HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Lockin17]

SJ : Celebrini
CHI : Buium
Ducks : Levshunov
CLB : Lindtsrom
Habs : Demidov


That's the new top 5

 

[Michoulicious]

They're just gonna do it again. I'm out on this decision I can't get behind passing on a forward talent this team hasn't had in 30 plus years, two years in a row, this time for a marginal upgrade on Hutson and our deepest position.

Buium is not mariginal update on Hutson, he's a superior prospect by a fair margin.

He had more production in his draft year than anyone in history, and offered MVP caliber performance on a NCAA championship team AND on a U20 championship team. Hutson was very good, but was in his D+2.

Hutson could end up as the better player in the end, but it is hard to argue that what Buium did in his draft year is remarquable.

 

[Jaynki]

Doesn't defend better than Guhle, doesn't create offense better than Hutson. Average sized, average athletic tools. He's not gonna be on PK1 or PP1, and then he has to be a 95% percentile hockey IQ guy to be a 1D.

I can't think of a potential pick that makes less than sense than Buium.



Not even comical, just indefensible and probably the biggest galaxy braining ever done by a franchise. I got the Reinbacher, eat your vegetables take the high floor, smooth skating RD with size.. I don't get taking the average Buium who is a left shot.

Leaving the critical 3 drafts for the franchise with Slafkovsky, Reinbacher and Buium is sentencing this team to another rebuild.

Buium and Reinbacher has the potential to be an absolute elite top pairing in the NHL and Slafkovsky is the unicorn.

Add to this the excellent young players we already have and i think it would sentence us for a decade of success.

 

[habsjosh2k2]

I'm one of the biggest pessimists when it comes to the Habs and their decision making but I think there is some overreaction here to the Arpon Basu article. He mentions multiple times that this is just a hypothetical scenario and he could have easily used a different set of forwards and defenceman for the same analysis. He also has the disclaimer early on that he truly doesn't know where the Canadiens stand on either Demidov or Buium, or who they would take in this scenario.

The only takeaway I see from this article is that a defenceman is a real possibility despite our larger need for a forward, but all else being equal, they would still lean forward. If they do project Buium better than Demidov, then they could go that route but nowhere does he say they do in fact value him more, or even see them as equal.

And if this does matter to you, Buium is still a huge underdog on all betting sites to go 5.

 

[WeThreeKings]

And you don’t think this is the case with Sennecke? The average Habs fan would welcome a Dman who had a historic season in the NCAA at 5 much more warmly than they would a player that only managed pedestrian numbers in the OHL cuz growth spurts and magic beans.

I think the attempt to get a top line forward will be more welcome than adding a left shot defenseman to which we already have a log jam and you can't make a meaningful argument his defensive game or offensive game is better than the options in the system and on the team now.

It is kinda written black on white.

I will ask you a question :

Dress a top 10 defenseman in the NHL. Now, when selecting a player in the draft who should enter this elite category, what should its draft year looks like

Buium checks every single boxes.

I think Demidov and Lindstrom have gamebreaking talent so i want them at 5 but no teams in the NHL is deep enough at defense to spit on Buium potential. Especially not us with our plethora of potential #2-3D but no clear true 1D.

Buium lacks pretty much everything that a top D needs.

Elite skating? Nope.
Size? Nope.
Elite defensive game? Nope.
High end shot? Nope.

You have to be so convinced that he's one of the smartest players in the NHL if he's gonna be a 1D. That's a bet you will lose more than you win.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Buium is not mariginal update on Hutson, he's a superior prospect by a fair margin.

He had more production in his draft year than anyone in history, and offered MVP caliber performance on a NCAA championship team AND on a U20 championship team. Hutson was very good, but was in his D+2.

Hutson could end up as the better player in the end, but it is hard to argue that what Buium did in his draft year is remarquable.

Denver inflates numbers all of the time.. the tools are what matter and Hutson's offensive tools are better than Buium's.

 

[PavelBrendl]

I think the attempt to get a top line forward will be more welcome than adding a left shot defenseman to which we already have a log jam and you can't make a meaningful argument his defensive game or offensive game is better than the options in the system and on the team now.



Buium lacks pretty much everything that a top D needs.

Elite skating? Nope.
Size? Nope.
Elite defensive game? Nope.
High end shot? Nope.

You have to be so convinced that he's one of the smartest players in the NHL if he's gonna be a 1D. That's a bet you will lose more than you win.

You certainly could make an argument for Buium being the best Dman in the Habs’ system but like you say about Sennecke, “some people just don’t want to understand”.

Which is clearly the case for you, since you’ve been making lazy and reductive assessments about every top Dman in favour of pounding the table for the biggest project in the draft cuz F good, D bad.

 

[WinterLion]

Luckily this management team does not do things to please the fans... They will take the guy they think will help the team succeed.

Denver inflates numbers all of the time.. the tools are what matter and Hutson's offensive tools are better than Buium's.

If you know all of this then the scouting staff certainly does, so relax.

 

[salbutera]

 

[WeThreeKings]

You certainly could make an argument for Buium being the best Dman in the Habs’ system but like you say about Sennecke, “some people just don’t want to understand”.

Which is clearly the case for you, since you’ve been making lazy and reductive assessments about every top Dman in favour of pounding the table for the biggest project in the draft cuz F good, D bad.

You could make that argument but you can't argue that any of his tools are better than the equivalents in the system on his own SIDE. He's not a better defender than Guhle. He's unlikely to be a better point producer than Hutson.

He lacks the size and skating to handle taking the defensive match-ups he will have to take as a 1D on the team. To the point where you almost assuredly want Guhle or Reinbacher on the ice in defensive situations. In offensive situations you'd want Hutsons playmaking and Mailloux's shot before you would want Buium's.

And no, if they took Parekh, I'd at least understand it because he'd be a right shot defenseman with the skating and shooting ability to be productive. I don't have to bet on him being one of the smartest players in the entire world for him to make an impact because the tools are better.

Luckily this management team does not do things to please the fans... They will take the guy they think will help the team succeed.



If you know all of this then the scouting staff certainly does, so relax.

Some people see things differently. I could be right, I could be wrong. All that matters is what they think but they have to be right and I don't think they're gonna be with that bet.

 

[Jaynki]

I think the attempt to get a top line forward will be more welcome than adding a left shot defenseman to which we already have a log jam and you can't make a meaningful argument his defensive game or offensive game is better than the options in the system and on the team now.



Buium lacks pretty much everything that a top D needs.

Elite skating? Nope.
Size? Nope.
Elite defensive game? Nope.
High end shot? Nope.

You have to be so convinced that he's one of the smartest players in the NHL if he's gonna be a 1D. That's a bet you will lose more than you win.

I do agree he does not fit the archetype of a top pairing D whereas Levshunov, Silayev and Dickinson does.

Tho, i would not cap his ceiling based on him not having one elite physical skill.

It is the overall package and the sums of his game in my opinion that distinguish him from the pack.

The way he uses his body and positioning in the d-zone to recover puck and then he is extremely efficient at starting the rush. Elite transition game.

The way he can dangle a la Hutson in the o-zone to open lanes, get on the inside and the vision he often display to connect with his teammate. Elite IQ.

Sorry for parroting the same bad sentences again, but i believe no team in the league is deep enough on D to spite on this type of upside and the magnificient season he had from day 1. Especially not us. We have many good young LD but i don't think we have that 1D PMD. Maybe Hutson? Still, to me having both Buium and Hutson is not an overkill but rather a f***ing nightmare for the opposition.

 

[PavelBrendl]

You could make that argument but you can't argue that any of his tools are better than the equivalents in the system on his own SIDE. He's not a better defender than Guhle. He's unlikely to be a better point producer than Hutson.

He lacks the size and skating to handle taking the defensive match-ups he will have to take as a 1D on the team. To the point where you almost assuredly want Guhle or Reinbacher on the ice in defensive situations. In offensive situations you'd want Hutsons playmaking and Mailloux's shot before you would want Buium's.

And no, if they took Parekh, I'd at least understand it because he'd be a right shot defenseman with the skating and shooting ability to be productive. I don't have to bet on him being one of the smartest players in the entire world for him to make an impact because the tools are better.



Some people see things differently. I could be right, I could be wrong. All that matters is what they think but they have to be right and I don't think they're gonna be with that bet.

When was Markov ever the biggest D on the team? The best skater? The most physical? The hardest shooting? The best pure defender? Never. But there’s also very little debate that he was by far the most valuable Defenceman the Habs have had at any point in the last 30 years.

But it’s clear that you value individual tools over anything else so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[WeThreeKings]

When was Markov ever the biggest D on the team? The best skater? The most physical? The hardest shooting? The best pure defender? Never. But there’s also very little debate that he was by far the most valuable Defenceman the Habs have had at any point in the last 30 years.

But it’s clear that you value individual tools over anything else so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I do value tools when you have to project players.

Making the bet that Buium will be one of the highest IQ defenders in the entire league is a pretty substantial bet. If it isn't true, then he is a bust of epic proportions.

That's why it shouldn't pass the smell test - you won't survive busting a LD in the top 5 of this particular build.

I would hear plenty of arguments elsewhere.

Levshunov is there? Absolutely you take him.

Silayev instead of Buium? Sure, you can make a very clear argument that Silayev's defensive upside would be the highest of any prospect we have.

Parekh? You can make the very clear argument that he would be the best offensive defenseman by leaps and bounds on the right side of the defense.

If you want to bet Buium is that level of smart, go for it, I won't.. but if you are wrong, you are wrong and you won't survive being wrong. I don't see how you get there when Chicago doesn't think so. Anaheim doesn't think so. Columbus doesn't think so.

If you're making the argument that Buium is leagues above Guhle and Hutson.. then you'd be making the same argument for Kevin Korchinski and Alex Vlasic. You'd be making it for Mintyukov and Zellweger. You'd be making it for Mateychuk.

 

[Jaynki]

Buium not the best defensive D of the draft. Its Silayev. But Buium has an edge on every single other aspect of the game and his defensive game is not a red flag. Its actually a net positive.

Buium not the best offensive D, that is probably Parekh. But Buium is not far behind and the rest of their game is a f***ing clear edge to Buium like its not even close. And Buium offensive game is absolutely great

Levshunov, Dickinson, taller, physical, impressive skater and physical tools. Both makes lot of blunder. I believe Buium, despite having less athletic tools than them is simply a better hockey player. Better defensively then these two as they both makes frequent blunders. Better offensively. Better offensively. Just overall a way more efficient blueliner than those two in all 3 zones.

All of this to say, lets wish for Demidov because that would one hell of a party, lets just not panic if it's Buium because it is one hell of a blue chip prospect with mega upside too.

 

[Deebs]

I'm not a Buium hater, I think he's an excellent player. However, if players such as Lindstrom or Demidov are available and we don't pick them, it's definitely a head scratcher given our massive deficiency in offensive talent/scoring.

Imo, Buium and Hutson can't be on the same team given their defensive liabilities. Both guys will be required to play 20 minutes a night when they both mature and are at their peak. They are basically the same player with a few minor tweaks here and there.

So by picking Buium, do we trade Hutson for a similar aged forward, very possible and should be probable. The return could be solid so I'll reserve final judgement.

Do we go defensemen in the draft but forward in the upcoming free agency periods...I guess it's possible and again, I'll reserve judgement.

Selecting Buium wouldn't be something I would do, but alas, I'm on my laptop and not in management so I'll sit back and let things play out. There could be a larger gameplan involving trades and whatnot in the works so monkeys at the top.....entertain me

 

[Jaynki]

I do value tools when you have to project players.

Making the bet that Buium will be one of the highest IQ defenders in the entire league is a pretty substantial bet. If it isn't true, then he is a bust of epic proportions.

That's why it shouldn't pass the smell test - you won't survive busting a LD in the top 5 of this particular build.

I would hear plenty of arguments elsewhere.

Levshunov is there? Absolutely you take him.

Silayev instead of Buium? Sure, you can make a very clear argument that Silayev's defensive upside would be the highest of any prospect we have.

Parekh? You can make the very clear argument that he would be the best offensive defenseman by leaps and bounds on the right side of the defense.

Buium defensive game is a net positive tho and the rest of his game are a couple of level above Silayev. (I very like Silayev too and would be very fine with him at 5).

Buium offensive game is not far below Parekh, rest of their game is an absolute edge to Buium and its not even close.

Where Buium is not the 1st in any category, he is the close 2nd and generally eclipse the 1st one in a specific category in the rest of the sums of their games.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I'm not a Buium hater, I think he's an excellent player. However, if players such as Lindstrom or Demidov are available and we don't pick them, it's definitely a head scratcher given our massive deficiency in offensive talent/scoring.

Imo, Buium and Hutson can't be on the same team given their defensive liabilities. Both guys will be required to play 20 minutes a night when they both mature and are at their peak. They are basically the same player with a few minor tweaks here and there.

So by picking Buium, do we trade Hutson for a similar aged forward, very possible and should be probable. The return could be solid so I'll reserve final judgement.

Do we go defensemen in the draft but forward in the upcoming free agency periods...I guess it's possible and again, I'll reserve judgement.

Selecting Buium wouldn't be something I would do, but alas, I'm on my laptop and not in management so I'll sit back and let things play out. There could be a larger gameplan involving trades and whatnot in the works so monkeys at the top.....entertain me

He's an excellent player who just doesn't make any sense for us here.. especially with Demidov on the board.

Looking a gift horse in the mouth two years in a row in this scenario and deciding that this team that hasn't had a PPG forward since Kovalev or a 100 point scorer since Naslund should take a defenseman that's toolkit isn't even rare. I just can't get there. I absolutely can't get there for this franchise.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

Denver inflates numbers all of the time.. the tools are what matter and Hutson's offensive tools are better than Buium's.

Are you implying that Denver intentionally inflates it's players stas?.......that certainly is not the case if that is indeed what you are attempting to communicate.

His stats are inflated due to playing on a great team that has a ton of offensive talent and a play style to exploit that talent but there is no evidence of any stat tampering nor are there any actual accusations.

 

[Jaynki]

I'm not a Buium hater, I think he's an excellent player. However, if players such as Lindstrom or Demidov are available and we don't pick them, it's definitely a head scratcher given our massive deficiency in offensive talent/scoring.

Imo, Buium and Hutson can't be on the same team given their defensive liabilities. Both guys will be required to play 20 minutes a night when they both mature and are at their peak. They are basically the same player with a few minor tweaks here and there.

So by picking Buium, do we trade Hutson for a similar aged forward, very possible and should be probable. The return could be solid so I'll reserve final judgement.

Do we go defensemen in the draft but forward in the upcoming free agency periods...I guess it's possible and again, I'll reserve judgement.

Selecting Buium wouldn't be something I would do, but alas, I'm on my laptop and not in management so I'll sit back and let things play out. There could be a larger gameplan involving trades and whatnot in the works so monkeys at the top.....entertain me

Dont get needs get in the face of prospect evaluation. Buium may have bigger upside then Demidov or Lindstrom

Also, Hutson and Buium is not a problem for the team icing them. It is a problem, and a major one, for the team facing them 40 min +/night.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Buium defensive game is a net positive tho and the rest of his game are a couple of level above Silayev. (I very like Silayev too and would be very fine with him at 5).

Buium offensive game is not far below Parekh, rest of their game is an absolute edge to Buium and its not even close.

Where Buium is not the 1st in any category, he is the close 2nd and generally eclipse the 1st one in a specific category in the rest of the sums of their games.

I wouldn't be so sure.. he's fine in college, but the NHL is a league with better skaters and bigger forwards. He doesn't have the skating to defend against high end skaters. He doesn't have the build to defend against bigger forwards who lean on the cycle. Who are you having him defend against?

And you are proving my point, he's not first in any category - that makes sense for a team with a lot of needs on their blueline. It doesn't make sense when he is the 2nd option of left shot defenseman already on our team.

A top 5 pick who doesn't play your top PK or top PP isn't a 1D. Not for me. So taking what would amount to situationally your 2/3D at 5.. who is a left shot, our smallest need.. I just can't find the logic in it. Unless you truly, truly believe that his IQ is practically unmatched in the NHL. I can't get there with a degree of certainty. There's more risk in Buium's profile for this franchise than Demidov's, so I would begin to seriously question the thought process of the management team and amateur scouting staff if they came to that conclusion.

 

[Doublechin]

Demidov is my undisputed 2nd ranked prospect this year but Buium might be third. This isn't another Reinbacher, I think Buium is a grade above DR in everything other than size.

Sure he doesn't make sense as an LD but he's played tons at the right and the word is that he might prefer playing the right. So they might see him as an RD hence the sudden massive interest.

That said, I'd way prefer Demidov but taking Buium over Demidov hurts way less than Reinbacher over Leonard for me overall

 

[MrNasty]

FWIW on my consenus ranking (30 lists), Buium is now tied with Levshunov as top ranked defensemen. Still have some final lists to come out with their final rankings, including McKenzie but Buium is consistently ranked very high.

 

[Deebs]

Dont get needs get in the face of prospect evaluation. Buium may have bigger upside then Demidov or Lindstrom

Also, Hutson and Buium is not a problem for the team icing them. It is a problem, and a major one, for the team facing them 40 min +/night.

He very well may. The issue I see with our club is not on defense though, it's on forward. We've lacked in this area for a couple of decades now and have the chance to improve and build without having to go the free agency route for a potential corps player. Seems like a great opportunity to make some headway at forward.

But again, maybe there's a few trades in the works we don't know about and it will all workout fine.

 

[Jaynki]

this team that hasn't had a
PPG forward since Kovalev or a 100 point scorer since Naslund should take a defenseman that's toolkit isn't even rare. I just can't get there. I absolutely can't get there for this franchise.

This type of thinking led us to KK over Brady Tkachuk. We never had a 1C since 30 years.

The opposite of this type of thinking gaved us Carey Price. We had Theo, and there was Brule !

The failure from the decades and the current needs will only taint our analysis in the wrong way.

Its all about selecting the best at 5, relative to his peers.

 

[HabsCode]

Wishlist: Demidov, Lindstrom, Iginla, Silayev, Sennecke in that order.

Tho we will probably end up with Buium or Dickinson because those feel like Montreal type of pick.

The good news is that we most likely pick top 7 next season so a top 6 forward prospect is still not out of reach for our 2027 cup run.