HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[McGees]

I don't expect Dickinson to go 3 at all - seems lower with NHL teams than you'd expect. I think 3 is Silayev and I don't see CBJ going Demidov over Lindstrom.

It looks like Celebrini-Lev-Silayev-Lindstrom-Demidov to me, but two weeks out so plenty of room for that perception to change.

McCagg said CBJ would likely go Demidov/Sennecke/Lindstrom and to me sounded like Demidov was preference

Ducks are bit of wildcard...he seemed to think they liked Yakemchuk or another who I forget rn (sennecke or Demidov maybe?)

 

[MTL Dirty Birdy]

If Carbo was a two way player, so is Danault. The issue some have with Danault is how he sneaked his way to becoming a solid 2 way center in the 2nd half of his prime years. Same issue some have with Matheson right now. They see who he was and can't believe who he has become in his later 20's.

Danault is 70th in pts/game over the last 239 games with the Kings (min 50 games played for centers). His prorated stats during his time with the Kings is 0.64. That prorates to 53 pts in a 82 game season. ROR during this same span was at 0.74 pts/game.

Sorry bud but Danault is a two way center. With the Habs, we started him 60+% of the time in the D zone. With the Kings, it's more like 50-55%. This is why his point and goal totals have increased a bit with the Kings.

He was also getting PP time with the kings in his first two seasons I believe. Never saw that with the Habs. Putting up 45-55 points mostly even strength and to be near elite in a shutdown role is most definitely a solid second line two way center. Love the post!

If Silayev is the pick, I quit my job, I quit my girlfriend, I quit everything and I will become no-binary trans women.

But Kev…. Would that mean you identify as a rainbow warrior??? . I hope for you that we dont draft Silayev haha

 

[MarkovsKnee]

Do we know why Columbus is dead set at getting a forward at #4?

Their forwards are mostly grinders. They have OK prospect depth on D. They need scoring.

 

[Naslund]

If the right team grabs him, boy oh boy will a lot of teams have regrets.

If it's Ottawa, then he'll be a player, but I'm sure they will find a way to screw it up.

That last sentence is an oxymoron.

 

[JoelWarlord]

Dunno why people are so quick to forget Samuel Morin or Jared Cowen or Logan Brown, but players whose best asset is being big don't have a floor.

Sure but Silayev isn't one of those players. Silayev's best asset is being an excellent skater at 6'7 (and not just "for his size") who can already play real minutes and produce in a top pro league. That doesn't mean he'll be Victor Hedman 2.0 but he's not anything like a Cowen/Morin type of prospect. Those guys poured cement into their skates and gloves before every game and could barely produce in the CHL.

 

[Naslund]

Their forwards are mostly grinders. They have OK prospect depth on D. They need scoring.

Fantilli
Sillinger
Johnson
Chinakhov
Gaudreau (many more years)
Laine
Marchenko
Texier

Not enough grinders may be the problem.

 

[Trabdy2]

Why is Demidov so far ahead of Catton?

In my view, I'd say Demidov is more dynamic and creative offensively, and he has the skills he needs to support it. He seems to adapt quickly to defender positioning and problem solve pretty organically when driving a play. The hard plays seem very easy for him, and he sees things other players probably either don't see or wouldn't attempt. I don't think that Catton is bad at these things (in fact he's very good at them too), I just think that Demidov is a good half step above in these areas.

Also, I believe Demidov is an inch or so taller than Catton, which wouldn't hurt his case.

 

[HURRICANES ROCK]

Would be nice to get our hands on the 10th or 11th picks and still have our 5th. I think if Hughes can't find a trade to add another pick, he will consider trading down with our 5th. Personally, I want us to keep it simple and take Iggy 5th but there is a part of me that thinks Gorton/Hughes and our scouts will like all of Iggy, Sennecke, Eiserman.

What would we get if we trade down from 5 to 10th or 11th? Not sure but maybe we use that asset to have two picks from 9-14 range. That's an angle not many of us are considering.

No chance whatsoever they trade down.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

That last sentence is an oxymoron.

Only if in a binary matrix. I think Demidov could be more than just a randy dangler in the NHL.

Something in that Kanata water...

 

[Naslund]

Just draft Iginla if you want to sleep well at night. No brainer. He will be a giant pain to play against. Gallagher-type player, but with talent and good size. When players falter as they go through the playoffs, he will have the strength to keep going. It's such an easy pick to make. We already have Dach, Suzuki, Slafkovsky, Caufield, Newhook and Roy. We don't need to reach for a risky miracle pick. Will Sennecke/Demidov be physically strong enough to be impactful players, will Lindstrom be skilled/healthy enough? Pick the kid that is a guarantee to make life very difficult for the opposition. With Iginla, the floor is extremely high, the ceiling remains unpredictable. Also, he is a perfect fit for Dach, who needs a goal scorer.

Only if in a binary matrix. I think Demidov could be more than just a randy dangler in the NHL.

Something in that Kanata water...

You are overthinking this.

 

[Playmaker09]

Sure but Silayev isn't one of those players. Silayev's best asset is being an excellent skater at 6'7 (and not just "for his size") who can already play real minutes and produce in a top pro league. That doesn't mean he'll be Victor Hedman 2.0 but he's not anything like a Cowen/Morin type of prospect. Those guys poured cement into their skates and gloves before every game and could barely produce in the CHL.

Outside of a two week hot streak Silayev hasn't produced anywhere either. Not in the MHL, not in his in his D-1.

 

[HuGo Sham]

so funny, my weak-sauce, insider friend who was insisting we were taking Iginla, is now saying habs seriously considering a
dman at 5. (I'm fond of him and he's not a flake.)
Apparently if Lindstrom is drafted before 5 OR they're not convinced his back is solid, they'll draft a dman.
what if Cale Makar is waiting to be picked?
He has a point, will be fascinating to see what they do after, if they go D again.
I assume one of the untouchables like Mailloux ...or even Guhle (hope not) might be dealt for that young F

 

[Skip Bayless]

so funny, my weak-sauce, insider friend who was insisting we were taking Iginla, is now saying habs seriously considering a
dman at 5. (I'm fond of him and he's not a flake.)
Apparently if Lindstrom is drafted before 5 OR they're not convinced his back is solid, they'll draft a dman.
what if Cale Makar is waiting to be picked?
He has a point, will be fascinating to see what they do after, if they go D again.
I assume one of the untouchables like Mailloux ...or even Guhle (hope not) might be dealt for that young F

It’s the way to go. Take the BPA even if its a D, or if a team wants to move up, they need to pay up.

 

[McGees]

Also, I believe Demidov is an inch or so taller than Catton, which wouldn't hurt his case.

Over 2 inches actually but not sure his weight yet

 

[Garbageyuk]

Dunno why people are so quick to forget Samuel Morin or Jared Cowen or Logan Brown, but players whose best asset is being big don't have a floor.

Thankfully, that’s not the case with Silayev.

 

[L4br3cqu3]

It’s the way to go. Take the BPA even if its a D, or if a team wants to move up, they need to pay up.

That's what I also think, and then trade from strengths to address weaknesses. Like the Dach trade. Of course having a GM who's not afraid to trade assets is a must for this to work, and ideally smart/creative/bold.

We need forwards, but if Lindstrom/Demidov are drafted ahead of us, wouldn't mind Dickinson/Levshunov at all instead, they'd instantly become our best D prospects.

 

[sheed36]

Just saw this on sportsnet from Jason Bukala. Would it be a yay or nay from you for this hypothetical pick swap trade he adds between the Habs and Flames?

I believe the Habs will be debating which forward they value the most in the top 16 of the draft. They could be staring at Iginla, hulking forward Cayden Lindstrom or elite offensive talent Berkly Catton. If I was running Montreal’s table I would make the pick, but I also would answer the phone if, say Calgary, called to offer me a swap of picks that might look like this:


To Montreal: 2024 first-round pick (ninth overall), 2024 first-round pick (28th overall)
To Calgary: 2024 first-round pick (fifth overall), 2024 second-round pick (57th overall)

Full article.

Scout's Analysis: 5 players who could disrupt NHL Draft boards

After Macklin Celebrini's name is called first at the NHL Draft, anything could happen. Jason Bukala writes about a group of prospects who could go earlier, or later, than expected and shake up the first round.

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[Gustave]

Just saw this on sportsnet from Jason Bukala. Would it be a yay or nay from you for this hypothetical pick swap trade he adds between the Habs and Flames?



Full article.

Scout's Analysis: 5 players who could disrupt NHL Draft boards

After Macklin Celebrini's name is called first at the NHL Draft, anything could happen. Jason Bukala writes about a group of prospects who could go earlier, or later, than expected and shake up the first round.

www.sportsnet.ca

The cost is prohibitive if we have to give back our second rounder too. Not a fan at all, it think it serves no purpose.

 

[jrom]

Just saw this on sportsnet from Jason Bukala. Would it be a yay or nay from you for this hypothetical pick swap trade he adds between the Habs and Flames?



Full article.

Scout's Analysis: 5 players who could disrupt NHL Draft boards

After Macklin Celebrini's name is called first at the NHL Draft, anything could happen. Jason Bukala writes about a group of prospects who could go earlier, or later, than expected and shake up the first round.

www.sportsnet.ca

We need high picks, not more overall draft value

 

[WeThreeKings]

McCagg said CBJ would likely go Demidov/Sennecke/Lindstrom and to me sounded like Demidov was preference

Ducks are bit of wildcard...he seemed to think they liked Yakemchuk or another who I forget rn (sennecke or Demidov maybe?)

McCagg has said a bunch of things over the last two weeks - Basu and Godin just said they don't think CBJ is all that high on Demidov.

They also walked back the Buium/Parekh thinking and talked about Sennecke's development curve being like Slaf's, and they perceive Sennecke as a more likely pick than Iginla if they go in that direction should Demidov and Lindstrom be gone at 5.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It’s gonna be awesome when we draft Eiserman at 5th and all y’all melt down.

 

[Riggins]

It’s gonna be awesome when we draft Eiserman at 5th and all y’all melt down.

We'll draft Eiserman 14th after Grier makes a dumb trade down with us.

 

[Team_Spirit]

The Stars align

https://x.com/i/web/status/1802824897028333617

 

[Pompeius Magnus]

The Stars align

https://x.com/i/web/status/1802824897028333617

Heck, he already has the right attitude and outlook on life. Kid after my own heart

 

[dinodebino]

I'll be as straight forward as I can be right now.

It's not about Iginla being more "predictable" than "the rest".
It's about Sennecke being less "predictable" than "the rest".

You can make an argument for a whole lot of players at 5.

Lindstrom showed he can be downright dominant, plays with pugnacity, and scored as many goals as Sennecke on a full year in... 32 games.

Demidov did what no other prospect before him did in the MHL, no matter how poor people say the calibre is in that league.

Iginla just had a very good 17 years old season, being one of the top goal scorers in the whole CHL, while being one of the youngest players in this draft.

Hell, you can even make an argument for Catton, who had a season for the ages, and for Eiserman, who did what nobody did before him in the USHL.

All of these guys have showed they can actually elevate their game an be dominant in a way or another.

Then, you have Beckett Sennecke, a guy who by all means struggled to hit a point per game in the OHL, and who is being sold here as the second coming of God, but who somehow struggled to product consistently, and is going to get his game to the next level and do something he's never done because "GrOwTh SpUrT". A guy who Scott Wheeler reported that his off-ice reputation was average at best as early as this season.

And that's just taking the empirical data. I won't even get into how freaking disengaged and awkward this guy looks on the ice. Of course people will all put this under the "GrOwTh SpUrT" excuse. But this is the point; You should not justify picking a guy who has that many question marks around him because "GrOwTh SpUrT".

It's a hit-or-miss, and you should not go after hit-or-misses with a 5th overally pick, and pray the guy you drafted is going to do something he's NEVER done before - product consistently/be dominant.

People come up with all kinds of excuses you should not have to make for a 5th overall pick. People will say numbers don't matter and Scheifele didn't have tremendous numbers in his draft season. They'll also disregard how Scheifele is not the norm and how Scheifele is pretty much what every team wants to add to its arsenal - a right-handed C with good size. That alone motivated the reach.

He might just pan out and beat the odds. If so, props to the ones who saw it coming. But if he busts and Iginla becomes what he's pretty much anticipated to become - a fine sniper with a good all-around game and good level of compete - this is a fireable offense. ESPECIALLY considering the shallow depth of our prospects pool up front. ESPECIALLY knowing how much of a perfect duo he'd make with Kirby Dach.

The fact is that if you're drafting Sennecke, you're drafting a guy who hasn't even showed he can do what you draft him for consistently. And who does things that are simply not translatable in the NHL at junior, and who can't even pull it off consistently.

Hell, if that guy is really in the discussions I'd still rather take a chance with one of the Ds.

Admit it, seriously: did you copy paste the growth spurt part in this post? I would have.