Prospect Info: All-Purpose 2024 Draft Thread & Celebrini discussion (also the 14th pick and whatever else is draft related)

[stator]

I know but it’s the worst.

That said, if he told Grier I WILL NEVER EVER SIGN HERE I still draft him, have him play a season in college and trade him for a haul/very high pick next year.

I believe Celebrini will sign here, and Grier will draft him. A 1OA is just being plain foolish deferring his ELC period. Particularly nowadays where big contracts come to those types early in RFA.

How I read Grier is that he is firm, and will shutdown such conversations with draftees. That's a difference from DW where Tavares used the Sharks to bid up the team where he wanted to play. At least the Sharks, in some way, beat the Leafs in the playoffs without having to play them. lol.

 

[Cas]

I believe Celebrini will sign here, and Grier will draft him. A 1OA is just being plain foolish deferring his ELC period. Particularly nowadays where big contracts come to those types early in RFA.

How I read Grier is that he is firm, and will shutdown such conversations with draftees. That's a difference from DW where Tavares used the Sharks to bid up the team where he wanted to play. At least the Sharks, in some way, beat the Leafs in the playoffs without having to play them. lol.

This is especially true for college players - he'd probably lose ten, maybe as much as twenty million dollars (gross, not bet, but still).

I'm not sure what happens to a draftee's rights if they are drafted out of college but decide to go play in the CHL instead. That won't be relevant here, but would be good to know because it does happen on rare occasions.

 

[NathanCouture]

Care to link them? Aside from Lindros, has this ever happened with a 1st overall pick? By all accounts Celebrini is a good kid. I see the odds of this being happening less than 1% and not even worth thinking about.

Eric Lindros?

 

[Cas]

Eric Lindros?

"Aside from Lindros"

 

[CanadienShark]

Eric Lindros?

I said aside from Lindros.

 

[Lebanezer]

Care to link them? Aside from Lindros, has this ever happened with a 1st overall pick? By all accounts Celebrini is a good kid. I see the odds of this being happening less than 1% and not even worth thinking about.

There are no links. This is becoming habitual, just someone trying to stir shit up.

Eric Lindros?

"Aside from Lindros"

I said aside from Lindros.

This is legitimately funny.

 

[sharski]

Eric Lindros?

"Aside from Lindros"

I said aside from Lindros.

This is legitimately funny.

Brett Lindros: "Am I a joke to you?"

 

[Cas]

Celebrini's agent may also remind him that Lindros never won a Cup, while the team that drafted him won when Lindros was only 22, perhaps in large part because they traded Lindros. I'm not sure how much money Lindros probably left on the table, either.

 

[coooldude]

Celebrini's agent may also remind him that Lindros never won a Cup, while the team that drafted him won when Lindros was only 22, perhaps in large part because they traded Lindros. I'm not sure how much money Lindros probably left on the table, either.

Lindros was also an outlier of outliers because as I recall (vaguely), hype for him was McDavid+ levels. "Gretzky but huge and mean." Giving him the power to pull the move of refusing to sign. Thus paving the way for the Avs dynasty.

Anyway all the angst is understandable (we're Sharks fans after all) but completely baseless. We will draft Celebrini and his mom and dad will still do his laundry and make him dinners on Sunday and probably host teammates to the house for pool parties and everything will be as it should be.

 

[TheWayToRefJose]

Only sharks fans could be traumatized enough from the past to think the #1OA wouldn’t sign here when we have a top 5 prospect pool, his family lives 30 minutes away, beautiful weather, and he’s already lived in the area and played for the junior team.

 

[Pinkfloyd]

Only sharks fans could be traumatized enough from the past to think the #1OA wouldn’t sign here when we have a top 5 prospect pool, his family lives 30 minutes away, beautiful weather, and he’s already lived in the area and played for the junior team.

It's either traumatized or just embracing the dark humor that has come with our history of failure. I can't tell which yet.

 

[matt trick]

It's either traumatized or just embracing the dark humor that has come with our history of failure. I can't tell which yet.

It's definitely both!

 

[Juxtaposer]

It’s the time of year where I start having vivid nightmares about the draft. Last night I dreamed we took Alfons Freij 14th overall. A week ago I dreamed we took some random goaltender named Gidlof 33rd overall, only to wake and find out that was a real person. I’m way too into the NHL draft is what I’m trying to say.

 

[Gecklund]

It’s the time of year where I start having vivid nightmares about the draft. Last night I dreamed we took Alfons Freij 14th overall. A week ago I dreamed we took some random goaltender named Gidlof 33rd overall, only to wake and find out that was a real person. I’m way too into the NHL draft is what I’m trying to say.

I love Freij. He’s ranked around 20-25 for me.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I love Freij. He’s ranked around 20-25 for me.

He’s certainly a divisive prospect. It’ll be fascinating where he ends up. Personally I wouldn’t really consider Freij until 42. Wouldn’t be mad at him with 33, but I wouldn’t be thrilled either. The skating is great but I’m not sure I see a top-4 defenseman in there. But I also haven’t seen all that much of him outside of highlights and the U18, so I don’t really feel comfortable making any firm statements on him.

 

[Gecklund]

He’s certainly a divisive prospect. It’ll be fascinating where he ends up. Personally I wouldn’t really consider Freij until 42. Wouldn’t be mad at him with 33, but I wouldn’t be thrilled either. The skating is great but I’m not sure I see a top-4 defenseman in there. But I also haven’t seen all that much of him outside of highlights and the U18, so I don’t really feel comfortable making any firm statements on him.

His defending reminds me of the way prime EK defended. Good with his stick, good at denying zone entries. Definitely not fantastic though.

Things I love about him and why I think he will work: his skating is so good. I mean so good. One of the best in the draft in my opinion. His offensive instincts also great. I think he’s smart and so while he will never be a defensive shutdown dynamo, I think he can figure out how to be passable on the defensive end. That combined with his offense, love it. I definitely wouldn’t LOVE him at 14 but I wouldn’t hate it. At 33 I’d be very happy though.

 

[Lebanezer]

It’s the time of year where I start having vivid nightmares about the draft. Last night I dreamed we took Alfons Freij 14th overall. A week ago I dreamed we took some random goaltender named Gidlof 33rd overall, only to wake and find out that was a real person. I’m way too into the NHL draft is what I’m trying to say.

Waiting to see if someone dreams about Mac Swanson. The sharks drafting him would be pure gold for the reactions alone.

 

[zombie kopitar]

I think it would be cool to find a way to draft both of the Norwegians, some combo of the two 2nd's and Bordelau could possibly be enough to find a way to get Solberg in the late teens/early 20s , if MBN drops to us and he stays around that projection

Also what is everyone's thought about trading the 2025 VGK pick? I know it's a gamble but I see them having a better year next season personally, it should be on the table for the right move imo

 

[Alaskanice]

I think it would be cool to find a way to draft both of the Norwegians, some combo of the two 2nd's and Bordelau could possibly be enough to find a way to get Solberg in the late teens/early 20s , if MBN drops to us and he stays around that projection

Also what is everyone's thought about trading the 2025 VGK pick? I know it's a gamble but I see them having a better year next season personally, it should be on the table for the right move imo

I’d give it up for Brady Tkachuk, who some St. Louis reporter says he’s available.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Waiting to see if someone dreams about Mac Swanson. The sharks drafting him would be pure gold for the reactions alone.

Small boy bad!!!

Seriously though, Swanson would be a great longshot pick in rounds 5-7. I’m on board.

I think it would be cool to find a way to draft both of the Norwegians, some combo of the two 2nd's and Bordelau could possibly be enough to find a way to get Solberg in the late teens/early 20s , if MBN drops to us and he stays around that projection

Also what is everyone's thought about trading the 2025 VGK pick? I know it's a gamble but I see them having a better year next season personally, it should be on the table for the right move imo

I’d be open to moving Vegas’ puck in a deal for a young defenseman or *checks Twitter* a disgruntled Brady Tkachuk. But not for someone that doesn’t figure to be a core-adjacent player moving forward (someone in the Zetterlund mold).

 

[Hodge]

Never trade an unprotected 1st. I thought we already learned that lesson the hard way.

 

[Juxtaposer]

Never trade an unprotected 1st. I thought we already learned that lesson the hard way.

What if there’s a U25 top pairing defenseman on the market and the team says that Vegas 1st is the deal-breaking piece? I wouldn’t move the pick for just anything but if the right player were available, hell yeah I would.

 

[Hodge]

What if there’s a U25 top pairing defenseman on the market and the team says that Vegas 1st is the deal-breaking piece? I wouldn’t move the pick for just anything but if the right player were available, hell yeah I would.

I still wouldn’t do it. Once the 2025 draft order is set then the pick should absolutely be on the table assuming it’s outside the top 5 but not until we know that for sure.

Vegas core players are old and their goaltending is trash. Anything can happen next season.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I still wouldn’t do it. Once the 2025 draft order is set then the pick should absolutely be on the table assuming it’s outside the top 5 but not until we know that for sure.

Vegas core players are old and their goaltending is trash. Anything can happen next season.

That’s completely fair. Don’t get me wrong, I also fantasize about Vegas imploding and walking away with two top-5 picks, so I get it. But all I’m saying is that if the right player were available, I’d be willing to move the pick unprotected. It would have to be something really wacky-doodle crazy like the Bruins peddle McAvoy for cheap or Sanderson requests a trade out of Ottawa or… actually those are the only two even marginally realistic ones I could think of.

 

[matt trick]

The 2025 draft looks to be center heavy (Hagens, Misa, Frondell are in the top 4) and 2026 is forward heavy as well (McKenna). I'd be thrilled with one of the centers in 2025. It's possible one- or a few- of Hensler/Threthewey/Boumedienne/Shaefer end up being #1 caliber D prospects. However, it seems like with 14 we're awfully close to a premier d prospect this year.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall to know who Grier has a first pairing grade on amongst Buium, Silayev, Dickinson, Parekh, Yakemchuk, Levshunov, and Jiricek/Stolberg/Emery/Elick/Freij. If you can go get one of the d-men you really like with some combo of 14, 33, 42, Vegas 1st, SJ 2025 2nd, Bordeleau/Guschin, you've got to consider it. It'll be interesting to see if anyone is able to trade up into the top 10.

Don't see Chicago, Anaheim, or Columbus moving down much. Utah and Montreal need premier talent, though I could see MTL moving down if BPA are d-men. I could see Ottawa, Seattle, NJ, and Buffalo moving down but not sure they'd move down to 14.

I see us adding some vet forwards and with Celebrini, Smith, Musty, Eklund, and 1-2 of Bystedt/Edstrom/Bords/Guschin/Hultanen/Graf/Lund in your top 9, how much more youth to you really need up front. D-men are freaking hard to project so maybe taking 3-4 shots is the better route? It just feels like this is such a good d class that we may be able to get our #1 or #2 d-man with Pitt's first and some extras.