Prospect Info: 2025 Draft discussion

[Gallatin]

The best pick the Penguins had during their entire window... and the clear and obvious choice was RIGHT there.

Never let anyone tell you that GMs, coaches, executives etc. are these infallible beings that levitate above the rest of us. They are quite often huge morons, too.

Yeah most wanted the Scandinavian Winger, With a few holdouts for the high upside Russian Center.

 

[Gallatin]

I've been away from the sport for a while, just couldn't stomach more years of Sully coaching...

Has there been any discussion lately about the 26 Draft and if it's good enough to actually want that 1st from Vancouver to get protected?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I've been away from the sport for a while, just couldn't stomach more years of Sully coaching...

Has there been any discussion lately about the 26 Draft and if it's good enough to actually want that 1st from Vancouver to get protected?

It's the Rangers' 1st that the Canucks got for JT Miller that the Canucks sent in the Petts deal.

General consensus is that the 2025 draft is weak after the top 4 players, so by all accounts the 2026 draft should be deeper, and there's a kid with potential superstar talent available named Gavin McKenna (currently 106pts in 51GP) who has been talked about for years leading up to his draft year.

The Rangers' pick is top 13 protected for the 2025 draft, and unprotected next year. So if it's a top 13 pick they get to decide whether to send it over or kick it to next year, but if it ends up being 14th or later, it goes to the Pens iirc.

 

[Gallatin]

It's the Rangers' 1st that the Canucks got for JT Miller that the Canucks sent in the Petts deal.

General consensus is that the 2025 draft is weak after the top 4 players, so by all accounts the 2026 draft should be deeper, and there's a kid with potential superstar talent available named Gavin McKenna (currently 106pts in 51GP) who has been talked about for years leading up to his draft year.

The Rangers' pick is top 13 protected for the 2025 draft, and unprotected next year. So if it's a top 13 pick they get to decide whether to send it over or kick it to next year, but if it ends up being 14th or later, it goes to the Pens iirc.

Got a feel for how good the Rangers are looking for next season?

How do you feel about our GM making cagy moves to maximize our losses next year? Is he the type to purposefully not try to fix the goaltending? In order to lay a stronger long term foundation via the Draft?

I was around before Mario so I seen it all. I'll never forget Dennis Savard absolutely destroying us in a nearly empty Arena during his big season. We used to go for the other teams...

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

How do you feel about our GM making cagy moves to maximize our losses next year? Is he the type to purposefully not try to fix the goaltending?

Absolutely!

He went above and beyond in that regard by signing that complete donut Tristan Jarry for 6 years or whatever disaster-zone of a deal it was.

 

[Gallatin]

Absolutely!

He went above and beyond in that regard by signing that complete donut, Tristan Jarry, for 6 years or whatever disaster-zone of a deal it was.

Yeah, I'm hopeful he's going to be smart and thoughtful about this.

Or that he sucks at everything but Talent acquisition and development.

Now is not the time to win at all costs IMO.

 

[PensFutures]

Especially after not having a legit 2C for the entire Toews/Kane era.

Show a little respect to 37 year old Michal Handzus.

If I'm Chicago I'm taking the best player regardless of position.

Targeting is unwise. Targeting is how our moron GM took Derek Pouliot instead of Filip Forsberg.

I would love to see the alternate timeline if they took Forsberg instead of Pouliot. Do they load up at the 2013 TDL? Do they trade for Horny and/or Kessel? Does the Mike Johnston debacle happen?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Got a feel for how good the Rangers are looking for next season?

How do you feel about our GM making cagy moves to maximize our losses next year? Is he the type to purposefully not try to fix the goaltending? In order to lay a stronger long term foundation via the Draft?

I was around before Mario so I seen it all.

The Rangers are tumbling this season. Next year, their already aging core's gonna be a year older. Kreider's already dogshit, Zibanejad's dropped off a cliff this season. Shesterkin's new contract kicks in and he's gonna be making $11.5M AAV or thereabouts. The team has no real depth beyond that.

It's not a sure thing but I think there's a pretty decent chance that Rangers pick, if it gets kicked to next season, could end up being top 10. An injury to Panarin or Shesterkin and it'd probably be in the running for a high lotto pick.

I honestly don't know what Dubas has planned. I'm not even sure Dubas knows tbh. I'd love for him to start dismantling things and going after McKenna and Dupont the year after--another kid projected to be a superstar talent as a blueliner. I don't know that this team is ready to accept the writing that's been on the wall for years, or able to swallow their pride enough to do something like that for the long term health of the team though. If I had my way, Rakell and Ned would be gone for picks/prospects by this TDL, Rust and EK would be dealt this summer, and I'd be taking on bad contracts for even more picks/prospects and buckling in for a few years of tanking to set up the post-Sid years to be as painless as possible.

 

[Gallatin]

The Rangers are tumbling this season. Next year, their already aging core's gonna be a year older. Kreider's already dogshit, Zibanejad's dropped off a cliff this season. Shesterkin's new contract kicks in and he's gonna be making $11.5M AAV or thereabouts. The team has no real depth beyond that.

It's not a sure thing but I think there's a pretty decent chance that Rangers pick, if it gets kicked to next season, could end up being top 10. An injury to Panarin or Shesterkin and it'd probably be in the running for a high lotto pick.

I honestly don't know what Dubas has planned. I'm not even sure Dubas knows tbh. I'd love for him to start dismantling things and going after McKenna and Dupont the year after--another kid projected to be a superstar talent as a blueliner. I don't know that this team is ready to accept the writing that's been on the wall for years, or able to swallow their pride enough to do something like that for the long term health of the team though. If I had my way, Rakell and Ned would be gone for picks/prospects by this TDL, Rust and EK would be dealt this summer, and I'd be taking on bad contracts for even more picks/prospects and buckling in for a few years of tanking to set up the post-Sid years to be as painless as possible.

We are 100% on the same page. I had to step away for a couple years cuz I couldn't handle the bad management being committed to.

However, I think Crosby complicates things and means you have to be more subtle with this kind of stuff IMO.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

On a side note, watching teams like Vancouver and the Rangers fall in and out of contention status so erratically and over the course of such a short period of time further illustrates how lucky we have been and how truly incredible the core has been as not just point producers but winners.

But yeah I mean f*** those guys boy I wish they'd just GTFO out already so we can get on with the business of a successful rebuild since it totally looks like all the right pieces are in place to do that right now and those guys are the only things standing in the way amirite?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

We are 100% on the same page. I had to step away for a couple years cuz I couldn't handle the bad management being committed to.

Well this team's still as enamored as ever with Mike Sullivan and his zero event hockey fetish, and they've committed to keeping up the bullshit masquerade of being relevant while Sid waits for his final shot at Olympic gold in 2026. So not much has changed from pretty much 2020 through now. Still going along with walking directly down the center as opposed to picking a lane (tanking or aggressive retooling).

 

[Randy Butternubs]

Yeah most wanted the Scandinavian Winger, With a few holdouts for the high upside Russian Center.

I'm recalling a bunch of people being upset we missed out on Trouba.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

I wasn't around at the time but I thought for sure Shero was gonna take Trouba, because of the defenseman psychosis the dude had. I wanted Forsberg, but thought for sure it would be Trouba. Then they announced Pouliot and I was just kinda stunned it was neither of the aforementioned.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

I wasn't around at the time but I thought for sure Shero was gonna take Trouba, because of the defenseman psychosis the dude had. I wanted Forsberg, but thought for sure it would be Trouba. Then they announced Pouliot and I was just kinda stunned it was neither of the aforementioned.

Yeah that was an absolutely infuriating whiff.

f***ing Portland Winterhawks man.

 

[Freeptop]

Forsberg was the obvious pick at the time to everyone... except Shero and the two GMs who picked after him.

The funny thing is that outside of the 8th overall pick, Shero did rather well, getting Maatta, Blueger, Sundqvist and Murray out of that draft.

In retrospect, that draft wasn't particularly strong, so getting four NHLers out of the draft, two of whom were key contributors on back-to-back Cup wins is pretty remarkable. (Seriously, take a look at the players in that draft, and realize how few actual star-caliber players there were from it - Galchenyuk is still the 7th highest scorer from that draft!)

 

[Jay Gray]

On a side note, watching teams like Vancouver and the Rangers fall in and out of contention status so erratically and over the course of such a short period of time further illustrates how lucky we have been and how truly incredible the core has been as not just point producers but winners.

Also illustrates why being patient and getting future 1sts can be so valuable. Teams unexpectedly collapse all the time like NSH and NYR this year or NJD last year. Even the 1st for Karlsson was dangerously close to being surprisingly valuable.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Also illustrates why being patient and getting future 1sts can be so valuable. Teams unexpectedly collapse all the time like NSH and NYR this year or NJD last year. Even the 1st for Karlsson was dangerously close to being surprisingly valuable.

True enough.

I generally kinda dump on firsts outside the like... 10-15ish range but those can turn into much more in the span of one season more often than one would expect in a parity league.

 

[PensFutures]

Forsberg was the obvious pick at the time to everyone... except Shero and the two GMs who picked after him.

and then WSH turned around and dealt him for Martin Erat for their playoff push.