2024 NHL Draft: WE DID IT, CELEBRINI IS OURS!!!

[Grinner]

A true 1 C is still missing from the line up
Top 6 RW's are as scarce as top defensemen.
Getting a Celebrini fills the top void.
Bringing in a Nygard to play opposite of Eklund fills another huge need

 

[cheechoo]

No way MG takes Demidov, wingers are the last and easiest piece. Centers, and top pairing D have so much more value. I have no idea who they'll be looking at 2-10 picks are all basically equal this year

6'3 C Strome over 5'11 W Marner type beat.

Should be drafting BPA with premier picks whoever that is.

Tampa made multiple cup runs with a forward group of Kucherov, Point, Gourde, Cirelli, Stamkos etc. Not exactly the Broad Street Bullies.

I understand the concerns of Demidov at 5'11 180lbs, but he plays a more Americanized style than Michkov. He immediately becomes the best skater in the organization, he pays his dues back checking and is constantly stripping pucks and generating takeaways with his IQ and positioning in the defensive and neutral zones and then he uses his smarts + elite athleticism to transition the puck and gain zone entries and be an overall chance generating magnet for his side.



It's easily lazy to get enamoured in the lust of a flashy attacker as it is to cop out with the bigger = automatically better rationale.

 

[Great Makohead Shork]

6'3 C Strome over 5'11 W Marner type beat.

Should be drafting BPA with premier picks whoever that is.

Tampa made multiple cup runs with a forward group of Kucherov, Point, Gourde, Cirelli, Stamkos etc. Not exactly the Broad Street Bullies.

I understand the concerns of Demidov at 5'11 180lbs, but he plays a more Americanized style than Michkov. He immediately becomes the best skater in the organization, he pays his dues back checking and is constantly stripping pucks and generating takeaways with his IQ and positioning in the defensive and neutral zones and then he uses his smarts + elite athleticism to transition the puck and gain zone entries and be an overall chance generating magnet for his side.



It's easily lazy to get enamoured in the lust of a flashy attacker as it is to cop out with the bigger = automatically better rationale.

If Pens management panics and forks over the ~8OA pick (doubt it but who knows) we could potentially draft both Demidov and one of the big Dmen. To your Tampa example, I feel like a big part of their playoff success was having a hulking d-corps that insulated their smaller forwards, allowing them to do their thing. But even with 5'11 Demidov and 5'11 Eklund I'm not too worried about them against bigger competition. Though I'll admit I was nervous whenever Eklund had the puck along the boards in his first NHL stint haha

 

[Shark Finn]

The idea of Penguins keeping this pick to trade it for immediate help is probably not that far fetched. They added Karlsson (compete), traded Guentzel (rebuild), so the next move has to be for compete. So, trade the pick for an established player (compete), then fail miserably next season and trade Crosby (rebuild) to, lets say, Flyers. Sounds good to me!

 

[cheechoo]

If Pens management panics and forks over the ~8OA pick (doubt it but who knows) we could potentially draft both Demidov and one of the big Dmen. To your Tampa example, I feel like a big part of their playoff success was having a hulking d-corps that insulated their smaller forwards, allowing them to do their thing. But even with 5'11 Demidov and 5'11 Eklund I'm not too worried about them against bigger competition. Though I'll admit I was nervous whenever Eklund had the puck along the boards in his first NHL stint haha

Yea and my post was meant to be generalized too. I'm not trying to say Demidov has to be BPA at #2 or anything, it's moot if Dickinson is your #2 or Levshunov or Lindstrom, but I just feel like the logic of drafting for need over BPA with a draft pick you lost 60 out of 82 times in one season for is silly because all of these players we're going back and forth about will not hit, so you're putting yourself in an unnecessarily risky position.

And what if Eklund does end up getting packaged down the line hypothetically for a top player or in a swap like the Gauthier/Drysdale deal for a David Jiříček and we have zero dynamic skilled wingers left in that mould?

We're so devoid of talent we need the best version of everything and a lot of it.

 

[coooldude]

Yea and my post was meant to be generalized too. I'm not trying to say Demidov has to be BPA at #2 or anything, it's moot if Dickinson is your #2 or Levshunov or Lindstrom, but I just feel like the logic of drafting for need over BPA with a draft pick you lost 60 out of 82 times in one season for is silly because all of these players we're going back and forth about will not hit, so you're putting yourself in an unnecessarily risky position.

And what if Eklund does end up getting packaged down the line hypothetically for a top player or in a swap like the Gauthier/Drysdale deal for a David Jiříček and we have zero dynamic skilled wingers left in that mould?

We're so devoid of talent we need the best version of everything and a lot of it.

A lot of people keep saying "BPA" and criticizing taking a D for need, but the fact in this draft is that BPA may very well be a D.

"Best" is highly subjective and BPA doesn't mean "most skilled player available." Demidov might be the second most skilled (or even first!) but that doesn't mean he's the BPA at 2-7.

Secondly, to the point of not worrying about small skill wingers and citing TBL... @Great Makohead Shork just said what I was going to say, which is that Tampa's F corps may not have been huge but their D were freakin' enormous and also skilled. 2020-21: Hedman 6'7", Cernak 6'3", Foote 6'5", Sergachev a thick 6'1" 217, Rutta at 6'3", and so on. 2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts | Hockey-Reference.com

 

[tiburon12]

I know little about prospects, especially comparing between some, but I get excited thinking about what a full-fledged/matured Cayden Lindstrom could be. He has that look about him (one i recognize from being that tall that young) where he looks like he has bambi legs a bit, unbalanced at times from having a big frame.

Like, i'm envisioning a peak version of him being bigger, stronger version of MacKinnon, galloping up the ice while guys bounce off him.

Do y'all think he would be a reach at #2/3 if we didnt win the lottery or a safe pick? Also, is he some % Swedish with that name? If he was Swedish and black he'd puzzle piece right into this team lol

 

[coooldude]

I know little about prospects, especially comparing between some, but I get excited thinking about what a full-fledged/matured Cayden Lindstrom could be. He has that look about him (one i recognize from being that tall that young) where he looks like he has bambi legs a bit, unbalanced at times from having a big frame.

Like, i'm envisioning a peak version of him being bigger, stronger version of MacKinnon, galloping up the ice while guys bounce off him.

Do y'all think he would be a reach at #2/3 if we didnt win the lottery or a safe pick? Also, is he some % Swedish with that name? If he was Swedish and black he'd puzzle piece right into this team lol

I think he could definitely come off the board at 2 or 3. One question is his mysterious upper body injury... was supposed to be back on the ice by Feb. He's a polarizing F like the other top F's (Demidov, Catton) where some people want to take him 2OA and others think he should be more like 7-10.

 

[knu]

The idea of Penguins keeping this pick to trade it for immediate help is probably not that far fetched. They added Karlsson (compete), traded Guentzel (rebuild), so the next move has to be for compete. So, trade the pick for an established player (compete), then fail miserably next season and trade Crosby (rebuild) to, lets say, Flyers. Sounds good to me!

They can't trade the pick. It's structured so that they have to draft someone. They are probly better off trading the 25 1st for help in the coming year and giving us the pick this year.

 

[tiburon12]

I think he could definitely come off the board at 2 or 3. One question is his mysterious upper body injury... was supposed to be back on the ice by Feb. He's a polarizing F like the other top F's (Demidov, Catton) where some people want to take him 2OA and others think he should be more like 7-10.

Interesting about the injury.

I wonder if other's think he'd be ok at the top since the potential is so great. Again I could be wrong, but if the potential is for him to be a physical beast then the allure is there. A hockey version of Jokic or Megatron would be wild

 

[Great Makohead Shork]

Yea and my post was meant to be generalized too. I'm not trying to say Demidov has to be BPA at #2 or anything, it's moot if Dickinson is your #2 or Levshunov or Lindstrom, but I just feel like the logic of drafting for need over BPA with a draft pick you lost 60 out of 82 times in one season for is silly because all of these players we're going back and forth about will not hit, so you're putting yourself in an unnecessarily risky position.

And what if Eklund does end up getting packaged down the line hypothetically for a top player or in a swap like the Gauthier/Drysdale deal for a David Jiříček and we have zero dynamic skilled wingers left in that mould?

We're so devoid of talent we need the best version of everything and a lot of it.

Yeah I agree, BPA always. Like you said if we have a glut of centers or wingers for example we could always package one for some D or G help. To me the 2nd tier of players under Celebrini is so close that the tie breaker could go toward a player that plays a more premium position.

Back to Demidov, he's really been impressing. Would have been nice if he had a different KHL coach so we could see him against tougher competition, though. The MHL seems too easy for him.

 

[Shark Finn]

They can't trade the pick. It's structured so that they have to draft someone. They are probly better off trading the 25 1st for help in the coming year and giving us the pick this year.

Then trade the prospect they pick, who cares!

 

[Stewie Griffin]

I think the only realistic choices at 2OA would be one of the D, Lindstrom or Demidov. Parekh, Buium, Catton, etc. won't go that high. With that said, looking at both our current roster and pipeline, I would take Demidov out of that equation just because the last thing we need is another creative playmaker after drafting Smith and Eklund already in the top 10. Obviously we need tons of D, or Lindstrom provides a goal scoring power forward type that every team in the league covets.

Like some have said, Demidov may be the most pure skilled, but that doesn't mean he's the best pick available. There's a reason it's wide open starting at pick 2...it all depends which team gets that pick.

 

[STL Shark]

Undersized D can pan out

Quinn Hughes​

Rd 1 #7 overall​

Defense -- shoots L
Born Oct 14 1999 -- Orlando, FL [24 yrs. ago]
Height 5.10 -- Weight 180


And it takes patience to watch them develop

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Dude was almost a PPG player as a 20 year old. So not sure what you are trying to prove with his stats (especially if you're committing the grave sin of using +/-).

It's why even when a lot of goobers on here were clinging onto Merkley being good and not a bust the final 2 years he was in SJ, I was firmly on record saying he was a bust. If you're undersized and your only skill is scoring, that will be evident early on rather than needing 5 years to develop. When Merkley wasn't dominating the AHL and had a whopping 6 points in 39 games in 2022, it was clear and obvious he was a dud because we see how someone like Hughes came into the league and dominated early.

 

[STL Shark]

it's hard to bet against them because of who they were but they are a bunch of 38 yo dudes now and father time is undefeated.

Issue there is that their top guys are still performing quite well. It's the depth that sucks. They also got hit with injuries with Rust, Guentzel, etc. which put even more of a load/burden on the top guys.

They have plenty of cap space to make some moves. Buyout Smith and they can sign a $2M backup goalie, $2M third pairing RD, and then do something like sign Duclair ($3.5M0, Barabanov (Crosby loves him and he will be cheap), and Toffoli ($5M) and still have $2M of cap space to work with. That combined with their defense (which is still stout at 10th in goals against) should rebound them into the playoff picture.

If Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Karlsson were falling off a cliff, then it would be a different deal. They're all still performing though (albeit at a little lower clip than their prime, but still good players). So I would bet that they rebound closer to the 20th range next year than go back to back inside the top 10. Hence why I want their pick this year.

 

[landshark]

Line brawl!!!!

Good shit!

Needs more punching tho.

 

[coooldude]

Good shit!

Needs more punching tho.

At least we're not the only ones who hate the ducks. And hawks.

 

[landshark]

At least we're not the only ones who hate the ducks. And hawks.

Fowl most foul, both of them.

 

[gaucholoco3]

Then trade the prospect they pick, who cares!

They would not get as much value trading the prospect as they would the pick. The problem is that if they opt to keep it they can’t trade either pick. So if it is 10th they might not keep it. But 8th or lower maybe they take the gamble to pick then trade.

 

[pappaf2]

I think he could definitely come off the board at 2 or 3. One question is his mysterious upper body injury... was supposed to be back on the ice by Feb. He's a polarizing F like the other top F's (Demidov, Catton) where some people want to take him 2OA and others think he should be more like 7-10.

I was having a thought yesterday with his lingering injury and already a polarizing figure, would it be out of the range of possibility for him to drop to 11? Could be a wild pickup if the sharks had the pens 1st at 11th

 

[Hodge]

Interesting about the injury.

I wonder if other's think he'd be ok at the top since the potential is so great. Again I could be wrong, but if the potential is for him to be a physical beast then the allure is there. A hockey version of Jokic or Megatron would be wild

I'm also not well versed on any of these prospects but 100% in agreement that Lindstrom should be the pick if we don't draft 1OA. His potential ceiling is too valuable to pass up.

 

[coooldude]

I think it was @fasterthanlight who called this Sunday our super bowl. Even more, tomorrow through Sunday are our Stanley Cup games 4, 5, and 6 (final game vs Chicago is game 7).

PIT on Thursday - our loss keeps them closer to 10+ rather than deeper into top 10 territory

CBJ on Saturday - ideally it's a hard fought game, although the tanking is no longer a concern.

And of course CHI on Sunday.

 

[Grinner]

I think it was @fasterthanlight who called this Sunday our super bowl. Even more, tomorrow through Sunday are our Stanley Cup games 4, 5, and 6 (final game vs Chicago is game 7).

PIT on Thursday - our loss keeps them closer to 10+ rather than deeper into top 10 territory

CBJ on Saturday - ideally it's a hard fought game, although the tanking is no longer a concern.

And of course CHI on Sunday.

The Sharks Super Bowl day is the day of the lotto

 

[cheechoo]

I know little about prospects, especially comparing between some, but I get excited thinking about what a full-fledged/matured Cayden Lindstrom could be. He has that look about him (one i recognize from being that tall that young) where he looks like he has bambi legs a bit, unbalanced at times from having a big frame.

Like, i'm envisioning a peak version of him being bigger, stronger version of MacKinnon, galloping up the ice while guys bounce off him.

Do y'all think he would be a reach at #2/3 if we didnt win the lottery or a safe pick? Also, is he some % Swedish with that name? If he was Swedish and black he'd puzzle piece right into this team lol

His ceiling is the galaxy. 6'5 centers that skate the way he does and are physical are a super rare commodity. And he has all the skill in the world too. Was scoring at essentially a goal per game pace before he went down.

Someone said he could be our Getzlaf, I see it. Once he fills out that frame he's going to be a serious bully out there that dominates the corners and is impossible to knock off the puck.

Just flip through this video and take look at same of the clips and how he's moving. Unreal talent.

 

[mogambomoroo]

His ceiling is the galaxy. 6'5 centers that skate the way he does and are physical are a super rare commodity. And he has all the skill in the world too. Was scoring at essentially a goal per game pace before he went down.

Someone said he could be our Getzlaf, I see it. Once he fills out that frame he's going to be a serious bully out there that dominates the corners and is impossible to knock off the puck.

Just flip through this video and take look at same of the clips and how he's moving. Unreal talent.

Okay that looks good! Haven't really watched him myself, but I'm impressed. So it's safe to say almost guaranteed player between Celebrini, Lindstrom and best defencemen available from Sharks POV. That's pretty nice stuff.