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2025 NHL Draft Thread

eklund2chicago said:
Yeah me too but at 4?
I could imagine him digging out pucks for Bedard for 15 years though :)
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I have him as at 4 actually, just because I think Martone play is slow (not skating).

Its not consensus obviously, but I think he also has much higher upside than Desnoyers or Frondell.

So if it's between Eklund and Martone, Eklund is definitely the KD type.

Like you said in the other post, Eklund plays so much bigger than his listed size. I wouldnt worry about that fact at all. His feistiness would be great in our top 6.
 
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Martone seems like an easy pick at 4. Hawks have a massive need for a big forward that has a good scoring touch.

I think McDavid has broken nhl fans brain on the idea that all the best players need to also be the league’s fastest skaters. It’s not remotely true across the board. You obviously don’t want someone that skates like Maroon in junior but the Hawks have a lot of fast skaters already. They can draft someone else no problem.
 
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Martone's not a strong skater, but I don't know that he'll be a below average one in the NHL. If Hawks pick 4th, you definitely get some of the staff to analyze his skating stride and see if it can be improved upon. For all most of us here knows, he just needs a good summer or two and he'll have significant improvements there.

I don't think we need to draft for speed with this pick, though. There is a lot of speed already in the system; there aren't a lot of power forwards. If Martone hits and becomes a Perry or Stone or (B.) Tkachuk like winger, that would really fill a hole for us.
 
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WarriorofTime said:
Martone seems like an easy pick at 4. Hawks have a massive need for a big forward that has a good scoring touch.

I think McDavid has broken nhl fans brain on the idea that all the best players need to also be the league’s fastest skaters. It’s not remotely true across the board. You obviously don’t want someone that skates like Maroon in junior but the Hawks have a lot of fast skaters already. They can draft someone else no problem.
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I don't know if this is a reply to me because you often don't quote, but I specifically said it's not the skating for me.

And I agree, plenty of slower players are good. I don't think you would find a single person that holds the opinion you generalized in the second paragraph.

But it's true that our GM tends to very openly prefer strong skaters. Doesn't mean he won't pick other players, but it's a trend.
 
I haven't moved off of Martone at 4--though he's closer to 5 than 3 for me--but don't sleep on Carter Bear in that spot. That guy is tenacious.
 
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It's not just slow skating for Martone (you could even argue with his length and weight his speed is easily adequate), its the overall pace he plays at that worries me. He seems to telegraph a lot of what he does and almost looks like he lacks fast twitch muscle fibres or something. I think out of all the top guys he's going to have to adapt the most to the sheer lack of space in the NHL

He could very easily figure it out and become a Tkachuk or Perry or whatever, but I do think he has the lowest probability of reaching his ceiling out of the big 4. I'd probably still take the risk at 4 but no higher considering who else would be on the board.
 
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ello said:
It's not just slow skating for Martone (you could even argue with his length and weight his speed is easily adequate), its the overall pace he plays at that worries me. He seems to telegraph a lot of what he does and almost looks like he lacks fast twitch muscle fibres or something. I think out of all the top guys he's going to have to adapt the most to the sheer lack of space in the NHL

He could very easily figure it out and become a Tkachuk or Perry or whatever, but I do think he has the lowest probability of reaching his ceiling out of the big 4. I'd probably still take the risk at 4 but no higher considering who else would be on the board.
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He isn't a Tkachuk type player though. He's a cerebral playmaker, not an in-your-face power forward.
 
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Is there a possible trade akin to the Meier trade where you get a rfa with team control for hopefully 8 years that we could make for the Toronto 1st and our 2nd this year?
 
ello said:
It's not just slow skating for Martone (you could even argue with his length and weight his speed is easily adequate), its the overall pace he plays at that worries me. He seems to telegraph a lot of what he does and almost looks like he lacks fast twitch muscle fibres or something. I think out of all the top guys he's going to have to adapt the most to the sheer lack of space in the NHL

He could very easily figure it out and become a Tkachuk or Perry or whatever, but I do think he has the lowest probability of reaching his ceiling out of the big 4. I'd probably still take the risk at 4 but no higher considering who else would be on the board.
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I share this opinion as well. It's not his skating that's worrisome.

But he's also not really a physical type player like Tkachuk etc. just tall and big. The edge at this age doesn't really develop out of nothing.

Just risks. He could turn out very well obviously. I prefer Eklund personally, but I have a little crush on that guy's game.
 
Muffinalt said:
I share this opinion as well. It's not his skating that's worrisome.

But he's also not really a physical type player like Tkachuk etc. just tall and big. The edge at this age doesn't really develop out of nothing.

Just risks. He could turn out very well obviously. I prefer Eklund personally, but I have a little crush on that guy's game.
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I like Eklund too but I don’t see him being a major point producer. I’m sure the Hawks love his game.

Hawks need someone who can be a 90-100 point guy. (Potentially)
 
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For the last little while, this relatively piss poor roster has been giving teams a run for their money for the most part. Get this draft done and over with, ideally adding Schaefer or Misa, and then look onward toward next season.

It’ll be another season in the books for CB98 and another season closer to the chickens coming home to roost. I’m optimistic for the future, albeit I’d rather them pile on the regulation losses to close out this campaign but professional players aren’t going to willingly roll over and lose accidentally on purpose.
 
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All I hope for is us to not move up in the draft this year and stay within the top 5. McKenna would be a huge get for us in 26 and this year we can just add BPA without reaching for anyone.
 
Mister X said:
All I hope for is us to not move up in the draft this year and stay within the top 5. McKenna would be a huge get for us in 26 and this year we can just add BPA without reaching for anyone.
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The odds of picking 1st overall for a second to last team is 13.5%. Even if we finish last in 26 it’s only a 1 in 4 shot for Bedard’s cousin. If we win the lottery this year run up to the podium and draft the best prospect you can in 25
 
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Styles said:
Is there a possible trade akin to the Meier trade where you get a rfa with team control for hopefully 8 years that we could make for the Toronto 1st and our 2nd this year?
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maybe Cozens where you hope Buffalo just wants a reset on the cap dollars and will take the picks plus whatever players/prospects Chicago feels comfortable moving, obviously Meier then is a better player than Cozens now but that seems like the most reasonable type of player they get for a late 1st+ if we're talking young forward with upside and term
 
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