Prospect Info: Devils Win #2 Overall -- Slafkovsky vs. Jiricek vs. Nemec

[OmNomNom]

Slaf scares the sh** out of me.

I want one of the DMen or to trade the pick. Or Cooley I guess, but hes another midget.

welcome back! had us worried for a while!

 

[Hisch13r]

Aside from the production questions, he's a stud. Watch him play full games.

You can't just toss aside production concerns for a 2nd overall pick though.

 

[Eggtimer]

Hello. Agreed. We're only going to have 2 midgets as is and they're the 2 best players on the team. You can survive adding another one if they're also going to be one of the best players on the team.

We have more than two midgets . We gave a few guys that play like they are midgets . Zacha fir one is a very big man but doesn’t use his size at all and plays like he is small . I’d say Tatar Johnson do as well .

 

[StevenToddIves]

I would draft who I thought was the best player. If you have a legitimate elite 3rd line center, you’re likely going to be doing a lot of winning.

If that's the goal -- 3rd line center -- the Devils can take whichever of Beck, Del Bel Belluz, Hughes, McConnell-Barker or Ostlund fall to the 2nd round. Hell, take Kaskimaki in the 3rd or Morrison in the 4th. These are all legit 3rd line center prospects, many of them 2nd line prospects you can slot down. Whereas, you might not find another combination of skill/power/upside like Slafkovsky for another half-decade.

The idea that Cooley would be happy switching positions or playing 3C behind a pair of higher-upside Cs in Hughes and Hischier is not completely impossible, but it's also not a guarantee.

I simply can't believe the people who blew gaskets about the Devils drafting for 3rd line RW at #29 overall last year are the exact same people plugging them to draft a 3C at #2 overall this year. It's just remarkable.

 

[Hisch13r]

look, I am not going to pretend I know a ton about many of these guys

But "he looks good but just doesn't have production" scares the SH*% out of me...like I said.

Reminds me Kakko.

And Kakko had the production and it still hasn't worked out yet

We have more than two midgets . We gave a few guys that play like they are midgets . Zacha fir one is a very big man but doesn’t use his size at all and plays like he is small . I’d say Tatar Johnson do as well .

Why are you bringing up any of those 3 like they'll be here long term? Stop taking short term players into long term account when it comes to making draft decisions.

 

[Hisch13r]

If that's the goal -- 3rd line center -- the Devils can take whichever of Beck, Del Bel Belluz, Hughes, McConnell-Barker or Ostlund fall to the 2nd round. Hell, take Kaskimaki in the 3rd or Morrison in the 4th. These are all legit 3rd line center prospects, many of them 2nd line prospects you can slot down. Whereas, you might not find another combination of skill/power/upside like Slafkovsky for another half-decade.

The idea that Cooley would be happy switching positions or playing 3C behind a pair of higher-upside Cs in Hughes and Hischier is not completely impossible, but it's also not a guarantee.

I simply can't believe the people who blew gaskets about the Devils drafting for 3rd line RW at #29 overall last year are the exact same people plugging them to draft a 3C at #2 overall this year. It's just remarkable.

What a god awful comparison. One of those things was REACHING on a guy who maybe maybe maybe becomes a decent 3rd liner with many many many guys who were far far far better. The other is taking a great player in a spot that he deserves and maybe you end up having him as the best 3C in the league due to your depth. 3C also doesn't mean a guy has to play typical 3C minutes. Jordan Staal won a Cup as a "3C" playing ~19 minutes a game. His average ice time his 6 years in Pittsburgh was ~19 minutes. Cooley could also play top 6 wing and excel there. Anyone thinking "oh no a 3C" is getting WAY too hung up on labels and ignoring that you can still give a guy a lot of ice time

Funny thing is we could've actually had a potential 3C last year at that 29th pick in Raty.

 

[Lou Bloom]

If that's the goal -- 3rd line center -- the Devils can take whichever of Beck, Del Bel Belluz, Hughes, McConnell-Barker or Ostlund fall to the 2nd round. Hell, take Kaskimaki in the 3rd or Morrison in the 4th. These are all legit 3rd line center prospects, many of them 2nd line prospects you can slot down. Whereas, you might not find another combination of skill/power/upside like Slafkovsky for another half-decade.

The idea that Cooley would be happy switching positions or playing 3C behind a pair of higher-upside Cs in Hughes and Hischier is not completely impossible, but it's also not a guarantee.

I simply can't believe the people who blew gaskets about the Devils drafting for 3rd line RW at #29 overall last year are the exact same people plugging them to draft a 3C at #2 overall this year. It's just remarkable.

The goal is to add talent, Staal averaged 20 mins a night playing 3C with the Penguins behind Crosby and Malkin, Nugent Hopkins did the same when he played behind McDavid and Draisaitl, The St Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild have been extremely successful this season while rolling out three high end lines (Kaprizov line, Erickson Ek shutdown line, Fiala line) (O'Reilly, Thomas, Kyrou) (Aho, Trocheck, Staal). The Same with the Panthers with Barkov, Bennett and Lundell. If Cooley is as good as many think he can be then he'll be able to get plenty of time on ice and we could roll out 3 lines with top tier playmakers throughout the entire game.

 

[Eggtimer]

For all the worry about Slaf busting , there is also possibility of him taking off and exceeding expectations .
Watching interviews of him after the Olympics, he said he was supposed to be used as a defensive player on the 4th line . He got limited minutes but started scoring. He said he surprised himself almost . The kid is just learning his game and seeing his own potential . I think there is only more to come . If he hits or exceeds his ceiling , he is going to be a beast.
Yes , like others he could end up underwhelming but he has shown he has the tools and skill to potentailly be a dominant player.
I think we are in a spot where we can take a little bit more risk with our pick than if we are just starting out in the rebuild. I’d say go big or go home.
We are essentially playing with house money with winning the lotto, I say we go for it and take Slaf. We normally would not habe had a chance at him and I just don’t see how we can pass on that now.


It would suck if he falls to the Flyers spot and they take him and he ends up Draisaitl 2.0

The goal is to add talent, Staal averaged 20 mins a night playing 3C with the Penguins behind Crosby and Malkin, Nugent Hopkins did the same when he played behind McDavid and Draisaitl, The St Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild have been extremely successful this season while rolling out three high end lines (Kaprizov line, Erickson Ek shutdown line, Fiala line) (O'Reilly, Thomas, Kyrou) (Aho, Trocheck, Staal). The Same with the Panthers with Barkov, Bennett and Lundell. If Cooley is as good as many think he can be then he'll be able to get plenty of time on ice and we could roll out 3 lines with top tier playmakers throughout the entire game.

And not beig able to get out of our own zone because we are getting run out of the building. You say to add talent. When has anyone said that Slafkovsky is void of talent? Because he doesnt score pretty highlight reel goals? Are we going to just have our finesse “talented” guys politely ask the opposition if they could kindly be allowed to drive the net and get in scoring positions? Yes we need talent but I don’t see how people feel the need to have a roster constructed of all small finesse players .

Hughes Nico Mercer PLUS want to add another C to be used on the third line with the second overall pick……

So… we draft a kid that has been elite at every level his entire life and has been told constantly he is an elite stud wherever he has played. He finally gets drafted , and he gets the privilege of being a 3C with awesome wingers like Kuokkanen and Johnson lol. I’m sure he will be very very happy beig a third liner playif with plugs and will gladly sign a very team friendly contract when it’s due.
Expect him to dominate in the NHL with shit wingers playif on the third line ?
Get the F out of here with that shit.

…. Yes if the rest of the roster was constructed perfectly and had no other needs at all , then hell ya , stack the roster as much as possible but we aren’t there. We need a player like Slafkovsky can be . We don’t have anyone like that. We are soft as baby shit. But let’s totally neglect that even the need of another RHD to draft a C even though we have two franchise level ones already. Makes no sense at all . None.
So . Next year after we draft Cooley then. The best player in the next draft is a C where we are picking . “Yo. Do you know what would be sick? If we had 4 stud C ! Can you imagine ? Ya we finished 4 th last in the league because we can’t play any sort of interior game at all but can you imagine how sweet it would be to have 4 awesome C !
I heard a guy in TV say you build a team with strength at C up the middle . … so we will have 4 awesome ones so we are going to be unstoppable. Yes they don’t have anyone to play with on their wings and they get blown up all the time amd can’t get to the slot but hey , they scored more points in Jr than other kids his age.

 

[StevenToddIves]

What a god awful comparison. One of those things was REACHING on a guy who maybe maybe maybe becomes a decent 3rd liner. The other is taking a great player in a spot that he deserves and maybe you end up having him as the best 3C in the due to your depth. 3C also doesn't mean a guy has to play typical 3C minutes. Jordan Staal won a Cup as a "3C" playing ~19 minutes a game. His average ice time his 6 years in Pittsburgh was ~19 minutes. Cooley could also play top 6 wing and excel there. Anyone thinking "oh no a 3C" is getting WAY too hung up on labels and ignoring that you can still give a guy a lot of ice time

I disagree and I think this encompasses the problem. Look -- I'm a huge fan of Logan Cooley, and I'm sure you know this because you're an educated fan who has closely tracked the draft all year long (unlike many of the folks who haven't seen the prospects or said anything until the Devils won the #2 pick).

But there is a difference between a luxury and a need. The Devils have players in Cooley's general style who are better (Hughes and Bratt) and players at Cooley's position who are better (Hughes and Hischier) and a player of Cooley's style and position who is much, much better (Hughes) -- and all of Hughes, Hischier and Bratt will be in NJ for the first half-decade of Cooley's NHL career.

Slafkovsky is not only a better passer, puck-handler and interior player than Cooley -- offering a style the Devils both lack and need -- but he's also at a position of more need before figuring out whether he'd be open to moving there. Yes, I get Cooley is also an extremely high-end talent with lightning in his skates, and yes, that is attractive. But outside of skating, what is the aspect of hockey he's superior to Slafkovsky in? They're both elite IQ and high-compete guys, they're both excellent scorers who both need to learn to shoot more.

Like I said -- imperative to my point that you don't use a #2 overall pick on a 3C -- Noah Ostlund should be available where the Devils pick at #37. There's no player in the 2022 draft more comparable to Cooley than Ostlund, he's terrific! Owen Beck is an absolute stud -- maybe the second best hockey IQ in the draft after Wright among Fs, and a kid who can fly and score. Beck handled every big defensive assignment for Mississauga, but if he were utilized with top scorers in a more offensive role like Del Bel Belluz, we can guarantee his stats would have been even more impressive. Nathan Gaucher could conceivably fall to #37, as could Jack Hughes (the other one) -- two more outstanding 3C candidates.

Why would the Devils use the #2 overall pick on 3C when there are huge roles to be filled which are almost impossible to fill outside of the top of the draft -- top line power F and top-pairing RD? It would be one thing if "Cooley was clearly the BPA". But he's not. McKenzie's NHL scout poll has Slafkovsky at #2 and I have Slafkovsky at #2. I think you'd agree he's going to be #2 on multiple end of year rankings, as well.

Again, I'm actually the only person here who agrees with you that Jiricek might be the best pick at #2 -- I haven't endorsed either yet, but for me it's between Jiricek and Slafkovsky with Nemec third and trade down 4th and Nazar 5th. I love Cooley, but he's just not on the list, because I don't see him as *better* than any of these players, and he's less of a fit. Remember, my rankings came out in mid-April, a full month before the Devils landed the #2 pick, and we thought we were drafting 5th or 6th. These were my rankings:

1 Wright
2 Slafkovsky
3 Jiricek
4 Nemec
5 Nazar
6 Cooley

Again, I love Cooley. I think he'll be a great center for Arizona for a long time. In many ways, he compares to Mat Barzal, who has always been a favorite of mine since I ranked him #3 overall when he was playing with Seattle of the WHL. But, I just don't think he'll be a top 3 consideration for the Devils pick at #2, nor do I feel he should be.

The goal is to add talent, Staal averaged 20 mins a night playing 3C with the Penguins behind Crosby and Malkin, Nugent Hopkins did the same when he played behind McDavid and Draisaitl, The St Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild have been extremely successful this season while rolling out three high end lines (Kaprizov line, Erickson Ek shutdown line, Fiala line) (O'Reilly, Thomas, Kyrou) (Aho, Trocheck, Staal). The Same with the Panthers with Barkov, Bennett and Lundell. If Cooley is as good as many think he can be then he'll be able to get plenty of time on ice and we could roll out 3 lines with top tier playmakers throughout the entire game.

I can name a multitude of great 3Cs who will be available at #37 in the 2022 draft. But let's get a player with a shot at the first line or first D-pairing at #2 overall.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

The goal is to add talent, Staal averaged 20 mins a night playing 3C with the Penguins behind Crosby and Malkin, Nugent Hopkins did the same when he played behind McDavid and Draisaitl, The St Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild have been extremely successful this season while rolling out three high end lines (Kaprizov line, Erickson Ek shutdown line, Fiala line) (O'Reilly, Thomas, Kyrou) (Aho, Trocheck, Staal). The Same with the Panthers with Barkov, Bennett and Lundell. If Cooley is as good as many think he can be then he'll be able to get plenty of time on ice and we could roll out 3 lines with top tier playmakers throughout the entire game.

Not arguing with your point. I think Slafkovsky is the better prospect but if the Devils think Cooley is than they should take him and I’m okay with that.

But your point about Staal is not really true. If Staal played 20 minutes behind Crosby and Malkin, he must’ve been playing more than 1 or both of them and therefor wouldn’t have been their 3C. If your 3C plays 20 minutes then that technically means save the pp/pk having a huge affect that there is 40 minutes left to split between your other 3 centers.

Same thing with Nugent-Hopkins but as I’ve said before (don’t know if it was to you) but the Oilers have rarely actually run Mcdavid, Draisaitl, and RNH as 3 centers. Draisaitl has spent lots of time on the wing and RNH has as well. And whenever they possibly have there’s no way RNH has played 20 minutes. Just wouldn’t make sense.

Only 23 forwards average more than 20 minutes of TOI this season. Suggesting that RNH and Staal were playing 20 minutes per game as 3C’s is just not true. I have no problem with the actual point but don’t make up stuff that doesn’t make sense and isn’t really true to prove your point.

Stall had two seasons in Pittsburg where he average 20 minutes or more. In the first one Crosby, Malkin, and Staal all missed about half the season. Without even taking the time to look it up I think it’s a good bet that those injuries didn’t all line up so it’s probably fair to assume that a lot of if not all of Staal’s games were with at least one of them injured and therefor not as the 3C.
In his second season with that TOI (20:03) Crosby missed 60 games. Malkin only missed 7 and Staal himself missed 20. But that means that at least 40 of Staal’s 62 games were without Crosby in the lineup.

To be fair to you he wasn’t that far off in the seasons prior and it doesn’t look like Crosby and Malkin missed as much time but no 3C is actually playing 20 minutes in a game. If Staal ever played that much he was almost certainly playing more than one of the other two you mentioned and therefore wasn’t really playing like a 3C. The only thing that could maybe counter this is if he played a lot on the pp as the net front guy and/or a lot on the pk.

This post is kind of pointless but I just thought it was silly and annoying to see you suggesting that even a really good 3C is gonna play 20 minutes a night behind to superstar centers.



Mind you it’s probably worth adding that some of what I’ve brought up goes to your argument. If Nico or Jack get’s hurt which is going to happen lots I’m sure, it would be really nice to have another really good skilled player step in for them.
I would rather have a Cooley as a winger though as I think his skillset is very fitting as a winger. Much more so than Hughes or Hischier who I struggle to see on the wing. Similar to Mercer who I want as a winger but can step in as a Center in the case of an injury. So we already have that type of player but I see no problem with having two like that. Gives us lots of options.

I still like Slafkovsky more but I don’t think he should be chosen based off of being a better fit. If it comes down to it and they have the two players as equals they should take the player who is the better fit. But if they think Cooley is a better prospect than he should be the pick.

 

[Lou Bloom]

Not arguing with your point. I think Slafkovsky is the better prospect but if the Devils think Cooley is than they should take him and I’m okay with that.

But your point about Staal is not really true. If Staal played 20 minutes behind Crosby and Malkin, he must’ve been playing more than 1 or both of them and therefor wouldn’t have been their 3C. If your 3C plays 20 minutes then that technically means save the pp/pk having a huge affect that there is 40 minutes left to split between your other 3 centers.

Same thing with Nugent-Hopkins but as I’ve said before (don’t know if it was to you) but the Oilers have rarely actually run Mcdavid, Draisaitl, and RNH as 3 centers. Draisaitl has spent lots of time on the wing and RNH has as well. And whenever they possibly have there’s no way RNH has played 20 minutes. Just wouldn’t make sense.

Only 23 forwards average more than 20 minutes of TOI this season. Suggesting that RNH and Staal were playing 20 minutes per game as 3C’s is just not true. I have no problem with the actual point but don’t make up stuff that doesn’t make sense and isn’t really true to prove your point.

Stall had two seasons in Pittsburg where he average 20 minutes or more. In the first one Crosby, Malkin, and Staal all missed about half the season. Without even taking the time to look it up I think it’s a good bet that those injuries didn’t all line up so it’s probably fair to assume that a lot of if not all of Staal’s games were with at least one of them injured and therefor not as the 3C.
In his second season with that TOI (20:03) Crosby missed 60 games. Malkin only missed 7 and Staal himself missed 20. But that means that at least 40 of Staal’s 62 games were without Crosby in the lineup.

To be fair to you he wasn’t that far off in the seasons prior and it doesn’t look like Crosby and Malkin missed as much time but no 3C is actually playing 20 minutes in a game. If Staal ever played that much he was almost certainly playing more than one of the other two you mentioned and therefore wasn’t really playing like a 3C. The only thing that could maybe counter this is if he played a lot on the pp as the net front guy and/or a lot on the pk.

This post is kind of pointless but I just thought it was silly and annoying to see you suggesting that even a really good 3C is gonna play 20 minutes a night behind to superstar centers.

Of course PP/PK/Injuries played apart in Staal playing that much TOI, but that's the same for any player. Staal was still listed as 3C but utilized heavily on PP/PK.

The Oilers have been constantly shifting their forwards but there's been plenty of times where they've ran McDavid, Draisaitl, Nuge down the middle, the larger point though is that they've been able to get all three centers large chunks of playing time be it shifting Nuge or Draisaitl to the wing at times or just keeping them all down the middle.

I'm not making it up, they've both started years listed as 3C but either due to shifting to wing or gaining minutes through injuries (both of which are common occurrences throughout a season) they ended up playing a ton of minutes. But even if you wanted to shift the TOI numbers down to 17 or 18 minutes for those guys that's still top 6 and often top line minutes in today's NHL. The main point is that a player listed as a 3C doesn't mean they need to have 3rd line minutes.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Of course PP/PK/Injuries played apart in Staal playing that much TOI, but that's the same for any player. Staal was still listed as 3C but utilized heavily on PP/PK.

The Oilers have been constantly shifting their forwards but there's been plenty of times where they've ran McDavid, Draisaitl, Nuge down the middle, the larger point though is that they've been able to get all three centers large chunks of playing time be it shifting Nuge or Draisaitl to the wing at times or just keeping them all down the middle.

I'm not making it up, they've both started years listed as 3C but either due to shifting to wing or gaining minutes through injuries (both of which are common occurrences throughout a season) they ended up playing a ton of minutes. But even if you wanted to shift the TOI numbers down to 17 or 18 minutes for those guys that's still top 6 and often top line minutes in today's NHL. The main point is that a player listed as a 3C doesn't mean they need to have 3rd line minutes.

Yes but people were actually talking about him playing C. Not shifting to the wing. And then you were suggesting guys have played 20 minutes per game as a 3C which you and I both know isn’t true.

I don’t disagree with your actual point. Just didn’t agree with that suggestion.

I edited and added to that last post btw

 

[Eggtimer]

Drafting Cooley to be your long term 3C is idiotic.
So say you draft him. You used the #2 pick to be used as your 3C .
He gets what for wingers to play with? What do you expect him to do with those wingers? If he reaches his potential , how do you pay him plus decent wingers for him to play with?
Why would he want to stay here and play third line minutes if he is a #1 C?
I dint get it, sorry. It’s not even me trying to say we should take Slafkovsky. It’s purely about not needing to take a C as it is a piss poor use of the pick.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Drafting Cooley to be your long term 3C is idiotic.
So say you draft him. You used the #2 pick to be used as your 3C .
He gets what for wingers to play with? What do you expect him to do with those wingers? If he reaches his potential , how do you pay him plus decent wingers for him to play with?
Why would he want to stay here and play third line minutes if he is a #1 C?
I dint get it, sorry. It’s not even me trying to say we should take Slafkovsky. It’s purely about not needing to take a C as it is a piss poor use of the pick.

I think Cooley could be a damn good winger with his skillset. Maybe even a better offensive player than at center. It wouldn’t be bad if he turned into an elite winger who could play center effectively if one of our centers gets hurt.

But I think we already have that to an extent in Mercer and I’m team Slafkovsky all the way.

 

[Lou Bloom]

For all the worry about Slaf busting , there is also possibility of him taking off and exceeding expectations .
Watching interviews of him after the Olympics, he said he was supposed to be used as a defensive player on the 4th line . He got limited minutes but started scoring. He said he surprised himself almost . The kid is just learning his game and seeing his own potential . I think there is only more to come . If he hits or exceeds his ceiling , he is going to be a beast.
Yes , like others he could end up underwhelming but he has shown he has the tools and skill to potentailly be a dominant player.
I think we are in a spot where we can take a little bit more risk with our pick than if we are just starting out in the rebuild. I’d say go big or go home.
We are essentially playing with house money with winning the lotto, I say we go for it and take Slaf. We normally would not habe had a chance at him and I just don’t see how we can pass on that now.


It would suck if he falls to the Flyers spot and they take him and he ends up Draisaitl 2.0


And not beig able to get out of our own zone because we are getting run out of the building. You say to add talent. When has anyone said that Slafkovsky is void of talent? Because he doesnt score pretty highlight reel goals? Are we going to just have our finesse “talented” guys politely ask the opposition if they could kindly be allowed to drive the net and get in scoring positions? Yes we need talent but I don’t see how people feel the need to have a roster constructed of all small finesse players .

Hughes Nico Mercer PLUS want to add another C to be used on the third line with the second overall pick……

So… we draft a kid that has been elite at every level his entire life and has been told constantly he is an elite stud wherever he has played. He finally gets drafted , and he gets the privilege of being a 3C with awesome wingers like Kuokkanen and Johnson lol. I’m sure he will be very very happy beig a third liner playif with plugs and will gladly sign a very team friendly contract when it’s due.
Expect him to dominate in the NHL with shit wingers playif on the third line ?
Get the F out of here with that shit.

…. Yes if the rest of the roster was constructed perfectly and had no other needs at all , then hell ya , stack the roster as much as possible but we aren’t there. We need a player like Slafkovsky can be . We don’t have anyone like that. We are soft as baby shit. But let’s totally neglect that even the need of another RHD to draft a C even though we have two franchise level ones already. Makes no sense at all . None.
So . Next year after we draft Cooley then. The best player in the next draft is a C where we are picking . “Yo. Do you know what would be sick? If we had 4 stud C ! Can you imagine ? Ya we finished 4 th last in the league because we can’t play any sort of interior game at all but can you imagine how sweet it would be to have 4 awesome C !
I heard a guy in TV say you build a team with strength at C up the middle . … so we will have 4 awesome ones so we are going to be unstoppable. Yes they don’t have anyone to play with on their wings and they get blown up all the time amd can’t get to the slot but hey , they scored more points in Jr than other kids his age.

The Devils were hardly ran out of their building this season, they outshot their opponents on the season and were generally ranked middle of the pack in terms of possession metrics and other advanced analytics. I also don't see how someone like Cooley who projects as a high end possession player wouldn't help in those areas.

Never said Slafkovsky was void of talent, my whole point is that Cooley should at the very least be in consideration for the pick, I think Slafkovsky should be in consideration also. The problem I have is with people claiming Cooley shouldn't even be in consideration for the pick solely because the Devils apparently have too many offensive playmakers (yet still finished 19th in scoring last season). If you think Slafkovsky is the better pick then there's certainly an argument for it but to say there's no argument for Cooley being the pick has no backing to it.

Yeah, I'm sure Anton Lundell is really upset getting to play on a third line on one of the best teams in the league and eventually work his way up the lineup. Jordan Kyrou is currently playing third line winger for the St Louis Blues who just advanced to the 2nd round. You do realize that just because a player is listed as a 3C doesn't mean he can't get ample 5v5 and PP time right? You also realize there's always the possibility of shifting him to winger.

You do realize the draft isn't a guarantee, right? In a perfect world Slafkovsky or one of the defenseman end up being great players who also fill a need, but there's also the chance they end up mediocre-average players and you end up regretting not taking the player that was less of a need but ended up being the much better talent. Oilers were in desperate need for defense in the 2019 draft, are you going to tell me they wouldn't trade Broberg for Zegras, Boldy or Caufield right now because of need?

You also do realize that you can always trade from a strength. Centers are always at a premium and if they all work out you can always flip one of them to fill a need.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

My guess at how likely it is we take each player. No basis for this just my own personal guess and the World Championships will likely still have a big affect on this.

Slafkovsky - 55%
Most likely. Currently seems to be rated slightly better to even with Cooley by reputable sources. Great stylistic fit. 7-10 upcoming WC games will affect.

Cooley - 15%
In close battle with Slafkovsky for 2nd best prospect. Would have to be considered better than Slafkovsky and the two RD to be likely Devils pick. Isn’t as big of a need or stylistic fit as others.

Nemec - 10%
Seems to be the top ranked D currently. Isn’t currently seen as highly as Slafkovsky or Cooley. Has great production and is considered by some to be a top 2-3 prospect. Upcoming WC games will affect. Fills pretty big future need and is a pretty good stylistic fit.

Jiricek - 8%
Missed a large part of the season. Isn’t really being ranked in the top 3 by reputable sources. Has a big opportunity to raise stock and surge up at WC. Fills a pretty big future need and is a good stylistic fit.

Wright - 8%
Unlikely to be passed on by Montreal. If passed on would immediately become most likely pick.

Kemell - 3%
Has good numbers but isn’t really seen in top 2-3 discussion.

Savoie - 1%
Not seen in top 2-3 discussions.

 

[Emperoreddy]

They trade back before they draft Cooley unless they really feel he can reach his potential at wing.

We are nuking the value of that pick if he comes here to play center. He isn't projected to be better then Jack or Nico and will constantly be behind them in ice time and we are going to struggle to give all three lines wingers that work with them.

If he can play wing, sure, but if he is purely a center he can't be the pick.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

They trade back before they draft Cooley unless they really feel he can reach his potential at wing.

We are nuking the value of that pick if he comes here to play center. He isn't projected to be better then Jack or Nico and will constantly be behind them in ice time and we are going to struggle to give all three lines wingers that work with them.

If he can play wing, sure, but if he is purely a center he can't be the pick.

His skillset is fitting to the wing and he hasn’t always been viewed purely as a Center. I don’t think we shouldn’t draft him because of that.

But still,
#teamslaf

 

[ChopRite]

They trade back before they draft Cooley unless they really feel he can reach his potential at wing.

We are nuking the value of that pick if he comes here to play center. He isn't projected to be better then Jack or Nico and will constantly be behind them in ice time and we are going to struggle to give all three lines wingers that work with them.

If he can play wing, sure, but if he is purely a center he can't be the pick.

This will probably be a hot topic during their interview sessions.

When can they begin with those interviews? Im not sure about the rules of engagement with minors (if them being 18 has anything to do with it)

 

[glenwo2]

I don’t know why this is eluding people, but the comparison is not Zacha versus Slafkovsky. It’s draft profiles that align with one another and that are worth recognizing when you’re evaluating the player.

Yes, they are different players with different qualities. That doesn’t mean it’s not instructive to remember that a lot of the same “calls to context” people are saying now to hand wave Slaf’s lack of production, people were saying about Zacha - suspensions, injuries, transition to a new country/league. Meanwhile, all the evaluation in the world didn’t make that production materialize. Everything was just somewhere in that elusive toolbox - you can’t ask people to just ignore the similarities.

Like all things with the draft and prospects, there are no absolutes.

So in other words : We could be wrong about Slaf.

It's always a possibility that any draft pick can turn out to not be what we expected.

But we're not clairvoyant.

We can only go by what is being reported and the reports are promising, thus making us excited for the prospect of drafting such a player at #2.

 

[glenwo2]

Slaf scares the sh** out of me.

I want one of the DMen or to trade the pick. Or Cooley I guess, but hes another midget.

HOLY S--T!! YOU'RE BACK!!!

And I disagree.

But damn...it's great to see you again.

Everyone was worried about you.

 

[glenwo2]

Not arguing with your point. I think Slafkovsky is the better prospect but if the Devils think Cooley is than they should take him and I’m okay with that.

But your point about Staal is not really true. If Staal played 20 minutes behind Crosby and Malkin, he must’ve been playing more than 1 or both of them and therefor wouldn’t have been their 3C. If your 3C plays 20 minutes then that technically means save the pp/pk having a huge affect that there is 40 minutes left to split between your other 3 centers.

Same thing with Nugent-Hopkins but as I’ve said before (don’t know if it was to you) but the Oilers have rarely actually run Mcdavid, Draisaitl, and RNH as 3 centers. Draisaitl has spent lots of time on the wing and RNH has as well. And whenever they possibly have there’s no way RNH has played 20 minutes. Just wouldn’t make sense.

Only 23 forwards average more than 20 minutes of TOI this season. Suggesting that RNH and Staal were playing 20 minutes per game as 3C’s is just not true. I have no problem with the actual point but don’t make up stuff that doesn’t make sense and isn’t really true to prove your point.

Stall had two seasons in Pittsburg where he average 20 minutes or more. In the first one Crosby, Malkin, and Staal all missed about half the season. Without even taking the time to look it up I think it’s a good bet that those injuries didn’t all line up so it’s probably fair to assume that a lot of if not all of Staal’s games were with at least one of them injured and therefor not as the 3C.
In his second season with that TOI (20:03) Crosby missed 60 games. Malkin only missed 7 and Staal himself missed 20. But that means that at least 40 of Staal’s 62 games were without Crosby in the lineup.

To be fair to you he wasn’t that far off in the seasons prior and it doesn’t look like Crosby and Malkin missed as much time but no 3C is actually playing 20 minutes in a game. If Staal ever played that much he was almost certainly playing more than one of the other two you mentioned and therefore wasn’t really playing like a 3C. The only thing that could maybe counter this is if he played a lot on the pp as the net front guy and/or a lot on the pk.

This post is kind of pointless but I just thought it was silly and annoying to see you suggesting that even a really good 3C is gonna play 20 minutes a night behind to superstar centers.



Mind you it’s probably worth adding that some of what I’ve brought up goes to your argument. If Nico or Jack get’s hurt which is going to happen lots I’m sure, it would be really nice to have another really good skilled player step in for them.
I would rather have a Cooley as a winger though as I think his skillset is very fitting as a winger. Much more so than Hughes or Hischier who I struggle to see on the wing. Similar to Mercer who I want as a winger but can step in as a Center in the case of an injury. So we already have that type of player but I see no problem with having two like that. Gives us lots of options.

I still like Slafkovsky more but I don’t think he should be chosen based off of being a better fit. If it comes down to it and they have the two players as equals they should take the player who is the better fit. But if they think Cooley is a better prospect than he should be the pick.

My issue with drafting Cooley is that he's a Center by nature.

Then we either have to put him on the 3rd line or convert him to wing (which kind of makes no sense since we could just draft an ELITE Wing in Slaf)

 

[Tretyak 20]

This will probably be a hot topic during their interview sessions.

When can they begin with those interviews? Im not sure about the rules of engagement with minors (if them being 18 has anything to do with it)

Pretty sure interviews can only be done during the combine.

 

[glenwo2]

I don't see how that changes the point. You don't avoid Cooley because he's small and we have 2 small forwards. That's just stupid.

Actually what's stupid is this continued Hot Take that Slaf is Pavel Zacha 2.0.

Yup. As I said he showed them the one thing they hadn’t seen from him yet. Putting it all together for production. Hadn’t been able to produce all year in LIIGA with limited opportunity. Got an opportunity on NHL-sized ice with his national team against good competition and did really well and produced. He had been hanging around most rankings still regardless of his poor production because of everything else. Showed them something they had been waiting to see and then showed improved production with a little more opportunity when he got back to league play as well.


And he was playing in the bottom 6.

And this is why CONTEXT is always key when we see some make snap judgements without research.

Kakko had 7 in 10. Laine had 12 in 10. 4 or 5 in 14-17 games would literally do nothing but reinforce my view.



You don't take players based on need.

That really makes no sense. If you see a talented prospect that is unlike any prospect you've seen in the draft THAT *ALSO* fills in a need that your club requires, then you go draft that kid.

 

[Goptor]

This is a real tough choice. I've been looking over it a little bit.

Slafkovsky feels like a rebound girl. He does everything last year's team was unable to do and desperately needed at times. Menace on the boards. Moves the puck really quickly in tight along said boards. IMAGINE IF HE WAS ON LAST YEARS' TEAM?! You feel like you've just fallen in love. Then you realize this guy should be able to produce even if he had cement in his shoes and could only move from the boards to in front of the net. People are even bringing up additional skills he has that should allow for even more scoring. There is risk that isn't usually associated with a #2 overall.

Nemec is probably the best choice out of pure talent. However I'm struggling to project him as an NHLer. He lacks the shot to be the trigger man at the point and the traditional PP QB role that he'd fit into is no longer going to defensemen at the NHL level. No PP time puts a huge damper on projected NHL points. I've been down on these type of players the past couple years because you end up wanting for more. I imagine Provorov or even McDonagh where they play as a #1 on weak defense groups but you don't really want them in that role.

Jiricek is the opposite. You can easily project him into the top PP and be the big minutes eater #1 D. The issue is that he's a lot smaller than the NHL standard top players in the role. Chara is 6'9, Weber 6'5, Hedman 6'6, Burns 6'5. (Carlson is 6'3 so its not that far fetched though). Obviously he has a lot of work to do to get up to that level but its not completely out of the question.

I'd lean towards Jiricek but I'm not sold completely between any of them. They are all slam dunks at #5 but none of them are the sure bet superstar that is regularly available at #2.