Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Draft Thread

[devilsblood]

Eh, it’s no secret that Rangers have been drafting for size, grit and hard-to-play-against-ness for years. They aren’t the only ones. (Detroit has drafted a bunch of giant defensemen, though they just traded one.)

Fitz can put an emphasis on heavier players, but they typically take longer to develop, particularly projects taken in later rounds.

Heavier players cost more in trades, for example the ridiculous return for Tanner Jeannot. And they’ll get ridiculous UFA deals, for example what Joshua or Zadorov are rumored to get.

We’ll have to stick to speed/skill for awhile, I don’t see how we suddenly get these heavier players. And we just got rid of our heaviest defender. (Don’t give me the “he didn’t play physical” line, Bahl was our most physical defenseman.)

Yeah, I know, was somewhat interesting though to look into Sennecke and find a giant recent Rag's draft pick leading that team in playoff goals. Had a good season all around.

Guys here can act like it's not a big deal, but I have some PTSD after Rempe disrupted our matchups to such a degree.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Like I said I admit I was more wary of the Rempe effect then others. But he doesn't need skill to intimidate our team, which he clearly did.

It does look like this Roobroeck guy has more skill then Rempe.

I don’t think he’s as tough as Rempe. Tall skinnier guy but he might fill in more and he’s obviously being encouraged to and to play tough. Has some skill but not that fast and I’m not sure the skill part of his game will translate that well to higher levels. Not somebody I’m worried about at all.

Would be much more concerned if they got his younger brother in a couple of years.

 

[devilsblood]

Well you can draft a guy like Nygard or Solberg. Nygard is actually pretty close to the NHL, especially relative to a non-top 5 pick.

I think you've sold me on Nygard.

And if we draft him, you better be right.

 

[Hisch13r]

Not important but it’s Oshawa not Ottawa. If the Rangers want to fill their line up with big goons let them. It won’t pay off IMO.


I agree that Fitz is going for that but think it’s stupid and costly. There isn’t one formula to a cup winning team, Edmonton was really fast, and even Florida had some good skaters.
But I’m a big believer in building your team and playstyle around your stars. We have a fast skilled group of top forwards. We had success when our lineup was a fast skilled lineup. Building a big tough bottom 6 and trying to play that type of game and then throwing Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt on the ice won’t work. We need guys that win battles and are hard to play against but not at the complete expense of our speed. As long as our core is what it is we should be trying to outskate other teams.

If our core was built around Matthew Tkachuk, and Barkov I’d say build up a big physical team. Even then you need some speed as they did.

Speed and defensive acumen is what I want from our support players. Compete level matters so much more than size. A guy like Evan Rodrigues was just arguably the Panthers best player in the finals and he's basically exactly what I'd want out of our support players. 3 mil for him is such a joke deal

Edit: Coleman and Gourde were so f***ing good for Tampa too. I want guys like that. Give us back Fabian, Mike

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Speed and defensive acumen is what I want from our support players. Compete level matters so much more than size. A guy like Evan Rodrigues was just arguably the Panthers best player in the finals and he's basically exactly what I'd want out of our support players. 3 mil for him is such a joke deal

Unfortunately Fitz seems to be going more for size.

All it took was us making the playoffs for the first time in years but losing in the second round to a really good team for him to completely abandon the speed game and decide we need big dudes instead.

 

[Hisch13r]

Unfortunately Fitz seems to be going more for size.

All it took was us making the playoffs for the first time in years but losing in the second round to a really good team for him to completely abandon the speed game and decide we need big dudes instead.

Yeah my faith in him withered so fast.

 

[Cheddabombs]

I've barely looked into the draft this year. I'm all aboard the Nygard train for now but plan on reading a bit more on prospects on Friday that can sway my opinion

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Yeah my faith in him withered so fast.

I have faith in his ability to build a team and make mostly smart moves and deals.

I pretty quickly lost faith in his vision for the team is really what it is. Don’t know if I’ve seen someone fall so quickly into all of the sudden thinking we need to get a bunch of big physical dudes trap.

 

[Hisch13r]

I have faith in his ability to build a team and make mostly smart moves and deals.

I pretty quickly lost faith in his vision for the team is really what it is. Don’t know if I’ve seen someone fall so quickly into all of the sudden thinking we need to get a bunch of big physical dudes trap.

There's such a strong base already in place that it'd be pretty hard for him to f*** it up and us to not be a contender but I can easily see him taking wrong lessons and it holding us back. Already seeing it with Pesce

 

[longislanddevil]

Hypothetically, if the Devils did trade back to 14OA, what are the chances of teams 10-13 drafting MBN? I’m not advocating for them doing so….just curious.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

There's such a strong base already in place that it'd be pretty hard for him to f*** it up and us to not be a contender but I can easily see him taking wrong lessons and it holding us back. Already seeing it with Pesce

Ya it would be pretty hard for him to completely f*** up. I’m not as concerned about the Pesce move as what he’s gonna do with our bottom 6. Some of its been out of his control but we’ve lost a lot of speed in our forward group in Boqvist, McLeod, Wood, and Sharangovich and they’ve been replaced by MacDermid, Toffoli for a bit, Nosek, seemingly Foote and to be fair Lazar.

Hypothetically, if the Devils did trade back to 14OA, what are the chances of teams 10-13 drafting MBN? I’m not advocating for them doing so….just curious.

Who the hell knows. Decent chance it happens decent chance it doesn’t. Wouldn’t be surprising either way and nobody has the slightest clue.

Not something you can count on so if you really like him you just take him.

 

[Hisch13r]

Ya it would be pretty hard for him to completely f*** up. I’m not as concerned about the Pesce move as what he’s gonna do with our bottom 6. Some of its been out of his control but we’ve lost a lot of speed in our forward group in Boqvist, McLeod, Wood, and Sharangovich and they’ve been replaced by MacDermid, Toffoli for a bit, Nosek, seemingly Foote and to be fair Lazar.


Who the hell knows. Decent chance it happens decent chance it doesn’t. Wouldn’t be surprising either way and nobody has the slightest clue.

Not something you can count on so if you really like him you just take him.

It is all very concerning to me lol. Isn't the rumor also that he wants to add a top 6er? Between that and Pesce I don't see where the money for the bottom 6 is really coming from. I think we need a big overhaul there and like 3 guys. I guess I can take solace in that if he doesn't leave himself with much room for the bottom 6 he can't do too much damage.

 

[longislanddevil]

Based on the “harder to play against” mantra from Fitz and the glowing comments from Dennehy about Dickinson, I get the feeling the Devils will be ecstatic if he somehow falls to 10OA (which seems unlikely).

I’m not saying Dickinson is a better prospect than Buium. However, Dickinson’s skill set does fit a need- a big, strong, minute muncher who isn’t shy to get physical, all the while being a really good skater. Seems like the perfect partner for Nemec.

I know Buium has many tremendous attributes and I’d still be delighted to select him but we already have Luke/Nemec and eventually Casey, all of whom can man a PP and bring the offense. Great teams have a blend of players that complement one another. Would Buium be somewhat redundant given what we already have?

 

[longislanddevil]

Ya it would be pretty hard for him to completely f*** up. I’m not as concerned about the Pesce move as what he’s gonna do with our bottom 6. Some of its been out of his control but we’ve lost a lot of speed in our forward group in Boqvist, McLeod, Wood, and Sharangovich and they’ve been replaced by MacDermid, Toffoli for a bit, Nosek, seemingly Foote and to be fair Lazar.


Who the hell knows. Decent chance it happens decent chance it doesn’t. Wouldn’t be surprising either way and nobody has the slightest clue.

Not something you can count on so if you really like him you just take him.

There’s no need to be so snarky, pal. I’m not the enemy here.

 

[devilsblood]

Unfortunately Fitz seems to be going more for size.

All it took was us making the playoffs for the first time in years but losing in the second round to a really good team for him to completely abandon the speed game and decide we need big dudes instead.

Fitz just does not value speed as much as Shero did, at least in the draft. And as evidenced by Holtz, Ham's, even Nemec, it's not really in favor of "big", but skating and speed is not near the focus as it once was.

I would like to get back to that.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Honestly don’t think it’s nearly as likely we take MBN at 10 as some people on here think.

The only way we take him that high really is if the Devils like him as much as STI which isn’t all that likely. Not many scouts and moreso teams will have him ranked near their top 5 IMO.

We’re not gonna be taking our 10th ranked prospect at 10. It’s most likely gonna be someone we have ranked in the 5-7 or 8 range. What are the odds the devils have someone generally ranked around 15 or slightly later (17 on Bob’s) that high? Not impossible but probably not that likely either. It doesn’t sound like a single scout ranked him higher than 14 in Mackenzie’s poll.

There’s no need to be so snarky, pal. I’m not the enemy here.

It wasn’t intended to be snarky. Sorry if it came across that way. Was just trying to emphasize how impossible it is to know or even guess at. Based on what I was just saying above I’d say there’s pretty good chance he would still be available but all it takes is one team liking him more than the consensus.

 

[Unknown Caller]

I'm one of the last people to buy into the big/physical/gritty playoff trope, but the Devils were objectively too much of a perimeter/rush team to compete with a team like Carolina or Florida.

I agree that Fitz is starting to go a little too far in moving away from the rush game, but this roster absolutely needed a better mix of players who could establish a sustained forecheck in the offensive zone. It was way too easy for teams to limit the singular rush chances to shut our game down.

 

[devilsblood]

Based on the “harder to play against” mantra from Fitz and the glowing comments from Dennehy about Dickinson, I get the feeling the Devils will be ecstatic if he somehow falls to 10OA (which seems unlikely).

I’m not saying Dickinson is a better prospect than Buium. However, Dickinson’s skill set does fit a need- a big, strong, minute muncher who isn’t shy to get physical, all the while being a really good skater. Seems like the perfect partner for Nemec.

I know Buium has many tremendous attributes and I’d still be delighted to select him but we already have Luke/Nemec and eventually Casey, all of whom can man a PP and bring the offense. Great teams have a blend of players that complement one another. Would Buium be somewhat redundant given what we already have?

I would not look to draft an offensive minded d-man.

Obviously an off the charts high end overall d-man would have to be considered, but to your point a guy who would look to man a PP would probably not be a guy I drafted this high. Not with so many other options that seem to be better fits.

 

[devilsblood]

I'm one of the last people to buy into the big/physical/gritty playoff trope, but the Devils were objectively too much of a perimeter/rush team to compete with a team like Carolina or Florida.

I agree that Fitz is starting to go a little too far in moving away from the rush game, but this roster absolutely needed a better mix of players who could establish a sustained forecheck in the offensive zone. It was way too easy for teams to limit the singular rush chances to shut our game down.

I'm not against getting bigger, and more physical, but I'd like those guys to be more in the ilk of Meier in that they can also skate. Nygard does seem to fit that bill.

I again wonder though if Fitz wanting to get bigger and stronger makes him lean away from Helenius. Will be interesting if both Helenius and Nygard(or someother bigger fwd) are still on the board when we pick.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I would not look to draft an offensive minded d-man.

Obviously an off the charts high end overall d-man would have to be considered, but to your point a guy who would look to man a PP would probably not be a guy I drafted this high. Not with so many other options that seem to be better fits.

Buium is a high-end overall dman. Obviously I’m not a big Dickinson fan but Buium is just way better than him IMO and should be an easy top 5 pick. Might be my second favorite prospect in the draft after Celebrini. If he falls to 10 we should be running up the stage to take him.

I don’t care about fit if one guy looks like he can be an elite #1 defensemen and another guy I don’t see being better than a decent 2nd pair one.
Fit is what you look at when you see two players similarly.

I'm one of the last people to buy into the big/physical/gritty playoff trope, but the Devils were objectively too much of a perimeter/rush team to compete with a team like Carolina or Florida.

I agree that Fitz is starting to go a little too far in moving away from the rush game, but this roster absolutely needed a better mix of players who could establish a sustained forecheck in the offensive zone. It was way too easy for teams to limit the singular rush chances to shut our game down.

It’s not even about a rush game or not rush game. You can get hardnose fast players that can win some battles and forecheck well. Fitz is seemingly just going for big and probably worse at what you talked about

 

[HBK27]

I've barely looked into the draft this year. I'm all aboard the Nygard train for now but plan on reading a bit more on prospects on Friday that can sway my opinion

I appreciate all the insight this board has provided - particularly for Nygard - and I'm far from a draft expert or even novice, but seeing him ranked 14th, 15th, 17th, 17th & 17th on the composite list I posted earlier does give me some pause. At the very least, it seems like relatively poor value to not trade down a few spots and get him (though I know if you really, really like a player it's tough to take that risk).

Personally, I hope for Dickinson or another LHD...but again, what do I know. I recall not being thrilled with Nemec at the time of the pick and look how that turned out. Looking forward to going back and reading about the prospect we eventually do wind up picking.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I'm one of the last people to buy into the big/physical/gritty playoff trope, but the Devils were objectively too much of a perimeter/rush team to compete with a team like Carolina or Florida.

I agree that Fitz is starting to go a little too far in moving away from the rush game, but this roster absolutely needed a better mix of players who could establish a sustained forecheck in the offensive zone. It was way too easy for teams to limit the singular rush chances to shut our game down.

Not to get too far away from the draft topic, but I can totally see the potential Pesce in, Marino out move being driven just as much by in house analytics than “tougher to play against” hockey guy stuff. From a team building perspective, we’re at the point that we want guys that fit with the cogs we have. It’s entirely possible that they see Hughes-Pesce as a much better fit than Hughes-Marino, and are willing to pay more for it.

Plus such a move does free up Marino as an asset that can be used to address another need.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I appreciate all the insight this board has provided - particularly for Nygard - and I'm far from a draft expert or even novice, but seeing him ranked 14th, 15th, 17th, 17th & 17th on the composite list I posted earlier does give me some pause. At the very least, it seems like relatively poor value to not trade down a few spots and get him (though I know if you really, really like a player it's tough to take that risk).

Personally, I hope for Dickinson or another LHD...but again, what do I know. I recall not being thrilled with Nemec at the time of the pick and look how that turned out. Looking forward to going back and reading about the prospect we eventually do wind up picking.

If they really like him you don’t trade down. Not gonna go further into that right now because I already have 20 posts in here talking about it.

 

[devilsblood]

If they really like him you don’t trade down. Not gonna go further into that right now because I already have 20 posts in here talking about it.

And I don't want you to keep blathering on about it , but if he's in a group of guys they will be happy picking at 14, then I could potentially see it.

Especially if one of the big name D fall, and the Devils are really focused on adding a fwd.

 

[HBK27]

If they really like him you don’t trade down. Not gonna go further into that right now because I already have 20 posts in here talking about it.

Yeah, I get that thinking. Maybe if he's with a group of a couple other players and they get the 14 pick or so?

Again, I'm not remotely close in knowledge to several of the experts we fortunately have on this forum, but getting a guy at 10 that is consistently ranked 14-17 on other sites doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Though that being said, the fact that our guys really like Nygard would probably counteract that.

So to summarize...¯\_(ツ)_/¯