HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Sam de Mtl]

Lol ok but Eiserman is one of the least likely picks, they'd take Catton ahead of Eiserman. Way more faceted of a player.

Eiserman is polarizing. If Habs brass were to pick him, I would really as I would hope they would have done their homework on him. From what we know here, I would prefer a bunch of players over him, including Iginla, Helenius and Catton.

 

[SOLR]

Demidov is not assured to be going second.
All the power to you if you can flat out state Benson and Yager and Wood will end up better than Iginla.
My gut feeling is no they won't. But I'll admit it's gut and not the expertise you possess.

I didn't say they will. I said they looked like more valuable assets, considering the draft they were in.

Yager doesn't go 14 this year; he definitely goes top 10. No 2-way center with his track record exists this year (outside of Celebrini).

Track record only goes so far, you have to prove it on the ice too. Shane Wright had the best track record and people were talking about him for years. Iginla has the blood lines to go along with his phenomenal play on this ice. He was also just named Kelowna's season MVP even though he's only 17.

These kids are so young. The development isn't linear with everybody. That's why so many kids that are not on the radar at all shoot up the rankings in their 17 year old season.

A track record is definitely for proving it—it's a longer proof. I'm not sure what your argument is here.

We drafted KK when he came out of nowhere to have a good year. I learned a few lessons on this case. I was high on him, but reflecting on it afterward, I should have discounted a few rankings for his track record. Slafkovski has been known to scouts since he was 13; he had a stellar track record.

A track record isn't a bulletproof argument. In Wright's case, his track record was one of diminishing development momentum.

 

[FrankMTL]

I didn't say they will. I said they looked like more valuable assets, considering the draft they were in.

Yager doesn't go 14 this year; he definitely goes top 10. No 2-way center with his track record exists this year (outside of Celebrini).



A track record is definitely for proving it—it's a longer proof. I'm not sure what your argument is here.

We drafted KK when he came out of nowhere to have a good year. I learned a few lessons on this case. I was high on him, but reflecting on it afterward, I should have discounted a few rankings for his track record. Slafkovski has been known to scouts since he was 13; he had a stellar track record.

A track record isn't a bulletproof argument. In Wright's case, his track record was one of diminishing development momentum.

My argument is that track record alone isn't enough to warrant drafting a player high. You're telling that last season, Yager had a better season than Iginla is having this season? Or am I missing something?

 

[Rapala]

A track record is definitely for proving it—it's a longer proof. I'm not sure what your argument is here.

A track record is good sure. The hardest thing about scouting players is looking beyond track records.
We aren't privvy to what goes on behind closed doors. We aren't privvy to know exactly what makes these players tick.
We certainly aren't privvy to know how their metabolisms work and where they are in their progression curves.

My point is you come across as if it's a certainty that the players you mentioned would all be better than Tij Iginla.
History proves that there are always players that surpass expectations and there are always players that don't meet expectations.
That is the only track record that is a certainty with kids.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Eiserman is polarizing. If Habs brass were to pick him, I would really as I would hope they would have done their homework on him. From what we know here, I would prefer a bunch of players over him, including Iginla, Helenius and Catton.

The risk is high with Eiserman but the upside is as good as anyone in the draft. The Canadiens seem to be pretty risk averse so it won’t surprise me if we pass on him in favour of someone else.

But it also won’t surprise me if Eiserman wins some Richards no matter where he goes- except maybe Arizona.

 

[Goldthorpe]

Eiserman is polarizing. If Habs brass were to pick him, I would really as I would hope they would have done their homework on him. From what we know here, I would prefer a bunch of players over him, including Iginla, Helenius and Catton.

There's a recent and quite interesting article on TheAthletic just on Eiserman, and it's relevating. Highly recommended if you can read it.

The way he is depicted, either the habs will see him as a raw but unique talent that would require lots of care and development, or they'll assess him as a straight up DND. Not sure he has the maturity to be picked that high in the habs market. But the talent and potential is absolutely there.

 

[Draft]

This is a big if for two reasons : a) if he has lingering injury issues that may impact his ability to reach his potential, so that's part of who he is and b) maybe his success is driven by a small sample. He had good numbers last year which is a good mitigant but you never know

To be fair, these quotes can be applied to a number of players so let's see who they choose. In the top 10/15, I have not read any red flags in terms of behaviour this year, right ? But from what I have read / seen, Helenius fits the bill of what they are looking for in terms of team first player, committed on both ends of the ice. I really think a line with Newhook / Helenius / Dach would be really a pain to play against.

The rumour of a back injury is a bit concerning, but there doesn’t appear to be a history of it with him up until this point. I think that most scouts would be comfortable with evaluating Lindstrom based on last season and the 33gp this year. The tools are undeniable and the game I watched definitely give an idea of his upside. Just like Slaf/Reinbacher, there’s really no question whether he’s an NHL player. Whether higher ups bothered to get out to Med Hat to see him live before the injury might affect some teams though.

Helenius has a lot of the qualities they’re looking for - including strong performance in a men’s league - but he lacks the frame and tools they’ve prioritized in previous drafts. I really like what he brings and we’ve had good success with Finnish players, but I wonder where they project his development. He’s a really tricky read. To me, it’s a question of whether his IQ is genuinely dynamic, or whether he’s simply highly adaptable.

I haven’t really heard any major concerns around character for this year’s top ten, this can often come out around the combine though. Eiserman about commitment/coachability and maturity, Levshunov being more of a solo flyer but well respected and acclimating, Catton with physical and defensive engagement… others might have heard more or differently.

 

[le_sean]

There's a recent and quite interesting article on TheAthletic just on Eiserman, and it's relevating. Highly recommended if you can read it.

The way he is depicted, either the habs will see him as a raw but unique talent that would require lots of care and development, or they'll assess him as a straight up DND. Not sure he has the maturity to be picked that high in the habs market. But the talent and potential is absolutely there.

They took Slafkovsky and then Reinbacher in back-to-back drafts. Two kids playing for years against men. They want players as close to NHL ready as possible, they trust their own staff to develop them. I can’t see them picking Eiserman and just hoping he figures things out in college while they have zero control on his usage.

 

[Goldenhands]

Silayev just got crushed hard in the legs again, looks done for good this time.

 

[Jaynki]

They took Slafkovsky and then Reinbacher in back-to-back drafts. Two kids playing for years against men. They want players as close to NHL ready as possible

They want the best at their spot. Rest is a detail.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

There's a recent and quite interesting article on TheAthletic just on Eiserman, and it's relevating. Highly recommended if you can read it.

The way he is depicted, either the habs will see him as a raw but unique talent that would require lots of care and development, or they'll assess him as a straight up DND. Not sure he has the maturity to be picked that high in the habs market. But the talent and potential is absolutely there.

Yep, it was a cool read. People need to remember that he’s just a kid… 17. He needs good development and the right team culture. I think he can get that here.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Silayev just got crushed hard in the legs again, looks done for good this time.

Oh no. That sucks.

 

[le_sean]

They want the best at their spot. Rest is a detail.

Not really. Two controversial picks. They have a specific type of player that they want and they are not afraid to go against the grain to get that player.

 

[Jaynki]

Not really. Two controversial picks. They have a specific type of player that they want.

Controversial in the sense that they did not picked the fan favourite.

2022 suggest they went with the real BPA tho because if they picked Shane Wright, that would be an extreme controversy right now.

2023 is still to be determined but Reinbacher has always been undervalued and let's not act like Michkov was not controversial in itself

 

[le_sean]

Controversial in the sense that they did not picked the fan favourite.

2022 suggest they went with the real BPA tho because if they picked Shane Wright, that would be an extreme controversy right now.

2023 is still to be determined but Reinbacher has always been undervalued and let's not act like Michkov was not controversial in itself

You can’t look at it a year down the road. At the time, Slafkovsky was a controversial pick. There’s no question about it. Listen to the reaction at the Bell Centre. Reinbacher over Michkov raised eyebrows too. The fact remains, it’s not simply BPA for them, they consider a lot of things. And one is definitely about controlling their development to an extent.

 

[The Last Red]

You can’t look at it a year down the road. At the time, Slafkovsky was a controversial pick. There’s no question about it. Listen to the reaction at the Bell Centre. Reinbacher over Michkov raised eyebrows too. The fact remains, it’s not simply BPA for them, they consider a lot of things. And one is definitely about controlling their development to an extent.

I think they trust Jay Pandolfo at BU. He’s done an excellent job with Hutson. He can do the same with Eiserman next year.

 

[le_sean]

I think they trust Jay Pandolfo at BU. He’s done an excellent job with Hutson. He can do the same with Eiserman next year.

Hutson would have succeeded anywhere. I don’t think it’s all on Pandolfo. I just think he’s too damn talented and smart to not dominate college.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

You can’t look at it a year down the road. At the time, Slafkovsky was a controversial pick. There’s no question about it. Listen to the reaction at the Bell Centre. Reinbacher over Michkov raised eyebrows too. The fact remains, it’s not simply BPA for them, they consider a lot of things. And one is definitely about controlling their development to an extent.

I was torn between both but I understand the appeal of a player with Slafkovsky profile, it's not like Juraj was a no name player that was over drafted. It was pretty clear that the Devils would have snatched him 2nd overall at the first opportunity and to add to that Shane Wright dropped further to 4th overall.

After that draft most habs supporter than wanted Wright (I will include myself) understood that Wright was not the consensus and further more he was not even consensus for 2nd overall. He had serious issue that made team pause and decide to pass over him. The only controversy were made by the media and some portion of the fan that were convinced the habs would draft him and nobody else.

As for Slafkovsky, I think the reason he was not consensus was his production in Finland if he had better production there nobody would have questioned him. Let's be real of all top 5 european pro league finland is most likely the 4th best overall (Russia, Sweden, Switzerland) maybe even on par with Germany now. He was a profile of player that all team want and they always go very high in the draft.

The Reinbacher controversy (at least from my perspective) is that the Habs scouting staff loved him so much that they convinced Hughes to not trade down even though there was a lot of interested teams in their pick. Therefore, at least from my view, Reinbacher has to succeed and become a #2 defenseman minimum in the NHL. There was a huge opportunity for us to trade down and get significant assets to help the team. But one thing is pretty clear, Hughes believe in his scouting staff and the Habs are not scared to go with player ranked lower if they love them. That mean we should look more at players going higher during the year in the ranking than players going lower.

 

[The Last Red]

Hutson would have succeeded anywhere. I don’t think it’s all on Pandolfo. I just think he’s too damn talented and smart to not dominate college.

You missed my point. Hutson is a much better all round D than before he got to BU. I wasn’t referring to his offensive production.

 

[McGees]

Based on how they've drafted last couple years, I think they'd pick Helenius/Catton/Iginla before Eiserman.

 

[The Last Red]

I was torn between both but I understand the appeal of a player with Slafkovsky profile, it's not like Juraj was a no name player that was over drafted. It was pretty clear that the Devils would have snatched him 2nd overall at the first opportunity and to add to that Shane Wright dropped further to 4th overall.

After that draft most habs supporter than wanted Wright (I will include myself) understood that Wright was not the consensus and further more he was not even consensus for 2nd overall. He had serious issue that made team pause and decide to pass over him. The only controversy were made by the media and some portion of the fan that were convinced the habs would draft him and nobody else.

As for Slafkovsky, I think the reason he was not consensus was his production in Finland if he had better production there nobody would have questioned him. Let's be real of all top 5 european pro league finland is most likely the 4th best overall (Russia, Sweden, Switzerland) maybe even on par with Germany now. He was a profile of player that all team want and they always go very high in the draft.

The Reinbacher controversy (at least from my perspective) is that the Habs scouting staff loved him so much that they convinced Hughes to not trade down even though there was a lot of interested teams in their pick. Therefore, at least from my view, Reinbacher has to succeed and become a #2 defenseman minimum in the NHL. There was a huge opportunity for us to trade down and get significant assets to help the team. But one thing is pretty clear, Hughes believe in his scouting staff and the Habs are not scared to go with player ranked lower if they love them. That mean we should look more at players going higher during the year in the ranking than players going lower.

Nah, it’s about Michkov and it still pisses me off.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I was torn between both but I understand the appeal of a player with Slafkovsky profile, it's not like Juraj was a no name player that was over drafted. It was pretty clear that the Devils would have snatched him 2nd overall at the first opportunity and to add to that Shane Wright dropped further to 4th overall.

After that draft most habs supporter than wanted Wright (I will include myself) understood that Wright was not the consensus and further more he was not even consensus for 2nd overall. He had serious issue that made team pause and decide to pass over him. The only controversy were made by the media and some portion of the fan that were convinced the habs would draft him and nobody else.

As for Slafkovsky, I think the reason he was not consensus was his production in Finland if he had better production there nobody would have questioned him. Let's be real of all top 5 european pro league finland is most likely the 4th best overall (Russia, Sweden, Switzerland) maybe even on par with Germany now. He was a profile of player that all team want and they always go very high in the draft.

The Reinbacher controversy (at least from my perspective) is that the Habs scouting staff loved him so much that they convinced Hughes to not trade down even though there was a lot of interested teams in their pick. Therefore, at least from my view, Reinbacher has to succeed and become a #2 defenseman minimum in the NHL. There was a huge opportunity for us to trade down and get significant assets to help the team. But one thing is pretty clear, Hughes believe in his scouting staff and the Habs are not scared to go with player ranked lower if they love them. That mean we should look more at players going higher during the year in the ranking than players going lower.

The teams that wanted to trade up with Montreal was for Reinbacher. That's why they didn't trade down.

 

[BergevinBurner]

If the Flames got hot (no pun intended) down the stretch and finished 20th overall would you use their pick this year or hope for a better pick next year (remember if CGY is top 10 we get FLR's pick - which could be #28 if their performance is mirrored next season)

If there's a team picking in the early teens then I'd be calling them to see if they'd move their pick for Calgary and Winnipeg's, the thought of getting a faller out of Iginla/Catton/Eiserman/Helenius intrigues me.

That being said, I'd expect that Hughes would much rather target a proven NHLer instead of another high draft pick since he's keen on accelerating the rebuild.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

The teams that wanted to trade up with Montreal was for Reinbacher. That's why they didn't trade down.

I don't care, if the rumors are true and Nashville offered Askarov+picks for the 5th overall that was very stupid IMO to not take it. We would have the goaltender of the future at the perfect age and another pick to collect more assets.

Michkov or Reinbacher, it was never about the player but the value we could get from them.

Maybe it's just me that is very high on Askarov but IMO that trade would have speed up the rebuild process significantly.

 

[jaffy27]

SJS - Celebrini
Chicago - Levshunov
Anaheim - Yakemchuk
Columbus - Lindstrom
Ottawa - Dickinson
Arizona - Silayev
Montreal - Demidov

Barf…..

Somehow I doubt Demidov falls that far…..

So imperative we finish bottom 5…..at that spot, I’d even be inclined to trade our pick ++ for the 2nd overall and nab Lindstrom.

We sitting 6th with a chance at 4th (please please please pretty please)