Prospect Info: Current #2 overall poll and discussion

[StevenToddIves]

Draft Slafkovsky or Wright.

Only other thing I’d be happy with is a trade for a big time impactful player who is getting resigned and isn’t old.

If we’re trading back which I don’t think we should I’d want Nemec and be disappointed with anyone else.

I'm very confident we're coming out of the draft with either Slafkovsky or Wright.

 

[Unknown Caller]

I hate getting into fit talks but I think when you're splitting hairs like you'd be doing between the 2D then it's relevant. Nemec is just a bad fit in comparison to Jiricek. I know STI likes Nemec's defense but I've seen more people down on it than people who speak positively of it. Nemec is a good puck rushing offensive Dman. His value gets diminished in a place like this with him likely being behind both Dougie and Luke as PP options and he's not a good fit in our top 4. If we're going to go Dman then Jiricek's the better option.

I couldn't care less about fit. Get the best player and figure out pieces down the road. Imagine taking Cal Foote over Cale Makar because you wanted a more defensive defenseman (yes, I know that Nemec and Jiricek are closer in ranking, but the point stands).

Nemec was my pick at 2 from the moment we won the lottery, and I'm still sticking with him. Current roster need plays zero role in my evaluation. Slafkovsky is a close runner up, assuming Wright's off the board.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Where I’m thinking all of these top guys could realistically go in the draft

Wright 1-2
Slafkovsky 1-3
Cooley 1-4
Nemec 3-6
Jiricek 4-9
Kemell 4-10
Gauthier 4-10
Savoie 4-12

My top 4:
Slafkovsky
Wright

Nemec

Cooley

 

[Hisch13r]

I couldn't care less about fit. Get the best player and figure out pieces down the road. Imagine taking Cal Foote over Cale Makar because you wanted a more defensive defenseman (yes, I know that Nemec and Jiricek are closer in ranking, but the point stands).

Nemec was my pick at 2 from the moment we won the lottery, and I'm still sticking with him. Current roster need plays zero role in my evaluation. Slafkovsky is a close runner up, assuming Wright's off the board.

If you think player A is a 100 and player B is a 99 but due to your star you have locked up long term and your other star D prospect (who is the better version of player A) your only going to 90 value out of play A while you’d get 99 out of player B then take player B. It’s a useful thing to consider when splitting hairs and it’s not about current roster fit but future roster fit.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Where I’m thinking all of these top guys could realistically go in the draft

Wright 1-2
Slafkovsky 1-3
Cooley 1-4
Nemec 3-6
Jiricek 4-9
Kemell 4-10
Gauthier 4-10
Savoie 4-11

Interesting post. I think Slafkovsky is a top-two lock. The only way NJ goes off the board is if Wright falls, and even then it's unlikely.

I'm sticking with Cooley at #5 to Philadelphia. Jiricek shouldn't fall past Columbus and Ottawa at #6/#7 -- regardless of your personal feelings on him, he's precisely what the front offices of those two teams love. I'd say the same about Gauthier, whom I have going #3 to Arizona.

Savoie is one player who *could* fall, according to the Cole Caufield rule. I have him going to Buffalo at #9, but if he slips past them, Anaheim picks at #10 and hasn't picked someone Savoie's size in recent memory.

Kasper at #8 to Detroit is a pick I feel very strongly about. He's exactly what the team needs and also exactly what Yzerman likes -- heady, two-way players with high intangibles and great skates. In my opinion, he's also likely in the conversation as the BPA that spot.

Geekie is a strong possibility for the top 12 -- even though I wouldn't agree with the pick -- because there are multiple front offices picking early which traditionally over-emphasize size on draft day: Philadelphia, Ottawa, Columbus, Anaheim account for 5 of the top 12 picks.

 

[Nubmer6]

I couldn't care less about fit. Get the best player and figure out pieces down the road. Imagine taking Cal Foote over Cale Makar because you wanted a more defensive defenseman (yes, I know that Nemec and Jiricek are closer in ranking, but the point stands).

I've always been a BPA guy, but the more I think of it, and the more I look back at previous drafts the more I think BPA is a myth, especially in a draft this tight in the top 6. We just don't know who's going to be the best player down the line.

Taking a player that fits the team may actually make the player better, giving him a better opportunity to get in the lineup and develop.

I guess what I'm saying is that there's so much splitting of hairs to decide who's BPA, and that I'm much more into tiers, where you select for need within that tier, and that the tiers may be much larger than I used to think.

 

[StevenToddIves]

If you think player A is a 100 and player B is a 99 but due to your star you have locked up long term and your other star D prospect (who is the better version of player A) your only going to 90 value out of play A while you’d get 99 out of player B then take player B. It’s a useful thing to consider when splitting hairs and it’s not about current roster fit but future roster fit.

I agree 100% here.

Team-building is not a fantasy draft. If the Devils are drafting in the 2nd round and their highest rated player is a LD with a 7.2 rating but their second-ranked player is a RD with a 7.0 rating, it would be downright stupid to take the LD. That LD would enter the prospect depth chart at #3 or #4, while the RD would immediately jump to the top of the prospect depth chart. The same would go for the C position, where the Devils are pretty bereft in the prospect pool.

 

[severian]

What does Fitz do if Hughes picks Cooley?

 

[AfroThunder396]

What does Fitz do if Hughes picks Cooley?

Unless someone blows him out of the water with a trade he can't refuse, take Wright at #2.

 

[Devs3cups]

What does Fitz do if Hughes picks Cooley?

I’d probably go Slafkovsky as I like his skillset so much, but it’s neck and neck with Wright for me. Fitz would most likely go Wright in this case imo.

 

[Nubmer6]

What does Fitz do if Hughes picks Cooley?

Have a meltdown

 

[Lou is God]

Habs are really going to make everyone sweat till the end

 

[Saugus]

Habs are really going to make everyone sweat till the end

I do think it's ridiculous that they're still going around saying they don't know who they're going to take yet. They know. They must know.

But I think in previous years, teams picking #1 didn't really trumpet out who they were taking beforehand either. It was just assumed, because there was usually a clear-cut, consensus #1. This year there isn't, so that's why there's more intrigue about it, even though Montreal really isn't doing much different.

 

[Eggtimer]

I can’t wait for the draft . I am super anxious and worried that we end up doing something stupid . Panic and try to speed up us contending . Resulting in us being middle of the pack fir a couple years instead of contenders for the next decade if we do things right .
Draft Slafkovsky , stay away from Miller / bloated contracts on anyone 30+ or players with kne or two years before they become UFA and we lose them for nothing or pay out of our asses to keep them and have to trade players we want to keep .
Draft Slafkovsky or Wright . Try to sign Johnny if he hits UFA . Don’t overpay through the nose for Debrincat or Miller

 

[BananaGenetics]

I can’t wait for the draft . I am super anxious and worried that we end up doing something stupid . Panic and try to speed up us contending . Resulting in us being middle of the pack fir a couple years instead of contenders for the next decade if we do things right .
Draft Slafkovsky , stay away from Miller / bloated contracts on anyone 30+ or players with kne or two years before they become UFA and we lose them for nothing or pay out of our asses to keep them and have to trade players we want to keep .
Draft Slafkovsky or Wright . Try to sign Johnny if he hits UFA . Don’t overpay through the nose for Debrincat or Miller

Im fairly confident there isnt a single move Fitzgerald can make this week that would take our future from long-term contender to mediocre for a few seasons

You do realize we only have 24mil on the cap three years from now at the moment? we dont have a single bad contract.

 

[severian]

I can’t wait for the draft . I am super anxious and worried that we end up doing something stupid . Panic and try to speed up us contending . Resulting in us being middle of the pack fir a couple years instead of contenders for the next decade if we do things right .
Draft Slafkovsky , stay away from Miller / bloated contracts on anyone 30+ or players with kne or two years before they become UFA and we lose them for nothing or pay out of our asses to keep them and have to trade players we want to keep .
Draft Slafkovsky or Wright . Try to sign Johnny if he hits UFA . Don’t overpay through the nose for Debrincat or Miller

Like take Jack Hughes with the #2 pick?

 

[My3Sons]

If you think player A is a 100 and player B is a 99 but due to your star you have locked up long term and your other star D prospect (who is the better version of player A) your only going to 90 value out of play A while you’d get 99 out of player B then take player B. It’s a useful thing to consider when splitting hairs and it’s not about current roster fit but future roster fit.

If a train leaves NY traveling at 70 mph heading west for Chicago and a train leaves Miami traveling East at 80 mph, which NBA team will trade for Kevin Durant? Show your work.

 

[My3Sons]

Im fairly confident there isnt a single move Fitzgerald can make this week that would take our future from long-term contender to mediocre for a few seasons

You do realize we only have 24mil on the cap three years from now at the moment? we dont have a single bad contract.

Let's see how Dr. Evil bounces back. In three years they have Hughes Hischier and Hamilton but they will have a slew of RFAs before then. Bratt, Siegenthaler, Mercer, Sharangovich, maybe Holtz breaks out, maybe Luke Hughes hits quickly. They probably have some tentative projections in place which may be why they are dangling the pick figuring they can hand out one more big contract than anticipated. Of course, the player has to be willing to sign with NJ in the case of a UFA and hopefully they learned that lesson from the Fiala trade.

 

[TrufleShufle]

If a train leaves NY traveling at 70 mph heading west for Chicago and a train leaves Miami traveling East at 80 mph, which NBA team will trade for Kevin Durant? Show your work.

It depends who is on the train leaving Miami, if anyone important from the NBA is on it, I'd imagine the league would be in mourning and would be in bad taste to trade players at that point, after the mourning period, a baseball team.

 

[My3Sons]

It depends who is on the train leaving Miami, if anyone important from the NBA is on it, I'd imagine the league would be in mourning and would be in bad taste to trade players at that point, after the mourning period, a baseball team.

Close, but the correct answer is apparently to switch your choice to the other door.

 

[Hisch13r]

I saw a Flames fan say 2OA for Johnny’s rights lol. Somehow still not as bad of an idea as taking on Anderson’s contract

 

[Devs3cups]

I saw a Flames fan say 2OA for Johnny’s rights lol. Somehow still not as bad of an idea as taking on Anderson’s contract

This is getting out of hand.

 

[BananaGenetics]

Let's see how Dr. Evil bounces back. In three years they have Hughes Hischier and Hamilton but they will have a slew of RFAs before then. Bratt, Siegenthaler, Mercer, Sharangovich, maybe Holtz breaks out, maybe Luke Hughes hits quickly. They probably have some tentative projections in place which may be why they are dangling the pick figuring they can hand out one more big contract than anticipated. Of course, the player has to be willing to sign with NJ in the case of a UFA and hopefully they learned that lesson from the Fiala trade.

Thats partially why Im iffy on offering a deal to Gaudreau, who I think will come in at 10 or 11 or in between

Miller via trade I think can be signed to a cheaper deal if hes promised an opportunity to be a leader, which I think he wanted to be in Vancouver but it isnt working out that way (theyre changing directions with new management I guess)

I think you could manage to get Miller down to 9 or 9.25 million. And with a team that will be paying a lot of youth over the next three or four years, I think it may be worth the assets to do so. Plus I think Miller is a better fit than Gaudreau. Could even take faceoffs for Jack

 

[My3Sons]

Thats partially why Im iffy on offering a deal to Gaudreau, who I think will come in at 10 or 11 or in between

Miller via trade I think can be signed to a cheaper deal if hes promised an opportunity to be a leader, which I think he wanted to be in Vancouver but it isnt working out that way (theyre changing directions with new management I guess)

I think you could manage to get Miller down to 9 or 9.25 million. And with a team that will be paying a lot of youth over the next three or four years, I think it may be worth the assets to do so. Plus I think Miller is a better fit than Gaudreau. Could even take faceoffs for Jack

Beyond the contract, you have to be comfortable Miller will hold up for at least the first five years of any extension. Maybe he will, but the odds are against it. In my view, I'd just make the draft pick and be choosy in free agency. I think a number of very good wings will make it to UFA in the next few years. I wouldn't just rush this year if the player and price isn't right. I still think a goalie is way more important and that sorting out the third line properly will do more to help the team win than adding one more scoring wing. Just my thoughts.....

 

[BananaGenetics]

Beyond the contract, you have to be comfortable Miller will hold up for at least the first five years of any extension. Maybe he will, but the odds are against it. In my view, I'd just make the draft pick and be choosy in free agency. I think a number of very good wings will make it to UFA in the next few years. I wouldn't just rush this year if the player and price isn't right. I still think a goalie is way more important and that sorting out the third line properly will do more to help the team win than adding one more scoring wing. Just my thoughts.....

I think part of the price for Miller is what I briefly spoke about which is his leadership role hes taken on since moving to VAN. Perhaps Fitzgerald sees high value in that along with how he plays and who hed be playing with.

If it turns out we move for Miller and sign him, just as example, hed turn 33 in March of 2026. By then Nico would have one year left on his deal. So really, Fitzgerald may see it as an oppourtunity to get Miller to be our Hamilton up front (only four months older). By the time Miller is 33-34, if hes falling off you can move those final few years. And thats not what youd want to happen but just thinking realistically, its very possible by then with the cap rising.

Id be just fine with getting Filip Forsberg at 9.5 too, but hes another player I see getting 10 from a desperate team like the Islanders.