Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Andre Palot]

100% agreed here.

Only an idiot wants to trade a top 15 pick for "a goaiie". You only make such a deal if there is a particular goaltender you have in mind who is 1) on the block; and 2) young and under team control for the foreseeable future.

If Jake Oettinger is on the block, sure. But he's not. And you don't trade a potential core player to stick another "finger crosser" between the pipes. You're better off going into next year with Jake Allen, who at least has proven to be a capable NHL net minder.

I also agree with @Guadana that any "just trade the pick" comments should be kept out of the draft thread. This thread is about eligible prospects and the draft, not about whether Karel Vejmelka could maybe have a winning record in a Devils jersey.

If we traded the first round pick for Karel Vejmelka, I'm afraid that @Bleedred will basically have a Joker like origin story.

 

[Smitty426]

I would be 1000% on board with this. f*** yes.

Sully once Pittsburgh is out

 

[Guadana]

Today is the day to watch two games of Silayev.

He is big defenseman with great skating, very good defensive game. Isnt productive in KHL, but its okay for 17-18 yo defenseman who is playing regular top-6 - 15 min in regular season for in 63 games and 17 min in play off. Very impressive result.
He should be high on my list, he is in my top-8, but he is only number 3\4 D on my list. Still better than Yakemchuk and Parekh.

He is very big. You dont need to know his number to find this tower on the field. And he is very mobile. He is good in gap control, use his puck and body to protect the zones.
But his offensive upside is very limited, he isnt very good in escaping transition, he is giving the puck to the closest player and often this player can be under pressure. It could be coaching task but still he needs to learn how to act under pressure. Of course pressure in KHL and pressure in WHL is different, but mechanics are not on the top or even on above average level.
He isnt playmaker, he isnt driver. But he is mobile on the short distances and reactive on the short distances, so most of the work without the puck he is doing very good and his floor is very high. Most likely he will work on his work with the puck and his decision making with the puck and it will turn into solid top-4 defensive defenseman who will eat a lot of minutes. Physical potential is huge, when he will add more muscles, he will add more speed and his skating should be even better.

But I still like Buium and Dickinson more - both have the same level or close to the same level in defensive game, but have more offensive tools. Dickinson is more defensive defenseman but he still can be strong escaping transitional player. Buium is very smart, very creative and has much more potential as offensive defenseman, at the same time still has good floor as defensive defenseman.

 

[evnted]

Today is the day to watch two games of Silayev.

He is big defenseman with great skating, very good defensive game. Isnt productive in KHL, but its okay for 17-18 yo defenseman who is playing regular top-6 - 15 min in regular season for in 63 games and 17 min in play off. Very impressive result.
He should be high on my list, he is in my top-8, but he is only number 3\4 D on my list. Still better than Yakemchuk and Parekh.
He is very big. You dont need to know his number to find this tower on the field. And he is very mobile. He is good in gap control, use his puck and body to protect the zones.
But his offensive upside is very limited, he isnt very good in escaping transition, he is giving the puck to the closest player and often this player can be under pressure. It could be coaching task but still he needs to learn how to act under pressure. Of course pressure in KHL and pressure in WHL is different, but mechanics are not on the top or even on above average level.
He isnt playmaker, he isnt driver. But he is mobile on the short distances and reactive on the short distances, so most of the work without the puck he is doing very good and his floor is very high. Most likely he will work on his work with the puck and his decision making with the puck and it will turn into solid top-4 defensive defenseman who will eat a lot of minutes.
But I still like Buium and Dickinson more - both have the same level or close to the same level in defensive game, but have more offensive tools. Dickinson is more defensive defenseman but he still can be strong escaping transitional player. Buium is very smart, very creative and has much more potential as offensive defenseman, at the same time still has good floor as defensive defenseman.

very much agreed on this description. i think the hedman comparisons were an overreaction to his unsustainable early season production rather than an actual assessment of his offensive capabilities. i do find his breakout passing to be quite strong when he has space to collect himself, and he has flashes of really solid offensive zone movement/activations, but i agree i wouldnt take him expecting he'll be some dynamo on the puck

on the flip side (as ive been seeing on twitter today) i think those early year comparisons have done him a disservice by mischaracterizing his game/upside. faulting him for not being elite on both sides of the puck when he never really was projected to be is kind of perplexing to me. ive actually enjoyed his defensive progression over the course of the season, showing off more stable positioning/gap control and fewer (albeit still occurring) mistakes on the puck

i have to admit, im not as bullish on buium as you are, but im very much on board with the order of dickinson then silayev then levshunov at this point. dickinson in particular i think gets undersold in this class. rock solid defensively, elite skating, some bite, and on top of it placing 3rd in ohl D scoring despite being hard stuck behind bonk for a lot of offensive opportunities. very impressive

 

[Guadana]

very much agreed on this description. i think the hedman comparisons were an overreaction to his unsustainable early season production rather than an actual assessment of his offensive capabilities. i do find his breakout passing to be quite strong when he has space to collect himself, and he has flashes of really solid offensive zone movement/activations, but i agree i wouldnt take him expecting he'll be some dynamo on the puck

on the flip side (as ive been seeing on twitter today) i think those early year comparisons have done him a disservice by mischaracterizing his game/upside. faulting him for not being elite on both sides of the puck when he never really was projected to be is kind of perplexing to me. ive actually enjoyed his defensive progression over the course of the season, showing off more stable positioning/gap control and fewer (albeit still occurring) mistakes on the puck

i have to admit, im not as bullish on buium as you are, but im very much on board with the order of dickinson then silayev then levshunov at this point. dickinson in particular i think gets undersold in this class. rock solid defensively, elite skating, some bite, and on top of it placing 3rd in ohl D scoring despite being hard stuck behind bonk for a lot of offensive opportunities. very impressive

You should understand that I tried to describe why Im splittin him from Buium and Dickinson. I still like him very much and I think (like I said) he should be top-4 defensive D. I just like ceiling of Dickinson and Buium more. And Im not so afraid for Silayev as I can afraid for Levshumov. or Especially for Yakemchuk or Parekh.
In case of Buium and Dickinson I like Buium ceiling much more, but Im closer to put Dickinson higher because of his floot on the both sides of the game. Buium still isnt as good as skater and his defensive work needs more polishing. Im not decided yet, but mostly it doesnt matter a lot. I will be happy with both. If we will draft Silayev - I will be happy with him. I didnt saw a lot of offensive upside in his last games, I think he is trying to play as save as he can, I believe this is what coaches are asking from him, but some of his decisions with the puck were not good or even save. Closest player to pass isnt the safest player to pass. I never saw (may be I missed it, but mostly he didnt do it) good first long pass/breakaway pass. He is trying to join the rush sometimes, drive offensive zone, he should develop his puck protection and with his skating it should work, his shoot is pretty solid, so there are some upside in O zone, but I like playmaking and transitioning game more. Reason why I like DIckinson and Buium more.

Its interesting how differently people see Buium game. I hope it will help him to sleep. Not as impressive size and position could help a little bit too.

 

[HughesCorporation]

detroit has just brought edvinsson up .. im interested to see how he does with the big boys and big pressure.. he was one of my draft binkies

 

[evnted]

You should understand that I tried to describe why Im splittin him from Buium and Dickinson. I still like him very much and I think (like I said) he should be top-4 defensive D. I just like ceiling of Dickinson and Buium more. And Im not so afraid for Silayev as I can afraid for Levshumov. or Especially for Yakemchuk or Parekh.
In case of Buium and Dickinson I like Buium ceiling much more, but Im closer to put Dickinson higher because of his floot on the both sides of the game. Buium still isnt as good as skater and his defensive work needs more polishing. Im not decided yet, but mostly it doesnt matter a lot. I will be happy with both. If we will draft Silayev - I will be happy with him. I didnt saw a lot of offensive upside in his last games, I think he is trying to play as save as he can, I believe this is what coaches are asking from him, but some of his decisions with the puck were not good or even save. Closest player to pass isnt the safest player to pass. I never saw (may be I missed it, but mostly he didnt do it) good first long pass/breakaway pass. He is trying to join the rush sometimes, drive offensive zone, he should develop his puck protection and with his skating it should work, his shoot is pretty solid, so there are some upside in O zone, but I like playmaking and transitioning game more. Reason why I like DIckinson and Buium more.

Its interesting how differently people see Buium game. I hope it will help him to sleep. Not as impressive size and position could help a little bit too.

absolutely. i didnt expect buium to be this much of a hotly contested debate, but hes certainly turned into one. i love how crafty and elusive he is. very much one of the most creative options from the backend this year, and perhaps the best at navigating the point. just a remarkable ability to bait opposing attackers. im in agreement that his skating needs work, but i also appreciate just how well he uses it to his advantage now and i dont really foresee it being a significant long term drawback. i also agree the defensive side of things needs polish, though i think i can at least see an avenue for how that could be effective down the road. he has a great ability to physically separate puck carriers from the puck while simultaneously using some crafty stickwork to quickly gain possession and get something going the other way. plus, he can definitely be feisty off puck and thats always a plus

i think most of my reservation comes from the fact that i dont quite see the supreme upside, probably for two reasons. for as awesome as his craftiness is, i dont think his decision making, puck skills, etc. are quite up to that level and it may limit what he can get away with in the nhl. he tries a lot of stuff that fails, including navigating himself into dead end scenarios, even frequently at times. i know a lot of elite playmaking prospects try stuff that gets them in trouble and results in turnovers (we saw plenty from jack for example), but i can usually tell what they were going for and/or why they attempted it. with zeev, sometimes i really dont understand why hes challenging the space he is, or how he expects to open up lanes with the routes he takes. this might also be where the skating issues/lack of elite handling could flare up since he wont be able to escape as easily either. the other side of it is, that denver program is so accomplished, and so good at pulling the best out of its players, that i worry this is an overperformance in a rock solid system. its not that he doesnt get primary points, far from it, but his production does benefit a lot from secondary assists including ones against some rather unimpressive teams. so many kids come out of that program looking like theyre gonna be more than they wind up turning into and im wondering if this is gonna be another case

all of that said, i know there are many, many fans of his and i expect to be watching buium tape right down to the wire to make sure i have a correct read on him. some of the fun in scouting is having that moment when it finally clicks on seeing a prospect differently, and buium in particular im keeping an open mind on. i love betting on prospects who read the game well (as opposed to fawning over tools), so i almost feel a bit dirty not being on his bandwagon as much lol. in any case, for the time being, i think i lean more solid top 4 upside for him rather than true top pair potential like i see for a couple of the other names weve mentioned

 

[Guadana]

absolutely. i didnt expect buium to be this much of a hotly contested debate, but hes certainly turned into one. i love how crafty and elusive he is. very much one of the most creative options from the backend this year, and perhaps the best at navigating the point. just a remarkable ability to bait opposing attackers. im in agreement that his skating needs work, but i also appreciate just how well he uses it to his advantage now and i dont really foresee it being a significant long term drawback. i also agree the defensive side of things needs polish, though i think i can at least see an avenue for how that could be effective down the road. he has a great ability to physically separate puck carriers from the puck while simultaneously using some crafty stickwork to quickly gain possession and get something going the other way. plus, he can definitely be feisty off puck and thats always a plus

i think most of my reservation comes from the fact that i dont quite see the supreme upside, probably for two reasons. for as awesome as his craftiness is, i dont think his decision making, puck skills, etc. are quite up to that level and it may limit what he can get away with in the nhl. he tries a lot of stuff that fails, including navigating himself into dead end scenarios, even frequently at times. i know a lot of elite playmaking prospects try stuff that gets them in trouble and results in turnovers (we saw plenty from jack for example), but i can usually tell what they were going for and/or why they attempted it. with zeev, sometimes i really dont understand why hes challenging the space he is, or how he expects to open up lanes with the routes he takes. this might also be where the skating issues/lack of elite handling could flare up since he wont be able to escape as easily either. the other side of it is, that denver program is so accomplished, and so good at pulling the best out of its players, that i worry this is an overperformance in a rock solid system. its not that he doesnt get primary points, far from it, but his production does benefit a lot from secondary assists including ones against some rather unimpressive teams. so many kids come out of that program looking like theyre gonna be more than they wind up turning into and im wondering if this is gonna be another case

all of that said, i know there are many, many fans of his and i expect to be watching buium tape right down to the wire to make sure i have a correct read on him. some of the fun in scouting is having that moment when it finally clicks on seeing a prospect differently, and buium in particular im keeping an open mind on. i love betting on prospects who read the game well (as opposed to fawning over tools), so i almost feel a bit dirty not being on his bandwagon as much lol. in any case, for the time being, i think i lean more solid top 4 upside for him rather than true top pair potential like i see for a couple of the other names weve mentioned

I mostly dont care about production. I know about his numbers, but mostly react on it as "good to have", nothing more. The biggest thing I learned from scouting is production means not so much. Teams can be weak or strong, league can be tough, players can play different roles. My most favorite players from the draft like Sanderson, Slafkovsky, Raymond, Simashev, Edvinsson were not productive.
So Im trying to see how player play his role, what he is doing, what he is trying to do, how many different things he is trying to do, how he reads the zones, how active he is without the puck etc.I know what are you talking about, Buium is trying to a lot and I think he has a lot of time to figure it out. It still a series level for his age and I think its still better to do A LOT of stuff and miss on 50% on it than do mostly nothing.
So overall I agree with everything you said, but Im watching on it in more positive way. Most of all because he still is a good defender in his own zone. And I saw a lot of things where he changed his position or body to act before next phase of the situation will start. I see many moments when he screened situation around him before the moment to join the rush/board battle/move on the blu line/etc and change the next step. I think sometimes he is trying to do more than he can and more than his partners can understand, but still I like he is trying and learning. And even if he will never reach his 1st pair true dynamic driving potential, he should develop into the solid 2nd pair two way defenseman like Nate Schmidt, may be more offensive oriented. And I think its a solid outcome.
I cant close my eyes on his vision, how he is trying to work with his partners and in the same time how he is trying to do by his own, he takes responsibility, drives the net, and work hard on the boards, he is active and trying to push away opponents who is trying to drive the net. He is proactive, not just responsive.

Silayev has no as good vision, Levshunov is the real defenseman who is trying to do by his own, his defensive mistakes and bad decisions are more dangerous, Parekh and Yakemchuk arent good in defensive zone, Yakemchuk isnt even very good transitioning defenseman, Parekh cant play physical game. Of course Silayev is so big and so mobile for his size so I can understand why someone will rank him higher than Buium. And I like it - I want Buium) and Dickinson. But Dickinson should be taken as a first LD on this draft in my view.

 

[BurntToast]

This feels like a weak draft. I started late on the prospect watch because I though the Devils would trade away their first for a playoff push.

Outside of Macklin, many of the prospects have serious question marks.

For example: Anton Silayev, is an absolute unit. He is a 6’7, 211lbs prospect that hits and block shots. But I have heard some scouts have concerns of his IQ and play under pressure. Some have even called him raw, but he is top 5 most mocks. #DraftClass #LockedonProspects #CoreyPronman

Buium has skating issues.

Lindstrom has been injured but was lack luster last year, his stellar play was short lived.

Eiserman has been ragged across the internet for having a shot and little else.

There are only a handful of prospects that move the needle for me. Helenius, Dickinson, Brandsegg-Nygard, Greentree, Boisvert. They should be around the Devils pick, are good players, and fit a need. I would rather send a 2025 1st for a goalie, but if the Devils send a 2024 1st + for Saros, I wont complain.

 

[evnted]

I mostly dont care about production. I know about his numbers, but mostly react on it as "good to have", nothing more. The biggest thing I learned from scouting is production means not so much. Teams can be weak or strong, league can be tough, players can play different roles. My most favorite players from the draft like Sanderson, Slafkovsky, Raymond, Simashev, Edvinsson were not productive.
So Im trying to see how player play his role, what he is doing, what he is trying to do, how many different things he is trying to do, how he reads the zones, how active he is without the puck etc.I know what are you talking about, Buium is trying to a lot and I think he has a lot of time to figure it out. It still a series level for his age and I think its still better to do A LOT of stuff and miss on 50% on it than do mostly nothing.
So overall I agree with everything you said, but Im watching on it in more positive way. Most of all because he still is a good defender in his own zone. And I saw a lot of things where he changed his position or body to act before next phase of the situation will start. I see many moments when he screened situation around him before the moment to join the rush/board battle/move on the blu line/etc and change the next step. I think sometimes he is trying to do more than he can and more than his partners can understand, but still I like he is trying and learning. And even if he will never reach his 1st pair true dynamic driving potential, he should develop into the solid 2nd pair two way defenseman like Nate Schmidt, may be more offensive oriented. And I think its a solid outcome.
I cant close my eyes on his vision, how he is trying to work with his partners and in the same time how he is trying to do by his own, he takes responsibility, drives the net, and work hard on the boards, he is active and trying to push away opponents who is trying to drive the net. He is proactive, not just responsive.

Silayev has no as good vision, Levshunov is the real defenseman who is trying to do by his own, his defensive mistakes and bad decisions are more dangerous, Parekh and Yakemchuk arent good in defensive zone, Yakemchuk isnt even very good transitioning defenseman, Parekh cant play physical game. Of course Silayev is so big and so mobile for his size so I can understand why someone will rank him higher than Buium. And I like it - I want Buium) and Dickinson. But Dickinson should be taken as a first LD on this draft in my view.

very fair assessment! i certainly know of the glimpses youre referring to and can appreciate wanting to bet on the high level scanning and creativity in hopes of their application being more refined over time. and that schmidt comparison is spot on, ive struggled to articulate what i personally think he looks like at the nhl level (most of the examples i can come up with are more offensively leaning than two way) but i think thats the closest one ive heard. fun prospect to scout, for sure. i look forward to potentially revisiting this discussion in the coming months to see if my impression has changed

 

[evnted]

This feels like a weak draft. I started late on the prospect watch because I though the Devils would trade away their first for a playoff push.

Outside of Macklin, many of the prospects have serious question marks.

For example: Anton Silayev, is an absolute unit. He is a 6’7, 211lbs prospect that hits and block shots. But I have heard some scouts have concerns of his IQ and play under pressure. Some have even called him raw, but he is top 5 most mocks. #DraftClass #LockedonProspects #CoreyPronman

Buium has skating issues.

Lindstrom has been injured but was lack luster last year, his stellar play was short lived.

Eiserman has been ragged across the internet for having a shot and little else.

There are only a handful of prospects that move the needle for me. Helenius, Dickinson, Brandsegg-Nygard, Greentree, Boisvert. They should be around the Devils pick, are good players, and fit a need. I would rather send a 2025 1st for a goalie, but if the Devils send a 2024 1st + for Saros, I wont complain.

i would agree that i dont love this draft. i think theres a top ~10 or so behind celebrini that have very good upside albeit heavy question marks attached to it, and then another grouping after that with slightly better-than-the-rest projections, but once you hit the 20s (and well into the 2nd round) it feels as though rankings turn into more of a preference/fit order than a pure value/upside one. 2023 is obviously too strong of a draft to compare to, but even 2022 felt like it had more interesting (albeit uncertain) late 1st round/early 2nd options than this year

that said, i would be hestitant to move our 1st rounder for an older goalie without term, esp anticipating that we miss the playoffs. theres still useful players in this draft even if the overall outlook isnt spectacular. i think the likes of an iginla or helenius or mbn would fit this team well, and on the off chance once of the bigger name defenders falls, i trust that our development system would be able to cultivate that talent into some sort of top 4 projection

 

[Lou Bloom]

Silaev is my #1 defenseman in this draft right now. Elite physical tools mixed with defensive intensity and effort goes a long way and while he'll never likely be the main guy on a Power play I think there's two way potential there. He very much fits that Simashev and Edvinsson mold.

After that I'd probably go with Buium but Alfons Freij could challenge for that spot. Not very high on Levshunov, Dickinson or Parekh, mixed on Yakemchuk.

I think the defense group is overrated for the most part, I prefer the forwards in this class.

 

[PizzaAndPucks]

Debating on going to the Islanders game tomorrow and the Devils game later in the day since the start times are 1 pm and 7 pm. I'm going to the Devils one 100% and hope the building will have a good atmosphere to help the team try and make a Cinderella run to the 8th seed. I think Bratt is going to pop off and score a goal or two as well !

 

[Guadana]

This feels like a weak draft.

Its not. Its the same old song. But its not. 2021 called as weak. 2022 called as weak.
it could be little weaker but I dont think so.
Its not strong draft like it was 2023, but overall top-20 is strong(after that I mostly dont care this year, we dont have 2nd round pick), top forward group may be shorter, but top defensive group is very strong. The strongest in the last 4 years at least, especially if we are talking about amount of defensemen. I dont like Parekh and Yakemchuk, but they would be higher in the most drafts. Buium, Silayev, Levshunov and Dickinson are normal top-10 draft defensemen for most of the years.
If you like forwards - sorry, this draft isnt for you(but if you okay with drafting bad Russians than its pretty normal draft), if you like defensemen - its a good draft.
And I really like some forward prospects too. I think this @weak draft@ the description is weak and should be very clarifying, what exactly we mean, what we compare with, and so on. And in fact, it doesn't mean anything anyway. As I said, I've heard it three times in the last five years, and because of how often it's said, it doesn't work. Although of course 2023 was great, much more interesting.

 

[Guadana]

Debating on going to the Islanders game tomorrow and the Devils game later in the day since the start times are 1 pm and 7 pm. I'm going to the Devils one 100% and hope the building will have a good atmosphere to help the team try and make a Cinderella run to the 8th seed. I think Bratt is going to pop off and score a goal or two as well !

You mean we need to scout 15-18 potential draft spots?

 

[BurntToast]

Its not. Its the same old song. But its not. 2021 called as weak. 2022 called as weak.
it could be little weaker but I dont think so.
Its not strong draft like it was 2023, but overall top-20 is strong(after that I mostly dont care this year, we dont have 2nd round pick), top forward group may be shorter, but top defensive group is very strong. The strongest in the last 4 years at least, especially if we are talking about amount of defensemen. I dont like Parekh and Yakemchuk, but they would be higher in the most drafts. Buium, Silayev, Levshunov and Dickinson are normal top-10 draft defensemen for most of the years.
If you like forwards - sorry, this draft isnt for you(but if you okay with drafting bad Russians than its pretty normal draft), if you like defensemen - its a good draft.
And I really like some forward prospects too. I think this @weak draft@ the description is weak and should be very clarifying, what exactly we mean, what we compare with, and so on. And in fact, it doesn't mean anything anyway. As I said, I've heard it three times in the last five years, and because of how often it's said, it doesn't work. Although of course 2023 was great, much more interesting.

I have heard anyone call this a weak draft, I’m am calling it weak draft. I think most of the prospects carry some major risks even in the top 10. I would prefer the Devils draft a forward. Helenius, Brandsegg-Nygard, Greentree, Iginla (I can see him going sooner).

I hope they don’t trade a Top 15 pick for a goalie, but I have seen it before.

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[Guadana]

I have heard anyone call this a weak draft, I’m am calling it weak draft. I think most of the prospects carry some major risks even in the top 10. I would prefer the Devils draft a forward. Helenius, Brandsegg-Nygard, Greentree, Iginla (I can see him going sooner).

I hope they don’t trade a Top 15 pick for a goalie, but I have seen it before.

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Why? Defsensemen are better prospects. Nygard okay, but others? If you are talking about major risks, you should prefer Dickinson over any of this forwards just as base. If you are talking about ceiling, you should prefer any of thus defrnsemen.
If anyone called, than okay, its a source. Its hard to complain against it)

 

[Guadana]

Brink, Khusnutdinov, Fehervary, Shai Buium and Musty are nice players who was drafted by Devils picks(late 1/2 rounds) in the previous 5 drafts.

 

[BurntToast]

Why? Defsensemen are better prospects. Nygard okay, but others? If you are talking about major risks, you should prefer Dickinson over any of this forwards just as base. If you are talking about ceiling, you should prefer any of thus defrnsemen.
If anyone called, than okay, its a source. Its hard to complain against it)

Sorry, but defenseman carry more risk. They typically take longer to develop and many don’t reach their full potential. Or they are traded before they meet their potential.

In my original post I stated that I like Dickinson. Will he be there when the Devils get to the podium? Doubt it.

In this draft by picks 9-12, the goods are looking rough. The defenseman available will be projects and the forwards will be middle 6 guys. Getting a 200ft center (Helenius), or a physical winger (Iginla or Nygard) is more interesting to me.

 

[Guttersniped]

Sorry, but defenseman carry more risk. They typically take longer to develop and many don’t reach their full potential. Or they are traded before they meet their potential.

In my original post I stated that I like Dickinson. Will he be there when the Devils get to the podium? Doubt it.

In this draft by picks 9-12, the goods are looking rough. The defenseman available will be projects and the forwards will be middle 6 guys. Getting a 200ft center (Helenius), or a physical winger (Iginla or Nygard) is more interesting to me.

Not sure Helenius plays center in the NHL.

 

[Guadana]

Sorry, but defenseman carry more risk. They typically take longer to develop and many don’t reach their full potential. Or they are traded before they meet their potential.

In my original post I stated that I like Dickinson. Will he be there when the Devils get to the podium? Doubt it.

In this draft by picks 9-12, the goods are looking rough. The defenseman available will be projects and the forwards will be middle 6 guys. Getting a 200ft center (Helenius), or a physical winger (Iginla or Nygard) is more interesting to me.

Questionable statement. Players with specific skills are more "sure things". players with other specific skills are less sure things. Its not about position.

Sanderson was sure thing, Lafreniere isnt as good, but he was 1OA in most sources. Nemec and Wirght. Luke Hughes and Ekbland. etc etc etc. Modern draft history with big and mobile defensemen in the top of the draft is much better if we compare with forwards, especially with not so great skating or below average size. Helenius is below average sized player, Catton too. Catton is a good skater but worser than any defensemen in the top of the draft without physical element in the game. Iginla isnt big. Iginla and Helenius dont have exceptional all around skills. Helenius is very questionable as center on NHL level, especially there is a very little chance he is top-3 center. On the other hand Dickinson, Silayev, Levshunov, Buium are above average or very good skaters.

Dickinson, Silayev and Buium are more sure thing than Helenius or Iginla. Levshunov has exceptional physics and great skating. Catton should be top-6 player but there is a bigger question who is he on the NHL level - top-3 playmaking center or top-6 playmaking perimeter winger. Iginla is very interesting but has issues with limited vision and some skill issues. Top-4 D looks like defensemen with top-4 floor. And top-4 defensemen are more important than any non top-3 forwards. Top-2 defensemen are more important than wingers. What you are saying just isnt truth, doesnt match with actual examples on the latest drafts and with specific players on this draft we are talking about.

 

[BurntToast]

I hear you but many of the guys you list, will most likely be taken. (Just like Hughes and Nemec were 2 and 4). Example, I would love to have Macklin as the Devils 3C next year, but the odds are against them.

I get a feeling the Devils will have a few offensive defenseman to choose from boom//bust types. Or a high floor, forward. Plus, if they trade Holtz/Mercer, the offensive cache will be pretty barn.

 

[Guttersniped]

I hear you but many of the guys you list, will most likely be taken. (Just like Hughes and Nemec were 2 and 4). Example, I would love to have Macklin as the Devils 3C next year, but the odds are against them.

I get a feeling the Devils will have a few offensive defenseman to choose from boom//bust types. Or a high floor, forward. Plus, if they trade Holtz/Mercer, the offensive cache will be pretty barn.

I feel like most of the defenseman discussed will be long gone when we pick, but who knows, it’s early. Won’t have a real sense of this for a few more months.

Aggregate Draft Rankings







And before you ask, let’s play…

Spoiler: Hey, any relation?

According to Elite Prospects at least, and I mean fathers & uncles, unless the sibling is a top prospect/player or someone I like.

9/ Zeev Buium? Yes.


14/ Tig Iginla? Yes!


17/ Adam Jiricek? Yes.


30/ Cole Hutson? Yes.


63/ Justin Poirier? Yes.

What? Jérémie is fun.

71/ Lukas Fischer? Yes.

Wait, Jiri Fischer only played 305 NHL games? Well you’re famous to me Jiri lol.

82/ Alexander Zetterberg? No.

91/ Max Plante? Yes


93/ Aatos Koivu? Yes!

Also Draft Eligible:
Jack Berglund? Get excited, yes!

Vladislav Bryzgalov G? Hell ya!

Noah Lapointe? Yes.

Miroslav Satan? As discussed earlier, yes!

Landen Ward? Yes.

 

[Guadana]

I hear you but many of the guys you list, will most likely be taken. (Just like Hughes and Nemec were 2 and 4). Example, I would love to have Macklin as the Devils 3C next year, but the odds are against them.

I get a feeling the Devils will have a few offensive defenseman to choose from boom//bust types. Or a high floor, forward. Plus, if they trade Holtz/Mercer, the offensive cache will be pretty barn.

Yeah, and here I agree with you - Im hardly against draft Parekh and Yakemchuk. I hope at least Yakemchuk could be drafted higher - big RD with offensive upside. But whats about his defensive, positional game and situational decision.

On the other hand we have examples of Chernyshov and Nygard - both are great two way players with positional game and very good game decisions, they are making situations more dangerous. And I think one of them will be available for our potential 10-16 pick.
I just cant walk away from top-4 D of this draft.

And if you will compare Chernyshov and Nygard... I like both more than Ekbland, Holtz, Kasper and other top 10 forwards from previous drafts.

I mean top-20 is quite good.

 

[TBF1972]

You mean we need to scout 15-18 potential draft spots?

more like 32-40 when we make a run.