Prospect Info: 2024 NHL Entry Draft (Ducks pick #3, They didn’t drop! OMG It’s a Miracle!)

[GermanRocket7]

I don't want anything to do with Demidov, because we all know he simply won't play in the NHL until 2026 or 2027 at the earliest -if at all-, and we can't let a prospect go to waste with a 3rd overall pick, as it's horrible asset management.

I agree that Lindström is somewhat intriguing due to his combo, however, he is not the answer to our offensive struggles and would probably never be more than a complimentary piece in the middle-six. No idea why, but he just doesn't strike me as a top-end talent.

Silayev is a beast of a meatsuit, but I doubt his hockey IQ and read. While he put up good numbers in a somewhat strong league, he is also prone to the speed the NHL brings with itself, and is over hyped due to his physical stature.

Dickinson would be a nice consolidation pick if Shitcago went with Levshunov at #2, but the latter is the actual prize to take in our position IMHO. Levshunov is an absolute unicorn in his skills and the fact that he is right-handed makes him so much more valuable. His floor is a second-pairing defenseman, but his ceiling is an Elite #1 defenseman, so I'd take him in a heartbeat.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Also we’re not trading the 3rd overall for help now when we have plenty of other assets to find rhd and right shot top 6.

 

[Gliff]

I don't want anything to do with Demidov, because we all know he simply won't play in the NHL until 2026 or 2027 at the earliest -if at all-, and we can't let a prospect go to waste with a 3rd overall pick, as it's horrible asset management.

I agree that Lindström is somewhat intriguing due to his combo, however, he is not the answer to our offensive struggles and would probably never be more than a complimentary piece in the middle-six. No idea why, but he just doesn't strike me as a top-end talent.

Silayev is a beast of a meatsuit, but I doubt his hockey IQ and read. While he put up good numbers in a somewhat strong league, he is also prone to the speed the NHL brings with itself, and is over hyped due to his physical stature.

Dickinson would be a nice consolidation pick if Shitcago went with Levshunov at #2, but the latter is the actual prize to take in our position IMHO. Levshunov is an absolute unicorn in his skills and the fact that he is right-handed makes him so much more valuable. His floor is a second-pairing defenseman, but his ceiling is an Elite #1 defenseman, so I'd take him in a heartbeat.

His contract ends at the end of next year. His current contract is this short because he wants to go to the NHL asap.
He is doing a showcase with the rest of his agent's clients for NHL teams since they can't come to the combine.
There is no reason to think he wouldn't come over. In fact, college players are a higher risk in the NHL then Russian players are. More college players use the loophole to go UFA then Russian players refuse to come over.

So I guess we shouldn't draft Levshunov right?

 

[GermanRocket7]

His contract ends at the end of next year. His current contract is this short because he wants to go to the NHL asap.
He is doing a showcase with the rest of his agent's clients for NHL teams since they can't come to the combine.
There is no reason to think he wouldn't come over. In fact, college players are a higher risk in the NHL then Russian players are. More college players use the loophole to go UFA then Russian players refuse to come over.

So I guess we shouldn't draft Levshunov right?

1) It's not in his hands if Russia decides to double down on the take of revoking players' passports if they don't re-sign. The examples have been discussed ad nauseum beforehand.

2) Bringing in collegiate hockey is odd in itself, but even moreso, as your example of Levshunov is a Belarussian player (different country) already playing in North America and not having to worry about things like revoked passports.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

His contract ends at the end of next year. His current contract is this short because he wants to go to the NHL asap.
He is doing a showcase with the rest of his agent's clients for NHL teams since they can't come to the combine.
There is no reason to think he wouldn't come over. In fact, college players are a higher risk in the NHL then Russian players are. More college players use the loophole to go UFA then Russian players refuse to come over.

So I guess we shouldn't draft Levshunov right?

I’m pretty much happy if we land

Levshunov, buium or Demidov.

I’d like to avoid
Lindström

Indifferent on saliyev/dickinson

Tho if we get buium saliyev or Dickinson that means Fowler’s days are numbered and that brings a smile to my face

 

[Gliff]

1) It's not in his hands if Russia decides to double down on the take of revoking players' passports if they don't re-sign. The examples have been discussed ad nauseum beforehand.

2) Bringing in collegiate hockey is odd in itself, but even moreso, as your example of Levshunov is a Belarussian player (different country) already playing in North America and not having to worry about things like revoked passports.

Please give me an example of Russia revoking a passport?
It is complete fantasy. If World War 3 starts with Russia and the US I think we will have a lot more to worry about then hockey.
Did I say anything about Levshunov being Belarussian? He is a college player and can go UFA and walk in 3 years. The same way 2 other players have dont to the Ducks. That is more of a risk then Russia not letting players leave lol.

 

[robbieboy3686]

Russians nor midgets won’t be taken with pick #3 that’s my hot take

 

[tomd]

Russians nor midgets won’t be taken with pick #3 that’s my hot take

Celebrini 6'0" 190
Demidov 5'11" 188

 

[robbieboy3686]

Celebrini 6'0" 190
Demidov 5'11" 188

And we’re not drafting either.

 

[tomd]

And we’re not drafting either.

You embarrassed yourself last year with your Fantilli guarantees...please learn from that and avoid a repeat this year of similar nonsense.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

And we’re not drafting either.

I’d rather have both than a big guy with potential back injuries….

But again give me levshunov if he’s on the board… he’s a machine

 

[robbieboy3686]

You embarrassed yourself last year with your Fantilli guarantees...please learn from that and avoid a repeat this year of similar nonsense.

I mean I wasn’t/am not embarrassed, fantilli was everything verbeek said he wanted in a player ( size and grit high tempo and motor etc ) fantilli has been the 1 thing I’ve gotten wrong in my HFBoards tenure. I had us trading vatenan first chance we got. I had us keeping montour over Theo originally, I then had us getting rid of montour. Was correct on mctavish being drafted. So I finally got one wrong ( that I’m happy to have gotten wrong given carlsson is the real deal)

 

[forever1922]

I don't know what will happen with Russia, it is a wild card. It's always up and down, and the worst bans come right before things get resolved. It would be unwise to not consider the risk versus potential rewards.

However, the Ducks have a long history of avoiding russian based players with high draft picks. That's why I'm not even considering Demidov for the Ducks, even if I myself find him to be properly ranked at #2.

Demidov himself I don't think is the issue, he would very likely join at his earliest opportunity.

I mean I wasn’t embarrassed, fantilli was everything verbeek said he wanted in a player ( size and grit high tempo and motor etc ) fantilli has been the 1 thing I’ve gotten wrong in my HFBoards tenure. I had us trading vatenan first chance we got. I had us keeping montour over Theo originally, I then had us getting rid of montour. Was correct on mctavish being drafted. So I finally got one wrong ( that I’m happy to have gotten wrong given carlsson is the real deal)

By my count, Fantilli was the majority of the board's preferred player, and exactly as you put it, he was everything we lacked and what Verbeek seemed to want.

Carlsson has suprised me aswell with how ready and engaged he has been. I thought he would get lost in the compete aspect in the NHL but he has thrived.

 

[tomd]

I don't know what will happen with Russia, it is a wild card. It's always up and down, and the worst bans come right before things get resolved. It would be unwise to not consider the risk versus potential rewards.

However, the Ducks have a long history of avoiding russian based players with high draft picks. That's why I'm not even considering Demidov for the Ducks, even if I myself find him to be properly ranked at #2.

Demidov himself I don't think is the issue, he would very likely join at his earliest opportunity.


By my count, Fantilli was the majority of the board's preferred player, and exactly as you put it, he was everything we lacked and what Verbeek seemed to want.

Carlsson has suprised me aswell with how ready and engaged he has been. I thought he would get lost in the compete aspect in the NHL but he has thrived.

GMBM did seem to have a bias against Russians but GMPV brings a totally different approach and he may well be open to taking a Russian very high. Certainly TB didn't seem to be hesitant to draft Russians. If Levshunov goes 2OA then I'll be pretty upset if the Ducks don't take Demidov at 3OA.

 

[Ducks DVM]

Please give me an example of Russia revoking a passport?
It is complete fantasy. If World War 3 starts with Russia and the US I think we will have a lot more to worry about then hockey.
Did I say anything about Levshunov being Belarussian? He is a college player and can go UFA and walk in 3 years. The same way 2 other players have dont to the Ducks. That is more of a risk then Russia not letting players leave lol.

I don’t think it’s fair to say that about the college vs Russians thing when you’re talking about top 5 picks. Thise college kids all sign as fast as they can. It’s the later round guys that need 4 years to be a coveted asset (or just don’t want to toil away buried on a team, or have delusions of grandeur) that leave. Above and beyond that, I don’t think anyone pays attention to what happens with later round Russian picks unless they play for your own team, and even then most fans have no clue why they really never come over.

 

[Gliff]

I don’t think it’s fair to say that about the college vs Russians thing when you’re talking about top 5 picks. Thise college kids all sign as fast as they can. It’s the later round guys that need 4 years to be a coveted asset (or just don’t want to toil away buried on a team, or have delusions of grandeur) that leave. Above and beyond that, I don’t think anyone pays attention to what happens with later round Russian picks unless they play for your own team, and even then most fans have no clue why they really never come over.

Totally fair.

But I think it is more fair for me to use actual examples of this happening instead of fantasy situations where Russians can't come to NA.

 

[cheesymc]

I have a feeling Chicago goes with Levshunov. They've been drafting frequently from the USHL and have probably been tracking him since he was with the Green Bay Gamblers (practically in their back yard) so they might feel like he would a safer bet. He and Korchinski would give them two offensive blueliners with size.

Silayev and Lindstrom both have ideal profiles, but our scouting staff leans towards skill/upside for high pick defensemen and Silayev has shown questionable puck skills (although at a very high level in the KHL), and Lindstrom was out for half the season and didn't look impactful in the playoffs. I think between the two, the Ducks would lean towards Lindstrom if their isn't any medical issues. But I still think they would prefer players that have continued to show development and growth throughout the season and trending upwards.

Now I think they will currently lean towards high skill upside and hockey sense/awareness in someone like Demidov or Parekh. Both continued to light it up through the playoffs, but both showed that they can get injured when it starts to get rougher due to their small size which is concerning.

I'm curious if they would be willing to trade down to Montreal's 5th pick if they offered their late 1st. Ottawa also has a late 1st. Would it be possible and worth it to obtain 2 late firsts to move down to 7th, then trade the additional 1sts along with Gibson for the Devil's 10th pick if we retain a bit of salary? Devils want to win now and would probably want Saros, but the Predators are still competitive so I don't think they will give him up.

My current mock projections:

1 SJ - Celebrini
2 CHI - Levshunov
3 MON - Lindstrom (I think Montreal wants to get bigger and their blueline prospects are stacked right now)
4 Columbus - Silayev (They have a lot of forward talent like us but need that shut down guy and Silayev has the highest defensive upside)
5 OTT - Yakemchuk (Ottawa is like us looking for a RHD, but they need ones that has some potential in improve defensively, and he has the size that Parekh doesn't have)
6 UT - Buium (Buium, Yakemchuk, Demidov, and Silayev look like typical Coyote picks... they get a ton of production from their defensemen)
7 ANA - Demidov
8 SEA - Dickinson (Seatle gets a good value pick here)
9 CAL - Igilna (Nepo pick)
10 ANA - Parekh

We would still have many picks to get complimentary pieces, but offensively we would be adding much needed offense that hopefully our future coaching finally utilize.

 

[Emerald Duck]

I'm not sure that 1) we want to move down to #7 and 2) if Demidov is still available at that position. That's a big drop, and there are too many moving pieces to work on draft day. While it's nice to have our pipeline filled with 1st rd/2nd rd picks, at some point we run out of spaces to develop everyone and PV hasn't shown an ability to win prospect trades yet. We have a lot of quantity in our pipeline but not a lot of NHL quality.

I can see a scenario where Chicago takes Demidov at #2. Can you imagine how good Chicago might have been with two Patrick Kane-level talents playing together in their prime ?

Hopefully Celebrini/Demidov go #1/#2 and we can take Levshunov at #3. If Demidov is available at #3 then I would listen to offers from other teams that includes their #1 and a NHL player and/or prospect projected for the NHL within 12 mos.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Please give me an example of Russia revoking a passport?

It's extremely common for formerly the Rosgvardia (now the border is run by a subset of the FSB) to revoke (or "hold") passports for almost any reason, most often for petty extortion at border crossings. They also now check for mobilization flags and can issue conscription orders ab initio in some cases. They routinely block government workers from leaving because they fear they won't return.

You're acting like this is some fantasy spy novel shit but it happens all the time, every day. That can work both ways for kids with multi-million dollar contracts. They have money to pay bureaucratic extortion (and they do, routinely). That also raises their profile, which in some ways can insulate them from official misconduct but can also have the opposite effect.

 

[Gliff]

It's extremely common for formerly the Rosgvardia (now the border is run by a subset of the FSB) to revoke (or "hold") passports for almost any reason, most often for petty extortion at border crossings. They also now check for mobilization flags and can issue conscription orders ab initio in some cases. They routinely block government workers from leaving because they fear they won't return.

You're acting like this is some fantasy spy novel shit but it happens all the time, every day. That can work both ways for kids with multi-million dollar contracts. They have money to pay bureaucratic extortion (and they do, routinely). That also raises their profile, which in some ways can insulate them from official misconduct but can also have the opposite effect.

Should I have clarified that I am talking about professional hockey players in this scenario?

 

[Vaakou]

Gauthier-Carlsson-Demidov please.

Just park Gauthier in front of goal, let Zegras and Demidov embarrass the whole opponent team in the corner.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

Should I have clarified that I am talking about professional hockey players in this scenario?

Do you think that's a special category or something?

 

[cheesymc]

I'm not sure that 1) we want to move down to #7 and 2) if Demidov is still available at that position. That's a big drop, and there are too many moving pieces to work on draft day. While it's nice to have our pipeline filled with 1st rd/2nd rd picks, at some point we run out of spaces to develop everyone and PV hasn't shown an ability to win prospect trades yet. We have a lot of quantity in our pipeline but not a lot of NHL quality.

I can see a scenario where Chicago takes Demidov at #2. Can you imagine how good Chicago might have been with two Patrick Kane-level talents playing together in their prime ?

Hopefully Celebrini/Demidov go #1/#2 and we can take Levshunov at #3. If Demidov is available at #3 then I would listen to offers from other teams that includes their #1 and a NHL player and/or prospect projected for the NHL within 12 mos.

I think Demidov would be 2nd on Chicago's list, or a close tie. I don't think they want to go back to back pure small offensive forward even if Demidov's upside is very high, unless obviously if they think he is in a different tier. My guess is they would want to improve their defense as well as adding some offensive production by drafting a two way defenseman or a scorer who brings something different like Lindstrom's size and speed (but his helium has dropped). I do see Utah potentially wanting Demidov's offense (he would fit into the system well with his elusiveness) since they still need that firepower to add with Cooley/Guenther/But/Geekie/Maccielli, but adding potentially another Chychrun in Yakemchuk with Simashev/Mavric/Durzi/Moser might be too enticing for them too. They have an amazing track record maximizing their defensemen's production and minimizing their defensive issues. Players like OEL, Yandle, Chychrun all fell off after leaving even when they were in their prime.

If Levshunov does drop to us, I'd still be concerned with his upside. I've only watched a handful of his games at MSU but he didn't impress me as much as players like Buium. I really question his consistency, intensity, and puck management even if he has a lot of ideal raw tools. His interviews and personality also doesn't scream future leader/captain as well and that's something we need on our blueline. He sort of reminds me of Bryzgalov in personality.

 

[Opak]

I keep wondering about Berkly Catton, I have a feeling people are not paying enough attention on him. Had an incredible WHL season on a relatively weak team.

People seem to find a lot to complain about his game - not good enough a skater, not big enough, not physical enough, etc. I’m not a pro scout or anything, but the kid seems very talented to me.

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

I keep wondering about Berkly Catton, I have a feeling people are not paying enough attention on him. Had an incredible WHL season on a relatively weak team.

People seem to find a lot to complain about his game - not good enough a skater, not big enough, not physical enough, etc. I’m not a pro scout or anything, but the kid seems very talented to me.

Catton is #3 for forwards on my board…. I’d be fine with him as a pick and I much prefer him over Lindström

We’re in a spot where we can get Demidov or levshunov…. Don’t think there is any reason to overthink it.

Take whoever is there at that spot

Demidov is a game changing forward, putting up kucherov #s at his league…. And I think you could argue him into celebrini tier

Levshunov is the highest ceiling dmen and should be a menace on both ends of the ice