Prospect Info: 2025 Draft discussion

[Le Magnifique 66]

Would call it a top 5 and I’d be happy with any one of Martone, Misa, Hagens, Frondell, Schaefer

100%, would be a solid start to the rebuild/retool whatever you want to call it.
Then if we end up having the Rags pick this year, we can also get another solid player in Bear, Spence, Carbonneau, Aitcheson or favorite SSM Brady Martin. I think any of those are good picks but a little longer to develop

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

As the season plays out, I think I'd lean Misa if given a pick of any of the top four. People seem to liken his style to Point and that's a nice 2C. Hagens would be a nice pickup too, I saw a lotta Jack Hughes in him at the WJC.

Early prediction is we see 1. Schaefer, 2. Hagens, 3. Martone, 4-7. Misa/McQueen/Frondell/Desnoyers and no idea what order I expect after the top 3.

At this rate, Misa has a better chance going #1 than he does falling out of the Top-3.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

As the season plays out, I think I'd lean Misa if given a pick of any of the top four. People seem to liken his style to Point and that's a nice 2C. Hagens would be a nice pickup too, I saw a lotta Jack Hughes in him at the WJC.

Early prediction is we see 1. Schaefer, 2. Hagens, 3. Martone, 4-7. Misa/McQueen/Frondell/Desnoyers and no idea what order I expect after the top 3.

Misa or Hagens for me would be top priority

 

[Ulf5]

Yeah Martone's combination of size and skill is extremely attractive but I do think there's gonna be an adjustment period there because guys who play his style usually don't translate immediately to the strength and speed of NHL hockey.

Hell, any of the big four would. Hagens, Schaefer, Misa, Martone. They'd all be unreal for a team with no game changers in the system, and they all kinda fit their own relatively unique niche as far as styles go, which is cool.

Just get into the top four. That should be this team's only goal for the next few months.

Only one problem with that game plan. We're going to finish 4th and a team 5th or lower is going to win the lottery. We'll be drafting 5th.

 

[Ulf5]

I would say that Frondell is a decent, slightly above average skater, but optics could be distorted as he plays in a generally better league against some fully developped players. He skates well enough for his tool-set.. Desnoyers is definitely the best skater out of that bunch and would even put him at "above-average +" comfortably, with room to improve with strength, but like Jay Gray said, slightly underwhelming for a centerman. McQueen is a lumbering skater and the worst of those four; He was drafted out of AAA at 6'3 and has slowly grown since then to being almost 6'6, where you can tell the extra body height and length is still very much affecting everything from his deceptiveness to explosiveness. Pair that with a back injury last year and then a lower-body injury this year, he's got a mountain to climb to get on the right side of being an OK skater. O'Brien is also average at best at the moment. He's a guy who needs to work on his base-line skating mechanics, but also has a lot of room to grow in the strength department, so might have the most upside, in terms of improving skating, out of those 4.

Who plays the most mundane, low event, snoozefest brand of hockey with the most pk time?

 

[Zero Pucks]

Really? What makes you say that?

Yeah, I'm not buying into that either. Worst case scenario, because of Sullivan and all, maybe.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Who plays the most mundane, low event, snoozefest brand of hockey with the most pk time?

Well there was a rumor Misa was thinking about going to play at Boston U, so there's that.

 

[SEALBound]

Only one problem with that game plan. We're going to finish 4th and a team 5th or lower is going to win the lottery. We'll be drafting 5th.

I think there's clearly a Tier 1 and Tier 2-10 with Tier 1 being the top 4 of Schaefer, Hagens, Misa, and Martone. The interesting question will be how well Frondell does to finish the year out. Being that he was hurt for most of it, he's not getting the development time and attention he otherwise would. I think he's a near lock to go #5 after the big 4. If we pick 5th and get him, that's still a win for us. While it's not the A++ prospect, he's still a A+ (based only on what we've seen. Now, if you look at scouting reports from early in the year, plenty of people were talking about him and Hagens being 1/2 so I would suggest that potential is still there.) guy. After that, you're looking at a 4-5 A players. Then there's a drop to the A- and B+'ers.

I would be heartbroken though if we finish 4th and drop to 5th and Misa goes 4th.

 

[Andy99]

I think there's clearly a Tier 1 and Tier 2-10 with Tier 1 being the top 4 of Schaefer, Hagens, Misa, and Martone. The interesting question will be how well Frondell does to finish the year out. Being that he was hurt for most of it, he's not getting the development time and attention he otherwise would. I think he's a near lock to go #5 after the big 4. If we pick 5th and get him, that's still a win for us. While it's not the A++ prospect, he's still a A+ guy. After that, you're looking at a 4-5 A players. Then there's a drop to the A- and B+'ers.

I would be heartbroken though if we finish 4th and drop to 5th and Misa goes 4th.

Misa is going to go 2 or 3. Pens have no chance unless they move up in the lottery

 

[SEALBound]

Misa is going to go 2 or 3. Pens have no chance unless they move up in the lottery

Probably. If SJS pick #3 though and it's Schaefer / Hagens like I predict, I could see SJS opting for Martone over Misa. They have Celebrini and Smith as their centers. Taking a Matthew Tkachuk over a Brayden Point might fit their overall roster construction a bit better.

That said, I do lean towards what you said. Still think the top 4 of Schaefer, Hagens, Misa, Martone is practically a lock. I'm about to "lock in" Frondell at #5.

 

[sovietsanta87]

Hats off to the senators and bruins for going on a five game losing streak. That puts the rangers at 14th if the season ended today.

 

[Andy99]

Probably. If SJS pick #3 though and it's Schaefer / Hagens like I predict, I could see SJS opting for Martone over Misa. They have Celebrini and Smith as their centers. Taking a Matthew Tkachuk over a Brayden Point might fit their overall roster construction a bit better.

That said, I do lean towards what you said. Still think the top 4 of Schaefer, Hagens, Misa, Martone is practically a lock. I'm about to "lock in" Frondell at #5.

Yeah I think it depends on whether people project Hagens and Misa as centers in the NHL…some teams may see one or both as wingers

 

[SEALBound]

Yeah I think it depends on whether people project Hagens and Misa as centers in the NHL…some teams may see one or both as wingers

Hagens, I imagine stays at center. I'm on the fence about Misa. I think he would be a tremendous center in the NHL and i do think the Brayden Point comparison is very fair and that would be a win for us. But I think he also has soooo much offensive firepower potential that if you want to unleash that, you do so at wing. In which case, Marner could be a legit comparison. If you have a 25yo Sid, he's a wing. As is, I think he comes in at center. But who knows, if we get McKenna next year, a 3M line of McGroarty-McKenna-Misa would burn down villages for the next two decades.

 

[PensFutures]

Probably. If SJS pick #3 though and it's Schaefer / Hagens like I predict, I could see SJS opting for Martone over Misa. They have Celebrini and Smith as their centers.

Obviously the ping pong balls play the biggest part in all this, but i'll play devils advocate for the sake of discussion/killing time. SJ has used Smith almost exclusively at 2RW, and he did play with Hagens at the USNDT..

I agree with you about Misa being maximized offensively on the wing, and that may tempt Chicago. If they are comfortable with Nazar at 2C, Misa could be a way to help Bedard stop "underperforming" to paraphrase a certain NHL plug now on national TV.