GDT: 2024 NHL Entry Draft, at The Sphere in Vegas, Friday, June 28, 7 p.m. edt | SN, TVA Sports, ESPN, NHLN

[Jack Skellington]

Last year at this time anyone would have been ecstatic to take Eiserman at 5 let alone in the 10-15 range where he likely goes. Has he simply not improved at all, or even regressed?

 

[Tyson]

Eiserman at 5 is puke mode

What made him drop from being a possible #1 overall a year ago to puke mode a year later? Attitude? Lack of IQ? Unwillingness to play a 200 foot game?
I have only seen videos so I authentically don't know this player or pretty much any of these prospects.

 

[Naslundforever]

This board will implode if the Habs draft a D or Cole Eiserman.

Bof… the D’s are the actual top picks and habs can’t score goals for 30 years so not too bad if true.

 

[Ozmodiar]

I’d like to see either:
- Demidov
Or (if he’s not available),
- a trade with Calgary for 9 and their late first. Draft Helenius, Sennecke or Catton AND trade up to the top 15 using 2 late firsts (+?).

(Assumes Iggy goes to Cal)

 

[eklund the clown]

Unless Hughes has something up his sleeve we will not be drafting another D

 

[Doublechin]

You draft the best talent and you trade a guy like Nazar or another after.



Not drafting an elite talent like Demidov because you have small forwards is crazy.

Demidov is a Hawk.

Elite talent is 10x more important than size. Tampa understood that with forwards long time ago

Why not just draft an elite DMAN

People need to realize that every NHL GM will select an elite DMAN or center over an elite winger

If there's a year where elite Dmen are available, this is literally the one, you end up adding size to an undersized team and filling up an essential position with a potentially elite asset

Were lucky that we're stacked on D and can afford to go winger

 

[Tyson]

Unless Hughes has something up his sleeve we will not be drafting another D

Habs have a solid D pool but a below average forward pool, this has to be addressed.

 

[Doublechin]

Last year at this time anyone would have been ecstatic to take Eiserman at 5 let alone in the 10-15 range where he likely goes. Has he simply not improved at all, or even regressed?

He's just a scorer, I think his top end upside is a smaller framed Patrick Laine

 

[HuGo Burner Acc]

Unless Hughes has something up his sleeve we will not be drafting another D

Unless top 4 goes Celebrini, Demidov, Lindstrom, Sennecke. Then Habs are definitely drafting Levshunov.

Guhle-Levshunov
Hutson-Reinbacher
Xhekaj-Mailloux

That would be nasty

 

[Team_Spirit]

What would it mean to play with Connor Bedard?
Did you have dinner with Pat Verbeek?
Did you meet Columbus?
Take a picture with uncle Tony?

God we don't hate the media enough, every single scrum gives me the ick.

 

[Tyson]

The more I read about Nathan Villeneuve the more I hope the Habs grab him at some point.

 

[BJCOLLINS]

So the reason I’m not excited about picking Demidov is the same reason I’m not excited about Cellibrini….he won’t be there.

Two things I want to hear are, “at #5 the Canadiens select” and between picks 10-12 we hear “we have a trade to announce” & the Habs get that second impact player.

 

[Rapala]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806018581072658884

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806265824241418632

I wonder if Grant can go 4/4 in the got it wrong category.

 

[Gandalf The Habs Fan]

General manager Kent Hughes took a late pick in the first round, the number 26 pick. He sprinkled it with fairy dust, wished upon a star, and somehow, he turned it into a Top 15 pick adding 2 potentially impact players for his team

And David Putney!

 

[WeThreeKings]

The more I read about Nathan Villeneuve the more I hope the Habs grab him at some point.

Check out Ethan Procyszyn, should go 4th/5th round. If we can get Villeneuve and him, I think that would add some sandpaper with skill.

​

 

[Habsfan18]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1806319068766740711

 

[sampollock]

Habs have a solid D pool but a below average forward pool, this has to be addressed.

so true. habs need scoring on the top 2 lines. but... what I read hear on Demi, makes me think he is gone by the time the habs pick 5

then KH picks a D man. just a gut feel

 

[The Real Timo]

Habs have a solid D pool but a below average forward pool, this has to be addressed.

Well... since I am done with rebuild and these guys better make playoffs, addressing forwards through the draft isn't going to help this season. So trades. Make trades. I hear Barron and Harris are top notch, so no problem getting some premium up front talent for them...

so true. habs need scoring on the top 2 lines. but... what I read hear on Demi, makes me think he is gone by the time the habs pick 5

then KH picks a D man. just a gut feel

Habs desperately need NHL players on bottom 2 lines. About 5 of them. Someone that can shut down, cycle, eat pucks and dish out hits and inflict pain.

 

[Rapala]

Buium is creative and smart, sure. But I've watched him a lot in the NCAA this year trying to gauge his play and checking-in on other BC rookies like Perreault, Smith, and Leonard, as well as Cutter Gauthier.

From those games I watched, it clearly became apparent to me that Buium has an identifiable and exploitable pattern out there when deking from the blueline. It's almost always the same move he makes, or slight variations to it.

Every time Buium gets possession of the puck trying to challenge defenders 1-on-1 he moves his body and positions his stick and puck so as to confront the oncoming forechecker near the center of the ice, then he moves the puck backwards a bit trying to bait hesitation by the forechecker, then he moves the disk to his right to try and shield it from checking, and then tries to outskate his opponent while bracing for impact and maintaining possession, looking to either keep possession and round-out the net before dishing the puck, or using quick backhand passes to send it to teammates.

Having a go-to move is par for the course for every player, true. But Buium's overreliance on it may make his long-term transition to the NHL tougher offensively than some project when he eventually makes it to the NHL and opposing players get some more reps against him and "figure him out" if you will.

While not a true one-trick pony with the puck on his stick while he walks the blueline (which would be more true of a guy like Will Butcher), Buium'll still need to diversify his approach to trying to extend possessions from the blueline in the future.

He is certainly no Erik Karlsson manning the point, able to beat you any number of ways inside and out, with elite-level feints/quick reads. That's for damn sure.

Now, does that make Buium a bad defenseman? Absolutely not.

Buium's borderline elite in transition, smart, quite polished defensively, incredibly good at establishing and maintaining puck possession, and he has a very nice and projectable pro skillset to boot.

So yeah, I really love Buium's play, and have him as the third-best defenseman in this draft after Dickinson and Levshunov, but I genuinely think he benefited quite a bit from playing for a very high-scoring team this year in BC and that his pure offensive tools and PP QB abilities aren't as good as some public scouting sources portray.

If we don't draft him and he's still available I don't think we will have missed on a Quinn Hughes/Adam Fox/Cale Makar type though Buium's potential is obviously very high still.

As for the draft, I'd like us to draft Demidov, but if we end up with any of Dickinson, Levshunov, Buium, Silayev, Iginla, Catton, Lindstrom or Sennecke I won't be mad.

It's too bad he's such an Old Dog and can't change any little idiosyncrasy about his game.
If it's a big problem and I'm saying it's a big if what makes you think others haven't noticed those apparent tendencies?
The other prospects have as may bad and possibly even worse traits in their games.
If these guys were all finished products they'd be going first over-all.

I noticed the traits you brought up really affected his game in the NCAA and Internationally.

 

[kyne]

Unless top 4 goes Celebrini, Demidov, Lindstrom, Sennecke. Then Habs are definitely drafting Levshunov.

Guhle-Levshunov
Hutson-Reinbacher
Xhekaj-Mailloux

That would be nasty

With a number 7 that can play both sides like Harris and Hutson playing to potential, this could be the best Habs defense in 30 years.

 

[sampollock]

Well... since I am done with rebuild and these guys better make playoffs, addressing forwards through the draft isn't going to help this season. So trades. Make trades. I hear Barron and Harris are top notch, so no problem getting some premium up front talent for them...


Habs desperately need NHL players on bottom 2 lines. About 5 of them. Someone that can shut down, cycle, eat pucks and dish out hits and inflict pain.

which means the guy or guys they get in the 1st round will not even make the team.
they get a D man and move up from 26 and get Senneke

if Demi/LIndstrom is gone

 

[GrandmaCookie]

Demidov and Yakemchuk would be pretty dope.

 

[Seb]

I remember when Caufield and Beaulieu were not in our lists because "he'll never drop to us".

Demidov is definitely a possibility, especially considering the info we've had the past few weeks.

 

[Kents polished head]

Say what you will about our "solid D prospects", we still haven't got any safe bet to become a first pairing D in the whole organization.

Even the management talked about Reinbacher as a "solid top-4 D" after drafting him last year.

We miss quality prospects pretty much everywhere. We're definitely not at a point where perceived "needs" should have any influence on who we end up picking.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

Say what you will about our "solid D prospects", we still haven't got any safe bet to become a first pairing D in the whole organization.

Even the management talked about Reinbacher as a "solid top-4 D" after drafting him last year.

We miss quality prospects pretty much everywhere. We're definitely not at a point where perceived "needs" should have any influence on who we end up picking.

No PPG player , No 1 D , No 1 G , but fans want us to exit the rebuild...nice