2024 NHL Draft Thread - Upd: Draft Lottery is May 7th

[TLEH]

I think Levshunov goes top 3 but I don't think there's a chance Demidov does. The only way you pick him that high is if you're immediately bringing him over.

This draft is a crap shoot after 1. Normally I would agree, I think this year is different on Demidov.

 

[hawksrule]

If we hadn’t made the Seth Jones trade and had Jiricek ++, I’d be much more open to a swing for the fences pick.

 

[TheDoorDoctor]

My feeling is the hawks pick Dman this year outside of celebrini. They sit in juniors next year then hawks get another top 5 pick next year and pick that 2C ( i dont know if its a C heavy draft)

 

[Kevin Musto]

My feeling is the hawks pick Dman this year outside of celebrini. They sit in juniors next year then hawks get another top 5 pick next year and pick that 2C ( i dont know if its a C heavy draft)

My feeling is they don't draft based on position

 

[MicronMega]

My feeling is they don't draft based on position

Agree with Musto. Hawks have enough holes they don't need to draft based on position. Who is going to be the best NHL player period. The top 5 picks need to be franchise-altering picks. With another top 5 pick, I don't see the Hawks finishing bottom 5 next year...they need to add around Bedard.

 

[TheDoorDoctor]

Oh i have no preference either way, just think the hawks will be horrible next year and another top D and top F would be ideal. Their d prospects are good but imo need another potential star back there.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Agree with Musto. Hawks have enough holes they don't need to draft based on position. Who is going to be the best NHL player period. The top 5 picks need to be franchise-altering picks. With another top 5 pick, I don't see the Hawks finishing bottom 5 next year...they need to add around Bedard.

Right.

If their top guy is a LHD, so be it. Logjam be damned.

Plus a LHD drafted top 5 is going to be (in theory) the best D in our pipeline anyway so the logjam thing is irrelevant anyway. You move the players under him, if needed, to bolster other positions.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

You never pick in the top five of a draft based on need.

 

[Hattrick Kane]

You never pick in the top five of a draft based on need.

Yeah, who the hell picks Kotkaniemi?

 

[Kevin Musto]

Yeah, who the hell picks Kotkaniemi?

Hayton too in the same draft

Both teams could've had Quinn Hughes lol

 

[MicronMega]

Sam Rinzel (All-B1G Second Team, B1G All-Freshman Team)
In just his first season of college hockey, Rinzel leads Minnesota in assists with 25, ranking second nationally in assists by a freshman defenseman, and also tops the team behind a plus-22 rating. The Gophers are unbeaten in the 17 games in which he recorded a point (15-0-2), as he has two goals and seven multi-assist performances this year. Rinzel totaled 12 assists and a plus-10 rating during a season-long, five-game point streak in January, including three, three-assist efforts in a four-game span. The newcomer landed the first B1G weekly award of his career when he was named the B1G Third Star of the Week amid that stretch.

Sneaky good season for Rinzel. If he pans out along with Vlasic and KK, this D core could be scary good in a couple years

 

[Taze em]

You never pick in the top five of a draft based on need.

You don’t reach for a need. When a stud RHD is BPA in a lot of lists (only hawks list matters tho), you thank the hockey gods for perfect timing and don’t overthink it.

The above examples of Hayton and Kotkanirmi were REACHES. Montreal reached last year on Reinbacher. Levshunov is right where he should be.

 

[MicronMega]

The MHL might be a lower-level junior league but this kid has elite talent. The question is does it translate at the higher levels and ultimately the NHL

 

[Northernhawk]

10 games to go most points the Hawks can end with is 67, 7th is the worst we can sit going into draft lottery…21 wins so far, I’m hoping for 25 wins(it’ll be tough)…so Hawks end up with around 55 points

 

[kmwtrucks]

Anaheim had 13 shots on goal tonight lost 4-0 to the Kraken who are not very good. I feel like it’s 50-50. We pass them. We are on the the road 6 times over the last 10.

 

[Joemoe]

I can see them beating the Sens and then struggling the rest of the way to end the season, we will see.

 

[pvr]

Right.

If their top guy is a LHD, so be it. Logjam be damned.

Plus a LHD drafted top 5 is going to be (in theory) the best D in our pipeline anyway so the logjam thing is irrelevant anyway. You move the players under him, if needed, to bolster other positions.

He’s going to have to be more elite than Vlasic, and that’s going to be difficult. Maybe he combines elite offense with above average defense, but anyway you spin it, it’s unlikely a left defenseman exceeds Vlasic appreciably in the long run and particularly anytime soon. And then there’s Korchinski too.

Levshunov only has to better or equal Rinzel, and both sides are set long term.

 

[Space umpire]

My feeling is they don't draft based on position

They won’t add another LD with their 1st pick.
With the emerging Vlasic there may be 3 top pair worthy Lefty Defenders on the horizon.

 

[BHawk21]

Its too hard to find right handed defenseman. Positional value can be a tie breaker.

 

[pvr]

A future balanced pairing defense like this would be pretty tasty…

Vlasic-Rinzel
Korchinski-Levshunov
EDM-Jones
Allan (plays both sides)

 

[pvr]

Agree with Musto. Hawks have enough holes they don't need to draft based on position. Who is going to be the best NHL player period. The top 5 picks need to be franchise-altering picks. With another top 5 pick, I don't see the Hawks finishing bottom 5 next year...they need to add around Bedard.

No pick this year or next outside of Celebrini or Hagens (maybe) changes the outlook much unless free agents change the dynamics. Bottom 5 still likely. 2025–26 season begins the ascension.

 

[giza]

A future balanced pairing defense like this would be pretty tasty…

Vlasic-Rinzel
Korchinski-Levshunov
EDM-Jones
Allan (plays both sides)

It's painful to see Jones in a 3rd pairing given what he makes contractually, but I love the placement!!!

 

[pvr]

It's painful to see Jones in a 3rd pairing given what he makes contractually, but I love the placement!!!

Admittedly, it’s 2-3 years in the future, but yes he will belong there.

 

[u2wojo]

I agree the first pick should absolutely be based on highest upside/potential to be a star/impact player. Absolute worst case scenerio we take a LHD and we hit on the ceiling of 4 or 5 of our LHD prospects in which case we can deal from a position of strength to address other needs. Drafting a "big" center or RHD and having them bust or even just be a bottom of the roster NHL player is far worse than drafting a LHD that is a stud. Cup winners have rosters most often have 3 elite players of which you can only point to Bedard as having the look of that at this point. We obviously take Celeberini and thank the hockey gods, and then I suspect Levshunov at #2, after that if we are at 3 or 4 and think one of Dickinson, Buium, or Silayev have star potential over any other options....you take the star. Again one of those LHD getting drafted and becoming a top pairing guy even if Vlassic is everything we think/hope he is, Korchinski blossoms into the stud we hoped with his draft position, and we hit on a couple more of Kaiser, Allen, DelMastro being good NHL'ers...you can easily move a good NHL D man for forward help.

I am planning on the Hawks sucking next year until proven differently. We have to many roster spots committed to middling players like Hall, Foligno, Donato, Dickinson, Anthanasiou, Mrazaek and need spots in the NHL to develop kids...meaning the ship is not going to turn THAT much even if we could even remotely be interesting to free agents....which we will not be barring massive overpays. Let the kids marinate and have the cream start to rise to the top, grab another top 5 pick, and rinse and repeat where you have plugged a few more roster spots internally and some of the contracts roll off the books so you have both spots in the lineup and the semblance of several more young piece become core building blocks...and you may be able to attract an impactful free agent or 2 to plug other holes.

 

[Kevin Musto]

He’s going to have to be more elite than Vlasic, and that’s going to be difficult. Maybe he combines elite offense with above average defense, but anyway you spin it, it’s unlikely a left defenseman exceeds Vlasic appreciably in the long run and particularly anytime soon. And then there’s Korchinski too.

Levshunov only has to better or equal Rinzel, and both sides are set long term.

Maybe you get someone better than Vlasic, maybe you don't.

It doesn't hurt to have two LHD of that caliber. You need to fill a top 4 with high end talent.

As for Korchinski, I'm not married to him. I'd gladly move him later on to fill positional need if we ever find ourselves dealing from a position of strength (LHD).

Particularly a Tkachuk-type forward is someone I'd try to acquire.

They won’t add another LD with their 1st pick.

You don't know that