Pre-Game Talk: 2024 Draft Thread

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Because different players have different strengths and weaknesses?

If Buium was 6’2” I bet he’d be a top-5 pick.

He would be a no doubt top 5. There is usually one in every draft. He checks all the boxes and has an above avg to nearly elite skill set. I see him gone 1st 2 d

 

[BadgersandBlues]

6'0 is plenty tall. Vince Dunn is 6'0 and has done very well as Seattle's top D man the last two years.

Again, I'm not advocating for this player specifically, more the skill set he possesses.

 

[Linkens Mastery]

Because different players have different strengths and weaknesses?

If Buium was 6’2” I bet he’d be a top-5 pick.

I'm just making a joke about how we hate "midgets"

 

[PocketNines]

4 points away from drafting 8th. Come on boys, you can do it

I purposely brought down the hammer jinx by calling them better than the other potential wild cards and saying they would counterintuitively level up against better competition.

 

[STL fan in MN]

I'm just making a joke about how we hate "midgets"

Ok. Carry on then.

 

[Mike Liut]

I purposely brought down the hammer jinx by calling them better than the other potential wild cards and saying they would counterintuitively level up against better competition.

nope, it was me when I switched from the tank driver to ‘we are making the playoffs’ lol

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Or backing off on posting draft stuff. Back to the drawing board….

 

[Drubilly]

Maybe you all can combine your powers so the Blues can win the #1OA draft slot??!?

 

[Blueswin]

There is hope -https://www.bleachernation.com/blackhawks/2024/02/19/2024-nhl-draft-lets-compare-four-analysts-mid-term-prospect-rankings/

 

[Mike Liut]

We can break into the top 10 with a loss on Saturday to the Wild.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

We can break into the top 10 with a loss on Saturday to the Wild.

So top pick is a given. Who is your 2nd pick? Who is your pick later? Who in the big 12 do you pass on or trade your pick?

 

[PocketNines]

8. .500, 23 RW
9. 517, 22 RW
10. .534, 20 RW
11. .534, 23 RW
12. .534, 24 RW
13. .542, 17 RW
14. .542, 24 RW
15. 543, 21 RW
16. .544, 22 RW

We play team #9 tomorrow

I guess the bad news is they're gonna go 9-5-2 over their final 16 and we all know it

 

[bleedblue1223]

Getting as low as 8th feels realistic, but we could easily climb in the standings too.

 

[Mike Liut]

So top pick is a given. Who is your 2nd pick? Who is your pick later? Who in the big 12 do you pass on or trade your pick?

Good questions. Not sure yet.

Getting as low as 8th feels realistic, but we could easily climb in the standings too.

This tough upcoming road trip will be the key and also if they trade Buch. We could easily fall to 7th or 8th if this happens. That would be huge for our rebuild.

 

[PerryTurnbullfan]

Watched the Saginaw 3-1 to 4-3 W.... Parekh is really impressive offensively. I just have no idea what you do with him on defense. When your offense is on a 2 on 1 and he is up there and the other team is on a 3 on 2 and he's not...this is consistently happening...but the offense is ridiculous. Could you draft him and put him at center? He would be a top 2 or 3 center in this draft. Do you skate 3 defenseman and 2 forwards? He is just so creative from the point. You would need an innovative strategy that he can work in. Traditional hockey just doesn't fit.

Kleber looked good in a game against Connelly. Worthy of a later pick. You can see Connelly's skill, but they did a good job shutting him down. I get Hoffman vibes....

Iginila can look top 10 or outside the top 20. He didn't look real good to me in this game. Not much IQ in his shooting...He just does. Colton Roberts is back in the lineup. I'm thinking he may still be there in the 2nd round with how rankings are projecting him. I still really like his play. Once they slowed up Kelowna, they caught back up and made it a game. He plays alot for them. Good defensive presence.

 

[Mike Liut]

Watched the Saginaw 3-1 to 4-3 W.... Parekh is really impressive offensively. I just have no idea what you do with him on defense. When your offense is on a 2 on 1 and he is up there and the other team is on a 3 on 2 and he's not...this is consistently happening...but the offense is ridiculous. Could you draft him and put him at center? He would be a top 2 or 3 center in this draft. Do you skate 3 defenseman and 2 forwards? He is just so creative from the point. You would need an innovative strategy that he can work in. Traditional hockey just doesn't fit.

Kleber looked good in a game against Connelly. Worthy of a later pick. You can see Connelly's skill, but they did a good job shutting him down. I get Hoffman vibes....

Iginila can look top 10 or outside the top 20. He didn't look real good to me in this game. Not much IQ in his shooting...He just does. Colton Roberts is back in the lineup. I'm thinking he may still be there in the 2nd round with how rankings are projecting him. I still really like his play. Once they slowed up Kelowna, they caught back up and made it a game. He plays alot for them. Good defensive presence.

I like Parekh too, just not sure I’d take that gamble. I’d probably take Yakemchuk over him at 10-13

 

[PocketNines]

all right, now it is full on "Project Lose" the rest of this season

There are 8 teams under .500

Then the Blues are smack in the middle of these teams all with 19-21 games to play:

MIN .524
NJ .524
PIT .525
STL .532
SEA .540
CGY .540
WSH .549

9th pick vs 14th pick is a lot of value at the top end

 

[Snubbed4Vezina]

Strength of schedule remining for those teams:

WSH .583
NJ .578
PIT .573
CGY .532
STL .526
MIN .513
SEA .513

 

[CaliforniaBlues310]

Strength of schedule remining for those teams:

WSH .583
NJ .578
PIT .573
CGY .532
STL .526
MIN .513
SEA .513

Good thing we typically only show up when we play high end teams

 

[simon IC]

I like Parekh too, just not sure I’d take that gamble. I’d probably take Yakemchuk over him at 10-13

At this point, I am leary of either. If it came down to one those two being available to us, but the the BPH was a forward, I do go with the forward.

 

[kimzey59]

Honestly, I think you guys are crazy for saying to pass on Parekh.

I know Krug has left a really sour taste in our mouths on the subject of offensive D men, but teams CAN afford to carry an offense-only D man provided they're actually productive.

Parekh has the offensive skills to be a legitimate game breaker offensively.
Load the rest of unit with strong D players and let Parekh play that game breaker role.

IF we miss out on the top 4 D prospects(Levshunov, Silayev, Dickinson, Buium); I say swing for the homerun.

 

[LGB]

Honestly, I think you guys are crazy for saying to pass on Parekh.

I know Krug has left a really sour taste in our mouths on the subject of offensive D men, but teams CAN afford to carry an offense-only D man provided they're actually productive.

Parekh has the offensive skills to be a legitimate game breaker offensively.
Load the rest of unit with strong D players and let Parekh play that game breaker role.

IF we miss out on the top 4 D prospects(Levshunov, Silayev, Dickinson, Buium); I say swing for the homerun.

Is Parekh a game breaker? He has a lethal shot and plus mobility, but I’m not sure he has the tools to create for himself when there’s less time and space at higher levels.

 

[MissouriMook]

Honestly, I think you guys are crazy for saying to pass on Parekh.

I know Krug has left a really sour taste in our mouths on the subject of offensive D men, but teams CAN afford to carry an offense-only D man provided they're actually productive.

Parekh has the offensive skills to be a legitimate game breaker offensively.
Load the rest of unit with strong D players and let Parekh play that game breaker role.

IF we miss out on the top 4 D prospects(Levshunov, Silayev, Dickinson, Buium); I say swing for the homerun.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe most of Karlsson’s best years with the Sharks were with a younger, healthier Vlasic as his partner. Put Parekh with a younger, more mobile Scandella-type stay at home D and you have a dangerous 3rd pairing. Find a better shutdown guy, like a younger Bouwmeester and suddenly you have a scary good 2nd pairing. I don’t know if he will ever be good enough defensively to be a top pair guy, but he might score 30 goals as a D and players like that don’t come around often.

 

[Blanick]

I honestly view Parekh as more a 4th forward than a defenseman. Watching his clips he attacks deep in the offensive zone a lot and while it is often successful his tendency also leaves a lot of opportunity for odd mans the other way. He doesn't seem to have the sense of when and when not to go, he is full board 100% of the time.

 

[kimzey59]

Is Parekh a game breaker? He has a lethal shot and plus mobility, but I’m not sure he has the tools to create for himself when there’s less time and space at higher levels.

The kid has 31 goals and 87 points in 61 games.
Quit being ridiculous. The question isn't whether he will produce at the NHL level, it's how much he will produce at the NHL level. And even a Ryan Ellis type 35-40 point D man is well worth the value in the 10-15 range.

Worst case, Parekh is a Shattenkirk/Ellis type. Best case; he's Karlsson. I roll those dice any day.