HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[BergevinBurner]

I keep hearing Gorton talk about how the Habs are cognizant of how hard it is to add skill.

Leads me to believe Eiserman is going to be the pick. He's also going to BU next year, the Habs management love that program.

Habs were in 38 games decided by 1 goal this year. They want more goals, Eiserman does that.

Passing on Eiserman honestly scares me more than passing on Lindstrom(even though I'd probably take Lindstrom first).

If Lindstrom hits his ceiling, then in my eyes he'll be a physical 60-70 point guy. But if Eiserman hits his then we could miss out on a 50 goal and 90+ point guy.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Passing on Eiserman honestly scares me more than passing on Lindstrom(even though I'd probably take Lindstrom first).

If Lindstrom hits his ceiling, then in my eyes he'll be a physical 60-70 point guy. But if Eiserman hits his then we could miss out on a 50 goal and 90+ point guy.

All that matters to me is the guy who is more likely to score in the playoffs. I don't need a goal scoring version of Mitch Marner.

 

[le_sean]

Passing on Eiserman honestly scares me more than passing on Lindstrom(even though I'd probably take Lindstrom first).

If Lindstrom hits his ceiling, then in my eyes he'll be a physical 60-70 point guy. But if Eiserman hits his then we could miss out on a 50 goal and 90+ point guy.

There is nothing about Eiserman that says he might be a 50 goal and 90 point player. You need to be able to do a lot more than just shoot the puck really well. No one that’s going to hit 90 points this season is one-dimensional.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Passing on Eiserman honestly scares me more than passing on Lindstrom(even though I'd probably take Lindstrom first).

If Lindstrom hits his ceiling, then in my eyes he'll be a physical 60-70 point guy. But if Eiserman hits his then we could miss out on a 50 goal and 90+ point guy.

Eiserman will be very interesting prospect to follow. I am very curious on he will develop over the next few years but he also has a bust factor.

 

[MTL Dirty Birdy]

Every year there are players that drop. Last year it was Benson. Many pegged him in the top 10, and even some had him top 7ish.

Who could it be this year? That Winnipeg pick could be around 18th if they go out in the first round.

We could get...

One of......Mack, Demi, Lindstrom, Catton

plus whoever drops.

Does Helenius? Iginla? I've seen Iginla ranked as low as 13th.

Could be an excellent draft for us.

I can see Nygard potentially dropping to 18

With Caufield (5'9), Newhook (5'11) and Suzuki (5'11) in our top 6, it makes sense to prioritize size with our pick. Unless I'm blown out of my shorts by a small player a la Catton. At this point, I'd go with Lindstrom providing his performance when he returns.

In all fairness Newhook and Suzuki and thick. They’re both REALLY solid on their skates. Size isn’t just height

 

[BergevinBurner]

There is nothing about Eiserman that says he might be a 50 goal and 90 point player. You need to be able to do a lot more than just shoot the puck really well. No one that’s going to hit 90 points this season is one-dimensional.

Highly disagree on the 50 goal point, he has an absolutely lethal shot and even if he doesn't develop much more I think he's a minimum 30 goal guy in the NHL.

I won't argue he's one dimensional, but he's mastered the hardest dimension to learn. If BU can help him round out his game then he could easily be the 2nd most dangerous forward to come out of his draft.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

Passing on Eiserman honestly scares me more than passing on Lindstrom(even though I'd probably take Lindstrom first).

If Lindstrom hits his ceiling, then in my eyes he'll be a physical 60-70 point guy. But if Eiserman hits his then we could miss out on a 50 goal and 90+ point guy.

Eiserman will be very high on the Habs list. They want goals and they like BU a lot.

Also Eiserman has shown enough flashes of a power game in the 2nd half of the year and last year to tell you it's something you can coach in him. So him going to BU is perfect.

He's the type of player that you accept his warts because all his positives compliment the rest of our forwards perfectly. It's a risk but one I see them taking.

 

[austin316]

Our pick should be Yakemchuk. Only question is if he’s still on the board when we’re picking 8-10.

 

[Sorinth]

They are also wanting to build a winner - they care about that crazy desire to improve, the implication all over the ice, getting into the middle of the ice, playing all 200 ft of the ice.

Eiserman seems the unlikeliest of the group to me, now there may be a point where the risks are outweighed by the talent, but it isn't in our current projected position.

In the recent fluff piece about Eiserman it was mentioned that Eiserman spends a ton of free time at the practice facility and specifically in the "shooting room" working on his shot. I think the quote was something like he basically lives there because his billet family is only 2min away.

That does show he has that desire to improve that Hughes/Bobrov/MSL have all talked about as what they want/look for. The million dollar question is do we think our development staff can channel that desire into other areas of his game.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

All that matters to me is the guy who is more likely to score in the playoffs. I don't need a goal scoring version of Mitch Marner.

That’s a legit concern.

But honestly, it’s really hard to predict that. People used to say it about Kessel and he absolutely killed it in the playoffs. Brett Hull (one dimensional player if there ever was one) averaged 50+ goals over averaged 80 playoff games. Bossy was a playoff beast too…

There is nothing about Eiserman that says he might be a 50 goal and 90 point player. You need to be able to do a lot more than just shoot the puck really well. No one that’s going to hit 90 points this season is one-dimensional.

How the hell can you say there’s nothing that says he’s a 50 goal 90 point guy? Of course there is. He’s scored a goal per game his whole life.

Eiserman will be very interesting prospect to follow. I am very curious on he will develop over the next few years but he also has a bust factor.

I think the concern is more along the lines of what WTK said, that he won’t be willing to do what’s necessary when it matters.

There are clearly players who will do more than Eiserman and have a complete game. But i don’t think they’re as certain to put up the point production that Eiserman will.

Eiserman really seems like a blue chip goal scorer. That alone makes him valuable. The physical attributes are there - six feet and you don’t have to wait for him to fill in like some of the others. He’s also not over in Russia so you don’t have that baggage either.

To me, the upside is too much to pass on. He was close with Cellebrini coming in and has obviously done himself no favours. But he’s 17 and still moldable. So I go with the upside.

But remember, I wanted Wright for similar reasons and that’s looking terrible now. I haven’t seen these guys so I can’t offer a great opinion other than highlights and a few games I’ve seen.

If we go with any of these guys I’m sure I’ll be happy. Lidstrom for example would be great. I just think the main ingredient we’re missing is gamebreaking talent. Caufield is one guy who SHOULD be able to do it but we need a bit more.

 

[le_sean]

Highly disagree on the 50 goal point, he has an absolutely lethal shot and even if he doesn't develop much more I think he's a minimum 30 goal guy in the NHL.

I won't argue he's one dimensional, but he's mastered the hardest dimension to learn. If BU can help him round out his game then he could easily be the 2nd most dangerous forward to come out of his draft.

He’s not as good as Caufield was and we are still waiting on Cole to hit 30 goals.

I mean 50 goals is a ludicrous amount. There’s like 4-5 players that will hit that mark per season, and they are all far better players than Eiserman projects to be. Either you have to be elite in many facets of the game (ie Matthews, Ovechkin) or you play with generational-level talent (Hyman, Rantanen). He’s not the former and we have no one near the latter.

 

[RandomTask26]

In a mock draft, Grant has us taking Yakemchuk (with Celebrini, Demidov, Lindstrom going 1-3 and us picking 6)

Don’t know much about Yakemchuk but I feel he’s not what people here want

 

[le_sean]

In a mock draft, Grant has us taking Yakemchuk (with Celebrini, Demidov, Lindstrom going 1-3 and us picking 6)

Don’t know much about Yakemchuk but I feel he’s not what people here want

Think of a better defending and smarter Mailloux. He’s an intriguing pick.

Honestly if they didn’t pick Reinbacher last year, Yakemchuk would be at the top of my list for the type of player the Habs brass would love. Maybe they feel like trading Mailloux + pieces for offensive help and drafting a far better version of him.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

He’s not as good as Caufield was and we are still waiting on Cole to hit 30 goals.

I mean 50 goals is a ludicrous amount. There’s like 4-5 players that will hit that mark per season, and they are all far better players than Eiserman projects to be. Either you have to be elite in many facets of the game (ie Matthews, Ovechkin) or you play with generational-level talent (Hyman, Rantanen). He’s not the former and we have no one near the latter.

Saying you don’t think a player will hit 50 goals is one thing, saying there’s no reason to believe he can is another.

That shot is as good as any in the NHL right now. Even just by watching highlights you can see that. And the totals are there as well to more than back it up.

Don’t believe in him? Cool but you should rephrase it because he certainly has indicators of being a top NHL sniper.

 

[Sam de Mtl]

Passing on Eiserman honestly scares me more than passing on Lindstrom(even though I'd probably take Lindstrom first).

If Lindstrom hits his ceiling, then in my eyes he'll be a physical 60-70 point guy. But if Eiserman hits his then we could miss out on a 50 goal and 90+ point guy.

I would be more scared of picking Eiserman than passing on him.

At our projected position anyway.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

In a mock draft, Grant has us taking Yakemchuk (with Celebrini, Demidov, Lindstrom going 1-3 and us picking 6)

Don’t know much about Yakemchuk but I feel he’s not what people here want

If we take a blueliner… I don’t think I’ll survive.

 

[le_sean]

I would be more scared of picking Eiserman than passing on him.

At our projected position anyway.

Floater with elite shot doesn’t really fit the type of player Hughes and company want. Unless he interviews really well and they 100% trust Pandolfo in developing him. I don’t see it.

 

[Whitesnake]

If we take a blueliner… I don’t think I’ll survive.

I would. I can't imagine how strong that D would be with a Dickinson or a Yakemchuck. Insanely strong. Then...just make sure you draft a superstar forward at the end of 1st round....lol

 

[Habs Icing]

He’s not as good as Caufield was and we are still waiting on Cole to hit 30 goals.

I mean 50 goals is a ludicrous amount. There’s like 4-5 players that will hit that mark per season, and they are all far better players than Eiserman projects to be. Either you have to be elite in many facets of the game (ie Matthews, Ovechkin) or you play with generational-level talent (Hyman, Rantanen). He’s not the former and we have no one near the latter.

I was about to ask this very question.

I haven't seen Eiserman play but I remember watching Caufield at the U18s. My jaw dropped. I thought he would be a perennial 50 goal scorer. He still has to hit 30. Now if Eiserman's shot is not noticeably better than Caufield's, I don't see how posters can call him a 50 goal scorer. Caufield has other attributes and he hasn't hit 30 yet.

 

[vokiel]

Our pick should be Yakemchuk. Only question is if he’s still on the board when we’re picking 8-10.

We have no needs for a Yakemchuk. I bet you could get a Yakemchuk for WPG's 1st round pick as a reclamation project.

 

[le_sean]

I was about to ask this very question.

I haven't seen Eiserman play but I remember watching Caufield at the U18s. My jaw dropped. I thought he would be a perennial 50 goal scorer. He still has to hit 30. Now if Eiserman's shot is not noticeably better than Caufield's, I don't see how posters can call him a 50 goal scorer. Caufield has other attributes and he hasn't hit 30 yet.

They have equivalent shot power I’d say. I think Eiserman is better at one-timers (connection, accuracy) and Caufield has more deception in his wristers. What separates the two is Caufield’s work ethic. At the same age he was ahead and now he’s come an even longer way.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

In a mock draft, Grant has us taking Yakemchuk (with Celebrini, Demidov, Lindstrom going 1-3 and us picking 6)

Don’t know much about Yakemchuk but I feel he’s not what people here want

Yeah, no thanks. I'd still take a forward before him.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

Yeah, but somehow those "B level juniors" regularly beat CHLers in the past...

Have you watched their games or you are just basing it on international games?

He had been running up the score a lot. He is by far the most talented player on his team who is by far the most talented team in the league. All their games are basically exhibition for them. Not a good environement to develop or make a proper evaluation. Good for the highlights reel though. Not questioning his talent but it makes it a bit more risky.

The fans don't mind that risk, but the GM and owner do think about it. Especially if you have a piss poor team without decent defender in the pipeline.

 

[vokiel]

I keep hearing Gorton talk about how the Habs are cognizant of how hard it is to add skill.

Leads me to believe Eiserman is going to be the pick. He's also going to BU next year, the Habs management love that program.

Habs were in 38 games decided by 1 goal this year. They want more goals, Eiserman does that.

Eiserman has less skills in his tool box than Iginla, Catton and Demidov. Not sure why you're jumping straight to Eiserman. He's a great shooting winger, there are just a bunch of them available every draft. Not the same with the latter 3.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I was about to ask this very question.

I haven't seen Eiserman play but I remember watching Caufield at the U18s. My jaw dropped. I thought he would be a perennial 50 goal scorer. He still has to hit 30. Now if Eiserman's shot is not noticeably better than Caufield's, I don't see how posters can call him a 50 goal scorer. Caufield has other attributes and he hasn't hit 30 yet.

Some context needed on Caufield though. At 21,22 years old Caufield put up 48 goals in 82 games. No, it wasn’t over one season but the production was there.

This year he’s on pace for around 315 shots. Of players with more than 200 he has - by far - the worst shooting percentage in the league. At least year’s percentage he’d be on pace for 50.

Caufield very likely would’ve been around 50 last year if he wasn’t hurt and that injury may have impacted this season as well.

I think Caufield is more of an argument FOR drafting Eiserman than against.