I don't think we need another D.6'2 O'Brien and 6'6 Mrtka are my favorites at #8 unless the team really thinks McQueen is the guy and his injury stuff is nothing.
id be okay with Mrtka….I don't think we need another D.
Teams are always looking for RD so the trades will be very possible.id be okay with Mrtka….
Worst case is you cycle dmen in Trades for future picks/prospects and extend our window
We don't NEED anyone at any position. We at least have 1 shot of a top 6/4 player at every position under 25:I don't think we need another D.
McQueen may just be too tempting to resist for the Ducks. They took a huge swing with Sennnecke last year...they just might do it again. IMO if the standings stay the way they are, the Ducks would be the first team that would be willing to roll the dice. They already have a deep prospect pool and could absorb the loss better than a Boston or Pittsburgh. I'm keeping an open mind on him until the combine and the medicals are in.
McQueen and Lindstrom have different back issues and - medically - McQueen's is not considered nearly as serious as Lindstrom's. As we both know, the combine and the medicals will tell the tale. I understand the appeal of both O'Brien and Mrtka but they have their issues and detractors as well. RIght now there seems to be a top 7 - Shaeffer, Misa, Hagens, Portone, Frondell, Desnoyers, and Eklund. McQueen is a wild card but belongs in the top 8 if healthy. Then the next tier is probably O'Brien, Mrtka, Smith, Martin, and maybe Lakovic & Bear. The real action is going to start with picks 7 and 8 IMO and it appears that the Ducks will be in the thick of that action.McQueen is this year's Cayden Lindstrom. Both high-end goal scorers who missed most of their D+0 season due to back problems. Lindstrom missed all of his D+1 season. Anaheim passed up on Lindstrom last year. There is a good possibility the Ducks will do the same this year and avoid injury concerns by not drafting a prospect with a back injury that cost them most of their season.
Sennecke was a late riser. O'Brien, a right shot center, could be seen as a late riser: 1.24 ppg in first 33 games, 1.72 ppg in last 33 games. RD Mrtka is also a late riser: 4 pts in 10 Cze U20 games and 1 point in 10 Cze games. Transferred to NA halfway through the season: 35 pts in 43 WHL games (reg season). And Mrtka is 6'6 and doesn't turn 18 until Jun!
I was on the McQueen wagon when he returned from injury. Then he got pulled from the playoffs because his back started hurting again and never returned to the series. That has me dropping McQueen outside the top-10. Maybe McQueen can partially change my mind if he participates in events at the combine along with medical green flags than red ones.
My in-depth look at O’Brien
McQueen and Lindstrom have different back issues and - medically - McQueen's is not considered nearly as serious as Lindstrom's. As we both know, the combine and the medicals will tell the tale. I understand the appeal of both O'Brien and Mrtka but they have their issues and detractors as well. RIght now there seems to be a top 7 - Shaeffer, Misa, Hagens, Portone, Frondell, Desnoyers, and Eklund. McQueen is a wild card but belongs in the top 8 if healthy. Then the next tier is probably O'Brien, Mrtka, Smith, Martin, and maybe Lakovic & Bear. The real action is going to start with picks 7 and 8 IMO and it appears that the Ducks will be in the thick of that action.
We'll see what happens...I'm making no specific predictions at this point. I'm only bringing up McQueen because - like it or not - he is likely to be available when the Ducks pick. For some that is an exciting thought; for others it isn't.McQueen and Lindstrom have different back issues, but it doesn't bode well for McQueen to be taken out of after a few games due to his back. And we have no idea how long he'll be out again. Availability is the best ability b/c without it, there are no abilities to display.
There are some scouting media that have Mrtka going 6th overall and CSB midterm has Mrtka ranked 6th best NA skater. Pre-season and early season mocks had Mrtka in the later teens. Hell, we did see LD Jake Sanderson make a huge jump into the top-5 for the 2020 draft.
Remember, you did posit that the Ducks took a swing on Sennecke as the example of taking a huge chance. And the only prospect who took a meteoric jump in the second half of the season this year is Mrtka. We passed up on Lindstrom because of back issues last draft when we could have had selected him. McQueen now is out due to back issues twice. It's a possibility the Ducks might pass up on a player who missed most of their season due to back problems. Your intended example of Sennecke and big swing has no connection to McQueen.