HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[JoelWarlord]

RE: Catton the thing I keep coming back to is that these types of players always seem to be available later than we think. In 2019 online fans wanted Caufield at 5-10 and he went to us at 15. Last year we debated Benson at 5 and he went at 13. This year we're debating Catton at 5 and he's being projected in the 8-13 range. Just seems like those small/smallish wingers who don't quite have superstar upside always fall as the bad teams picking high usually have to focus on drafting cornerstone C & D with size and can't justify a small winger unless it's a Marner level of talent.

I wouldn't be upset if Catton ends up being our pick, but I think we're better off sticking to a forward with size given we'd have a good shot at the 2025 draft's rough equivalent to Catton/Benson/Caufield in the 10-15 range next year.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

 

[Skip Bayless]

 

[Hannibal]

First of all, i haven’t seen a complete game from Demidov, but i saw probably all of his highlights packages on youtbe there is. Personnally, i’m not convinced that much his game will translate that much in NA and in the NHL. He wont be doing circle against weak competition here or going against 3 defenders at the same time and coming out with the puck.

What makes you think otherwise? Sell me the kid because im not sold yet.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

RE: Catton the thing I keep coming back to is that these types of players always seem to be available later than we think. In 2019 online fans wanted Caufield at 5-10 and he went to us at 15. Last year we debated Benson at 5 and he went at 13. This year we're debating Catton at 5 and he's being projected in the 8-13 range. Just seems like those small/smallish wingers who don't quite have superstar upside always fall as the bad teams picking high usually have to focus on drafting cornerstone C & D with size and can't justify a small winger unless it's a Marner level of talent.

I wouldn't be upset if Catton ends up being our pick, but I think we're better off sticking to a forward with size given we'd have a good shot at the 2025 draft's rough equivalent to Catton/Benson/Caufield in the 10-15 range next year.

The other consistent thing is that those teams end up regretting it pretty often.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

I'm surprised there isn't much talk about moving up to Anaheim's pick since they seem to want a defenseman. If CHI takes a D-man and CLB is going forward, would ANA not be interested in getting extra assets while still being able to take their guy at 5? Then the Habs can have their pick of the forwards (Demidov).

If Levshunov is there, they will definitely not be willing to trade down.
If he's not there, and Anaheim prefers to draft an LD over Demidov, and they have a couple of LDs equal to each other (ex: Silayev and Dickinson), then there's the possibility of trading down since they could get 1 of those LDs at 5 guaranteed.

If that's the case, then I think Ducks would say yes to 5th + Avs 2nd for 3rd.

 

[waitin425]

If Levshunov is there, they will definitely not be willing to trade down.
If he's not there, and Anaheim prefers to draft an LD over Demidov, and they have a couple of LDs equal to each other (ex: Silayev and Dickinson), then there's the possibility of trading down since they could get 1 of those LDs at 5 guaranteed.

If that's the case, then I think Ducks would say yes to 5th + Avs 2nd for 3rd.

If they shop the third they will have a better offer. Ottawa for example would undoubtedly offer the 7th + 25th. We will have to include the 26th. Which I would do, if it got us Demidov.

 

[Nicko999]

With what the habs already have in their team and system, there is a much bigger need to add a Tkachuk type player than to add a Hughes type player.

Who cares what our needs are right now! 70% of the players currently on the team will be gone in 5 years.

You take BPA. If a player ala Makar is available, would you ignore him simply it's not a need?

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

If they shop the third they will have a better offer. Ottawa for example would undoubtedly offer the 7th + 25th. We will have to include the 26th. Which I would do, if it got us Demidov.

I doubt the Ducks would prefer 7th + 25th over 5th + 57th.
At 5, they can still get whoever they wanted to draft at 3. At 7th, it won't be possible.

The first 6 players drafted could very well be Celebrini, Levshunov, Demidov, Dickinson, Silayev, and Buium. That means at 7th, you're looking at players like Lindstrom, Parekh, Iginla, and Helenius. I don't think any of them particularly interest the ducks. The downgrade isn't worth it just for an extra late 1st round pick. By moving down to 5, there isn't a downgrade (assuming they have 2 LD equal) and they get a free 2nd round pick.

 

[Jabba11]

I genuinely don t understand how Buium is not generating more interest : great puck mover, skater, good defensively, he is basically a taller version of Q Hughes and he has scored much more than him in their respective draft years… I d take him without any hesitation at 5 and I don t see why CHI or ANA or CBJ would not be interested either

Agreed, he's #3 on my list. Behind Celebrini and Demidov.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

I think both Dickinson and Buium are the top 2 D’s in this draft. They are not getting passed the 7th overall if I try to play Nostradamus a bit.

Lev gets picked maybe the 2nd overall because of the RD premium and Silayev will get picked somewhere in there because of his size. It’s a hell of a year to be in the hunt for a Dman.

This is spot on. This is not the draft to over reach for a forward if the one you have targeted is not available. Both Dickinson and Buium project as top pairing defencemen in the NHL. But I wouldn't sleep on Yakemchuck, who I think has the skill, skating, and size to emerge as the top defenceman taken in this draft. If Yakemchuk some how falls to the mid- teens and I was Hughes, I would become super aggressive in trying to convert the 26 OA to be in a position to take this highly talented defenceman. Could you imagine a draft where we took one of Lindstrom/Iginla/Sennecke or Catton and then Yakemchuk? Now that would be a draft to celebrate over.

 

[JoelWarlord]

The other consistent thing is that those teams end up regretting it pretty often.

I don't think that's really consistently true. DeBrincat went way too late, and Broberg, Turcotte, and Soderstrom ahead of Caufield didn't work out, nor did Bennett/Da Colle/Virtanen/Fleury over Nylander and Ehlers, but there are lots of counter examples too.

For instance, I don't think the teams that drafted Cozens, Zegras, Seider, and Boldy ahead of Caufield regret their picks. I don't think Anaheim regrets taking Mintyukov over Nazar, nor does Chicago regret taking Korchinski ahead of Savoie. In 2018 Hayton, Hughes, Boqvist, and Bouchard all went before Wahlstrom (who was consistently ranked in the 5-7 range and above most of those D) and it worked out well for every team that passed on him.

I realize these aren't all exact 1:1 comparisons to Benson/Catton/Caufield etc (and I also realize those three are quite dissimilar to each other) but almost every year there's a high scoring smallish winger that we all fall in love with online and talk about as a top 5 talent who then ends up dropping to the 10-15 range. All of this is to say I don't think we need to think about this year as our last chance to get a forward like that, historically those types of wingers are available from 8-15.

 

[Jabba11]

Konsta Helenius is a great prospect, has all the tools to become a similar player as Sebastian Aho. Give me that at 5, I wouldn't mind.

He's dynamic, has a good shot, good hockey sense, and likes to score.

Not my first choice, but wouldn't be opposed if he ends up our guy. It means they see something special in him.

 

[Kudo Shinichi]

Who cares what our needs are right now? 70% of the players currently on the team will be gone in 5 years.

Having Guhle and Hutson on the left side is the main reason not to draft Buium, and its highly unlikely that they will be gone within 5 years.

They are trying to build a contending team. If you don't look at team needs, then you're not building the team right. It's not much different than looking at players with size when a team already has a lot of smaller players.

You take BPA. If a player ala Makar is available, would you ignore him simply it's not a need?

If Buium is Makar, he will be gone before 5th. In reality, Buium is much more likely to be a 50-60 pts dman than a Makar, and we could very well already have that in Hutson.

 

[Habs Halifax]

I agree. For me passing over Buium for Lindstrom is like passing over Q Hughes to take an injured B Tkachuk because you may have Girard / McDonagh in your D pool.

Fair. I have my BPA's after Celebrini as Dickinson, Demidov, Iggy, Lindstrom but Lindstrom as the 5th wheel and Buium very close to him.

Lindstrom could be a home run pick or a strikeout

If Buium is Makar, he will be gone before 5th. In reality, Buium is much more likely to be a 50-60 pts dman than a Makar, and we could very well already have that in Hutson.

I think Hutson is going to put up a lot of points. The real question is how many goals does he allow and can we shelter him 5/5 well. I do worry about the match-up game in the playoffs and especially final 4 standards. We are aways from reaching that level yet though.

 

[ReHabs]

In the year that Anderon was drafted, he scored 12 goals in 64 games….Lindstrom has scored more then twice as many goals in exactly half the games

(27 goals in 32games)

These are two different players amigo

I didn’t compare the two mec. We’re looking at data points, is all.

 

[Seb]

This is spot on. This is not the draft to over reach for a forward if the one you have targeted is not available. Both Dickinson and Buium project as top pairing defencemen in the NHL. But I wouldn't sleep on Yakemchuck, who I think has the skill, skating, and size to emerge as the top defenceman taken in this draft. If Yakemchuk some how falls to the mid- teens and I was Hughes, I would become super aggressive in trying to convert the 26 OA to be in a position to take this highly talented defenceman. Could you imagine a draft where we took one of Lindstrom/Iginla/Sennecke or Catton and then Yakemchuk? Now that would be a draft to celebrate over.

If I'm Hughes I have 2 targets in the 15-20 range if they fall : Catton and Yakemchuk

If either of them is still available at 15, he better do anything that's possible to trade up.

 

[ReHabs]

RE: Catton the thing I keep coming back to is that these types of players always seem to be available later than we think. In 2019 online fans wanted Caufield at 5-10 and he went to us at 15. Last year we debated Benson at 5 and he went at 13. This year we're debating Catton at 5 and he's being projected in the 8-13 range. Just seems like those small/smallish wingers who don't quite have superstar upside always fall as the bad teams picking high usually have to focus on drafting cornerstone C & D with size and can't justify a small winger unless it's a Marner level of talent.

I wouldn't be upset if Catton ends up being our pick, but I think we're better off sticking to a forward with size given we'd have a good shot at the 2025 draft's rough equivalent to Catton/Benson/Caufield in the 10-15 range next year.

Yeah nobody regrets skipping Benson and Caufield huh

 

[Gustave]

I agree. For me passing over Buium for Lindstrom is like passing over Q Hughes to take an injured B Tkachuk because you may have Girard / McDonagh in your D pool.

It sure is hard to reconcile my thirst for forwards with what’s on the board. We’ll have to see how it goes in the top 4, such an unpredictable draft.

 

[WeThreeKings]

There's no real interest in Helenius, they're not talking about size and skill and taking the guy who's short and skill is a question mark.

 

[sampollock]

Levschunov said he felt “big interest” from the Blackhawks throughout the season.

“We spoke very often this year,” he told me. He spoke to the CH for the first time here, at the Combine. » - Anthony Martineau

 

[Habssince89]

There's no real interest in Helenius, they're not talking about size and skill and taking the guy who's short and skill is a question mark.

Helenius is the decoy choice to drive clicks.

 

[SannywithoutCompy]

Helenius is the decoy choice to drive clicks.

In fairness that's what I thought Reinbacher was too lol

 

[Gustave]

Levschunov said he felt “big interest” from the Blackhawks throughout the season.

“We spoke very often this year,” he told me. He spoke to the CH for the first time here, at the Combine. » - Anthony Martineau

Did they ask him for how long he’s been shaving and if he has kids?? Just to put him in a corner and that he feels shame and finally admits to being a 27 year old…

 

[Habs Halifax]

Levschunov said he felt “big interest” from the Blackhawks throughout the season.

“We spoke very often this year,” he told me. He spoke to the CH for the first time here, at the Combine. » - Anthony Martineau

Seems reasonable to me. Hawks were pretty much bottom 3 or 4 all season. Habs were floating 5th-8th range and Levschunov was the popular top 3 like Zadina was during the draft year. Things have changed a bit with others creeping in the top 5 mix.

I can certainly see Lev slipping to 6th ish like Zadina did.