NHL Entry Draft 2024 NHL Draft Talk

[Bileur]

The Sens could use another wrecking ball in their prospect pool. Yegor Surin is that prospect. He also has good stats in the MHL.
Yegor Surin at eliteprospects.com

Holy moly is this kid fun to watch. Imagine him on a line with Greig?

 

[aragorn]

It's Celebrini, and it shouldn't be more than a few seconds of thought.

There are lots of very good D prospects in the top 10, the Sens should be grabbing one of them. Any of Saliyev, Levshunov, or Buium would be unbelievable adds in the top ~5, Dickenson and Yakemchuk would be fine at the backend of 10.

If they get 1st, it's a very easy decision for the team.

A dynamic, game-breaking line driver like Celebrini is a guy you rush to the stage if given the chance.

We had a similar discussion concerning Stutzle & Lafreniere where I thoght they were closer than most. I said they are both the same size, about the same weight, about the same speed & about the same skill level although maybe Laf was a little more physical. You clearly had Laf as the # 1 pick in that draft where I thought it was closer between the two. I think we have a very similar situation here with Celebrini & Demidov, they are both very close in everything including skill level. What's different is one is a Canadian & one is a Russian & the politics that surrounds that & how long before he is able to come to NA. Laf went #1 & I expect that Celebrini will also go #1, but it will be interesting once Demidov comes over to NA how he measures up to the NA game & compares to Celebrini. Demedov is also seen as a dynamic game-breaking line driver.

 

[BondraTime]

We had a similar discussion concerning Stutzle & Lafreniere where I thoght they were closer than most. I said they are both the same size, about the same weight, about the same speed & about the same skill level although maybe Laf was a little more physical. You clearly had Laf as the # 1 pick in that draft where I thought it was closer between the two. I think we have a very similar situation here with Celebrini & Demidov, they are both very close in everything including skill level. What's different is one is a Canadian & one is a Russian & the politics that surrounds that & how long before he is able to come to NA. Laf went #1 & I expect that Celebrini will also go #1, but it will be interesting once Demidov comes over to NA how he measures up to the NA game & compares to Celebrini. Demedov is also seen as a dynamic game-breaking line driver.

He absolutely is, he's probably the #2 guy in the draft, who will likely be going in the back half of the top 10 for other reasons. Likewise with Saliyev, who should be ahead of every NA D, who could get chosen behind 3/4 of them. Demidov is likely to slide in ~6th/7th on final rankings, while being better than 3/4 of the guys ahead of him.

For the intents and purposes of who will be going 1st, he's not really in the conversation for most teams, not because of his talent, but because of the talent of guys already playing in NA and the situation he is currently in being a Russian. Celebrini is a layup for teams.

Do I think he's as good as Mitchkov? Definitely not.

Is he the 2nd best available player this draft? Extremely likely.

If the Sens get 1st, Demidov isn't going to be in the conversation for them. He should be leading that 2nd tier of players, but I don't know that Staios and Andlauer are going to be starting their tenure passing up the layup they've been given for a Russian, regardless of how talented he is, which he absolutely is.

 

[aragorn]

He absolutely is, he's probably the #2 guy in the draft, who will likely be going in the back half of the top 10 for other reasons. Likewise with Saliyev, who should be ahead of every NA D, who could get chosen behind 3/4 of them. He's likely to slide in ~6th/7th on final rankings, while being better than 3/4 of the guys ahead of him.

For the intents and purposes of who will be going 1st, he's not really in the conversation for most teams, not because of his talent, but because of the talent of guys already playing in NA and the situation he is currently in being a Russian. Celebrini is a layup for teams.

Do I think he's as good as Mitchkov? Definitely not.

Is he the 2nd best available player this draft? Extremely likely.

If the Sens get 1st, Demidov isn't going to be in the conversation for them. He should be leading that 2nd tier of players, but I don't know that Staios and Andlauer are going to be starting their tenure passing up the layup they've been given for a Russian, regardless of how talented he is, which he absolutely is.

I'm hoping they end up with Levshunov RD tbh, it's their greatest need, but I agree if they win the lottery by some miracle it's most likely they take Celebrini.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Assuming Levshunov and Silayev are off the board when the Sens Pick,


And they have a choice of Demidov, Dickenson, Parekh, Buium, Yakemchuk, Jiricek, Iginla

Who are they taking? Who would you take Demidov over?

Just an FYI from what I have been able to find Demidov's contract in Russia is up at the end of the 2024/25 season which seems fine.

 

[ijif]

Assuming Levshunov and Silayev are off the board when the Sens Pick,


And they have a choice of Demidov, Dickenson, Parekh, Buium, Yakemchuk, Jiricek, Iginla

Who are they taking? Who would you take Demidov over?

Just an FYI from what I have been able to find Demidov's contract in Russia is up at the end of the 2024/25 season which seems fine.

I am taking Demidov, and it is not a hard choice for me.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I am taking Demidov, and it is not a hard choice for me.

More than fair. Do you think the Sens take him?

 

[aragorn]

Assuming Levshunov and Silayev are off the board when the Sens Pick,


And they have a choice of Demidov, Dickenson, Parekh, Buium, Yakemchuk, Jiricek, Iginla

Who are they taking? Who would you take Demidov over?

Just an FYI from what I have been able to find Demidov's contract in Russia is up at the end of the 2024/25 season which seems fine.

It's a good question & do they fill a need or take BPA? We know top pairing RD is probably their greatest need & Yakemchuk RD will likely be on the board when the Sens go to pick. If they slide out of the top 5 & closer to 10 than my guess would be they would take him, I would take him between 5 & 10 if Levshunov is off the board. I like Demidov a lot & he could be an eventual Giroux replacement given he plays RW too which is also a position of need & IMO Demidov would be the BPA. I don't have much confidence in Jiricek, I liked his brother a lot more & Ott doesn't need Dickenson or Buium given they have 4 good LD & are likely going to move one. Parekh is a high pt producer & a RD which we need, but the knock on him is his defensive play. If Iginla was as big as his father & played the same way & on RW I would want him, but we kind of have a similar player in Greig already. You didn't mention Lindstrom C/LW, it's possible he would interest scouts & be an early 1st rd pick. I like Levshunov, Demidov, Yakemchuk, Lindstrom, Greentree, Cherneshov, Sennecke, Boisvert, Beaudoin & Massé in the first rd, Letourneau might slip in there two although it's more likely he falls into the 2nd rd.

 

[ijif]

More than fair. Do you think the Sens take him?

That is a tough question, and I don't think anyone can answer that question. As of now, I do trust Staios, though. He has proven he can build a winning hockey team.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Assuming Levshunov and Silayev are off the board when the Sens Pick,


And they have a choice of Demidov, Dickenson, Parekh, Buium, Yakemchuk, Jiricek, Iginla

Who are they taking? Who would you take Demidov over?

Just an FYI from what I have been able to find Demidov's contract in Russia is up at the end of the 2024/25 season which seems fine.

Demidov or Dickinson.

Dickinson looks like a sure-fire top 4 defenseman, but Demidov may have more upside.

Hopefully we'll break the trend of refusing to draft Russians in Russia because Demidov would be a great fit. Need a future top 6 RW to replace Giroux one day.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

It's a good question & do they fill a need or take BPA? We know top pairing RD is probably their greatest need & Yakemchuk RD will likely be on the board when the Sens go to pick. If they slide out of the top 5 & closer to 10 than my guess would be they would take him, I would take him between 5 & 10 if Levshunov is off the board. I like Demidov a lot & he could be an eventual Giroux replacement given he plays RW too which is also a position of need & IMO Demidov would be the BPA. I don't have much confidence in Jiricek, I liked his brother a lot more & Ott doesn't need Dickenson or Buium given they have 4 good LD & are likely going to move one. Parekh is a high pt producer & a RD which we need, but the knock on him is his defensive play. If Iginla was as big as his father & played the same way & on RW I would want him, but we kind of have a similar player in Greig already. You didn't mention Lindstrom C/LW, it's possible he would interest scouts & be an early 1st rd pick. I like Levshunov, Demidov, Yakemchuk, Lindstrom, Greentree, Cherneshov, Sennecke, Boisvert, Beaudoin & Massé in the first rd, Letourneau might slip in there two although it's more likely he falls into the 2nd rd.

Hearing Perekh's defensive concerns may be overstated as Makar's were in his draft year. He could be a very special player and worth tracking here.
Lindstrom definitely interests me.. the top 10 is pretty good this year

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Demidov or Dickinson.

Dickinson looks like a sure-fire top 4 defenseman, but Demidov may have more upside.

Hopefully we'll break the trend of refusing to draft Russians in Russia because Demidov would be a great fit. Need a future top 6 RW to replace Giroux one day.

I wonder if they are scouting Demidov at all.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

BU (#3) vs BC (#1) in the Bean Pot tonight. 6.5 minutes in BU leads 2-0 both goals by Celebrini. Game is on onhockey

Have to remember Celebrini is 17 and won't turn 18 until June. The youngest player in the NCAA

He could move into the lead in Goals per Game across the NCAA tonight. He's 4th in pts/game heading into tonight's game.

 

[Cosmix]

That is a tough question, and I don't think anyone can answer that question. As of now, I do trust Staios, though. He has proven he can build a winning hockey team.

A winning OHL hockey team.

I wonder if they are scouting Demidov at all.

That's a very good question as I don't think there has been any announcement of significant changes to upgrade and increase the size of the scouting staff.

 

[Crosside]

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

Parekh reminds me of Fox in how he isn't really fast but is able to freeze everyone with his hockey IQ and is able to exploit them while they are wondering what happened.

Next Makar, Karlsson, Hughes, Fox talent?

 

[RickyLafleur]

Parekh reminds me of Fox in how he isn't really fast but is able to freeze everyone with his hockey IQ and is able to exploit them while they are wondering what happened.

Next Makar, Karlsson, Hughes, Fox talent?

Certainly possible, and he's a RHD if im not mistaken as well.

 

[aragorn]

Hearing Perekh's defensive concerns may be overstated as Makar's were in his draft year. He could be a very special player and worth tracking here.
Lindstrom definitely interests me.. the top 10 is pretty good this year

It's quite possible that Perekh ends up putting up bigger numbers than any other RD in this draft, however, the Sens already have some small, soft players on defence & we know they need to be harder to play against & cut down on goals against especially from their defence. Levshunov IMO is the best RD in this draft but Parekh could out produce him, next I like Yakemchuk because I think he would help this team be harer to play against given his obvious size. IMO it will depend on what Staois & his management team want & who is left & if it comes down to Parekh versus Yakenchuk it will be interesting which way they go. Yakenchuk is a big strong RD who should also put up good numbers & is big enough & strong enough to clear the front of the net, win board battles & block shots but will need someone to work with him to become consistent & make good decisions. Both should be very good pro players & it could go either way really, but IMO the Sens need Yakemchuk more than they need Parekh.

What do you think about the next two picks if they keep them, the late first & the early second & if they trade Tarasenko for a pick it could end up near the end of the first or early second too? They need a RW or two, they could use a 3rd pairing RD type & they will need a future Giroux replacement. IMO Hage C/LW seems to have a very high hockey IQ, playmaker & pt producer that might be able to fill that Giroux void. At RW I like Sennecke RW who is a big strong RW, Letourneau is a huge 6'6" Arnprior kid who is a C/RW, Massé RW is similar to Sennecke, Jeko another big RW & then there are a couple of guys who are left handed but play RW like Joseph in Surin who I like & Griden both Russians. Not sure who they would pick if they go for BPA with those picks, all those guys are listed around those picks depending on the site. Oh, I would take the best RD available with one of those picks too & there should be a few available in that range as well.

 

[Wondercarrot]

Guys…you KNOW we are going to end up between 8-12th right? lol

Ship has sailed at 7th pick or better IMO

 

[Dan Patrick]

Guys…you KNOW we are going to end up between 8-12th right? lol

Ship has sailed at 7th pick or better IMO

Very likely to be pretty much anyone not named Celebrini between 5-10 so nothing being discussed here is out of this world.

Feels like any of Lindstrom, Demidov, Catton, Levshunov, Perekh, Silayev, Baium or Dickenson could go after Celebrini so talking about them all is worthwhile.

Edit: Even a guy like Iginla could get taken really early as GMs love name recognition.

 

[BoardsofCanada]

Guys…you KNOW we are going to end up between 8-12th right? lol

Ship has sailed at 7th pick or better IMO

Right now they sit 5th last. I can see them passing Buffalo and Montreal to move to 7th last. But after that, who are they catching? Who knows how they'll play and how other teams play in the final 35 games. Arizona? Minnesota?

 

[Wondercarrot]

Right now they sit 5th last. I can see them passing Buffalo and Montreal to move to 7th last. But after that, who are they catching? Who knows how they'll play and how other teams play in the final 35 games. Arizona? Minnesota?

I think they catch and pass teams right around .500
I think they finish ahead of Calgary.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

It's quite possible that Perekh ends up putting up bigger numbers than any other RD in this draft, however, the Sens already have some small, soft players on defence & we know they need to be harder to play against & cut down on goals against especially from their defence. Levshunov IMO is the best RD in this draft but Parekh could out produce him, next I like Yakemchuk because I think he would help this team be harer to play against given his obvious size. IMO it will depend on what Staois & his management team want & who is left & if it comes down to Parekh versus Yakenchuk it will be interesting which way they go. Yakenchuk is a big strong RD who should also put up good numbers & is big enough & strong enough to clear the front of the net, win board battles & block shots but will need someone to work with him to become consistent & make good decisions. Both should be very good pro players & it could go either way really, but IMO the Sens need Yakemchuk more than they need Parekh.

What do you think about the next two picks if they keep them, the late first & the early second & if they trade Tarasenko for a pick it could end up near the end of the first or early second too? They need a RW or two, they could use a 3rd pairing RD type & they will need a future Giroux replacement. IMO Hage C/LW seems to have a very high hockey IQ, playmaker & pt producer that might be able to fill that Giroux void. At RW I like Sennecke RW who is a big strong RW, Letourneau is a huge 6'6" Arnprior kid who is a C/RW, Massé RW is similar to Sennecke, Jeko another big RW & then there are a couple of guys who are left handed but play RW like Joseph in Surin who I like & Griden both Russians. Not sure who they would pick if they go for BPA with those picks, all those guys are listed around those picks depending on the site. Oh, I would take the best RD available with one of those picks too & there should be a few available in that range as well.

I think serious evaluations have to continue to project players .. Do you think Yakemchuk is a better player than Parekh? Go back to Makar's draft where we had a smaller defensive prospect coming out of the AJHL . How would you evaluate him vs Yakemchuk? or in that draft Cal Foote a 6'3 210 lb RD prospect that has pedigree and projected to be a strong more defensive candidate. To be clear what I am saying at this point is that Parekh is showing the kind of talent that he is worth tracking and giving a serious evaluation on . Need is something to consider but if a scouting staff thinks a player jumps off the page with potential ... much like the Colorado staff must have thought wrt Makar in 2017 even though he was playing in a lesser league and had no real best on best evaluation opportunity. If they needed a more shut down type RD and used need to make their pick they likely don't go with Makar and it would be clear that would have been a mistake. It takes good thorough scouting with lots of situations and elements of their game to make the determination. I think Yakemchuk vs Parekh takes evaluation beyond one is bigger and may have it in him to defend better even when that isn't a strength now.

 

[GCK]

Right now they sit 5th last. I can see them passing Buffalo and Montreal to move to 7th last. But after that, who are they catching? Who knows how they'll play and how other teams play in the final 35 games. Arizona? Minnesota?

Washington is very possible.

 

[BondraTime]

In order for them to be picking above 9th, the Sens need to:

Finish the season at a 0.572 points percentage, for 82 points total (currently at 0.447)

And need at least 4 teams currently ahead of them in the standings to play at, or worse than:
Sabres - 0.531 point% or worse (Currently at 0.480)
Wild - 0.515 point% or worse (Currently at 0.490)
Arizona - 0.485 point% or worse (Currently at 0.510)
Habs - 0.500 point% or wose (currently at 0.500)
Flames - 0.484 point% or worse (currently at 0.510)

The chances of the Sens finishing the season with a 0.572 point percentage is not exactly something I'd be betting on, and the chances of the ~6 teams we look to be possibly passing all failing to get ~32 points over their next 32-34 games at the same time is even less likely.

We are essentially, barring both a huge improvement from us, and stagnation/decline of the teams ahead of us, guaranteed top be picking in the top 9 at worst.

I don't foresee the Sens finishing with 40 points in 35 games, and all the above teams finishing with below 32.

I think the likelihood of picking 5th or 6th is about the same as picking 7th-9th, but a pick between 5th-9th seems to be nearly certain.