HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[SannywithoutCompy]

Nobody worth his dime would pick Lindstrom ahead of Demidov. Its just one guy that hypes up Lindstrom like he's some sort of lock at 2.

But he knows our scouts' ranking

 

[Goldenhands]

Looking forward to it. I watched his game last night too. It was the first game of his I watched after watching about 5 games immediately after Christmas break. Holy crap was he bad in those games. Really low effort.

He played a much better game last night, and I plan on watching his next few games too. I still don't think he's a center in NHL. He's more likely a playmaking winger. There's very little physical engagement. He relies almost exclusively on his stick / hand skills in puck battles, which is fine for a winger.

Yep, I hadnt watched him in a while too, you are right about the physical engagement, there is none, he can battle for pucks but rarely engage physically. I also think he projects more like a winger, but cant deny the talent level. which is very high. Still unsure if Catton is what Habs need, I prefer players more involved physically, but with added weight you never know...

Thats good news if Catton has figured some things out, more options the best for us.

I really liked his U18, was the best player of the competition, but havent been impressed in my viewings earlier this season. Last night was a much better showing, so hopefully he keeps it up.

Helenius vs Catton should be fun to watch next U18.

 

[Goldenhands]

Nobody worth his dime would pick Lindstrom ahead of Demidov. Its just one guy that hypes up Lindstrom like he's some sort of lock at 2.

Nope you are way off, eliteprospect are very high on him, I am since the start of the season and there are other scouting services in love with his game.

Demidov comes with more risks, he is killing it in a poor minor league on an absolutely stacked team, Im pretty sure scouts would love to see him play some game in the VHL at the very least.

You cant go wrong with Lindstrom, a surefire solid top 6 with PPG potential who will help you winning playoffs games.

 

[Mrb1p]

Nope you are way off, eliteprospect are very high on him, I am since the start of the season and there are other scouting services in love with his game.

Demidov comes with more risks, he is killing it in a poor minor league on an absolutely stacked team, Im pretty sure scouts would love to see him play some game in the VHL at the very least.

You cant go wrong with Lindstrom, a surefire solid top 6 with PPG potential who will help you winning playoffs games.

Im very high on Lindstrom myself. He is not in Demidovs tier.

Also the WHL is pretty much a poor junior league it self, you have 19 years old twigs putting up 2 ppg, multiple of them. In the MHL, you have one twig a 18 year old one putting up those numbers, while the rest are putting up 1.4 max.

Also SKA isn't the stacked team you're trying to make it to be. They have two players in the top 20 of scoring in PPG, one of which is Demidov. In comparison, Medicine hat has 4, one of which is a near-generational talent.

It is also to be expect that the MHL is not a marginally worse league than any singular CHL league, as it encompasses all Russian, Kazakh and Belarussian players.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Nope you are way off, eliteprospect are very high on him, I am since the start of the season and there are other scouting services in love with his game.

Demidov comes with more risks, he is killing it in a poor minor league on an absolutely stacked team, Im pretty sure scouts would love to see him play some game in the VHL at the very least.

You cant go wrong with Lindstrom, a surefire solid top 6 with PPG potential who will help you winning playoffs games.

I like Lindstrom but I don't see him hitting PPG as being particularly likely.

Demidov on the other hand feels like a guy you build a team around, within a few years he'd be the main focal point of our offense.

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

I like Lindstrom but I don't see him hitting PPG as being particularly likely.

Demidov on the other hand feels like a guy you build a team around, within a few years he'd be the main focal point of our offense.

Yeah demidov is what the Habs are missing. Lindstrom would be an excellent addition but is Montreal lacking players in the top 6 that provide similar things? Not really. Slaf and Dach are both big bodies, use physicality to create time and space, great playmakers and one plays C. Whereas Suzuki and Caufield are great but they are completely different players to demidov. But again, having Lindstrom would be very nice and make the Habs that much harder to play against, especially in the playoffs

 

[WeThreeKings]

I like Lindstrom but I don't see him hitting PPG as being particularly likely.

Demidov on the other hand feels like a guy you build a team around, within a few years he'd be the main focal point of our offense.

They're not concerned about picking a PPG+ player, which I woul disagree that it being unlikely with Lindstrom, the progression curve has been pretty impressive for the kid.

They are concerned about winning in the play-offs.. and if your top 6 has the highly skilled big men in Lindstrom, Dach and Slafkovsky, insulating Caufield and Suzuki.. you've got a pretty good chance of winning in a long playoff series.

 

[FrankMTL]

This draft seems like such a crapshoot after Celebrini....there are a bunch of players that could go 2nd overall. That actually makes it a great draft for us if we're drafting just outside the Top 5. There are many similar talents from 2-10. It just depends what type of player you're looking for.

 

[Jaynki]

Nobody worth his dime would pick Lindstrom ahead of Demidov.

That is an exageration.

There is a strong argument in favour of Lindstrom over Demidov. And vice-versa.

I would be equally happy with either but having the choice at 2OV my pick is Lindstrom

 

[Jaynki]

This draft seems like such a crapshoot after Celebrini....there are a bunch of players that could go 2nd overall. That actually makes it a great draft for us if we're drafting just outside the Top 5. There are many similar talents from 2-10. It just depends what type of player you're looking for.

Agree.

I like to think there is a clear top 6 but reality is i can see a lot of surprises happening and nothing is set outside Celebrini.

Dickinson, Parekh, Silayev, Levshunov... Demidov, Lindstrom, Catton, Eiserman... i would add Buium, Connelly, Iginla and Helenius as potential surprise that could end up top 5.

Who is going where?

Including talent like Greentree, MBN, Hemming on offense.

If we can advance with WPG picks and sneak two of all those forward. That would give a massive kick to our rebuild.

 

[habsterr]

Nobody worth his dime would pick Lindstrom ahead of Demidov. Its just one guy that hypes up Lindstrom like he's some sort of lock at 2.

Disagree Il take Lindstrom over Demidov pretty easily. You could argue a big C is more valuable than a smallish winger. This year's draft from 2-10 will vary heavily based on scouting.

 

[Garnet76]

At this point I would take Demidov over Lindstrom. I'm betting on Dach's progress and Montreal needs a difference maker with elite skill and I feel demidov maybe to most creative player in the draft. If Demidov is picked by the habs I would look at add another forward with size with the Winnipeg pick. Could be by draft or trade.

 

[Mrb1p]

Disagree Il take Lindstrom over Demidov pretty easily. You could argue a big C is more valuable than a smallish winger. This year's draft from 2-10 will vary heavily based on scouting.

You could, and you would be wrong. Demidov has the highest offensive potential in this draft, the only reason why hes not 1OA is because Celebrini is a C, bigger and has close enough offensive potential.

Lindstrom is a unicorn in the same sense that Slaf is, big, athletic but he is not on the skill level of Demidov. His bread and butter is his skating and that will remain with him but his goalscoring and passing are both very much a gamble.

It is foolishness driven by Demidovs injury and "slow" start.

Lets not forget Lindtstom plays with Mckenna and has been outproduced by Tij. Again, hes going top 5 unless its all Ds, but theres no way he SHOULD go ahead of Demidov. Not in a million years and certainly not for this offense starved team.

 

[Grand Admiral Thrawn]

My picks are Demidov or Dickinson.

One of those 2 MIGHT be available when we pick and I feel they are top players in their respective positions.

I know drafting a D Is not popular with the prospects we already have, but that kid looks to be a top 2.

As for Demidov, I feel he's the most skilled player in the draft overall.

I mean I don't like to stat watch, but if tje VHL is the equivalent of NA juniors such as OHL, CHL, WHL, he's running at a 3 point per game clip. When was the last time a prospect in juniors averaged 3 ppg?

Some scouts have been saying that Demidov is even better than Michkov and everyone loves Michkov nowawdays.

Get the most skilled forward or one of tje best D's and then trade some D for elite F.

I would rather have skill than size because skill is hard to come by, size not so much.

Come on now!

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

My picks are Demidov or Dickinson.

One of those 2 MIGHT be available when we pick and I feel they are top players in their respective positions.

I know drafting a D Is not popular with the prospects we already have, but that kid looks to be a top 2.

As for Demidov, I feel he's the most skilled player in the draft overall.

I mean I don't like to stat watch, but if tje VHL is the equivalent of NA juniors such as OHL, CHL, WHL, he's running at a 3 point per game clip. When was the last time a prospect in juniors averaged 3 ppg?

Some scouts have been saying that Demidov is even better than Michkov and everyone loves Michkov nowawdays.

Get the most skilled forward or one of tje best D's and then trade some D for elite F.

I would rather have skill than size because skill is hard to come by, size not so much.

Come on now!

I'm with you on Dickinson. I really like his potential to be a top pairing Dman. I would be happy if the Habs ended up with him.

I'm assuming the Habs will go into the lottery around 5. If they stay there and draft 5/6 apart from Dickinson I'm curious about Lindstrom and Eiserman. I have a feeling Eiserman will slip down the draft board a bit, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

But still lots of hockey to be played. I think there will still be lots of movement in the draft boards from here until the end of the year.

 

[Mrb1p]

I'm with you on Dickinson. I really like his potential to be a top pairing Dman. I would be happy if the Habs ended up with him.

I'm assuming the Habs will go into the lottery around 5. If they stay there and draft 5/6 apart from Dickinson I'm curious about Lindstrom and Eiserman. I have a feeling Eiserman will slip down the draft board a bit, but maybe I'm wrong about that.

But still lots of hockey to be played. I think there will still be lots of movement in the draft boards from here until the end of the year.

Im sure Eiserman slips past 5. I dont know if I wanna take that gamble myself, just like Cole, hes pretty much a guaranteed 30g forward with upside.

Its not something you can say of anyone else in this draft, not even Mack.

 

[BergevinBurner]

I haven't been keeping a close on this draft class, but why is Eiserman's stock dipping this year?

All I remember was last season everything I saw about him suggested he'd probably be a top 3 pick.

 

[Mrb1p]

I haven't been keeping a close on this draft class, but why is Eiserman's stock dipping this year?

All I remember was last season everything I saw about him suggested he'd probably be a top 3 pick.

Overscouting. Its typical.

Re: Michkov and Caufield.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I haven't been keeping a close on this draft class, but why is Eiserman's stock dipping this year?

All I remember was last season everything I saw about him suggested he'd probably be a top 3 pick.

No real growth in his skill-set.

Doesn't mean he won't develop to his perceived potential coming into the year, but with teenagers, if there's others around you developing and getting better, but you are stagnating, teams will opt to go for those who are on an upward trajectory.

 

[Jack Skellington]

Is Clayton Keller a comparable for Catton

 

[WeThreeKings]

Is Clayton Keller a comparable for Catton

A little bit.

 

[Habsrule]

Montreal is in a really good position for this years draft. Celebrini is going #1 but then picks #2-10 is all up in the air. It is a defence heavy draft compared to most years and that is not what Montreal needs per se.

I figure that Montreal drafts somewhere in the #5-8 range. I am assuming that a bunch of defence is picked before their selection thus leaving them to pick a forward. If a bunch of forwards do get selected before the Habs pick then they get a defenceman who has slipped. Either way it is a win-win.

 

[sampollock]

habs will be dropping for a better pick for the draft.
this team is in a nose dive

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Smart teams always look at everything when they are drafting high. It really only is a matter of BPA, in the sense that if Pittsburgh had prime Crosby and Malkin, and won the Celebrini draft lottery for some reason, they'd take BPA because Celebrini is so clearly the best player in the draft, it would make NO sense to do anything else.

But subjectivity hits very early in drafts and you never see lists that are carbon copies of each other across the NHL, across amateur scouts and across draft publications. Last year had a pretty consensus top 4 but even the order of 2/3 was up for debate as far as who is actually BPA between Carlsson and Fantilli. In the Slaf draft, there were arguments between Nemec and Jiricek and Nemec went 2 while Jiricek went 6. That could have flipped with a different head scout in NJ and Jiricek could have gone 2 and you wouldn't see backlash on BPA there.

The math might bore out that one of the big 4 defenseman prospects will be there at 6 but the most accurate list in the world is Bob's and they had Dickinson at 7th overall, so how does that make Dickinson a BPA at 5 or 6? That would be a BPA according to your list and not necessarily anyone elses list.

The odds are always good that someone's BPA is there when we pick, but again, it's massively subjective when you are projecting teenagers.

I think Yakemchuk is a top defenseman in the draft but again I don't think that the Habs would broach the subject of picking him. Is there a massive difference between Mailloux and Yakemchuk? We could say that at this point in their careers, Yakemchuk is far more highly regarded.. but Mailloux is a shoot first right shot defenseman with size and snarl, who skates better than Yakemchuk while Yakemchuk is a far better defender at the same age but still has IQ arguments.

If you go up there and say ok we have Yakemchuk as the top guy on our board - but there's a tougher path to integrate him and he isn't a massive upgrade over Mailloux who is closer to the NHL, while we have Catton who is a spot lower on our list, but doesn't have any barriers in the system and would immediately be the top center on a Laval team, were he eligible.. it makes way more logical sense to take Catton than the guy at the top of your board.

It's easy in theory to say trade from the surplus, but in actuality, it is harder to accomplish. What happens on draft boards, and what we know the Habs do is they build out buckets, and tiers, so the only way they go for a defenseman is if that defenseman is the only one left in that tier and even then, they are far more likely to trade down or reach into the next tier than create a roster management issue when talent levels are very clearly close between players in this draft after Celebrini.



And highest upside is also a subjective exercise so clamoring that one team didn't take BPA is very rarely true unless you are looking at Football where teams reach on QBs all of the time. Hockey the BPA is difficult to ascertain who the BPA is, you are just projecting many years down the line.



Exactly.. nor does it mean that the team has evaluated the draft class the same way as anyone else.



Mathematically yes - but again, you'll have a difference of opinion as to whether all of those 4 defenseman are better than Lindstrom, Demidov, Eiserman, Catton and Helenius.

I think Columbus takes Lindstrom and I do think he's the second forward off the board.



Bingo.



Nah, teams will go with the large canadian kid first. I predict Demidov is the 3rd forward gone with Lindstrom quite clearly being the 2nd forward off the board.

If we looked at the draft today:

Chicago takes Celebrini
San Jose takes Levshunov
Anaheim takes Silayev
Columbus takes Lindstrom
Ottawa takes Dickinson
Buffalo takes Yakemchuk
Arizona takes Demidov

Leaving Montreal with a choice of Catton, Helenius, Eiserman and Iginla. They would obviously pass on Buium.

For what it’s worth, Mackenzie has Eiserman as the 2nd best forward. Lindstrom and Demidov after that.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

They're not concerned about picking a PPG+ player, which I woul disagree that it being unlikely with Lindstrom, the progression curve has been pretty impressive for the kid.

They are concerned about winning in the play-offs.. and if your top 6 has the highly skilled big men in Lindstrom, Dach and Slafkovsky, insulating Caufield and Suzuki.. you've got a pretty good chance of winning in a long playoff series.

You have to be able to score to win in the playoffs though. Caufield’s a game breaker but it’d be nice to have another.

If we draft Lindstrom I’ll be fine with it. He looks like an awesome prospect. But I’ve heard posters with the idea that points and goals don’t matter or are more applicable to fantasy hockey - and it couldn’t be more wrong.

There’s just not enough respect being given to the elite gamebreaking talent that’s in this draft. Lindstrom is big and his stats are good but is he really going to put up the numbers these other guys will? Scoring goals is the single most important skill you can have. Goal differential is what determines winners and losers. I hope our scouts remember this before they make any picks.