Prospect Info: Current #2 overall poll and discussion

[PKs Broken Stick]

And another thought . If Wright hits his potential I don’t think he’d be satisfied at 3 C or the AAV it would take to keep him after his elc and have him at 3c.

This is what I said before, no one seems to think it's an issue, but I do (as in, it can be an issue). Hopefully the team got this covered to make sure it won't be an issue with Wright.

And Rags with Kakko

oof, and yet both times the 2nd team got the worst player lol

 

[StevenToddIves]

For someone like myself, who is a believer in an analytical and process-oriented approach to talent evaluation, the peaks and valleys of his season in different competitions make him a less clean projection than I would prefer at #1 or 2 overall, but that's where I lean on the writers I have grown to trust that have the capacity to watch more tape than I can devote to hockey prospects, such as Pronman, Wheeler, and yourself.

I will say that from what I've seen his shot is "just" above average for the NHL and that might hold him back as far as being a consistent 40 goal threat. But then again if he had an elite shot we would probably be talking about him as a Kovalchuk or Stamkos level prospect. I keep saying I wouldn't be surprised if Cooley ends up the best offensive player, but I also wouldn't be surprised if that's Slafkovsky. Concerns about his floor or ceiling are unwarranted unless you're of the mind that anything less than a 100pt player is a disappointment.

I honestly think if there's a dark horse to become the best offensive player from this draft, I'd bet on Savoie or Miroshnichenko before Cooley. The reasons to like Cooley is he's pretty much terrific at everything and fast as hell. But he's not as explosive or dynamic as past top 3 centers like obviously McDavid, Matthews, Draisaitl, Hughes, etc. -- he's just not that kind of player.

I think Cooley can become a slightly less explosive Barzal, but with a more complete game -- which is one heck of a hockey player, to be certain. But the narrative that Cooley's offensive upside is on the level as Wright and Slafkovsky is one I just don't see. Cooley is awesome, there's no disputing this, but he also did not lead his own team in overall scoring or goals despite being leaned on as the #1 offensive center with McGroarty as the guy who led the team in goals despite taking on the toughest defensive assignments.

As for Slafkovsky, the shot is very good, but no it is not elite. However, with interior players, many goal-scoring opportunities come from in close, and I think Slaf will get a ton of greasy goals at the NHL level, especially with an increase in smaller, more offensive-minded defensemen. Slafkovsky is an immobile object in the crease.

 

[Guttersniped]

Nico/Nolan was the only year it was similarly close. Definitely felt the Devils was always leaning Nico to me though. I don’t really know what to make of the Habs other than Wright making more sense. Maybe they like Slaf more and trade for a center though

2017 is the only time it flipped like this in recent memory, with the former consensus barely losing what was basically a tie.

When that horse race was going on McKenzie said it was the closest since Hall/Seguin in 2010 but Hall kept his slim lead for the whole season that time.

This just blows up any remaining sense that Wright is the consensus 1OA.

 

[My3Sons]

I honestly think if there's a dark horse to become the best offensive player from this draft, I'd bet on Savoie or Miroshnichenko before Cooley. The reasons to like Cooley is he's pretty much terrific at everything and fast as hell. But he's not as explosive or dynamic as past top 3 centers like obviously McDavid, Matthews, Draisaitl, Hughes, etc. -- he's just not that kind of player.

I think Cooley can become a slightly less explosive Barzal, but with a more complete game -- which is one heck of a hockey player, to be certain. But the narrative that Cooley's offensive upside is on the level as Wright and Slafkovsky is one I just don't see. Cooley is awesome, there's no disputing this, but he also did not lead his own team in overall scoring or goals despite being leaned on as the #1 offensive center with McGroarty as the guy who led the team in goals despite taking on the toughest defensive assignments.

As for Slafkovsky, the shot is very good, but no it is not elite. However, with interior players, many goal-scoring opportunities come from in close, and I think Slaf will get a ton of greasy goals at the NHL level, especially with an increase in smaller, more offensive-minded defensemen. Slafkovsky is an immobile object in the crease.

If he shows up in camp, Smith will have to bring a ladder onto the ice just to tie him up.

 

[ninetyeight]

This is what I said before, no one seems to think it's an issue, but I do (as in, it can be an issue). Hopefully the team got this covered to make sure it won't be an issue with Wright.

I mean if we first ignore the whole positional thing, I don't see how Wright becoming great and asking for more money is any different than Slaf becoming great and asking for more money. And if he wants to play C, you play him as C. If he's better than Nico and/or Jack you put him ahead of them and pay him more. If he isn't then he shouldn't ask for a bigger role or more money.

If players becoming too good and hence asking for more money is your biggest problem, then I think you're in pretty good shape.

I really don't see the problem here, if we have too many good players to get under the cap, we just have to deal some of them away. That's just how it works, fortunately the returns are also bigger.

 

[KovalchukFistPump]

I'm kind of pissed that the THN draft preview doesnt have an interview with Slafkovsky. Would have loved to read up more on him during some upcoming flights. I guess he was a bit of a late riser and they had made interview plans ahead of time.

 

[nugg]

Wright has nothing left to prove in the OHL. He looks bored there as it is.

He's been in that league since he was what, 15? You're probably right.

Great, now I’m going to have to spend some time actually reading up on Wright.

Never thought it was a realistic possibility.

Yep, and a new poll will be needed LOL

 

[Forge]

The pain is real for Montreal. The amount of shitting on slaf is pretty crazy.

And the funny thing is that I still think they take wright

 

[StevenToddIves]

I'm kind of pissed that the THN draft preview doesnt have an interview with Slafkovsky. Would have loved to read up more on him during some upcoming flights. I guess he was a bit of a late riser and they had made interview plans ahead of time.

The Hockey News draft coverage has been severely eclipsed by The Athletic and multiple on-line sources. THN has Ryan Kennedy, who is excellent, but they strangely have no one else devoted to prospects and the draft.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Columbus shocked many, including myself, when they took Dubois over Puljujarvi in 2016 but they've been proven 'correct' thus far. Draisaitl was seen as a "reach" to some. Just going back a few more years:

2016:
Bob/TSN: Matthews, Laine, Puljujarvi, Tkachuk, Dubois
Actual: Matthews, Laine, Dubois, Puljujarvi, Juolevi

The top of the board nearly went a much different direction. Near 3 way trade between Columbus, Edmonton, and Calgary to shuffle picks. Columbus would have still gotten Dubois at #4, Edmonton was targeting Sergachev at #6, and presumably Calgary would have taken Puljujarvi at #3. But Edmonton got cold feet.

2015:
Bob/TSN: McDavid, Eichel, Hanifin, Marner, Strome
Actual: McDavid, Eichel, Strome, Marner, Hanifin

Could have a little different as Arizona was asking about Dougie Hamilton from Boston. Bruins asked for the #3 pick which they would have used on hometown kid Hanifin. Arizona offered 2016 1st instead, Boston instead took 2015 picks from Calgary.

2014:
Bob/TSN: Ekblad, Reinhart, Bennett, Draisaitl, Dal Colle
Actual: Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl, Bennett, Dal Colle

2013:
Bob/TSN: MacKinnon, Jones, Drouin, Barkov, Lindholm
Actual: MacKinnon, Barkov, Drouin, Jones, Lindholm

2012:
Bob/TSN: Yakupov, Murray, Forsberg, Reinhart, Galchenyuk
Actual: Yakupov, Murray, Galchenyuk, Reinhart, Rielly

Goofy year for sure with Galcheyuk, Rielly, and Koekkoek missing most of the season due to injury but still landing in the top 10. Allegedly Edmonton's scouts wanted Ryan Murray but the owner vetoed and made them take the "consensus" #1.

Edmonton scouts must have had Pierre Maguire’s ear cuz i remember him being certain they were taking Murray on live tv right before the pick.

 

[StevenToddIves]

The pain is real for Montreal. The amount of shitting on slaf is pretty crazy.

And the funny thing is that I still think they take wright

I honestly still think Montreal takes Shane Wright. They literally are the thinnest team organizationally up the middle in the entire NHL outside of Arizona. Also, Wright and Slafkovsky are neck-and-neck at the top, it's not as if Slaf blew past him.

However, I do believe that there is a significant chance Montreal doubles back and takes Slafkovsky, which the Devils must consider strongly so they have all the bases covered come draft day. I do not believe there is any chance the Canadiens will go off the board and take anyone other than Slafkovsky or Wright, but again, the Devils should enter the draft at least with a gameplay for such a scenario.

Option 1: Montreal takes Wright
I think this is a no-brainer. The Devils should take Slafkovsky, who will be the clear-cut best available player and also precisely what NJ needs for the future of the top 6.

Option 2: Montreal takes Slafkovsky
I feel in this scenario, the Devils should at least entertain the idea of a trade. However, they need to be blown away by an offer. For instance, Columbus needs a #1C pretty badly -- if they were to offer #6 and #12 overall, I'd even be willing to add in a middling prospect like Edwards or Salminen. The Devils would have a chance to fill two needs here, with a shot at Jiricek or Gauthier at #6 and then several options with #12 based on whether they get a forward or RD at #6. I don't think I'd trade down past #6 or deal with Philadelphia, but Arizona and Seattle might be tempted to move up. I'd probably ask Seattle to add in Adam Larsson in any deal. With Arizona, I'd be willing to add Johnsson to the #2 pick to acquire Lawson Crouse and the #27 overall pick. The Devils could have their choice of Jiricek/Nemec at #3 and grab a high-upside forward at #27 -- who knows, maybe Miroshnichenko or Perevalov will still be available?

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

This was a fascinating conversation to listen to. It’s just one scout, so it shouldn’t be surprising he’s got some strong takes on which of the top 3 he likes most, but i really enjoyed the deep dive into the strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Lou is God]

The pain is real for Montreal. The amount of shitting on slaf is pretty crazy.

And the funny thing is that I still think they take wright

I was just coming here to post that, my God are they selling him short in his talent and potential.

So if Kent Hughes wants to draft Slaf, he's in a very tough spot, for one he really hasn't had time to build any capital among the Habs fanbase to draft him, this is not like having say the 7th overall pick where you can go off the board more, this is the first overall, it's not a common occurrence for teams (well, maybe for us lol), so this is a big moment for Habs fans and they're 100% emotionally invested in this event and it's being held in their backyard to boot.

If Hughes goes Slaf, it's going to take some brass balls to do it.

This was a fascinating conversation to listen to. It’s just one scout, so it shouldn’t be surprising he’s got some strong takes on which of the top 3 he likes most, but i really enjoyed the deep dive into the strengths and weaknesses.

Cliff notes? It's 53 minutes long.

 

[Brodeur]

Option 2: Montreal takes Slafkovsky
I feel in this scenario, the Devils should at least entertain the idea of a trade. However, they need to be blown away by an offer. For instance, Columbus needs a #1C pretty badly -- if they were to offer #6 and #12 overall, I'd even be willing to add in a middling prospect like Edwards or Salminen. The Devils would have a chance to fill two needs here, with a shot at Jiricek or Gauthier at #6 and then several options with #12 based on whether they get a forward or RD at #6. I don't think I'd trade down past #6 or deal with Philadelphia, but Arizona and Seattle might be tempted to move up. I'd probably ask Seattle to add in Adam Larsson in any deal. With Arizona, I'd be willing to add Johnsson to the #2 pick to acquire Lawson Crouse and the #27 overall pick. The Devils could have their choice of Jiricek/Nemec at #3 and grab a high-upside forward at #27 -- who knows, maybe Miroshnichenko or Perevalov will still be available?

It'd be awkward, but we could just take Wright and milk the ELC years and see where things are in 2025. Might be a decent spot for a teenaged Wright to start in a bottom six role and work his way up. Hopefully he'd have a chip on his shoulder about not going #1.

If he's unhappy about his role in three years, we could look into a trade a la Nashville / Seth Jones. Or something like the Dubois for Laine swap.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I’ll be very happy as long as we’re walking away with Slafkovsky or Wright. I’d prefer Slafkovsky because of how good of a fit he is, how rare he is, and how high I think his upside could be. Wright is probably a little safer and I love his hockey IQ and shot.

Only other player I’d be somewhat happy with is Nemec if we traded down to 4 or 5 and took him. Wouldn’t love taking Cooley but I don’t think it would be the worst thing in the world and he is a really good prospect.

Preferences:
Slafkovsky
Wright

Nemec
Cooley

We should honestly just pick whichever of Slafkovsky and Wright Montreal leaves us IMO.

 

[Lou is God]

The poll thread on the Habs board has some embarrassing posts on it in regards to Slaf.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

 

[Hisch13r]

Reminds me of what people said about Philly in 2017 lol

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Reminds me of what people said about Philly in 2017 lol

 

[Brodeur]

Just starting to listen it, but here's a ~22 minute TSN radio interview with Bob McKenzie:

https://post.futurimedia.com/chumam/playlist/listen-37069.html

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[StevenToddIves]

I was just coming here to post that, my God are they selling him short in his talent and potential.

So if Kent Hughes wants to draft Slaf, he's in a very tough spot, for one he really hasn't had time to build any capital among the Habs fanbase to draft him, this is not like having say the 7th overall pick where you can go off the board more, this is the first overall, it's not a common occurrence for teams (well, maybe for us lol), so this is a big moment for Habs fans and they're 100% emotionally invested in this event and it's being held in their backyard to boot.

If Hughes goes Slaf, it's going to take some brass balls to do it.


Cliff notes? It's 53 minutes long.

We should also take note that -- even though it was a different management team -- Montreal is still reeling over their awful 2018 decision to go off the board and take Kotkaniemi at #3 overall instead of the best available F in Brady Tkachuk or the best available D in Quinn Hughes.

The pressure for Montreal with this pick is humongous. It's going to be interesting to see what happens, though I'd still say if you're a betting man the smart money remains on Shane Wright.

I’ll be very happy as long as we’re walking away with Slafkovsky or Wright. I’d prefer Slafkovsky because of how good of a fit he is, how rare he is, and how high I think his upside could be. Wright is probably a little safer and I love his hockey IQ and shot.

Only other player I’d be somewhat happy with is Nemec if we traded down to 4 or 5 and took him. Wouldn’t love taking Cooley but I don’t think it would be the worst thing in the world and he is a really good prospect.

Preferences:
Slafkovsky
Wright

Nemec
Cooley

We should honestly just pick whichever of Slafkovsky and Wright Montreal leaves us IMO.

Well, if things go as expected, we're getting Slafkovsky. If Montreal goes with Slaf, the Devils are pretty certain to either draft Wright or trade the pick if they're overwhelmed by an offer. Fitzgerald's success on the trade market thus far gives me some confidence here. But I'd say those are the three options.

 

[Brodeur]

We should also take note that -- even though it was a different management team -- Montreal is still reeling over their awful 2018 decision to go off the board and take Kotkaniemi at #3 overall instead of the best available F in Brady Tkachuk or the best available D in Quinn Hughes.

The amusing thing is most of their fans wanted Zadina: HF Habs: - Final Team Board Draft Poll - Pick #3

 

[Lou is God]

We should also take note that -- even though it was a different management team -- Montreal is still reeling over their awful 2018 decision to go off the board and take Kotkaniemi at #3 overall instead of the best available F in Brady Tkachuk or the best available D in Quinn Hughes.

The pressure for Montreal with this pick is humongous. It's going to be interesting to see what happens, though I'd still say if you're a betting man the smart money remains on Shane Wright.

If they go Wright and he busts or Slaf is simply better, he'll survive it because it went with the fans choice, however, if he goes Slaf and he doesn't become the player he's projected and Wright on the other hand is tearing it up with us, it's going to be a huge hit for Hughes and his front office.

 

[Nicomo Cosca]

My goodness I would not want to be a #1 overall going to Montreal. You know that is going to be a pressure cooker.

What is French for disgrace?

 

[Lou is God]

Damn, someone on Habs forum just compared Slaf to Petteri Nokelainen, a career 20 goal scorer in 245 games.

This shit over there is gold.