most talented BPA. You can always find depth in FA. It's almost impossible to find high end talent in FA. And if any of those highly talented players hit but you don't need them, you have a way more valuable trade chip than some guy who might hit people on your 4th line. I wonder, would Fitz rather have Bratt, or some 4th line grinder with that 6th round pick?

Just an assinie draft strategy.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Drafting grinders is stupid and I hate basically everything we did this weekend. Fitz has done a lot of good but his drafting is approaching late Lou levels. It's getting unforgivable. You never draft for need. You always draft the most talented BPA. You can always find depth in FA. It's almost impossible to find high end talent in FA. And if any of those highly talented players hit but you don't need them, you have a way more valuable trade chip than some guy who might hit people on your 4th line. I wonder, would Fitz rather have Bratt, or some 4th line grinder with that 6th round pick?

Just an assinie draft strategy.

The Silayev pick was great. The Yegorov pick is also easy to defend, as he is a goaltender with visible upside. Pikkarainen and Traff were solid picks taken too early. Graham was maybe the dumbest Devils pick in the past decade. Louhivaara we will have to wait and see. Melovsky was a decent chance to take but poor asset management.

To me this entire draft would be amazing if just one of the 3rd-round-and-later picks were a home run swing. Why not Shuravin instead of one of Pikkarainen and Traff, who are very similar players at the same RW position? Why not Poirier, Misa, Krutov or Kol instead of Graham?

To me, it's bit myopic. It's a problem which sorely needs to be fixed going forwards. From the 3rd round on, division rival Carolina got two potential top 6 Fs (Poirier, Krutov) and one potential top-4 D (Kol). The Devils got a lot of guys likely to throw a lot of hits in the AHL and a lottery ticket on a goaltender.

Did the Devils still gain on Carolina? Yes, because they got a potential all-world defender in Anton Silayev at #10 overall, while Carolina lacked an early pick. But Carolina blew us away depth-wise, getting two late-1st round values in the 2nd round (Badinka, Artamonov) and swinging for the fences multiple times in the later round. Next year, the Devils will not have a 1st round pick at all, and they cannot afford to mismanage and/or throw away a handful of mid-to-late round picks.

 

[Camille the Eel]

The Silayev pick was great. The Yegorov pick is also easy to defend, as he is a goaltender with visible upside. Pikkarainen and Traff were solid picks taken too early. Graham was maybe the dumbest Devils pick in the past decade. Louhivaara we will have to wait and see. Melovsky was a decent chance to take but poor asset management.

To me this entire draft would be amazing if just one of the 3rd-round-and-later picks were a home run swing. Why not Shuravin instead of one of Pikkarainen and Traff, who are very similar players at the same RW position? Why not Poirier, Misa, Krutov or Kol instead of Graham?

To me, it's bit myopic. It's a problem which sorely needs to be fixed going forwards. From the 3rd round on, division rival Carolina got two potential top 6 Fs (Poirier, Krutov) and one potential top-4 D (Kol). The Devils got a lot of guys likely to throw a lot of hits in the AHL and a lottery ticket on a goaltender.

Did the Devils still gain on Carolina? Yes, because they got a potential all-world defender in Anton Silayev at #10 overall, while Carolina lacked an early pick. But Carolina blew us away depth-wise, getting two late-1st round values in the 2nd round (Badinka, Artamonov) and swinging for the fences multiple times in the later round. Next year, the Devils will not have a 1st round pick at all, and they cannot afford to mismanage and/or throw away a handful of mid-to-late round picks.

Thank you. Succinctly put and well reasoned. And added to the questions about Fitz’s two trades today, raises some troubling questions about the performance of our front office. It seems we could have done markedly better.

 

[devilsfan950003]

Cotter, 24, will help bolster the Devils’ bottom-6 makeup. He’s a fast, big (6-foot-2, 213 pounds), physical power forward that is good in the defensive zone. He also has some offensive upside and great hands, scoring 13 goals in 55 games during the 2022-23 season and posting 25 points (7g-18a) last season in 76 contests.

Cotter gives the Devils something they really covet, which is a defensively reliable bottom-6 player that can add toughness, size, speed and grit to the lineup. He played on Vegas’ third line most of last year, but at times did log second-line duties. And with two years left on his $775 contract, he comes at a great price.

Cotter

 

[devilsfan950003]

If the Devils traded Holtz separately, they could swing a third-round draft pick in return. I don't see Holtz fetching a second-rounder unless another low-draft pick was included. So Akira for a Cotter and a Holtz for a third-rounder? Seems like a solid trade.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]

Next year, the Devils will not have a 1st round pick at all, and they cannot afford to mismanage and/or throw away a handful of mid-to-late round picks.

I think this the third year in the row we’ve said this and well, here we are. Salminen, Baumgartner, Pytlick, Hurtig, Hauser, Brown, now Graham (yuck, yuck and double over age yuck). Heck, I left off Edwards and Schlaine to be nice. He throws away picks and it’s not going to change. He just doesn’t understand or interpret value drafting like others do.

What the f*** are you drafting Baumgartner for?

What the f*** are you drafting Brown for?

What the f*** are you drafting Hurtig for?

And what the f*** in the world are you thinking besides shitting your pants over our rivals playing a dumb goon who did dick when it mattered and will probably cost them more games sooner than help them win are you drafting a UDFA in the making in Graham for?

Not bad picks now, bad picks when they were made.

I wanted to see real long term plan here so I get the Silayev pick, but the rest? Myopic is right. You have no 1st next year, this team has Bratt and Grits in their pipeline (not drafted by him of course and that was allergic to 2nd rounders, so he had his issues) that were hits because the previous GM took chances on talent, take a swing or two so you can maybe hit on some 40-60pt skill types that will give you ELC value when you have to pay your young stud D and potentially your core’s next contracts.

Don’t anyone bring up the UFA period, this about having a vision for your team’s future when drafting. Draft some damn centers who can become wings you dimwit. Like a poster said somewhere said, draft with track record, guys who have scored. Draft guys with one great or elite trait who needs to work or develop some things.

I’m done getting excited for drafts with this guy drafting. I thought he turned the corner with the ‘22 draft, but nah. It’s like he uses central scouting for the first sixty four picks and after that, “duh, beats me, let’s get a big guy who can tie his own skates”.

 

[Brodeur]

"Congrats Kevin, no pressure but I did draft you in my fantasy league last week."

That got a laugh from him. Winnipeg had a jersey with a sewn nameplate ready for him, so they must have liked him.

 

[StevenToddIves]

View attachment 889829

"Congrats Kevin, no pressure but I did draft you in my fantasy league last week."

That got a laugh from him. Winnipeg had a jersey with a sewn nameplate ready for him, so they must have liked him.

Kevin He is without doubt one of my big steals of the 2024 draft. Plays with a ton of pace and energy and checks every offensive skill across the board. He's smart and physical and offers great size and the ability to play an interior game. He's strong in transition and a very impressive finisher.

There's no way Kevin He should have lasted until the 4th Round, and Winnipeg made an outstanding decision in selecting him.