Toggle sidebar

Craig Button 2025 NHL Draft Mock

  • Work is still on-going to rebuild the site styling and features. Please report any issues you may experience so we can look into it. Click Here for Updates
westworld_anything.gif
 
MS said:
It's always crazy how invested people get in the draft while understanding it so little.

People always act like there's only one 'right' consensus ranking and if a guy is 12th that's a fact of a thing and maybe you can rank him 11th or 13th but if anyone ranks that player 8th or 18th OMG LOL WHAT A MORON!

Like, nobody had Beckett Sennecke higher than like 8th-10th last year and then he goes 3rd. People watched this happen. It should be pretty obvious that actual NHL team rankings differ hugely from this board's consensus. But every year as soon as someone posts a ranking that diverges from the groupthink, they're an idiot.

Button's rankings are probably the most valid/interesting you're going to see because they're from an actual NHL scout who actually watches a lot of games. You might disagree (and I do all the time with him) but they're coming from an actual legitimate credible place. They're 100000x more valuable than the nonsense from goofballs who try putting the draft into a spreadsheet, or who barely watch games, or who just aim to 'be right' by generating a consensus ranking.
Click to expand...
Nobody had Beckett Sennecke ranked 3rd overall, but a lot of people had him in a group of twelve players who could go (and did go) literally anywhere between #2 and #13.

I agree with your overall point, I'd always rather have a ranking than not have it because it's fun to discuss. But I'm having trouble thinking of anything that Button was right about that the consensus wasn't in a positive way. What I mean is that it's easy to drop one guy hard in your rankings (ie Virtanen), because the odds are against everyone but the most absolutely elite prospects. Virtanen turned out to be a creep and terrible at hockey, but if he had been 'just' a decent third liner (which was always the most likely outcome for him), I'm sure people would be praising Button for ranking him in the second round.

Anyone remember a time where Button ranked a guy really high relative to consensus at the end of the season and he was right? Genuine question, I just can't remember any off the top of my head.

My impression of Button's lists is that by the end of the season, they basically look like consensus lists. He only goes wildly against consensus mid-year.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
Button is a clown. Don’t know why this website acts like he’s some big expert. I don’t regard his opinion any more than the average poster on this website.
Click to expand...
I had the chance to meet Craig at a USNTDP game. I definitely don’t always agree with his rankings, but he is a really smart guy. He clearly has a certain way of thinking regarding prospects and he does have some good calls here and there. He definitely ranks some guys way too high, but his opinion are his own. I thought his rankings were excellent last year. He has way more passion for scouting than he gets credit for.

I don’t like his January rankings at all. However, I can see why he would take Frondell that high. I personally wound not, but he looks good. I’m more baffled by his mid-late 1st round rankings.
 
TheNumber4 said:
It’s a criticism when you are supposed to be an expert on a subject. And you purport to watch the things you comment on.
Click to expand...

Yes and being an expert and seeing things unfold as you watch them would make you change your rankings. Changing your mind goes along with doing the work. If you see someone not change anything that would be a better signal that they're not doing the work.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bounces R Way, Andy Dufresne and Realgud
Realgud said:
So like every other scout in existence?
Click to expand...
I very much doubt NHL scouts are changing their opinions to make them look more credible. If they are, they shouldn't have that job. And if GMs can't see through that, they shouldn't have that job either.

"Hey GM, remember when I told you Puljujaarvi would be a can't miss stud in the first round and you drafted him? What I really meant was that he sucked ass and would bust, can I have my extension now?
 
TheNumber4 said:
I very much doubt NHL scouts are changing their opinions to make them look more credible. If they are, they shouldn't have that job. And if GMs can't see through that, they shouldn't have that job either.

"Hey GM, remember when I told you Puljujaarvi would be a can't miss stud in the first round and you drafted him? What I really meant was that he sucked ass and would bust, can I have my extension now?
Click to expand...
I guess we misunderstand what you originally meant because that should go without saying that every scout change their opinion as the season goes along and after the draft. I don't know what you mean by "changing their opinion to make them look more credible". Does Craig lie about where he had a player ranked a few years after?
 
Last edited:
Realgud said:
I guess we misunderstand what you originally meant because that should go without saying that every scout change their opinion as the season goes along and after the draft. I don't know what you mean by "changing their opiniom to make them look more credible". Does Craig lie about where he had a player ranked a few years after?
Click to expand...
You should hear Button and how absolutely hyped he was about Broberg pre-draft. Then immediately after the Oilers drafted him, not so much. No calling for patience either. Just dropped the prospect and tried to distance himself. Wonder what he'll say now as the slow-cook development process turned him into a player.

Also Button, will have a flip flop on the Oilers as a team every single year. Every year he starts the season saying they don't have a chance at the cup, then the Oilers go on a run and he falls in line and has to admit they are a true contender.

Ehhh... maybe it's just anti-Oiler bias if no one else is seeing anything. He was a Calgary based Former Calgary Flame GM with a wife that still works in the Flames organization after all. Maybe that's what I'm seeing.
 
Last edited:
  • Wow
Reactions: Realgud
TheNumber4 said:
You should hear Button and how absolutely hyped he was about Broberg pre-draft. Then immediately after the Oilers drafted him, not so much. No calling for patience either. Just dropped the prospect and tried to distance himself. Wonder what he'll say now as the slow-cook development process turned him into a player.

Also Button, will have flip flop on the Oilers as a team every single year. Every year he starts the season saying they don't have a chance at the cup, then the Oilers go on a run and he falls in line and has to admit they are a true contender.

Ehhh... maybe it's just anti-Oiler bias if no one else is seeing anything. He was a Calgary based Former Calgary Flame GM with a wife that still works in the Flames organization after all. Maybe that's what I'm seeing.
Click to expand...
Ahhh I see, good example. Thanks for sharing. I don't really follow what Craig says. I only see him during the WJC and reading these lists.
 
Juxtaposer said:
Anyone remember a time where Button ranked a guy really high relative to consensus at the end of the season and he was right? Genuine question, I just can't remember any off the top of my head.
Click to expand...

I remember drafting Adrian Kempe and Brayden Point early in 2014 in my simulated league based on his list and I wasn't deceived.
 
Juxtaposer said:
Nobody had Beckett Sennecke ranked 3rd overall, but a lot of people had him in a group of twelve players who could go (and did go) literally anywhere between #2 and #13.

I agree with your overall point, I'd always rather have a ranking than not have it because it's fun to discuss. But I'm having trouble thinking of anything that Button was right about that the consensus wasn't in a positive way. What I mean is that it's easy to drop one guy hard in your rankings (ie Virtanen), because the odds are against everyone but the most absolutely elite prospects. Virtanen turned out to be a creep and terrible at hockey, but if he had been 'just' a decent third liner (which was always the most likely outcome for him), I'm sure people would be praising Button for ranking him in the second round.

Anyone remember a time where Button ranked a guy really high relative to consensus at the end of the season and he was right? Genuine question, I just can't remember any off the top of my head.

My impression of Button's lists is that by the end of the season, they basically look like consensus lists. He only goes wildly against consensus mid-year.
Click to expand...
I think he was the highest on Boldy, he had him at 5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Ad

Latest posts

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Top Bottom