Prospect Info: 2025 NHL DRAFT

[101st_fan]

This post is comparing apples to tennis balls, but I was looking at the Oilers drafts earlier.

Their first round picks for the 2010s are all over the map. Total busts like Yakupov. Capable guys who went journeyman like Hall. The obvious superstars that the team is built around. Nurse and Nugent-Hopkins, who aren't superstars, but guys they count as key pieces. Pull-your-RV who's a tweener. Yamamoto, who I think is no longer in the NHL and a tweener at best. A couple of other guys getting a shot now...

So their record, while hitting a couple generational talents, is really up and down all over the place.

On the other hand, they've stuck with most of these guys in the nightly lineup for several seasons before pulling the plug. Guys that are NHL players, even if not elite/generational, have been integrated into the core of the team. And all of this while going through coaching and management changes.

None of which proves one ought to eat a tennis ball, but it was sort of interesting to see the differences. To me anyway.

The Oil had four #1 overall picks, a #3, #4, #7, #8, #10 in a ten year span (2010-19). The Preds went without a first round pick four times in that same span.

During those years we see a shift in the Preds' mentality. 09-10 had five Pred draft picks playing 60 or more games on the blueline with more talent developing in Milwaukee. Erat, Legwand, Hornqvist playing big roles. A few years later we see the leash shortened -- 2016, we trade off Jones to chase a center ... 2019 we trade away Fiala. By 2019 only three homegrown blueliners played continually and the top line was FA and trade acquisitions. Now the permanent features on the blueline are down to two big minute Pred draft picks, three FA / trade acquisitions, and the rotating spot currently filled by a 4th round Preds pick (MDG). We have nights where the top six has just one Pred pick.

Chase players, change coaches, looking for that immediate gratification and right now it isn't working.

 

[Soundgarden]

San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim all passed us again with wins today, we're back to 31st/32 only in front of Montreal.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

San Jose, Chicago and Anaheim all passed us again with wins today, we're back to 31st/32 only in front of Montreal.

Maybe we should go ahead and take Dvorak? Then they’ll get better, we get worse, get back to the front of the line for that #1 pick?

 

[Soundgarden]

Now I'll be mad if we don't grab him haha. He looks great.