ATD2025 Draft Thread Part II

[BenchBrawl]

We're gonna finally give in and take our 2nd line Center. Chicago selects Gilbert Perreault, C

We think the dynamic combo of Perreault and Martinec accompanied by Goulet will be a real handful for our opponents' second line of defense (the Beliveau line will surely get the first line of defense).


Here is a description of Perreault by TDMM from the Top 200 project:

Good peak, good longevity, tremendous star power, very visually appealing, absolutely fantastic player in Best-on-Best international play. Really good string of All-Star consideration:

1972: 4th (behind Esposito, undrafted, Clarke),
1973: 3rd (Esposito, Clarke),
1974: injuries,
1975: 3rd (Clarke, Esposito),
1976: 2nd (Clarke),
1977: 2nd (Dionne).

-gap-

1980: 3rd (Dionne, Gretzky)


Here is a summary of Perreault's best on best performance by @Batis:

Overall numbers in Best-on-Best tournaments: 13 gp, 8 g, 11 a, 19 pts
Knockout stage numbers in Best-on-Best tournaments: 4 gp, 3 g, 2 a, 5 pts

Knockout stage numbers broken down by tournament
Summit Series 1972: 2 gp, 1 g, 1 a, 2 pts
Canada Cup 1976: 2 gp, 2 g, 1 a, 3 pts

Accolades: Canada Cup All-Star team 1981

Gilbert Perreault’s overall numbers in Best-on-Best tournaments are truly outstanding and his knockout stage numbers are strong as well. It really is a shame that Perreault got injured in the 1981 Canada Cup though as he was playing perhaps the best hockey of his life there and made the All-Star team despite only playing the first four games. Perreault’s performance in the 1976 Canada Cup was also impressive and his early goal in Game 2 of the final series against Czechoslovakia is a personal favourite (below).


Player's/Coach's Poll Accolades

GILBERT PERREAULT	Best skater	2nd	1976
GILBERT PERREAULT	Best skater	5th	1984
GILBERT PERREAULT	Best stickhandler	2nd	1976
GILBERT PERREAULT	Best stickhandler	3rd	1979
GILBERT PERREAULT	Fastest skater	4th	1976
GILBERT PERREAULT	Most natural ability	2nd	1979

Finally, it should be noted that @overpass did an analysis of home/road splits that determined Perreault's scoring (even strength scoring specifically) was negatively affected by the small rink in Buffalo, which also lines up with the effect you would expect a small rink to have on a great skater like Perreault.

I confess that despite needing a goalie and a coach, I was planning on taking Gilbert Perreault as a spare if he made it to my last set. Very early for a spare, but he was a perfect replacement for Mario in missed games.

 

[VanIslander]

With the 301st pick of the 2025 ATD, ...

Savannah selects Marty Barry, who led the NHL in playoff scoring his rookie postseason in the Bruins 1930 Stanley Cup final run, would go on to lead the Bruins three times in regular season scoring and even become captain for a year before a 5-player deal brought him to Detroit where he immediately led the Wings to their first two ever Stanley Cup victories, Barry leading the NHL playoffs in goals, assists and points. In fact, Barry is 1st in NHL playoff points over the decade of the 1930's. Over that 10-year span he is 2nd in NHL regular season points (99% of Nels Stewart) and in assists (1st is Frank Boucher). Over his 5-year peak, ending in the second cup in 1937, he is 1st in NHL points and goals, ahead of Charlie Conacher.

​

Barry, big and strong and a hard worker,
is as fine a playmaker as he is a defensive player.​

 

[VanIslander]

Savannah completes the re-union of Detroit's earliest championships line by selecting...

right winger Larry Aurie, who had his number retired by Detroit after more than a decade on a line with Herbie Lewis. He led all NHLers in goals scored in his tenth NHL season and was the 1st team all-star selection to end a four-year stretch in which he finished top-10 in NHL assists three times and in NHL goals twice. He became the Wings captain, and a year later led the playoffs in assists with 7 as the Red Wings went to the 1934 Stanley Cup Finals, then won the cup two postseasons later, contributing a goal and a couple of assists and noted defensive play. "Little Dempsey" fought when needed and he was also known as "The Little Rag Man" for his skill in holding onto the puck on the penalty kill.

Marty Barry, Larry Aurie, and Herb Lewis give the Red Wings one of the best forward lines in the game. It is not only a high scoring array, but one of the finest defensive combinations.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Savannah completes the re-union of Detroit's earliest championships line by selecting...

right winger Larry Aurie, who had his number retired by Detroit after more than a decade on a line with Herbie Lewis. He led all NHLers in goals scored in his tenth NHL season and was the 1st team all-star selection to end a four-year stretch in which he finished top-10 in NHL assists three times and in NHL goals twice. He became the Wings captain, and a year later led the playoffs in assists with 7 as the Red Wings went to the 1934 Stanley Cup Finals, then won the cup two postseasons later, contributing a goal and a couple of assists and noted defensive play. "Little Dempsey" fought when needed and he was also known as "The Little Rag Man" for his skill in holding onto the puck on the penalty kill.

Great job! Love seeing all time great lines brought back together here.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Savannah completes the re-union of Detroit's earliest championships line by selecting...

right winger Larry Aurie, who had his number retired by Detroit after more than a decade on a line with Herbie Lewis. He led all NHLers in goals scored in his tenth NHL season and was the 1st team all-star selection to end a four-year stretch in which he finished top-10 in NHL assists three times and in NHL goals twice. He became the Wings captain, and a year later led the playoffs in assists with 7 as the Red Wings went to the 1934 Stanley Cup Finals, then won the cup two postseasons later, contributing a goal and a couple of assists and noted defensive play. "Little Dempsey" fought when needed and he was also known as "The Little Rag Man" for his skill in holding onto the puck on the penalty kill.

Great job reuniting that line VanI. A steal, globally speaking.

 

[BenchBrawl]

VanIslander drafted a killer team, despite starting with a goalie and two defensemen, his forward group looks good.

Impressive, the maximal use of Malone on Lalonde's LW, and then Pitre to complete the old chemistry. The Kariya-Selanne reunification, with a good fit in Ullman at center, Rucchin-like.

Then the Lewis-Barry-Aurie line very late in the draft. Sublime.

Too bad for that shit ass 2nd pairing though, when so much better could have been constructed. Reardon-Makar, a strange mix.

Still, VI may win his first championship, he has a chance.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Maybe I am harsh on Reardon-Makar, I don't like the fit at first glance. Reardon liked the rush up the puck, Doug Harvey was criticized early in his career for not doing it "like Reardon used to do" in Montreal. That said, I was under the impression Reardon played the right side, but I can't find a proof of this, so that's my problem.

It could be a better fit than I thought.

If so, that's even more momentum for VanI's team as a contender in this draft.

 

[Habsfan18]

Awesome job reuniting that trio @VanIslander. Very cool that you were able to pull that off. Not complete yet but that may be the best team i've seen you build.

 

[Habsfan18]

Baltimore will add a guy who we feel brings a pretty unique and useful skillset at this point in the draft and a guy who was one of the most complete, all-around wingers in hockey during his era. He's quite strong defensively as a checker, very physical, great in the corners, a solid playmaker, and can also put the puck in the net. Not too many guys bring that combination of abilities at this point, IMO.

Dave Taylor, RW

This gives us a 3rd line of Leswick-Bergeron-Taylor that will feel could compete with any trio in this draft in terms of being a bitch to play against. Very strong defensively, physical play on the wings, and can compete offensively to chip in from time to time.

 

[Habsfan18]

Hasek before Roy, Irvin with a Chicago sweater... and you call yourself a Habs fan

I just like the picture. But I deserved that.

 

[Dr John Carlson]

I'd been wondering if people had just forgotten that Barry hadn't been picked. Big steal.

 

[Boreal01]

HC Lugano welcomes Dino Ciccarelli's personal idol Claude Lemieux, RW

 

[Habsfan18]

I'd been wondering if people had just forgotten that Barry hadn't been picked. Big steal.

I think it speaks more to the fact that the center ice position has incredible depth historically. Some of these guys tend to slip through the cracks every year. Someone can probably wait until round 5 or 6 to get their 1st line C in a draft this size and depending on the fit they'd still have a decent or at the very least passable option available to them.

But yes, Barry right now, as a 3rd line C reunited with his two Detroit wingers, is my pick for steal of the draft.

 

[ChiTownPhilly]

I was under the impression Reardon played the right side, but I can't find a proof of this, so that's my problem.

Here's what I have. No guarantees of 100% accuracy...


Reardon - RD
...

I'd hesitated to pipe up about this matter- but rather seems cat's out of the bag at this point-

My take? The Fyffe contribution, when posted, was in a thread in which the late C1958 was an active respondent, And if there's one thing we all could sense about C1958, it's that he derived joy from issuing corrections to other contributors- like the old schoolmaster he once was. He was (presumably) an eyewitness to Reardon's usage- and I don't doubt (for a second) that if Ian had been imprecise, C1958 would have called it into question immediately; since it would have pleased him to do so.

Burden of proof is on Van to sell Reardon as an LD, I'd say. There's time to adjust if Reardon continues to be best-used at RD. Savannah didn't compose as thorough a RD-overload helpmate as his divisional rival Philadelphia, but it still feels like there wasn't quite enough chalk on the cue at the time of contact.

On a more "macro" note, I'll better understand competing in this format when I understand just why starting F-F is, like... six times more popular than starting D-D. Is it because starting F-F more easily allows you to wave around VsX numbers?!

nicht helig ist ihm, was andern hehr.