NJ has another ace up its sleeve when it comes to lottery luck. My youngest son is a fan of both the Devils and Pelicans. He’s won more draft lotteries than Hall.
I have him lower. Just because I cant put Parekh, Yakemchuk and Eiserman away from top-15. But if I would be GM and I would have 14 pick and all of my players are gone, I would draft Hage over Eiserman easily. So yeah, Hage could be my top-15. I like him more than Connely, I think he is doing everything on the average or above average level, he reads the game well and work with the low, he is moving and searching for open lanes and open space, mobile, crafty. etc. On my taste not the first line level talent, but somewhere between 2nd and 3rd line who can drive and play all around center role. I think he has real potential and tools to develop his defensive game.I'm really curious what your opinion of Michael Hage is.
As for me, I see a kid with enormous upside -- a big true center who can fly and oozes skill. Yes, his 200-foot game needs a whole lot of work, but this is also a kid who missed a great deal of development time due to injury. I feel he's a high ceiling kid who is extremely far away from that ceiling. There's certainly risk there, and I don't see quite drafting him in the top 10, but he might be one of the most talented 2 or 3 kids going after the top 12-15 picks.
The Devils don't need line drivers so much as they need forwards who play like Brantsegg-Nygard.
Nygard is better skater, more agressive forechecker, much better shooter, Slafkovsky is better playmaker, he is bigger, smarter transitional player. Both have similarities, but Playmaking game of Smartkovsky with his combo of size and protection game is making him top-top young talent. Nygard is a very good shooter and with his smart short plays he is perfect complimentary player for top-6, may be middle six driver, but there are not so much play drive talent to be top line driver and top line playmaker.Is Nygard the player we hoped Slafkovsky would be for us if we were able to draft him?
With Luke, Nemec and in 25-26 Casey, we will have three elite puck moving defensemen. Hamilton is another offensive minded d-man. Great teams have an assortment of players with different skill sets that complement each other well. I think I’d rather have the kid that projects best from a defensive standpoint. I understand things can change and there’s a chance the Devils could trade Casey (I definitely hope they don’t).
In my ideal world, if all things are considered just about equal, I think I’d lean towards a forward. Holtz is likely to be traded in the offseason IMHO and the only legit forward prospects we have are Gritsyuk and Lenni. We need more grit, toughness, compete, a player that can be beast on the boards and win 50/50 puck battles. If Nygard can play center at the NHL level, he really is an attractive option as he seems to fit the criteria. Kid with a solid floor and high ceiling….what’s not to like? As @StevenToddIves astutely mentioned, it’s very possible Nygard could be ranked higher if he was not from Norway.
I would not be disappointed at all if we drafted Iginla but Nygard seems like the perfect fit.
Lastly, hard no on Eiserman. With so many other talented, well rounded players available, I don’t think Fitz is foolish enough to go that route.
My concern with Buium and the majority of the defenseman at the top of this class for the Devils specifically is that they're games lean towards offense. On a team that already has Luke, Nemec and Hamilton on it with Casey in the system, I worry about a fit with someone like Buium who while underrated defensively is still more of a finesse skill player.
You dont want to have me in your team, Your reputation is already suffering enough because we're rooting for the same team.i’m on the side of buium too but i’ll spare a detailed analysis and just say give me all the jews
I could live with a player who is not good defensively if he had good IQ and competitiveness as that sort of player can learn. I just don’t want any more bad skaters or perimeter finesse players.I'm pretty sold on MBN, would be very solid pick.
I personally would like to avoid prospects who might have very high ceiling skill-wise, but are lacking in physicality, skating, defense (any combination of those).
I don't view Dickinson or Buium as top 4 locks. I've been underwhelmed with Dickinson any time I've seen him, the physical tools are good but overrated and I don't see the lockdown defensive game or even high level skill the stats/scouting reports would lead you to believe. He's still a good prospect and player you could mold into a quality two way defenseman but not a lock by any means to get there.You dont know how long Dougie will be here. You dont know what you are having with Casey. Draft is for more talented and more valuable players. Top-4 defenseman with potential to be top-2 is much more important than third line player or top-6 winger. I like Nygard a lot, I think he has great potential and not only him, I will be happy enough with Chernyshov, Helenius and Iginla. But its not a question when you have option to draft Buium or Dickinson, who will be top-4 LHD who will eat a lot of time. And Casey with Dougie are not a factor here.
Buium, Dickinson and Silayev are very good defensemen. And have tools to be better. Dickinson is the best in D zone, Silayev is even better in aspects away from the puck, but Im not a huge fan of him because I dont like his game with the puck. He isnt bad under pressure but overall he isnt just very good in it, I see potential but I dont see good decision making with the puck on the different levels. Still great prospect to have but I just have other preferences. Buium needs to work more but he is young and played on quite good level of competition and doing it right, we cant bash him for his defensive game because he is better than some top prospects in the same age.
Overall having three or even four top-1\top-3 level defensemen is a huge advantage. Its the best way to build contender.
If you have doubts about Dickinson and Buium, you should have same doubts about Iginla and Nygard. Iginla isn’t smart positionally, his separation speed isn’t good, his top line winger potential needs a lot of work to be truth, he has little to no chance to be top 6 center, he is mote realistically complimentary second line winger with good forechecking and scoring abilities. And if we are critical about him, he could even be bottom line winger. Again because of lack of speed and positional vision.I don't view Dickinson or Buium as top 4 locks. I've been underwhelmed with Dickinson any time I've seen him, the physical tools are good but overrated and I don't see the lockdown defensive game or even high level skill the stats/scouting reports would lead you to believe. He's still a good prospect and player you could mold into a quality two way defenseman but not a lock by any means to get there.
Buium is a more impactful player at a higher level than Dickinson and I rate him higher but his skating, pace and high end skill are all question marks as far as NHL translatability. He's a very smart, cerebral player that can control tempo at the college level but I worry about how that will translate at a level where his skating will be closer to average and he'll have to deal with much more physicality and higher end skill. Still a top 10 prospect in this class but not a no doubt better prospect than Iginla or Nygard.
Just by comparison I thought much more highly of Willander and Simashev from last year's class than any defenseman other than maybe Silayev from this year's class. I also don't think either would be a bad pick, but I think players like Nygard or Iginla are just as of good prospects while also bringing a lot more of what the Devils lack organizationally.
Chernyshov?If you have doubts about Dickinson and Buium, you should have same doubts about Iginla and Nygard. Iginla isn’t smart positionally, his separation speed isn’t good, his top line winger potential needs a lot of work to be truth, he has little to no chance to be top 6 center, he is mote realistically complimentary second line winger with good forechecking and scoring abilities. And if we are critical about him, he could even be bottom line winger. Again because of lack of speed and positional vision.
I like Nygard a lot, but if we are critical than we have issues with zone driving and playmaking.
So again - Buium with his lack of above average skating is still very smart and proactive player, Dickinson is very mobile with all the good tools to play his minutes.
So if you want to pick for ceiling - it’s Buium and it’s not even close. If you want to pick for floor - it’s Dickinson. Nygard has better combo of high floor and high ceiling, but he more realistically will never be first line center. Buium and Dickinson have potential to be first pair defenseman(Buium as proactive two way play driving D, Dickinson as mobile defensive specialist to eat a lot of minutes), and even as second pair defensemen they are more valuable than Iginla and Nygard as first line wingers. So middle level for D - second pair defensemen - still better than ceiling for Nygard and Iginla - first line wingers. Both are not elite wingers in potential. Iginla and Nygard can’t bring more to this organization, only if Buium and Dickinson will fail, but it’s hard for them to fail, because Buium is so smart and all of his tools are average or better, and he is very pro active, Dickinson isn’t as smart but his tools are great for his role - with his combo of good level of stick work, speed, mobility and physical there is a little chance to fail.
I understand Nygard, because he has hidden potential to be two way scoring center, so even if by brain I want defenseman, but my heart is telling Nygard.
I liked Simashev and Wallinder more too. More than Dickinson in everything. May you will like Frej from this draft. Buium has potential to make more mistakes because of his skating, but he is smarter and much more creative.
Again I will be very happy with Nygard and I’m okay with Iginla. It’s just the value of top four defensemen. I think if you have worries, you should worry more about Silayev. I’m a big fan of his game without the puck but his game with the puck is very questionable and very limited. And I still be very happy with him as our potential choice on the draft.
Because every player from this top-12 is freaking great as addition. I just hope it’s not Eiserman. Or Yakemchuk or Parekh - because both are right handed really offensive minded defensemen, not like Buium. Yakemchuk isn’t smart and isn’t great in transition, Parekh is defenseman just by position. Still like both much more than Eiserman. On my taste he is the only one real bad pick potentially. I’m not very high on Helenius and Iginla as consensus, but even with their floor they will be very useful for our team.
Would be awesome to draft Chernyshov or Nygard. It’s not a consensus picks, but it would be bold and smart from the Fitz side.
Is MBN going in the top 10? We’ll have to wait for McKenzie but he seems like a guy who’ll be available when we pick.It sounds like MBN has elements of Meier, Slafkovsky, etc that fills a direct need for us. I hope we can draft him but likely we are going to miss. Curse of finishing high enough to not get a good draft spot but not make the playoffs
I don't disagree that Nygard and Iginla also have question marks, everyone outside of Celebrini has big question marks in their game. I also think it's overly simplistic to say a 2nd pair defenseman is more valuable than a top 6 winger. Both of those distinctions (Top 6, 2nd Pairing) have massive amount of talent disparity within them.If you have doubts about Dickinson and Buium, you should have same doubts about Iginla and Nygard. Iginla isn’t smart positionally, his separation speed isn’t good, his top line winger potential needs a lot of work to be truth, he has little to no chance to be top 6 center, he is mote realistically complimentary second line winger with good forechecking and scoring abilities. And if we are critical about him, he could even be bottom line winger. Again because of lack of speed and positional vision.
I like Nygard a lot, but if we are critical than we have issues with zone driving and playmaking.
So again - Buium with his lack of above average skating is still very smart and proactive player, Dickinson is very mobile with all the good tools to play his minutes.
So if you want to pick for ceiling - it’s Buium and it’s not even close. If you want to pick for floor - it’s Dickinson. Nygard has better combo of high floor and high ceiling, but he more realistically will never be first line center. Buium and Dickinson have potential to be first pair defenseman(Buium as proactive two way play driving D, Dickinson as mobile defensive specialist to eat a lot of minutes), and even as second pair defensemen they are more valuable than Iginla and Nygard as first line wingers. So middle level for D - second pair defensemen - still better than ceiling for Nygard and Iginla - first line wingers. Both are not elite wingers in potential. Iginla and Nygard can’t bring more to this organization, only if Buium and Dickinson will fail, but it’s hard for them to fail, because Buium is so smart and all of his tools are average or better, and he is very pro active, Dickinson isn’t as smart but his tools are great for his role - with his combo of good level of stick work, speed, mobility and physical there is a little chance to fail.
I understand Nygard, because he has hidden potential to be two way scoring center, so even if by brain I want defenseman, but my heart is telling Nygard.
I liked Simashev and Wallinder more too. More than Dickinson in everything. May you will like Frej from this draft. Buium has potential to make more mistakes because of his skating, but he is smarter and much more creative.
Again I will be very happy with Nygard and I’m okay with Iginla. It’s just the value of top four defensemen. I think if you have worries, you should worry more about Silayev. I’m a big fan of his game without the puck but his game with the puck is very questionable and very limited. And I still be very happy with him as our potential choice on the draft.
Because every player from this top-12 is freaking great as addition. I just hope it’s not Eiserman. Or Yakemchuk or Parekh - because both are right handed really offensive minded defensemen, not like Buium. Yakemchuk isn’t smart and isn’t great in transition, Parekh is defenseman just by position. Still like both much more than Eiserman. On my taste he is the only one real bad pick potentially. I’m not very high on Helenius and Iginla as consensus, but even with their floor they will be very useful for our team.
Would be awesome to draft Chernyshov or Nygard. It’s not a consensus picks, but it would be bold and smart from the Fitz side.
His game is much more similar to Ryan Leonard's from last year's class than Meier or especially Slafkovsky. I expect him to be on the board when we pick due to the glut of defensive prospects currently rated highly and a mishmash of players like Helenius, Eiserman, Catton and Iginla that will be in the discussion between 5-15.Is MBN going in the top 10? We’ll have to wait for McKenzie but he seems like a guy who’ll be available when we pick.
Seems like Iginla has a better shot to go in the Top 10.
He doesn’t have the size of either of those players.
Update: I looked up their sizes lol
Timo at draft: 6’1” 209
Slaf: 6’4” 229
MBN at U20: 6’1” 198
Timo wasn’t as big as I thought. He did lead draft eligible prospects in PPG average (1.48) in QMJHL, he had a lot of offense.
You can see the difference between teams with bad defense but deep offense and team with better defense. Ottawa and Buffalo vs Islanders. Defense is just more important. Mostly good second pair defenders are playin 19-23 minutes, a lot of good wingers will not play 20 minutes. They are not as important as centers and defensemen. It’s funny how McLeod loss was small miss but huge miss for this team, how worser we looked this season even when they were fully healthy + Toffoli but with worser/less experienced third pair. Without Dougie we stepped back. And than McLeod was final drop even when team was above the water.I don't disagree that Nygard and Iginla also have question marks, everyone outside of Celebrini has big question marks in their game. I also think it's overly simplistic to say a 2nd pair defenseman is more valuable than a top 6 winger. Both of those distinctions (Top 6, 2nd Pairing) have massive amount of talent disparity within them.
Either way I don't think there's a big talent gap after the top 2 or 3 players in this draft class and I think wherever the Devils end up picking they'll be able to get a good quality prospect.
Chernyshov is big, very mobile, with good separation speed, with the best puck handling through the traffic, he isn’t playmaker but very good passer, can play chess with fast passing decisions, be a part of combinations, has great shot - one of the best shooters on the draft, he is physical, good in puck protection and in puck battles. The only issue is inconsistent positionolay, but it’s okay for pre draft young player in KHL. I think he isn’t the smartest out of Nygard, Chernyshov, Helenius, Iginla tier, but overall his physical tools and skills with his forechecking game and good passing can make him top line scoring winger who can play in every situation. What he is actually doing. He wasn’t lost in KHL, played checking line role and did his job, earned 7 min in 10 playoff game.Chernyshov?
All things being equal defenders are more important than wingers, the problem is the assumption that all 2nd pair defenders are more impactful than all non elite top 6 wingers. Are you going to take Jaime Oleksiak over Pavel Buchnevich for example?You can see the difference between teams with bad defense but deep offense and team with better defense. Ottawa and Buffalo vs Islanders. Defense is just more important. Mostly good second pair defenders are playin 19-23 minutes, a lot of good wingers will not play 20 minutes. They are not as important as centers and defensemen. It’s funny how McLeod loss was small miss but huge miss for this team, how worser we looked this season even when they were fully healthy + Toffoli but with worser/less experienced third pair. Without Dougie we stepped back. And than McLeod was final drop even when team was above the water.
Only top and elite winger can make huge impact in the game. Im sorry to Bratt fans - he is great, but he isn’t as impactful in the game. Still good layer, still very valuable for this team. Last year we saw how good version of Marino made positive impact.
And Iginla and Nygard doesn’t look like potential elite wingers.
Tricky question. And I was not clear with my assumption. Or you are trying to play semantics with what I said before. Bratt is top-line winger, Buchnevich is close to be PPG and top line winger (top-2/3 ice time), they will be more important than 18 min borderline second pair defenseman. If we are talking about top-4 defenseman who will eat a lot of minutes like McDonaugh or Sergachyov who played technically third pair role.All things being equal defenders are more important than wingers, the problem is the assumption that all 2nd pair defenders are more impactful than all non elite top 6 wingers. Are you going to take Jaime Oleksiak over Pavel Buchnevich for example?
I would trade our first, and two, may be all three Casey, Gritsyuk and Lenny for Demidov without any doubt.I love Buium so much. Does he go in the top 8? I think so. My completely stupid fantasy wish is Demidov. Dear god, if he somehow dropped to 3 or 4...I would LOVE it Fitz sold off Casey (and I love Casey) to move up. That dude looks generational. Edges, vision, shot, stride...droooool.
this would open up trade back scenarios. as one of them could be available around #15. moving back could be an option to regain a second round pick.Brantsegg-Nygard and Chernyshov are the closest to NHL ready of those Fs and Dickinson of the D. Chernyshov will probably spend a few more years in Russia, however. But I wouldn't let that dissuade me from drafting him -- Chernyshov is probably the most underrated player in the entire 2024 class.
Yeah, they're probably trading it for a 34 year old goalie.You know, I think they’re trading this pick. Sigh.
They’re not trading a top 10 pick for Markstrom. An extended Saros is a different story.Yeah, they're probably trading it for a 34 year old goalie.
What about our top 10 pick for Marc-Andre Fleury's negotiation rights? He is only 39, so he has a lot of good years ahead of him.They’re not trading a top 10 pick for Markstrom. An extended Saros is a different story.