2025 NHL Draft: Lose a ton for Porter Martone

[Juxtaposer]

If you don't believe in Smith as a future line-driver, then Martone isn't the guy you should be hoping for, he also isn't a line-driver. He'd be an incredible complement to Mack, though. Run Eklund-Celebrini-Martone and you're laughing.

Misa is really the ideal forward for us though. He's not as skilled as Smith but he does all the little things that Smith struggles with at an high level and has the skill and tools to keep up with him. They could be a great duo, especially if you grab a hard-nosed forechecking type for their wing.

 

[weastern bias]

If you don't believe in Smith as a future line-driver, then Martone isn't the guy you should be hoping for, he also isn't a line-driver.

This is my concern about Martone in general and if he isn't a play-driver I honestly don't want him in the top-4 at all, we still need foundational pieces at this point

As a "prospects are shiny new toys WEEEEEEEE!" outsider with no deep insight on the players my current wishlist is:

1. Schaefer
2. Hagens
3. Misa
4. Martone

We still need players who can be the most important part of their line/pairing, I don't want to spend what is HOPEFULLY our last top-4 pick of this run on someone who is just a finisher

 

[TheBeard]

This is my concern about Martone in general and if he isn't a play-driver I honestly don't want him in the top-4 at all, we still need foundational pieces at this point

As a "prospects are shiny new toys WEEEEEEEE!" outsider with no deep insight on the players my current wishlist is:

1. Schaefer
2. Hagens
3. Misa
4. Martone

We still need players who can be the most important part of their line/pairing, I don't want to spend what is HOPEFULLY our last top-4 pick of this run on someone who is just a finisher

That's how I have em, although I may switch Hagens and Schaefer depending on how Smith plays out the year. I think he could be a real legit high-end 2C.

In hindsight, would anyone have taken Reinbacher at 4 (or traded back to say 6 as some rumors were out there say and taken Simashev) knowing we'd have gotten Celebrini and were on pace for another high-end forward in 25-26 draft?

 

[Juxtaposer]

This is my concern about Martone in general and if he isn't a play-driver I honestly don't want him in the top-4 at all, we still need foundational pieces at this point

As a "prospects are shiny new toys WEEEEEEEE!" outsider with no deep insight on the players my current wishlist is:

1. Schaefer
2. Hagens
3. Misa
4. Martone

We still need players who can be the most important part of their line/pairing, I don't want to spend what is HOPEFULLY our last top-4 pick of this run on someone who is just a finisher

Well, he's not just a finisher, for one. He's an extremely high-end playmaker, a penalty killer, plays with an edge, and by all means a captain-quality kid. He's extremely good, absolutely a potential "core" piece, and a worthy top-5 pick. I just mean that he doesn't have the Celebrini/Eklund/Misa/Hagens type of details to his game and his effort waxes and wains. I also just don't believe many wingers can be "play-drivers" (someone like Eklund is an exception).

Do you think Brady Tkachuk is a "play-driver"? Do you think he's a good top-4 pick? Serious question, because your answers are how you should feel about Martone in the top-5.

 

[Hodge]

Corey Perry didn't drive his line either. Didn't stop him from winning a Cup, a Hart Trophy and leading the Ducks on deep playoff runs.

 

[timorous me]

Corey Perry didn't drive his line either. Didn't stop him from winning a Cup, a Hart Trophy and leading the Ducks on deep playoff runs.

This may all be true, but I'm of the mind that saying nice things about Corey Perry is a bannable offense.

 

[weastern bias]

Well, he's not just a finisher, for one. He's an extremely high-end playmaker, a penalty killer, plays with an edge, and by all means a captain-quality kid. He's extremely good, absolutely a potential "core" piece, and a worthy top-5 pick. I just mean that he doesn't have the Celebrini/Eklund/Misa/Hagens type of details to his game and his effort waxes and wains. I also just don't believe many wingers can be "play-drivers" (someone like Eklund is an exception).

Do you think Brady Tkachuk is a "play-driver"? Do you think he's a good top-4 pick? Serious question, because your answers are how you should feel about Martone in the top-5.

No, I do not think B. Tkachuk is a play driver and while I wouldn't be disappointed in that pick as a Sens fan since you can't EXPECT a top-4 pick to materialize into a true difference maker you sure would hope for that to be the result

Corey Perry didn't drive his line either. Didn't stop him from winning a Cup, a Hart Trophy and leading the Ducks on deep playoff runs.

Corey Perry never lead any team to any high level success, he won the cup as a rookie playing with 2 hall-of-fame #1 defensemen and in his prime he was always the 2nd best forward on his own line

I wouldn't mind having prime Perry on my team but I'd rather have players who legitimately lead a 1st line rather than the one who just scores the goal and the end of the play, even if you need that guy too

 

[gaucholoco3]

Well, he's not just a finisher, for one. He's an extremely high-end playmaker, a penalty killer, plays with an edge, and by all means a captain-quality kid. He's extremely good, absolutely a potential "core" piece, and a worthy top-5 pick. I just mean that he doesn't have the Celebrini/Eklund/Misa/Hagens type of details to his game and his effort waxes and wains. I also just don't believe many wingers can be "play-drivers" (someone like Eklund is an exception).

Do you think Brady Tkachuk is a "play-driver"? Do you think he's a good top-4 pick? Serious question, because your answers are how you should feel about Martone in the top-5.

Would you say Martone is similar to Musty in the sense he is not driving play on his line but a great complimentary player? Obviously Martone has a higher ceiling.

 

[The Nemesis]

I wouldn't mind having prime Perry on my team

Leave this place and never return.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Corey Perry didn't drive his line either. Didn't stop him from winning a Cup, a Hart Trophy and leading the Ducks on deep playoff runs.

Exactly. I think Martone could be the Perry to Celebrini's Getzlaf, and that combo is clearly good enough to be a Cup-winning first line.

No, I do not think B. Tkachuk is a play driver and while I wouldn't be disappointed in that pick as a Sens fan since you can't EXPECT a top-4 pick to materialize into a true difference maker you sure would hope for that to be the result.

My rebuttal would be this: you only need one first line caliber "play-driver" on your team. We have that.

Sure, it would be great to get another Macklin Celebrini in 2025, but there simply isn't that. If we don't win the lottery, then our options are Elite Complementary Player, Macklin Celebrini-lite, and More Well-Rounded Will Smith.

All of those are things we could use. So it depends on how you want to build your team. Personally, I think Misa is the right choice because not only is he simply a great player in his own right, but because he is the choice that I think maximizes what we have in Smith the best. However, I don't think there's a wrong choice amongst them, it'll just come down to how Grier wants this team to be built.

 

[Levie]

Exactly. I think Martone could be the Perry to Celebrini's Getzlaf, and that combo is clearly good enough to be a Cup-winning first line.

Except we don't have Pronger or Niedermayer

 

[Juxtaposer]

Would you say Martone is similar to Musty in the sense he is not driving play on his line but a great complimentary player? Obviously Martone has a higher ceiling.

Martone's toolkit is a lot better (better skater, better shooter, infinitely better defensive player). Yes, they're both big playmaking wingers, but that's kind of where the comp stops. Kind of a weird question. Are you just saying neither is a play-driver type?

Except we don't have Pronger or Niedermayer

Well observed.

 

[weastern bias]

My rebuttal would be this: you only need one first line caliber "play-driver" on your team. We have that.

Sure, it would be great to get another Macklin Celebrini in 2025, but there simply isn't that. If we don't win the lottery, then our options are Elite Complementary Player, Macklin Celebrini-lite, and More Well-Rounded Will Smith.

All of those are things we could use. So it depends on how you want to build your team. Personally, I think Misa is the right choice because not only is he simply a great player in his own right, but because he is the choice that I think maximizes what we have in Smith the best. However, I don't think there's a wrong choice amongst them, it'll just come down to how Grier wants this team to be built.

Most of the cup teams in recent memory, outside of teams like Vegas and St Louis who built their team to brutalize the opponent and attack with waves of quality depth, had multiple 1st line/1st pair quality play drivers on the team

Florida had Barkov and Tkachuk on separate lines

Tampa had Kucherov and Hedman

Colorado had MacKinnon and Makar

Washington had Ovechkin, Backstrom and Kuznetsov

Pittsburgh had Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Kessel

Chicago had Toews, Kane and Keith

If I were building the team I wouldn't be content that we won the Celebrini lottery so now it's all about support pieces, while we're still drafting high the aim should be to stack as much elite-level talent as possible to maximize our future potential, I'd rather have James Hagens being an overqualified 2C who can take the strain off Celebrini when he isn't on the ice than Porter Martone helping maximize the time that Celebrini is on the ice, I want a Malkin, not a Perry

 

[Juxtaposer]

Most of the cup teams in recent memory, outside of teams like Vegas and St Louis who built their team to brutalize the opponent and attack with waves of quality depth, had multiple 1st line/1st pair quality play drivers on the team

Florida had Barkov and Tkachuk on separate lines

Tampa had Kucherov and Hedman

Colorado had MacKinnon and Makar

Washington had Ovechkin, Backstrom and Kuznetsov

Pittsburgh had Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Kessel

Chicago had Toews, Kane and Keith

If I were building the team I wouldn't be content that we won the Celebrini lottery so now it's all about support pieces, while we're still drafting high the aim should be to stack as much elite-level talent as possible to maximize our future potential, I'd rather have James Hagens being an overqualified 2C who can take the strain off Celebrini when he isn't on the ice than Porter Martone helping maximize the time that Celebrini is on the ice, I want a Malkin, not a Perry

Sure, that's a completely valid point of view. I will point out that I was strictly talking about forwards, not including defensemen.

 

[gaucholoco3]

All of those are things we could use. So it depends on how you want to build your team. Personally, I think Misa is the right choice because not only is he simply a great player in his own right, but because he is the choice that I think maximizes what we have in Smith the best. However, I don't think there's a wrong choice amongst them, it'll just come down to how Grier wants this team to be built.

Having the option to pick Schaffer won’t tell us anything but if Grier picks 2nd with all 3 of those FWs available it would give incredible insight to how Grier sees the team. You can make an argument for each of those 3 as the best fit for the Sharks.

Martone's toolkit is a lot better (better skater, better shooter, infinitely better defensive player). Yes, they're both big playmaking wingers, but that's kind of where the comp stops. Kind of a weird question. Are you just saying neither is a play-driver type?

It was more of a question if Musty and Martone are the same archetype of player. Big skilled playmaking winger who is not a traditional F1. It’s more of a question that can Musty provide a lot of what Martone provides. I am still very high on Musty.

 

[gaucholoco3]

If I were building the team I wouldn't be content that we won the Celebrini lottery so now it's all about support pieces, while we're still drafting high the aim should be to stack as much elite-level talent as possible to maximize our future potential, I'd rather have James Hagens being an overqualified 2C who can take the strain off Celebrini when he isn't on the ice than Porter Martone helping maximize the time that Celebrini is on the ice, I want a Malkin, not a Perry

If you want a 2C that can take the pressure off Celebrini I would pick Misa. He has the 200ft game to take the defensive burden off Celebrini.

The way I see it Misa is a poor man’s Celebrini and Smith is a poor man’s Hagens.

I would rather have Crlebrini and Misa with Smith there to either provide complementary scoring and playmaking to one of them or be an elite scoring 3C. Imagine going Celebtini-Misa-Smith down the middle.

 

[wickedwitch]

If you want a 2C that can take the pressure off Celebrini I would pick Misa. He has the 200ft game to take the defensive burden off Celebrini.

The way I see it Misa is a poor man’s Celebrini and Smith is a poor man’s Hagens.

I would rather have Crlebrini and Misa with Smith there to either provide complementary scoring and playmaking to one of them or be an elite scoring 3C. Imagine going Celebtini-Misa-Smith down the middle.

So does Hagens.

If the Sharks don't end up top 4, I was really impressed by Hensler today. But only if he leaves Wisconsin. It's almost hard to reconcile the player from today with the player from this fall.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Having the option to pick Schaffer won’t tell us anything but if Grier picks 2nd with all 3 of those FWs available it would give incredible insight to how Grier sees the team. You can make an argument for each of those 3 as the best fit for the Sharks.


It was more of a question if Musty and Martone are the same archetype of player. Big skilled playmaking winger who is not a traditional F1. It’s more of a question that can Musty provide a lot of what Martone provides. I am still very high on Musty.

Then I would say no. Martone does a lot of great things away from the puck. Musty doesn't. The only question I have about Martone is if he can be more consistent with his effort levels. He has the ability to be a monster on the PK, he can forecheck well, he can force turnovers, he can be tenacious. It's just that he doesn't do those things consistently. Musty can't do any of those things.

Totally agreed on the fact that we'll learn a lot about Grier based on who he picks.

So does Hagens.

If the Sharks don't end up top 4, I was really impressed by Hensler today. But only if he leaves Wisconsin. It's almost hard to reconcile the player from today with the player from this fall.

The problem with taking Hagens is that it's hard to think about building a team with a top-6 based around Celebrini, Smith, Hagens, and Eklund. I could see a lot of synergy between Smith and Misa. I don't see how Hagens fits on a line with either Celebrini or Smith. So then you're talking moving Smith to Celebrini's RW, which would conflict with the idea of Celebrini's line being a matchup line. Misa over Hagens for me. Really similar level of player, Misa just fits so much better with what we have.

Agreed that Hensler was really good today. That's the player I thought we would have got at the U18 last April and the player I wanted him to be in the NCAA. At the end of the day, I think he goes in the 10-15 range. Big two-way RHD with above average skating and solid puck skills are the rarest commodity in the NHL. He'll go top-15 even if he isn't a top-15 player based on skill.

 

[coooldude]

Lots of great comments in this discussion, hard to quote them all!

However, I don't think there's a wrong choice amongst them, it'll just come down to how Grier wants this team to be built.

Agreed, independent of the lottery, Grier gets to let the draft come to him and then make a statement pick.

If I were building the team I wouldn't be content that we won the Celebrini lottery so now it's all about support pieces, while we're still drafting high the aim should be to stack as much elite-level talent as possible to maximize our future potential, I'd rather have James Hagens being an overqualified 2C who can take the strain off Celebrini when he isn't on the ice than Porter Martone helping maximize the time that Celebrini is on the ice, I want a Malkin, not a Perry

Sure, but would you rather a Rantanen or a Point? It's a hard choice between Martone and Hagens and it's complicated by the presence of Smith. Smith risks (situationally, not stylistically) becoming a Zegras odd duck in any case, but especially if we land Hagens. I understand the Hagens argument but Martone isn't just a passenger.

Having the option to pick Schaffer won’t tell us anything but if Grier picks 2nd with all 3 of those FWs available it would give incredible insight to how Grier sees the team.

You said it first and it's well said, it'll be a very interesting insight into Grier+team's vision.

The problem with taking Hagens is that it's hard to think about building a team with a top-6 based around Celebrini, Smith, Hagens, and Eklund. I could see a lot of synergy between Smith and Misa. I don't see how Hagens fits on a line with either Celebrini or Smith. So then you're talking moving Smith to Celebrini's RW, which would conflict with the idea of Celebrini's line being a matchup line. Misa over Hagens for me. Really similar level of player, Misa just fits so much better with what we have

I've been saying it so I obviously agree with it. Hagens is going to be an awesome add to a franchise but if he's ours, it poses us some tricky lineup questions. Misa seems the most versatile across the three.

Morehouse, Grier, and Co have been consistent in saying they want high skilled compete, "that dog." This doesn't give us great insight across the three because all of them have shown a little dog, but Martone maybe the least consistently. However Grier has also talked a ton about getting bigger and faster and harder to play against and that kind of screams Misa, or Martone... Wouldn't be surprised OR disappointed in picking any of the three at this point in the season. All would immediately be our second best prospect and hopeful franchise cornerstone.

 

[gaucholoco3]

Agreed that Hensler was really good today. That's the player I thought we would have got at the U18 last April and the player I wanted him to be in the NCAA. At the end of the day, I think he goes in the 10-15 range. Big two-way RHD with above average skating and solid puck skills are the rarest commodity in the NHL. He'll go top-15 even if he isn't a top-15 player based on skill.

I have seen him ranked as low at the 20’s and hoping he could be a target with an early 2nd, but with him being big and a RHD he will be a top 15 pick.

For an organization with almost no NHL prospect RHD getting Hensler in addition to one of the big 4.

I think Hensler would be a great top 4 RD that allows the more talented Schaefer or Dickinson to do their thing.

Maybe Schaefer can go to the NCAA and then Hensler can go in the transfer portal and they could start developing chemistry.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I have seen him ranked as low at the 20’s and hoping he could be a target with an early 2nd, but with him being big and a RHD he will be a top 15 pick.

For an organization with almost no NHL prospect RHD getting Hensler in addition to one of the big 4.

I think Hensler would be a great top 4 RD that allows the more talented Schaefer or Dickinson to do their thing.

Maybe Schaefer can go to the NCAA and then Hensler can go in the transfer portal and they could start developing chemistry.

No shot Schaefer goes to the NCAA.

But I agree on Hensler. He was a good safety valve for Cole Hutson today and that's the sort of role I see him playing in the NHL.

 

[wickedwitch]

No shot Schaefer goes to the NCAA.

I don't know about that. I don't think he should be in the NHL next year. Defensemen take longer to develop, he is very young for his draft year, and while he's excellent, his is currently not close to the level that would make me disregard that. And the NCAA has had a much better track record for developing defensemen recently, and he'd have to be aware of that. So if I were the Sharks (or another team who drafted him) or his agent, that's what I'd encourage.

I don't know what happens in the end. I know some top prospects are considering going to the NCAA, but I don't know if Schaefer is one of them.

 

[Barrie22]

I don't know about that. I don't think he should be in the NHL next year. Defensemen take longer to develop, he is very young for his draft year, and while he's excellent, his is currently not close to the level that would make me disregard that. And the NCAA has had a much better track record for developing defensemen recently, and he'd have to be aware of that. So if I were the Sharks (or another team who drafted him) or his agent, that's what I'd encourage.

I don't know what happens in the end. I know some top prospects are considering going to the NCAA, but I don't know if Schaefer is one of them.

He could be throwing 98k away by doing that though also.

 

[wickedwitch]

He could be throwing 98k away by doing that though also.

If he (or any other prospect) signs at the end of his college season (i.e. April 2026 instead of July 2025), he only throws away the interest from a single ELC signing bonus for nine months. He would still get his second bonus in July 2026 regardless.