2025 NHL DRAFT Thread

It’s a weaker draft, yes, but there is always value to be found. There are guys who will be taken in rounds 2-7 this year who will have long NHL careers, just like there are every year. There are guys who will be taken on day two who we’ll look back on and think “how did anybody let them slip that far?”, just like every year (and especially in “weak” years).
I don’t disagree with you. There’s talent to be found in the OHL WHL, etc. free agent market. There is just a lot more longshots this year or questionable tools. The thing you can’t gauge is how much that players gonna grow in many different ways. this could possibly be the best year to make the Holloway and Broberg move.
 
If we do make the playoffs, and win a round, which is a BIG IF, we would be picking no higher than 25. I could very well see us trading that pick in a package for a RD or a young Center. Or, even trading back and trying to pick up a 3rd or 4th. And if no good offers, you make the pick and take your chances on finding another Thomas, Bolduc or Snuggs. Time will tell.
 
If we do make the playoffs, and win a round, which is a BIG IF, we would be picking no higher than 25. I could very well see us trading that pick in a package for a RD or a young Center. Or, even trading back and trying to pick up a 3rd or 4th. And if no good offers, you make the pick and take your chances on finding another Thomas, Bolduc or Snuggs. Time will tell.
Winning a round doesn’t change draft position. If you win 2 you pick 29-32, but otherwise it’s just regular season record.
 
Winning a round doesn’t change draft position. If you win 2 you pick 29-32, but otherwise it’s just regular season record.
Are you sure? I thought that the first 8 teams that lose are then ranked in slots 17-24 based on their regular season finish. Then the next four losers are slotted into 25-28, also based on regular season finish, and then 29-30 and 31,32. In each set of losers, regular season finish determines draft order. Again, I very well could be wrong, but I thought that's how it worked.

Edit: Nevermind, you are right. The first 12 teams that lose are slotted based on regular season. Then the last 4 as you mentioned are the last grouping. My mistake!
 
Are you sure? I thought that the first 8 teams that lose are then ranked in slots 17-24 based on their regular season finish. Then the next four losers are slotted into 25-28, also based on regular season finish, and then 29-30 and 31,32. In each set of losers, regular season finish determines draft order. Again, I very well could be wrong, but I thought that's how it worked.
 
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Honestly would go for Europeans for the fifth and sixth round picks. There's always value to be found in Europe, and we have enough prospects in total that it's worth taking a risk on a couple of dice rolls, especially in what's supposed to be a very weak draft.

As for the first-round pick...if we're making the playoffs, there's a lot of ways we can utilize it. Selecting a player in the first, trading it for either a young RHD or a future pick(s) in another draft, etc.
 
Honestly would go for Europeans for the fifth and sixth round picks. There's always value to be found in Europe, and we have enough prospects in total that it's worth taking a risk on a couple of dice rolls, especially in what's supposed to be a very weak draft.

As for the first-round pick...if we're making the playoffs, there's a lot of ways we can utilize it. Selecting a player in the first, trading it for either a young RHD or a future pick(s) in another draft, etc.
I'm at the point where we should solely look at russians at the point of the draft lmao. Hope to hit on Goaltending and random skilled fwds ala Korotky/Vorobyov/Susuyev
 
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Also, if we pick in the late teens, depending on whose available. I'd love to see us target Kashawn Aitcheson. Big, mobile, physical D with offensive ability. I know, he's a lefty, but still, can never have enough quality big defenseman. By the time he'd be ready, fowler, leddy, suter, Faulk and maybe parayko might all be gone. I think he'd be a smart gamble in the later teens early 20's depending
 
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Honestly the further down the draft order we slip, I'd start looking at the USNDT players: Cole McKinney, Will Moore, and Jack Murtagh. They'll have longer runways since they're going to college, but I think they've been unfairly maligned because they aren't quite at the level of some of the past draft classes. They've all got good size, skating, and good-to-great statistical profiles. Murtagh and McKinney in particular have a lot of attributes I'd be looking for if we hang on to the pick.
 
Honestly the further down the draft order we slip, I'd start looking at the USNDT players: Cole McKinney, Will Moore, and Jack Murtagh. They'll have longer runways since they're going to college, but I think they've been unfairly maligned because they aren't quite at the level of some of the past draft classes. They've all got good size, skating, and good-to-great statistical profiles. Murtagh and McKinney in particular have a lot of attributes I'd be looking for if we hang on to the pick.
I love Mckinneys game. Not sure if we'd need a late 1st or 2nd for him though.
 
So I caught a game of Ryabkin Madison vs Muskegon game with Ryker Lee, Netrasil, Mason Moe, etc. I like Ryabkin more than any of these other players and he is money at the dot. He may be worth the gamble, if we end up with a later pick as a top 6 center. He is a very talented player. He stood out with this pack on the ice.
 
So I caught a game of Ryabkin Madison vs Muskegon game with Ryker Lee, Netrasil, Mason Moe, etc. I like Ryabkin more than any of these other players and he is money at the dot. He may be worth the gamble, if we end up with a later pick as a top 6 center. He is a very talented player. He stood out with this pack on the ice.
In the game I watched, he looked like a passenger for most of his shifts. He was just kinda floating around most of the time, gave up early, etc. Now, this was early in his USHL season, so maybe he’s gotten better as he’s gotten adjusted (which would make sense), but I wasn’t super impressed at the time.
 
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In the game I watched, he looked like a passenger for most of his shifts. He was just kinda floating around most of the time, gave up early, etc. Now, this was early in his USHL season, so maybe he’s gotten better as he’s gotten adjusted (which would make sense), but I wasn’t super impressed at the time.
He's known for being wildly inconsistent. I may have just caught him on a good day. Nestrasil doesn't look bad. I don't know if he is anything better than a 3rd line player though.
 
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