Prospect Info: Current #2 overall poll and discussion

[Devs3cups]

I really think we’re getting him, but I don’t want to get my hopes up too much. I’d be ok with Wright too. I also have a weird feeling Gauthier is on their radar, but I’m not too concerned about that.

 

[Eggtimer]

I think Fitz and company have a strong desire to get Gauthier. I’m hoping we don’t do something stupid and trade down .

 

[Guttersniped]

I think Fitz and company have a strong desire to get Gauthier. I’m hoping we don’t do something stupid and trade down .

How did you develop this feeling? Is there new info? (This isn’t sarcasm lol, I feel like I missed something about this.)

 

[Captain3rdLine]

How did you develop this feeling? Is there new info? (This isn’t sarcasm lol, I feel like I missed something about this.)

I think this is probably just coming from how much he has featured in the draft videos and stuff the devils have posted. They seem to be showing a lot of Gauthier. Might not actually mean much. He also fits the mold they’re probably looking for.

 

[Guttersniped]

I think this is probably just coming from how much he has featured in the draft videos and stuff the devils have posted. They seem to be showing a lot of Gauthier. Might not actually mean much. He also fits the mold they’re probably looking for.

Honestly I thought whoever edited it simply put more of the really good looking guy in it. It’s not like Fitz gives editing notes.

 

[LeedsMonster]

I'll lose my shit if we get Gauthier

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

I hope the writer is wrong, although taking Wright is great too. Devils are in a good spot and will become a better team either way.

Player agent reveals who the Habs are selecting first overall

There has been much speculation about who the Habs will select first overall on July 7th when they host the

www.mapleleafsinsider.com

 

[HBK27]

I hope the writer is wrong, although taking Wright is great too. Devils are in a good spot and will become a better team either way.

Player agent reveals who the Habs are selecting first overall

There has been much speculation about who the Habs will select first overall on July 7th when they host the

www.mapleleafsinsider.com

Why would Montreal tell anybody who they are selecting 1st overall ahead of the draft, especially one they are hosting?

If anything, this sounds like a story that was planted to either throw fans off or get the Devils to believe it in hopes they may swap picks with Montreal and allow the Habs to get some additional assets.

If they take Slaf, it's an easy decision for the Devils to select Wright.

 

[HBK27]

Staff Mock Draft at The Athletic...

NHL Staff Mock Draft 2.0 with scouts' audit: We select the entire first round

Who did The Athletic's NHL beat writers pick in their mock draft? Has Juraj Slafkovsky overtaken Shane Wright at No. 1?

theathletic.com

No surprise at the top...

Today we have The Athletic’s staff of NHL writers project the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft. This allows our writers to break down the draft from the standpoint of the teams they cover with their unique knowledge of the franchise’s needs and tendencies. I provided broad guidance but the writers made all the picks. Trades were allowed (and one was executed). Afterwards I provide an audit and also enlist NHL scouts to provide feedback on our picks.

---

1. Montreal Canadiens: Shane Wright, C, Kingston-OHL
It may seem as though nothing has changed since our first mock with Wright still being our pick for the Canadiens here, but they have. We used to be comfortable and confident taking Wright at No. 1, but with the intel gathered at the combine, he’s now hanging by a thread in this position, and it’s become basically a coin toss between him and Juraj Slafkovsky. For now, the Canadiens’ perennial need at centre and the argument for Wright’s high floor is what keeps him at No. 1. —M.A. Godin

2. New Jersey Devils: Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS-Liiga
If the Devils are going to use the second pick, they should be looking to the next best available player after Wright. In many minds right now, that’s Slafkovsky. A team has to draft for skill above all else, and flashy numbers in tournament settings have elevated his profile. But the benefit for New Jersey is that this fits a need as well. The Devils are looking to add an impact forward for years to come to give them a 1-2 punch with one of their former first picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. The power forward seems to have the tools this team is looking for to add more dimension to their offense, and the readiness to get them there sooner than later. —Shayna Goldman

...

Finally one scout said, “Every time I read a mock draft it’s the same three forwards picked 1-2-3 in Wright, Slafkovsky, Cooley and then the defensemen back to back. I would be surprised if that’s actually how it goes. History says there will be at least one surprise.”

 

[Lou is God]

Staff Mock Draft at The Athletic...

NHL Staff Mock Draft 2.0 with scouts' audit: We select the entire first round

Who did The Athletic's NHL beat writers pick in their mock draft? Has Juraj Slafkovsky overtaken Shane Wright at No. 1?

theathletic.com

No surprise at the top...

Today we have The Athletic’s staff of NHL writers project the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft. This allows our writers to break down the draft from the standpoint of the teams they cover with their unique knowledge of the franchise’s needs and tendencies. I provided broad guidance but the writers made all the picks. Trades were allowed (and one was executed). Afterwards I provide an audit and also enlist NHL scouts to provide feedback on our picks.

---

1. Montreal Canadiens: Shane Wright, C, Kingston-OHL
It may seem as though nothing has changed since our first mock with Wright still being our pick for the Canadiens here, but they have. We used to be comfortable and confident taking Wright at No. 1, but with the intel gathered at the combine, he’s now hanging by a thread in this position, and it’s become basically a coin toss between him and Juraj Slafkovsky. For now, the Canadiens’ perennial need at centre and the argument for Wright’s high floor is what keeps him at No. 1. —M.A. Godin

2. New Jersey Devils: Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, TPS-Liiga
If the Devils are going to use the second pick, they should be looking to the next best available player after Wright. In many minds right now, that’s Slafkovsky. A team has to draft for skill above all else, and flashy numbers in tournament settings have elevated his profile. But the benefit for New Jersey is that this fits a need as well. The Devils are looking to add an impact forward for years to come to give them a 1-2 punch with one of their former first picks Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. The power forward seems to have the tools this team is looking for to add more dimension to their offense, and the readiness to get them there sooner than later. —Shayna Goldman

...

Finally one scout said, “Every time I read a mock draft it’s the same three forwards picked 1-2-3 in Wright, Slafkovsky, Cooley and then the defensemen back to back. I would be surprised if that’s actually how it goes. History says there will be at least one surprise.”

Ok, NOW I'm getting worried Slaf will be taken by the Habs, if Pronman says it's a coin toss, then it's probably a coin toss. Great.

 

[Devils731]

Ok, NOW I'm getting worried Slaf will be taken by the Habs, if Pronman says it's a coin toss, then it's probably a coin toss. Great.

That’s actually the Montreal writer for The Athletic saying that.

So far we are seeing a lot of “Oh, it’s so close” but then almost everyone ends up choosing Wright as the top pick.

Writers and Pundits need things to talk about and do a controversy at the top of the draft is easy fodder. So easy that it makes it tough to take any of the controversy seriously most years.

See Hughes/Kakko as a similar controversy talked about ad naseum when it was extremely likely Hughes was the guy that would go first.

 

[longislanddevil]

I’m not interested in Wright as he is somewhat redundant and I am not sold he winds up a better NHL player than others who will go in the top 10. Great teams are well balanced and what the Devils need are interior players, as well as RD.

With this said, Fitz SHOULD already have a contingency plan in place and solidified in the event Montreal does select Slaf. A trade down to pick Jiricek/Nemec/Gauthier, while accruing more assets, is the best alternative play here IMHO. Perhaps a swap of 2OA and 6OA with Columbus? That spot would guarantee us one of the aforementioned players. I would not feel comfortable moving down any further than 6OA.

Top end centers are precious commodities and there should be teams salivating at the thought of landing Wright. Given the Devils’ roster composition, we are one team that does not need to prioritize center. We should take full advantage of other squads being desperate to get their hands on one. It does not appear like this draft is all that strong up the middle so that should also work in the Devils favor.

 

[TrufleShufle]

Can we skip the "they never would" and just answer a hypothetical. If for some crazy reason Montreal takes Cooley, who do we pick? I'm leaning Slaf, but now that is getting into a more possible, "need over skill" territory that everyone loses their minds about. But it's still close enough to make sense.

 

[HBK27]

I’m not interested in Wright as he is somewhat redundant and I am not sold he winds up a better NHL player than others who will go in the top 10. Great teams are well balanced and what the Devils need are interior players, as well as RD.

With this said, Fitz SHOULD already have a contingency plan in place and solidified in the event Montreal does select Slaf. A trade down to pick Jiricek/Nemec/Gauthier, while accruing more assets, is the best alternative play here IMHO. Perhaps a swap of 2OA and 6OA with Columbus? That spot would guarantee us one of the aforementioned players. I would not feel comfortable moving down any further than 6OA.

Top end centers are precious commodities and there should be teams salivating at the thought of landing Wright. Given the Devils’ roster composition, we are one team that does not need to prioritize center. We should take full advantage of other squads being desperate to get their hands on one. It does not appear like this draft is all that strong up the middle so that should also work in the Devils favor.

I'm not opposed to this idea and it makes sense logically. I guess it all depends on what additional type of asset we would get in return. If it's the 6OA and 12OA, I'd do it. Beyond that, I'm not so sure.

Devils have a very deep prospect pool as is. We don't need more picks (though it does help down the line when we're a contender and are trading futures for current players at the TDL), we need more high end talent. Even if the #2-#6 picks are close, there still has to be some differentiation between them among Devils scouting department. Agree though that we can't go any lower than 6th.

Can we skip the "they never would" and just answer a hypothetical. If for some crazy reason Montreal takes Cooley, who do we pick? I'm leaning Slaf, but now that is getting into a more possible, "need over skill" territory that everyone loses their minds about. But it's still close enough to make sense.

I think you still go Slaf in that situation, as Montreal would've clearly saw some red flags with Wright, but it's a good question.

 

[glenwo2]

I said this already in the Devils Discussion thread but personally, I'd rather he go to the AHL to get used to the NA ice and game for a year.

 

[devilsblood]

I’m not interested in Wright as he is somewhat redundant and I am not sold he winds up a better NHL player than others who will go in the top 10. Great teams are well balanced and what the Devils need are interior players, as well as RD.

With this said, Fitz SHOULD already have a contingency plan in place and solidified in the event Montreal does select Slaf. A trade down to pick Jiricek/Nemec/Gauthier, while accruing more assets, is the best alternative play here IMHO. Perhaps a swap of 2OA and 6OA with Columbus? That spot would guarantee us one of the aforementioned players. I would not feel comfortable moving down any further than 6OA.

Top end centers are precious commodities and there should be teams salivating at the thought of landing Wright. Given the Devils’ roster composition, we are one team that does not need to prioritize center. We should take full advantage of other squads being desperate to get their hands on one. It does not appear like this draft is all that strong up the middle so that should also work in the Devils favor.

Same. It needs to be worthwhile of course, but if we come away with Jiricek plus some other prime asset I'd be stoked.

Adding a guy who projects to be our 3rd line center at #2OA? Not how I would play it.

 

[Saugus]

I hope the writer is wrong, although taking Wright is great too. Devils are in a good spot and will become a better team either way.

Player agent reveals who the Habs are selecting first overall

There has been much speculation about who the Habs will select first overall on July 7th when they host the

www.mapleleafsinsider.com

Thinly sourced story. I know agents and GMs probably talk to each other a lot and such, but why would the agent for Nemec know what is going on with who the Habs are going to pick? His guy isn't expected to go #1, so why would they give him a heads up about their thinking? It's not like Slafkovsky or Wright's agent is the source for this, which might be more credible.

It could be true, or it could be false, but it just seems like a strange source for a rumor.

 

[Devils731]

Thinly sourced story. I know agents and GMs probably talk to each other a lot and such, but why would the agent for Nemec know what is going on with who the Habs are going to pick? His guy isn't expected to go #1, so why would they give him a heads up about their thinking? It's not like Slafkovsky or Wright's agent is the source for this, which might be more credible.

It could be true, or it could be false, but it just seems like a strange source for a rumor.

Also, even if true, why is everyone so comfortable making the private information public?

If true, there must be some pissed off people and bridges that were burned for something not that impactful.

 

[glenwo2]

I’m not interested in Wright as he is somewhat redundant and I am not sold he winds up a better NHL player than others who will go in the top 10. Great teams are well balanced and what the Devils need are interior players, as well as RD.

With this said, Fitz SHOULD already have a contingency plan in place and solidified in the event Montreal does select Slaf. A trade down to pick Jiricek/Nemec/Gauthier, while accruing more assets, is the best alternative play here IMHO. Perhaps a swap of 2OA and 6OA with Columbus? That spot would guarantee us one of the aforementioned players. I would not feel comfortable moving down any further than 6OA.

Top end centers are precious commodities and there should be teams salivating at the thought of landing Wright. Given the Devils’ roster composition, we are one team that does not need to prioritize center. We should take full advantage of other squads being desperate to get their hands on one. It does not appear like this draft is all that strong up the middle so that should also work in the Devils favor.

You're kind of contradicting yourself here.

He's not going to be a better NHL player but then you say "Top End Centers are precious commodities".

So Shane Wright is a "Top End Center" now? I thought he was not going to be a better NHL player.

Which is it?


Look, I know you said you don't want Wright but he's going to be the consensus BPA if Slaf is selected (for some reason) by the Habs.

I would find it very hard to believe Fitz would just let Wright waltz past him to another team after the Devils got such a great GIFT of WINNING THE F'N LOTTO.

In that situation, you count your blessings and take full advantage of that by drafting the Best Player Available which is Shane Wright.

Redundancy should not be viewed with vitriol if we're going to end up having the Deepest Center Core for a long-ass time....

 

[TrufleShufle]

I said this already in the Devils Discussion thread but personally, I'd rather he go to the AHL to get used to the NA ice and game for a year.

I say camp and a few games. You will know in camp if he isn't ready, but won't know for sure if he is ready, so give him a couple, I wouldn't stretch the entire 9 is it's not looking 100%. Save some for later in the year. But if he doesn't prove himself out of a position in camp, a few games with the big club should def be on the table.

 

[glenwo2]

I say camp and a few games. You will know in camp if he isn't ready, but won't know for sure if he is ready, so give him a couple, I wouldn't stretch the entire 9 is it's not looking 100%. Save some for later in the year. But if he doesn't prove himself out of a position in camp, a few games with the big club should def be on the table.

How much before he burns a year off his ELC (provided we draft him and sign him)?

 

[Devils731]

I say camp and a few games. You will know in camp if he isn't ready, but won't know for sure if he is ready, so give him a couple, I wouldn't stretch the entire 9 is it's not looking 100%. Save some for later in the year. But if he doesn't prove himself out of a position in camp, a few games with the big club should def be on the table.

Or, if you think power forwards take longer to develop, you burn that first year on purpose to hopefully get to the first new contract before he fully breaks out.

How much before he burns a year off his ELC (provided we draft him and sign him)?

The 10th NHL game burns the year.

 

[Nubmer6]

With this said, Fitz SHOULD already have a contingency plan in place and solidified in the event Montreal does select Slaf. A trade down to pick Jiricek/Nemec/Gauthier, while accruing more assets, is the best alternative play here IMHO. Perhaps a swap of 2OA and 6OA with Columbus? That spot would guarantee us one of the aforementioned players. I would not feel comfortable moving down any further than 6OA.

I honestly believe a contingency plan is why we've heard about Fitz open to trading #2. It's too complicated of a trade to pull off in the few minutes we have between picks, and we can't be caught off-guard by Montreal, so we have to have something lined up before the draft.

 

[HBK27]

I say camp and a few games. You will know in camp if he isn't ready, but won't know for sure if he is ready, so give him a couple, I wouldn't stretch the entire 9 is it's not looking 100%. Save some for later in the year. But if he doesn't prove himself out of a position in camp, a few games with the big club should def be on the table.

Also going to depend quite a bit on what Fitz does with trades/signings and how some other players perform.

Assuming we get all the RFA's signed on time, we currently have 13 forwards on the roster with Hotlz, Zetterlund and maybe even Foote & Thompson knocking at the door. Mercer is the only player that doesn't need to clear waivers, though if Kuokanen doesn't perform I doubt many of us would care if they try to pass him through to the minors.

Just won't be as easy for Slaf to make the team directly out of camp as it typically is for high picks unless Fitz clears out some space.

 

[Guttersniped]

Why would Montreal tell anybody who they are selecting 1st overall ahead of the draft, especially one they are hosting?

If anything, this sounds like a story that was planted to either throw fans off or get the Devils to believe it in hopes they may swap picks with Montreal and allow the Habs to get some additional assets.

If they take Slaf, it's an easy decision for the Devils to select Wright.

I don’t see how they would want to swap picks with us when they’re hosting the draft or see why we would do that.

Either it’s rumor from chatter about the pick that isn’t true or Montreal is distancing themselves from Wright and preparing their fans for the selection.

It helps us to know what will happen beforehand and shocking surprises don’t help at all.