Prospect Info: 2025 DRAFT Thread

Severson HAS to be moved at the draft

I bite the bullet and include one of our 2 first round picks to avoid retention if necessary

I despise dead money (buy outs) on the books
 
Severson HAS to be moved at the draft

I bite the bullet and include one of our 2 first round picks to avoid retention if necessary

I despise dead money (buy outs) on the books
They won’t have to buy him out or attach a pick to him (imo). He has value being a RHD. The contract is bad, yes, but he’s a better player than credited for.
 
Severson HAS to be moved at the draft

I bite the bullet and include one of our 2 first round picks to avoid retention if necessary

I despise dead money (buy outs) on the books

I hope your right, just bad optics when he's not being played though.
So a guy sitting in the press box at full $ is better than a guy hitting us for between 1/3 -2/3 of is salary? I don't understand this dogmatic opposition to buyouts unless ownership is saying no. Same with retention. Severson is a sunk cost so to minimize his hit seems smart to me.
 
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So a guy sitting in the press box at full $ is better than a guy hitting us for between 1/3 -2/3 of is salary? I don't understand this dogmatic opposition to buyouts unless ownership is saying no. Same with retention. Severson is a sunk cost so to minimize his hit seems smart to me.
It's hard to imagine the owner green-lighting a buyout here, and it doesn't make sense for Waddell either. He would be on the books for 12 years (!) at just over $1.5 million per year. Yeah, the cap is going up but who knows if the cbj will need that cap space in a few years. Plus, it's over $18 million of the owner's cash to pay a player to play elsewhere.

If Severson was poison in the dressing room, sometimes you have to just swallow the medicine. But by all accounts, the reason he's not playing is due to Evason's evaluation of his on-ice play. Someone out there will likely be intrigued by his strengths to give him a shot. If the Jackets have the grease the wheels a bit with a draft pick, so be it. But, I don't see any situation where a buyout makes sense.
 
It's hard to imagine the owner green-lighting a buyout here, and it doesn't make sense for Waddell either. He would be on the books for 12 years (!) at just over $1.5 million per year. Yeah, the cap is going up but who knows if the cbj will need that cap space in a few years. Plus, it's over $18 million of the owner's cash to pay a player to play elsewhere.

If Severson was poison in the dressing room, sometimes you have to just swallow the medicine. But by all accounts, the reason he's not playing is due to Evason's evaluation of his on-ice play. Someone out there will likely be intrigued by his strengths to give him a shot. If the Jackets have the grease the wheels a bit with a draft pick, so be it. But, I don't see any situation where a buyout makes sense.
Two different things here being floated that are quite different: buyout vs retention in a trade. I think a buyout of Severson is too big a hurdle at this point but I could see retention if it means giving up significantly lesser assets to get him off the books. Retaining even 50% which is the max you can retain makes financial sense (money and cap wise) compared to a buyout. And I suspect they could reasonably move him while retaining less.
 
Two different things here being floated that are quite different: buyout vs retention in a trade. I think a buyout of Severson is too big a hurdle at this point but I could see retention if it means giving up significantly lesser assets to get him off the books. Retaining even 50% which is the max you can retain makes financial sense (money and cap wise) compared to a buyout. And I suspect they could reasonably move him while retaining less.
I just focused on buyout because that's the no-go option. I'm sure they will try to avoid retention like they did with Laine, but I doubt it's completely off the table.
 
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only took me 8 attempts
 
Severson HAS to be moved at the draft

I bite the bullet and include one of our 2 first round picks to avoid retention if necessary

I despise dead money (buy outs) on the books
damon severson has very good underlying stats and the rising cap makes his contract more palatable. he's a bit system-and-partner-dependent. he's not a fit here with the coach and lineup construction.

i bet plenty of teams will see him as being worth a gamble and be willing to take him in a straight up contract swap. tons of teams need help at RHD. some of those teams are even good.

in the right situation, he's a good complimentary top four RHD with good NZ defense and OZ playmaking abilities. the only guy who fits that bill and was set to hit the market (pionk) just got locked down to a long-term extension.

if a team's options are "hope to win a bidding war for the ghost of aaron ekblad" or "take damon severson off the jackets' hands" it's not exactly a hard decision.
 
I haven’t looked much at the draft yet, but upon a quick glance, Jackson Smith and Ben Kindel seem like the type of guys I would like in that range.
 
Logan Hensler at 13?
Based on what I know today I'd probably say sure, but of course it depends on who are the other players still on the board.

Schaefer, Smith and Mrtka are my top defenders currently, but I don't know if there's a big gap between them and Hensler. I think it was an EP or HP scout who said Hensler had a strong end to the season, showed a bit of progress offensively. Isn't dynamic with the puck like Schaefer or Smith and doesn't seem to possess any special skill but he's so well-rounded it might give him a relatively high floor (3RD?).
 
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Schaefer, Smith and Mrtka are my top defenders currently, but I don't know if there's a big gap between them and Hensler. I think it was an EP or HP scout who said Hensler had a strong end to the season, showed a bit of progress offensively. Isn't dynamic with the puck like Schaefer or Smith and doesn't seem to possess any special skill but he's so well-rounded it might give him a relatively high floor (3RD?).

Any thoughts on Fiddler if he is there for the Minnesota pick and we still have that pick? He seems to be generally ranked in the 20s.
 
Any thoughts on Fiddler if he is there for the Minnesota pick and we still have that pick? He seems to be generally ranked in the 20s.
I saw two games earlier in the season. Not good viewings. Puck management was bit of a mess and defending didn't impress me much given his frame. I will have to study more. Hopefully he'll see ice time on Team USA at U18s.
 
Based on what I know today I'd probably say sure, but of course it depends on who are the other players still on the board.

Schaefer, Smith and Mrtka are my top defenders currently, but I don't know if there's a big gap between them and Hensler. I think it was an EP or HP scout who said Hensler had a strong end to the season, showed a bit of progress offensively. Isn't dynamic with the puck like Schaefer or Smith and doesn't seem to possess any special skill but he's so well-rounded it might give him a relatively high floor (3RD?)
Personally I’m avoiding any Wisconsin guys. If Hensler is the last remaining of the “top” D there then I’d rather just take a forward. That all being said, I know nothing about him. I just know that I don’t trust Wisconsin to develop players.
 
Jackson Smith and Mrtka are both very likely gone before we get to our pick. I haven't watched the guys after that, Hensler seems to be the only one ranked in the mid-teens. I'm more interested in upside than floor, not sure if Hensler is going to be my guy.
 
Tom Willander was an 11th overall pick. We have the 11th overall pick. And plenty to add. 🤔

We have #13. Canucks wouldn't trade an NHL ready piece for a draft pick. That seems to be where most teams are at, they are trying to get better immediately.

Now Willander for Sillinger or LDBB, that is where trade talks would get spicy (not endorsing anything). The Canucks need a center.
 
We have #13. Canucks wouldn't trade an NHL ready piece for a draft pick. That seems to be where most teams are at, they are trying to get better immediately.

Now Willander for Sillinger or LDBB, that is where trade talks would get spicy (not endorsing anything). The Canucks need a center.

You are right. I was looking at 2025 NHL Mock Draft | 2025 NHL Draft | NHL Draft but they haven’t updated their draft order.

I was high on LDBB when we drafted him and really like the player. But if he could improve our right D, I have to make that move.
 
Imagine this place if we draft another kid with back related injuries

Edit: I'll say it's a very big difference in injury, one I'd be less concerned about being a long term issue but again... people hear back injury and that's all they need
I am sure the Columbus doctors can clear McQueen just like they cleared Lindstrom.
 
no love in here for aitcheson? there's a chance he's still on the board at 13 (albeit a small one).

he's the kind of defenseman this board has been clamoring for since the rebuild started – a physical force who defends well, skates well and has enough skill to chip in offensively.

pretty easy to see a path to the NHL, too. give him a couple years to develop and then let him get his bearings as the #3 LD.
 

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