HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[sampollock]

When are these fat f***s getting weighed?

AFTER the buffet closes

 

[WeThreeKings]

Kulich has played what, 1 NHL game so far? And that's actually what you're using to prove how bad this management is doing?

We got it, pal. You don't like HuGo. Moving on.

Yeah, apparently Kulich over Mesar is proof they are bad, but anything successful in the draft is not proof they are good.

Intellectually honest debate.

 

[Kents polished head]

Kulich has played what, 1 NHL game so far? And that's actually what you're using to prove how bad this management is doing?

We got it, pal. You don't like HuGo.

Moving on.

Here we go again. The circle of great thinkers of HF has decided that I don't like "HuGo". The debate is settled .

This whole thing has started for a unique reason; because y'all getting your panties in a bunch as soon as someone is suggesting that this management might not necessarily be flawless, and that a prospective Sennecke pick might not be as much as a slam dunk as the cool gang in here may tend to believe. That it might very well turn out being a disastrous pick for this organization, and that this management is not immune to massive blunders.

All I'm reading in this topic so far to push back against the notion that this management has proven nothing, is that "We drafted Hutson 62nd", that "Florian Xhekaj has had a good 20 years old junior year", that "Reinbacher in 12 AHL games has shown we don't have anything to envy to the teams who picked Dvorsky, Leonard and Michkov", and that "Mesar might still end up being a better player than Kulich".

Those are weak arguments. Stop acting as if Sennecke is a slam dunk because this management is seemingly in love with him. He's not. Period.

And if he gets picked, you can bet your ass fans are going to be well within their right to be asking for some quick, concrete justification. You don't go ahead and pick a guy like Sennecke 5th overall in a 3rd tanking year in a market like Montreal without having some pressure for it to pay off in some way, shape or form before 2028.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Here we go again. The circle of great thinkers of HF has decided that I don't like "HuGo". The debate is settled .

This whole thing has started for a unique reason; because y'all getting your panties in a bunch as soon as someone is suggesting that this management might not necessarily be flawless, and that a prospective Sennecke pick might not be as much as a slam dunk as the cool gang in here may tend to believe. That it might very well turn out being a disastrous pick for this organization, and that this management is not immune to massive blunders.

All I'm reading in this topic so far to push back against the notion that this management has proven nothing, is that "We drafted Hutson 62nd", that "Florian Xhekaj has had a good 20 years old junior year", that "Reinbacher in 12 AHL games has shown we don't have anything to envy to the teams who picked Dvorsky, Leonard and Michkov", and that "Mesar might still end up being a better player than Kulich".

Those are weak arguments. Stop acting as if Sennecke is a slam dunk because this management is seemingly in love with him. He's not. Period.

No one is calling Sennecke a slam dunk lol, just a prospect with upside comparable to the other forwards in his tier.

No one in this draft is a slam dunk beyond Macklin.

 

[sampollock]

man let's enjoy this time of year.. habs have a #5 pick...

 

[Andrei79]

No one is calling Sennecke a slam dunk lol, just a prospect with upside comparable to the other forwards in his tier.

No one in this draft is a slam dunk beyond Macklin.

I've been waiting for the why (i.e. hockey reasons) on what brought a tantrum against the idea of drafting Sennecke. But it's just been paragraphs of gibberish.

 

[JoelWarlord]

Hutson has played what, 2 NHL games so far? And that's actually what you're using to prove how great this management is doing?

My point is that 3/4 of the top 4 picks from that draft are trending well and Hutson was a complete steal, so I find it strange to be so fixated on Mesar as part of this broader argument. Again it just feels like missing the forest for the trees. Buffalo picked Kulich and then they took some goalie with their 2nd and passed on Hutson. Seattle took Firkus and then had two more shots at Hutson in the 2nd round and passed both times. The standard our picks are ostensibly being held to does not even really hold up in the exact same draft class for the teams that took Kulich/Firkus after we picked Mesar. Doesn't really make much sense to me that Mesar over Kulich "counts" as a bad pick but Hutson at 62 doesn't count as a good one.

As for Sennecke I probably have him behind Iginla if Demidov and Lindstrom are gone but I would be willing to extend the benefit of the doubt given the obvious tools and the recent Slafkovsky development example. I don't think they can do no wrong, nor do I think everything has been "great" thus far, but I think the overall signs have been positive enough I'd be willing to entertain the upside argument and won't be pissed about it if that's our pick even if it's not where I'd lean right now. I think it's too early to say definitively whether they're "good" or "bad" but there have been good early signs and I find it extremely strange that Mesar has become such a flashpoint in the context of that draft.

 

[sampollock]

Moreover, during the latest episode of “The Basu & Godin Notebook” podcast, Marc Antoine Godin indicated that the chances of seeing Beckett Sennecke being chosen fifth overall are as high as those of seeing Tij Iginla play for the Habs.

 

[Andrei79]

I understand that redrafts changes things. But I also see reaches that usually don't pay off. Usually, teams reach for players like Slaf or Reinbacher but they are trending hot towards the draft. Yzerman did that with Sieder as well. We did that with KK and it didn't work. Good U18's but played bottom 6 center role in Liiga and those numbers were not good at all.

What makes Catton a hot trend to earn taking him early? I do like this player but not at 5. CHL production is only one layer of evaluation with me. I've seen far too many guys rack up points and struggle once they turn pro because they are not physically ready and struggle with time/space.

I think Catton is a risky pick at 5. This is a skill/skating pick and he's not elite in these areas. Very good but not elite.

Did you say KKs numbers in Liiga were not good at all ? Did I just read that right ?

 

[WinterLion]

This is the same organization that drafted Mesar before Kulich and made many very "discussable" picks last summer.

This is the same organization that based pretty much all of their arguments for picking Reinbacher last summer on "but but but... RHDs ARE HARD TO FIND".

And this is the same organization that has Martin "Biceps Club" Lapointe and Nick "Lias Andersson/Vitali Kravtsov/Kaapo Kakko" Bobrov as the guys calling the shots at the draft.

Except an encouraging 50 points season from Slafkovsky they have done absolutely nothing to warrant the blind confidence many fans seem to have towards them. I really don't get "well they deserve our confidence". Urhm. For what exactly? For having a 1st overall pick having a 50 points season? Wow. High standards we got here.

And there's absolutely no noise on Sennecke being picked THAT high at the draft anywhere except in Montreal. McKeen's and a ton of other scouting websites/magasines have the guy as low as 14th-16th.

So yeah. There's absolutely no scenario in which this fanbase should not be at least a little uneasy with getting out of two consecutive top-5 picks with;

A) A guy who regressed in his D+1 year
B) A guy who struggled putting up a point per game in junior this season.

This is extremely underwhelming to put it lightly, and a lot of things have to fall perfectly into places for it not backfiring one way or another.

Not writing down one of these two guys as busts, far from it. But if that's what I was told 3 years of tanking was going to net us a couple of years ago, I would have been depressed as hell.

I see you are upset, but you should really come up with better arguments to prove your points... or maybe just say you have a bad feeling about it...

 

[sampollock]

I see you are upset, but you should really come up with better arguments to prove your points... or maybe just say you have a bad feeling about it...

I dont' think he is happy person

 

[Team_Spirit]

When are these fat f***s getting weighed?

Draft the fattest one and bag skate him all summer

 

[WinterLion]

You guys are being disingenuous if you thing the development paths of Mesar and Kulich haven't gone in completely opposite directions. Let's be honest here.

I see what you are saying for sure. I just feel like they play such a different style and have very different upsides that it is really not a fair comparison. I always liked Kulich in his draft year and was surprised he slipped so far... but at the end of the day he will probably struggle to be a middle 6 sniper... there was never much chance of him being more than that. So in my opinion, the point is that it doesn't really matter that much and definitely isn't a slight on the whole scouting staff because Mesar certainly showed some glimpses of being special so you can see why they gambled on the upside...

 

[Kent Nilsson]

Here we go again. The circle of great thinkers of HF has decided that I don't like "HuGo". The debate is settled .

This whole thing has started for a unique reason; because y'all getting your panties in a bunch as soon as someone is suggesting that this management might not necessarily be flawless, and that a prospective Sennecke pick might not be as much as a slam dunk as the cool gang in here may tend to believe. That it might very well turn out being a disastrous pick for this organization, and that this management is not immune to massive blunders.

All I'm reading in this topic so far to push back against the notion that this management has proven nothing, is that "We drafted Hutson 62nd", that "Florian Xhekaj has had a good 20 years old junior year", that "Reinbacher in 12 AHL games has shown we don't have anything to envy to the teams who picked Dvorsky, Leonard and Michkov", and that "Mesar might still end up being a better player than Kulich".

Those are weak arguments. Stop acting as if Sennecke is a slam dunk because this management is seemingly in love with him. He's not. Period.

And if he gets picked, you can bet your ass fans are going to be well within their right to be asking for some quick, concrete justification. You don't go ahead and pick a guy like Sennecke 5th overall in a 3rd tanking year in a market like Montreal without having some pressure for it to pay off in some way, shape or form before 2028.

I dont see anyone claiming HuGo are flawless… we have yet to see the results of their work really. Being pissed at a player we haven’t picked yet is a strange hill to die on tho.

 

[WinterLion]

man let's enjoy this time of year.. habs have a #5 pick...

Seriously! Plus it's a fun draft year... it's wide open after #2!

 

[TheBuriedHab]

The reason I'm leaning Sennecke now is the same reason I wanted Slaf or Jiricek over Wright in 2022. I want the guy with the crazy upside and the guy that you don't find in every draft. Sennecke's puck skills, skating and IQ in that type of frame is hard to find. Give him to MSL and Adam Nicholas and let them turn him into a stud.

 

[austin316]

I will admit I don’t follow the prospects like @WeThreeKings but am I the only one who is hoping for Lindstrom over Demidov?

We still need more size and skill infused into our lineup and Lindstrom plays a much more coveted position down the middle. I think you can make the argument a 60-70 point 6-4” centre who plays big is more valuable to a teams roster construction than a 5-10 90 point winger. Thoughts?

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

I will admit I don’t follow the prospects like @WeThreeKings but am I the only one who is hoping for Lindstrom over Demidov?

We still need more size and skill infused into our lineup and Lindstrom plays a much more coveted position down the middle. I think you can make the argument a 60-70 point 6-4” centre who plays big is more valuable to a teams roster construction than a 5-10 90 point winger. Thoughts?

Issue is Lindstrom probably shouldn't be a center at the next level IMO. I also don't think Demidov (5'11") will have his production capped at 90 points.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

I will admit I don’t follow the prospects like @WeThreeKings but am I the only one who is hoping for Lindstrom over Demidov?

We still need more size and skill infused into our lineup and Lindstrom plays a much more coveted position down the middle. I think you can make the argument a 60-70 point 6-4” centre who plays big is more valuable to a teams roster construction than a 5-10 90 point winger. Thoughts?

FWIW I don't see Lindstrom as a center in the NHL

 

[sampollock]

I will admit I don’t follow the prospects like @WeThreeKings but am I the only one who is hoping for Lindstrom over Demidov?

We still need more size and skill infused into our lineup and Lindstrom plays a much more coveted position down the middle. I think you can make the argument a 60-70 point 6-4” centre who plays big is more valuable to a teams roster construction than a 5-10 90 point winger. Thoughts?

I want lidstrom too. if he is not hurt to bad I guess

 

[ReHabs]

I will admit I don’t follow the prospects like @WeThreeKings but am I the only one who is hoping for Lindstrom over Demidov?

We still need more size and skill infused into our lineup and Lindstrom plays a much more coveted position down the middle. I think you can make the argument a 60-70 point 6-4” centre who plays big is more valuable to a teams roster construction than a 5-10 90 point winger. Thoughts?

The leading scorer of the NHL hit 144pts this year and you're salivating over a player who you think has an upside of half of that?

 

[Trabdy2]

I see Lindstrom as a winger at the next level, and I am pretty high on him. I wasn't a big fan of what he showed when he returned from injury though. Perhaps he wasn't 100%?

I'd prefer Demidov over Lindstrom myself, because the level of skill that Demidov brings will probably make any line he's on instantly an offensive threat.

With Lindstrom, his total package combo (size, skating, skill) will ease our roster construction quite a bit. For example, it's easier to imagine how a smaller skilled player with good transition abilities, like Mesar, could complement a line with Lindstrom's presence (similar to what we see with him and Basha in Medicine Hat, although Basha is bigger than Mesar). It'll give us more options for roster balance.

 

[Sam I Am]

My point is that 3/4 of the top 4 picks from that draft are trending well and Hutson was a complete steal, so I find it strange to be so fixated on Mesar as part of this broader argument. Again it just feels like missing the forest for the trees. Buffalo picked Kulich and then they took some goalie with their 2nd and passed on Hutson. Seattle took Firkus and then had two more shots at Hutson in the 2nd round and passed both times. The standard our picks are ostensibly being held to does not even really hold up in the exact same draft class for the teams that took Kulich/Firkus after we picked Mesar. Doesn't really make much sense to me that Mesar over Kulich "counts" as a bad pick but Hutson at 62 doesn't count as a good one.

As for Sennecke I probably have him behind Iginla if Demidov and Lindstrom are gone but I would be willing to extend the benefit of the doubt given the obvious tools and the recent Slafkovsky development example. I don't think they can do no wrong, nor do I think everything has been "great" thus far, but I think the overall signs have been positive enough I'd be willing to entertain the upside argument and won't be pissed about it if that's our pick even if it's not where I'd lean right now. I think it's too early to say definitively whether they're "good" or "bad" but there have been good early signs and I find it extremely strange that Mesar has become such a flashpoint in the context of that draft.

There you go, being reasonable and making sense. See how far it gets you!

 

[WeThreeKings]

I will admit I don’t follow the prospects like @WeThreeKings but am I the only one who is hoping for Lindstrom over Demidov?

We still need more size and skill infused into our lineup and Lindstrom plays a much more coveted position down the middle. I think you can make the argument a 60-70 point 6-4” centre who plays big is more valuable to a teams roster construction than a 5-10 90 point winger. Thoughts?

Hey buddy, even if you don't your thoughts and questions are always valued!

 

[sampollock]

Hey buddy, even if you don't your thoughts and questions are always valued!

we threekings keeps us informed