HF Habs: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Barriwhite]

One thing for sure, I'm 100% with that scouting staff.

In 2022 draft, they nailed it. Slaf, Mesar, Beck, Hutson, Engstrom and Rohrer. That's solid picks. Slaf is literally a futur star type of guy. Hutson have that potential aswell.

In 2023 draft, they select a top premiere D-man in Reinbacher, his pre-season with Habs and AHL 11 games are really promising. He can become a very very good two-way D in NHL, high potential.

Fowler, Konyushkov, Volokhin, Miller and Xhekaj... that's a lot of good potential right there. I'm very high on Fowler and Volokhin.

I'm confident with that #5 but also with the another picks aswell, they can nailed it again and draft a lot of good potential.

No matter if it's a F or D at 5, I'm totally fine with adding a great talent in this team. We need talent, that's it.

Mesar? Especially over Kulich?

 

[Jaynki]

Mesar? Especially over Kulich?

Mesar is a blunder but the 2022 draft is still stellar and the best for our org since 2007. May even end up better than 2007.

Kulich is also overrated. Small winger who plays in periphery. May have a good journeyman career but i don't think we are looking at a player that would have solved anything on for our rebuild.

We killed the drafting odds in 2022 despite this blunder. Slaf, Beck, Hutson, Engstrom is an awesome haul. Lets not forget Dach.

Finally, Kulich before Beck and Hutson may end up un esti de blunder too.

 

[Barriwhite]

Mesar is a blunder but the 2022 draft is still stellar and the best for our org since 2007. May even end up better than 2007.

Kulich is also overrated. Small winger who plays in periphery. May have a good journeyman career but i don't think we are looking at a player that would have solved anything on for our rebuild.

We killed the drafting odds in 2022 despite this blunder. Slaf, Beck, Hutson, Engstrom is an awesome haul. Lets not forget Dach.

Finally, Kulich before Beck and Hutson may end up un esti de blunder too.

I agree pretty much with all you said, but the Mesar pick still has me scratching my head every time I’m reminded of it.

 

[Balthazar]

Wheelers final prediction is

Celebrini at 1
Levshunov 2
Silayev 3
Demidov 4
Lindstrom 5

So Wheeler believes that Columbus will draft Demidov, which isn't good news.

 

[Balthazar]

Wheeler on Montreal:

In the unlikely event that both Lindstrom and Demidov are available, I do wonder if the winds are blowing in Demidov’s direction. And if they do surprise and go with a D, I’d guess that Buium makes the most sense logically.

 

[Jaynki]

I agree pretty much with all you said, but the Mesar pick still has me scratching my head every time I’m reminded of it.

Well its a blunder but its also a common occurence with 26OV picks.

 

[salbutera]

So Wheeler believes that Columbus will draft Demidov, which isn't good news.

I get Waddell wasn’t with the org at the time, but Bobrovsky, Panarin and other Russian players bolting from Columbus at first chance due to lack of Russian community … could that play a factor in not selecting Demigod?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

It's not the same thing at all. Only one goalie plays in a game (unless pulled which you don't play for). Six D play. Jose Theodore had just won the Hart and Vezina trophies. As deep as our D pool is, we probably don't have a Norris trophy candidate in the system or even a true #1 D.

It is when you have an overload at a position. How many times are you going to draft for the same spot? At this point it would be crazy to do it. Which is why it’s not going to happen.

We already have to trade Matheson plus Harris, Barron, Struble, Engstrom… now you want us to have to add Hutson or Guhle to that pile. Plus we’d have to wait even longer for Buiun to develop.

Yes, at this point it’s the same thing as drafting a goalie repeatedly in the first round.

He and Dickinson could well turn out to be awesome players. But based on what we know of them TODAY they aren’t ranked as high as Demidov. And there are forwards ranked just as high. It doesn’t make sense not to go that way.

This regime has only taken one D so far with its three 1st round picks.

They’ve only had two drafts. And we won the lottery with Hutson and maybe Engstrom as well.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Whoever the Habs draft at #5 next weekend is with almost certainty not playing in the NHL this upcoming season. The draft isn't the only way to address gaps.

But it’s the best way. It’s how cup winning teams build their rosters.

There’s no clear BPA here. Some are talking like Buium’s the best while others think it’s Dickinson… you might not even get the best LD.

Don’t overthink this. We need a forward. Great ones are available. Go that direction.

 

[le_sean]

Yeah I'm sure Arpon watched all his games we probably have guys on our forum who saw more games than he did.
I never got the fascination with what Basu says on this board?

To me he's no better than any of the other shills we are subject to in our market.

Arpon is literally present at every game. It’s his job.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

You are overthinking all of this.

It would be a catastrophe to settle for a top 6 forward when we could have had an elite 1LD.

Which elite LD? You say it’s Buium, others say it’s a no brainer for Dickinson.

And I love the way you just skiff the forwards off like they’re scrubs.

We all have our own view and preference but if Lindstrom and Demidov are gone by the time we pick, it means one of Silayev or Buium is there (or Lev). It would be such a shame to settle for a lesser forward at the expense of one of those D in the name of already having a plethora of good #2-3. Needing a forward, etc.

And what about Dickinson? Others have said he’s the no brainer.

The reality is that there are no sure things in this draft. Rankings are everywhere. There is no the clear cut guy above everyone. If he was then this thread wouldn’t be adding 20 pages a day.

Given what we know and our circumstances it makes no sense to take an LD. That doesn’t mean Buium might not be the BPA or go on to stardom. He could very well do that. But today, given what we know now and our circumstances? Take the forward.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

So Wheeler believes that Columbus will draft Demidov, which isn't good news.

Wheeler is as much a nobody as could possibly be so why would anyone put any stock in his very amateur opinion.

People.....stop giving credit to fake scouts......they are no different to most of the posters on these boards who have not seen these players live, have no scouting acumen and no connections to NHL teams.

For the love of Gawd!

 

[GrandmaCookie]

Wheeler is as much a nobody as could possibly be so why would anyone put any stock in his very amateur opinion.

People.....stop giving credit to fake scouts......they are no different to most of the posters on these boards who have not seen these players live, have no scouting acumen and no connections to NHL teams.

For the love of Gawd!

Isn’t he a journalist for The Athletic? Surely through out his career he must have develop some connections.

 

[Jaynki]

Which elite LD? You say it’s Buium, others say it’s a no brainer for Dickinson.

And I love the way you just skiff the forwards off like they’re scrubs.

And what about Dickinson? Others have said he’s the no brainer.

The reality is that there are no sure things in this draft. Rankings are everywhere. I’m is not the clear cut guy above everyone. If he was then this thread wouldn’t be adding 20 pages a day.

Given what we know and our circumstances it makes no sense to take an LD. That doesn’t mean Buium might not be the BPA or go on to stardom. He could very well do that. But today, given what we know now and our circumstances? Take the forward.

Dress a list of the top 10 blueliner in the NHL.

To enter this elite category, when selecting a player in his draft year, what should its draft year looks like ?

I have two defenseman that check every boxes in my opinion and those are Buium and Silayev.

Not a knock on Dickinson, Levshunov. They have that top pair archetype profile.

But in my humble opinion, the other two have performed in uncharted territory whereas Dickinson and Levshunov performance are more in-line with what we saw in previous years and they share similar attributes with excellent players but that are not exactly top 10 at their position.

Also, i don't skiff off the forward like they are scrub. Demidov and Lindstrom are constituent of my top 5 with the two Ds and Celebrini. I have no problem with Demidov and Lindstrom above Silayev or Buium because i perceive them as having gamebreaking abilities.

The other forward are very good too and have great profile. I just don't see the upside in them we see in defenseman and i think settling for a lesser forward when we can potentially snag a superstar defenseman would be catastrophic. And the thinking that would lead us there would be things like : we are deep at ld, it makes no sense to go ld. Buium is redundant we have Hutson. We desperately need a forward. We dont have a PPg forward since Mats Naslund... those are all traps and its the type of thinking that may make us blow our pick.

You are right that there is a crop of blue chip prospect and rankings and opinion vary. It may go in many ways and i surely don't pretend to have the truth. My opinion is free and its because it is worthless.

But from the information we have, i believe those 5 have distinguished themselves Celebrini, Buium, Silayev, Demidov and Lindstrom.

They are the one that displayed elite qualities. That have performed in uncharted or extremely elite fashion.

Not a knock on the other player, i certainly won't cry if we draft Iginla. Just that from the information we have, i think this group of 5 have the highest upside. 2/5 are LD.

My humble opinion.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Dress a list of the top 10 blueliner in the NHL.

To enter this elite category, when selecting a player in his draft year, what should its draft year looks like ?

I have two defenseman that check every boxes in my opinion and those are Buium and Silayev.

Not a knock on Dickinson, Levshunov. They have that top pair archetype profile.

But in my humble opinion, the other two have performed in uncharted territory whereas Dickinson and Levshunov performance are more in-line with what we saw in previous years and they share similar attributes with excellent players but that are not exactly top 10 at their position.

Also, i don't skiff off the forward like they are scrub. Demidov and Lindstrom are constituent of my top 5 with the two Ds and Celebrini. I have no problem with Demidov and Lindstrom above Silayev or Buium because i perceive them as having gamebreaking abilities.

The other forward are very good too and have great profile. I just don't see the upside in them we see in defenseman and i think settling for a lesser forward when we can potentially snag a superstar defenseman would be catastrophic. And the thinking that would lead us there would be things like : we are deep at ld, it makes no sense to go ld. Buium is redundant we have Hutson. We desperately need a forward. We dont have a PPg forward since Mats Naslund... those are all traps and its the type of thinking that may make us blow our pick.

You are right that there is a crop of blue chip prospect and rankings and opinion vary. It may go in many ways and i surely don't pretend to have the truth. My opinion is free and its because it is worthless.

But from the information we have, i believe those 5 have distinguished themselves Celebrini, Buium, Silayev, Demidov and Lindstrom.

They are the one that displayed elite qualities. That have performed in uncharted or extremely elite fashion.

Not a knock on the other player, i certainly won't cry if we draft Iginla. Just that from the information we have, i think this group of 5 have the highest upside. 2/5 are LD.

My humble opinion.

im not going to say Buium isn’t going to be a star. I don’t know anymore than anyone here. Truth be told, under different circumstances I’d love to draft him.

But we’re at the point where we’re overstocked in D. To the point where we already are going to have to make trades. And you can’t just bank on trading for a forward. It doesn’t work that easily.

We have a real need up front. To me it’d be crazy not to go that way.

 

[Jaynki]

im not going to say Buium isn’t going to be a star. I don’t know anymore than anyone here. Truth be told, under different circumstances I’d love to draft him.

But we’re at the point where we’re overstocked in D. To the point where we already are going to have to make trades. And you can’t just bank on trading for a forward. It doesn’t work that easily.

We have a real need up front. To me it’d be crazy not to go that way.

I agree that we have major need up front and 5th OV is an obvious way to patch it.

But in my humble opinion, no team in the league is deep enough on defense to ignore Silayev or Buium.

We are overstoked in #2-3-4D. We have none, maybe Hutson, projected 1D. Its as much a need as a top forward.

Again, im not against drafting a forward, but the main focus should be on getting an elite talent, not going into a specific position. My view of the situation can be summarised by this simple thinking and the way i view Buium/Silayev is just the practical way of it.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

I agree that we have major need up front and 5th OV is an obvious way to patch it.

But in my humble opinion, no team in the league is deep enough on defense to ignore Silayev or Buium.

We are overstoked in #2-3-4D. We have none, maybe Hutson, projected 1D. Its as much a need as a top forward.

Again, im not against drafting a forward, but the main focus should be on getting an elite talent, not going into a specific position. My view of the situation can be summarised by this simple thinking and the way i view Buium/Silayev is just the practical way of it.

Guhle is really young and playing great hockey. Hutson looks like he could be an elite blueliner. We already have two guys who look like they could be number ones.

Buium is basically a two inch taller Hutson. We’ve already got someone in that chair and he’s NHL ready. Why are we going to trade that away for the same thing?

At what point do you just trust in what you’ve got and build where you need to?

 

[CheldishGamibno]

I get Waddell wasn’t with the org at the time, but Bobrovsky, Panarin and other Russian players bolting from Columbus at first chance due to lack of Russian community … could that play a factor in not selecting Demigod?

Right now it's different though with Chinakhov, Marchenko and Voronkov as their young russian core. No doubt in my mind Waddell picks Demidov if he's available unfortunately.

 

[Jaynki]

Guhle is really young and playing great hockey. Hutson looks like he could be an elite blueliner. We already have two guys who look like they could be number ones.

I’m is basically a two inch taller Hutson. We’ve already got someone in that chair and he’s NHL ready. Why are we going to trade that away for the same thing?

At what point do you just trust in what you’ve got and build where you need to?

Again, your point are valid and i also agree with every single one of them.

But i think they are a distraction in the process of selecting the best player in the 2024 draft.

I believe Buium has the potential to be a top 10D in the league. You are free to disagree. There is no valid reason for me to disregard this type of upside.

Imagine we are in the exact same spot and we hold the 1st OV pick in 2018 draft. Should we disregard Dahlin because we have Hutson and Guhle?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Again, your point are valid and i also agree with every single one of them.

But i think they are a distraction in the process of selecting the best player in the 2024 draft.

I believe Buium has the potential to be a top 10D in the league. You are free to disagree. There is no valid reason for me to disregard this type of upside.

Imagine we are in the exact same spot and we hold the 1st OV pick in 2018 draft. Should we disregard Dahlin because we have Hutson and Guhle?

If there’s a forward equivalent to Dahlin? Yes.

 

[le_sean]

Again, your point are valid and i also agree with every single one of them.

But i think they are a distraction in the process of selecting the best player in the 2024 draft.

I believe Buium has the potential to be a top 10D in the league. You are free to disagree. There is no valid reason for me to disregard this type of upside.

Imagine we are in the exact same spot and we hold the 1st OV pick in 2018 draft. Should we disregard Dahlin because we have Hutson and Guhle?

Dahlin was in another stratosphere as a prospect. He was seen as generational. Buium isn’t even the top rated defenceman of this draft. In fact he’s usually the 3rd or 4th best on a lot of lists.

 

[The Last Red]

So if Demidov and Lindstrom are gone by 5, do we take a flyer on Sennecke, or go Buium? "Sounds like" Tij is out of the mix, if you believe the "Insiders."

 

[jaffy27]

I agree that we have major need up front and 5th OV is an obvious way to patch it.

But in my humble opinion, no team in the league is deep enough on defense to ignore Silayev or Buium.

We are overstoked in #2-3-4D. We have none, maybe Hutson, projected 1D. Its as much a need as a top forward.

Again, im not against drafting a forward, but the main focus should be on getting an elite talent, not going into a specific position. My view of the situation can be summarised by this simple thinking and the way i view Buium/Silayev is just the practical way of it.

That’s your opinion, that’s your analysis on the players, you “believing” that Buium or Silayev are the best picks at 5 doesn’t make it right. One could say no team is deep enough in the top 6 to overlook Iginla or Demidov or Lindstrom….?

Ultimately, the Habs brass is making the pick based on the opinions of their scouts and there’s a very good chance your view on players potential do not align with theirs.

They will pick whoever they think is the best fit for the Canadiens

 

[Jaynki]

That’s your opinion, that’s your analysis on the players, you “believing” that Buium or Silayev are the best picks at 5 doesn’t make it right. One could say no team is deep enough in the top 6 to overlook Iginla or Demidov or Lindstrom….?

Ultimately, the Habs brass is making the pick based on the opinions of their scouts and there’s a very good chance your view on players potential do not align with theirs.

They will pick whoever they think is the best fit for the Canadiens

Of course

If there’s a forward equivalent to Dahlin? Yes.

I agree.

Now, after Demidov and Lindstrom, the forward are not equivalent to the top D.

Dahlin was in another stratosphere as a prospect. He was seen as generational. Buium isn’t even the top rated defenceman of this draft. In fact he’s usually the 3rd or 4th best on a lot of lists.

Depends who you ask.

 

[jaffy27]

So if Demidov and Lindstrom are gone by 5, do we take a flyer on Sennecke, or go Buium? "Sounds like" Tij is out of the mix, if you believe the "Insiders."

If it goes Celebrini, Demidov, Levshunov, Lindstrom……ummmm….between Dickinson (who can play the right side) and Sennecke and his magic hands.

Would be happy with Iginla too