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

[Captain3rdLine]

What narrative? Do I look like a lobbyist with any influence on who's getting picked? I just said his games vs Canada and even the Swiss were average at best. If you're in love, that's you, I doubt the organization that insiders are insisting are shopping the pick are as much in love.

He wasn’t average though. He was really good and you’re the only person I’ve seen say otherwise.
What about his game was bad or average to you?

Did you actually watch the game man?

 

[Captain3rdLine]

My main and ultimate concern with Slafkovsky is the lack of intensity to his game which ends up leaving me with a sense that he won't ever show a physical aspect to his game and turn into a JVR or Bobby Ryan. His lack of production in the Liga is also a slight concern and for the most part between the WC and Olympics he's somehow mainly produced vs very weak opposition.

I still have him as a top 3 or 4 however so there isn't a dislike just concern

He’s always working and he’s relentless on the forecheck. Doesn’t go around running people over but he’s very effective at reading the play and using his reach and strength to disrupt plays. He’s a very hard but also smart worker.

I also think it’s dumb when people make random stuff up.
Won’t ever show a physical aspect to his game like a JVR?
The guy who has 724 hits over the course of 879 games (18th in class).
He’s 72nd in his draft class in hits/60 with 3.
JVR isn’t some big physical player. He’s a big strong forward with some skill that can score.

 

[RSeen]

Seeing reports from Elliotte Friedman that the Devils are considering trade options for the 2nd overall pick is just purely frustrating to hear as a fan. Why is this report even out there? This team finished 37 points out of a playoff spot - the last playoff spot! Yes, the team had significant goaltending issues (which are still outstanding) and critical injuries but even without all that, it is still far away. But I am not dismissive of the progress and promise of this team - they seem to have a strong base with Hughes, Hischier, Bratt, Sharangovich, Mercer, Boqvist, Siengenthaler (an excellent trade by Fitzgerald for a 3rd) etc along with still having an excellent farm system highlighted by L. Hughes, Holtz, Gritsyuk etc. but to think they are even considering trade options with the 2nd overall pick is just short sighted and stupid at this point.

Since the inception of the NHL cap in 2005 - 2006 season, there has not been one trade involving a team drafting in the top 5 trading its pick for an established player. These are the limited number of trades of top 10 picks being dealt for a player (not including trades of a future 1st for a player that becomes a high pick (Karlsson or Duchene trades or trades like the 2008 Islanders - Nashville trade of swap of 7th and 9th Pick) in the Cap era:

1. Devils trading 9th overall to Vancouver for Cory Schneider
2. Columbus trading Jacob Voracek, 3rd rounder and 8th overall (Flyers selected Sean Couturier) to Flyers for Jeff Carter
3. Penguins trading Jordan Staal to Carolina for 8th Overall (Derrick Pouliot), Sutter and Dumoulin
4. Rangers trading Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to Arizona for 7th overall (Lias Andersson) and Tony DeAngelo and
5. Canucks trading 9th overall along with a 2022 2nd round pick and salary fillers of Beagle, Eriksson and Rousell for OEL (massive contract and diminished play) and Connor Garland.

This organization apparently prides itself for its data analytics and this is the data on these trades. I was a math major and I am providing the historical data on these trades. There are zero trades involving a top 5 pick in the cap era and in this case, we are talking about the 2nd overall pick.

There are many reasons why these trades do not happen but two critical reasons are the following:

1. Selecting a player with this high a draft selection has the greatest rate of success of a team hitting on the selection. Yes, there are several misses but look at the high level of success when selecting in the top 4 selections in 2013 to 2018 drafts:

2013: MacKinnon, Barkov, Drouin, Jones

2014: Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl, Bennett

2015: McDavid, Eichel, D. Strome, Marner

2016: Matthews, Laine, Luc-Dubois, Puljujarvi

2017: Hischier, Patrick, Heiskanen, Makar

2018: Dahlin, Svechnikov, Kotkaniemi, B. Tkachuk

And since this is the 2nd pick, there should be less volatility with the selection.

1. These players are cost controlled in a cap era. No different than an NFL team maximizing the savings of a rookie qb deal, it is the same with the NHL. Colorado is still enjoying the benefits of signing MacKinnon to an extension earlier on in his career (signed to a 7 year - $44m) which runs through next year. If the Devils utilize the 2nd overall pick and hit on the pick, it will provide them much greater cap flexibility as their existing core ages. Also, they could get the benefit of an elite player who could extend the competitive window of Hischier and Hughes as they age.

The fact is that teams who are selecting in the top 5 do not trade the pick for good reason - it is just stupid. Go look at football and it is never done. It is done in basketball but it is a much different sport because the impact of one player on a team in that sport is unique and when it occurs, it is for a championship. Think of the Cavaliers trading #1 overall pick (Andrew Wiggins) to Minnesota for Kevin Love after resigning Lebron to pair with Kyrie. The Lakers also traded the 4th overall Pick (DeAndre Hunter) in a package for Anthony Davis and the Celtics traded the 5th pick (Jeff Green) as part of a package for Ray Allen in order to combine with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. But if you notice, the Cavaliers, Lakers and Celtics were set up to win a championship right away with these trades of a high pick. You really think if the Devils move this pick, they will win a championship in 3 years? It is not happening.

And do not think the Devils are now ahead of the curve with this thinking of trading a top 5 pick. Nothing done by this ownership and management team these last number of years should give a fan of this team that level of confidence and trust. Do you hear a report of someone like Steve Yzerman in Detroit who has a track record from building Tampa, considering trading its high pick? Why are we even hearing that the Devils are considering moving the pick? It just sounds desperate which is never a good look.

Yes, is there a player or package in which you would move the pick? Sure but let teams come to you and do it quietly - it should not be so advertised like it seems to be the case here. We can throw obvious but not happening trades involving names like M. Tkachuk, Q. Hughes or O’Connor where it definitely would make sense because of the player, age and/or contract or maybe even some trade package for a goalie like Knight, Askarov or Wallstedt but when you hear names like Fiala (does not add the necessary size or grit plus cap hit), Meier (huge QO - cap hit) etc., it is very troubling. You can forget about deals for a goaltender such as Gibson (declining) or Hellebuyck (29 years old) involving this pick. You want to trade the 2nd round pick for Fiala in a package, I could see that or a trade involving one of the forward prospects because of their volume for a veteran, I could see that. Although the team has tried some of these shortcuts to success moves (Palmieri aside, referring to Bennett, Johansson, Muller, Grabner, Subban, Gusev moves) in which they moved 2nd and 3rd round picks and have not worked, I can see moving a 2nd round pick here because of the youth on the roster, the state of the farm system and the making of the 2nd overall pick.

I do not hold myself out to be a hockey talent evaluator like some on here who do an excellent job evaluating the draft eligible prospects (Steven ToddIves, Jason MacIsaac, etc.) but I did scout for a professional organization in another sport and regardless of the sport, all drafts have a tiering system. This draft does have a top tier of two players in Wright and Slafkovsky. Yes, the Devils are weak at RD but Nemac and Jiricek are not on that level and Cooley is beneath these top 2. They do not have a player like Slafkovsky in this organization and the thought that they would move such a cost controlled asset is frightening. And the Devils should take Wright if Montreal takes Slafkovsky even though they have Hischier, Hughes and Mercer.

Finally as long as you have Ruff as the coach of this team, you just cannot reconcile that decision with any thought of moving the pick. Ruff is not going to be the coach of this team when it is ready to win - he was always thought of as a developmental coach for the young players and he has done that to some extent (Ty Smith aside). By keeping Ruff, the team is implicitly acknowledging that they are not ready to win which is okay because of the youth but then don’t contemplate moving the pick. Fitzgerald always said the team would tell him when the team is ready to win. I watched this season - did you see the team tell Fitzgerald or its fans that it is ready to win? To borrow a slogan from another team controlled by this ownership group, trust the process and the process is to make this selection. If they make such a trade involving the pick, there should be an autopsy done of this ownership/management team.

Great post, agree with a. lot of what is said here. Trading the #2 pick is most likely going to be a loss for us.

 

[JrFischer54]

Seeing reports from Elliotte Friedman that the Devils are considering trade options for the 2nd overall pick is just purely frustrating to hear as a fan. Why is this report even out there? This team finished 37 points out of a playoff spot - the last playoff spot! Yes, the team had significant goaltending issues (which are still outstanding) and critical injuries but even without all that, it is still far away. But I am not dismissive of the progress and promise of this team - they seem to have a strong base with Hughes, Hischier, Bratt, Sharangovich, Mercer, Boqvist, Siengenthaler (an excellent trade by Fitzgerald for a 3rd) etc along with still having an excellent farm system highlighted by L. Hughes, Holtz, Gritsyuk etc. but to think they are even considering trade options with the 2nd overall pick is just short sighted and stupid at this point.

Since the inception of the NHL cap in 2005 - 2006 season, there has not been one trade involving a team drafting in the top 5 trading its pick for an established player. These are the limited number of trades of top 10 picks being dealt for a player (not including trades of a future 1st for a player that becomes a high pick (Karlsson or Duchene trades or trades like the 2008 Islanders - Nashville trade of swap of 7th and 9th Pick) in the Cap era:

1. Devils trading 9th overall to Vancouver for Cory Schneider
2. Columbus trading Jacob Voracek, 3rd rounder and 8th overall (Flyers selected Sean Couturier) to Flyers for Jeff Carter
3. Penguins trading Jordan Staal to Carolina for 8th Overall (Derrick Pouliot), Sutter and Dumoulin
4. Rangers trading Derek Stepan and Antti Raanta to Arizona for 7th overall (Lias Andersson) and Tony DeAngelo and
5. Canucks trading 9th overall along with a 2022 2nd round pick and salary fillers of Beagle, Eriksson and Rousell for OEL (massive contract and diminished play) and Connor Garland.

This organization apparently prides itself for its data analytics and this is the data on these trades. I was a math major and I am providing the historical data on these trades. There are zero trades involving a top 5 pick in the cap era and in this case, we are talking about the 2nd overall pick.

There are many reasons why these trades do not happen but two critical reasons are the following:

1. Selecting a player with this high a draft selection has the greatest rate of success of a team hitting on the selection. Yes, there are several misses but look at the high level of success when selecting in the top 4 selections in 2013 to 2018 drafts:

2013: MacKinnon, Barkov, Drouin, Jones

2014: Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl, Bennett

2015: McDavid, Eichel, D. Strome, Marner

2016: Matthews, Laine, Luc-Dubois, Puljujarvi

2017: Hischier, Patrick, Heiskanen, Makar

2018: Dahlin, Svechnikov, Kotkaniemi, B. Tkachuk

And since this is the 2nd pick, there should be less volatility with the selection.

1. These players are cost controlled in a cap era. No different than an NFL team maximizing the savings of a rookie qb deal, it is the same with the NHL. Colorado is still enjoying the benefits of signing MacKinnon to an extension earlier on in his career (signed to a 7 year - $44m) which runs through next year. If the Devils utilize the 2nd overall pick and hit on the pick, it will provide them much greater cap flexibility as their existing core ages. Also, they could get the benefit of an elite player who could extend the competitive window of Hischier and Hughes as they age.

The fact is that teams who are selecting in the top 5 do not trade the pick for good reason - it is just stupid. Go look at football and it is never done. It is done in basketball but it is a much different sport because the impact of one player on a team in that sport is unique and when it occurs, it is for a championship. Think of the Cavaliers trading #1 overall pick (Andrew Wiggins) to Minnesota for Kevin Love after resigning Lebron to pair with Kyrie. The Lakers also traded the 4th overall Pick (DeAndre Hunter) in a package for Anthony Davis and the Celtics traded the 5th pick (Jeff Green) as part of a package for Ray Allen in order to combine with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. But if you notice, the Cavaliers, Lakers and Celtics were set up to win a championship right away with these trades of a high pick. You really think if the Devils move this pick, they will win a championship in 3 years? It is not happening.

And do not think the Devils are now ahead of the curve with this thinking of trading a top 5 pick. Nothing done by this ownership and management team these last number of years should give a fan of this team that level of confidence and trust. Do you hear a report of someone like Steve Yzerman in Detroit who has a track record from building Tampa, considering trading its high pick? Why are we even hearing that the Devils are considering moving the pick? It just sounds desperate which is never a good look.

Yes, is there a player or package in which you would move the pick? Sure but let teams come to you and do it quietly - it should not be so advertised like it seems to be the case here. We can throw obvious but not happening trades involving names like M. Tkachuk, Q. Hughes or O’Connor where it definitely would make sense because of the player, age and/or contract or maybe even some trade package for a goalie like Knight, Askarov or Wallstedt but when you hear names like Fiala (does not add the necessary size or grit plus cap hit), Meier (huge QO - cap hit) etc., it is very troubling. You can forget about deals for a goaltender such as Gibson (declining) or Hellebuyck (29 years old) involving this pick. You want to trade the 2nd round pick for Fiala in a package, I could see that or a trade involving one of the forward prospects because of their volume for a veteran, I could see that. Although the team has tried some of these shortcuts to success moves (Palmieri aside, referring to Bennett, Johansson, Muller, Grabner, Subban, Gusev moves) in which they moved 2nd and 3rd round picks and have not worked, I can see moving a 2nd round pick here because of the youth on the roster, the state of the farm system and the making of the 2nd overall pick.

I do not hold myself out to be a hockey talent evaluator like some on here who do an excellent job evaluating the draft eligible prospects (Steven ToddIves, Jason MacIsaac, etc.) but I did scout for a professional organization in another sport and regardless of the sport, all drafts have a tiering system. This draft does have a top tier of two players in Wright and Slafkovsky. Yes, the Devils are weak at RD but Nemac and Jiricek are not on that level and Cooley is beneath these top 2. They do not have a player like Slafkovsky in this organization and the thought that they would move such a cost controlled asset is frightening. And the Devils should take Wright if Montreal takes Slafkovsky even though they have Hischier, Hughes and Mercer.

Finally as long as you have Ruff as the coach of this team, you just cannot reconcile that decision with any thought of moving the pick. Ruff is not going to be the coach of this team when it is ready to win - he was always thought of as a developmental coach for the young players and he has done that to some extent (Ty Smith aside). By keeping Ruff, the team is implicitly acknowledging that they are not ready to win which is okay because of the youth but then don’t contemplate moving the pick. Fitzgerald always said the team would tell him when the team is ready to win. I watched this season - did you see the team tell Fitzgerald or its fans that it is ready to win? To borrow a slogan from another team controlled by this ownership group, trust the process and the process is to make this selection. If they make such a trade involving the pick, there should be an autopsy done of this ownership/management team.

Just because it doesn’t happen doesn’t mean it’s wrong to trade the pick If a team comes to the devils and offers up a top line talent for the pick you make the deal. But whatever we all know they aren’t trading it. Then again I doubt anyone would’ve been taken seriously if you mentioned hall for larrson.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Just because it doesn’t happen doesn’t mean it’s wrong to trade the pick If a team comes to the devils and offers up a top line talent for the pick you make the deal. But whatever we all know they aren’t trading it. Then again I doubt anyone would’ve been taken seriously if you mentioned hall for larrson.

Again, it can't be just a first line talent though. It's going to have to be a first line talent who is about 26 years old or younger and under team control for an extended period of time at a reasonable cap hit.

You don't trade the second overall pick for a player with a giant cap hit who is already heading towards decline and you certainly don't trade the second overall pick for a player who isn't under team control for the reasonably foreseeable future. It's going to take a very rare fit of a player who fits that profile and is made available.

Willy Nylander maybe? Even he hits UFA in two years and is going to get paid. The list isn't long.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Can the dog skate?

That's our new goalie actually

 

[Devs3cups]

Putting the 2OA to see what options you have is fine. The number of players on Fitz’s list
will be really small and most players on the list likely won’t be available and are pipe dreams, but it’s fine to determine them. When all is said and done, we’ll be drafting, I’m 99% sure of it.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Again, it can't be just a first line talent though. It's going to have to be a first line talent who is about 26 years old or younger and under team control for an extended period of time at a reasonable cap hit.

You don't trade the second overall pick for a player with a giant cap hit who is already heading towards decline and you certainly don't trade the second overall pick for a player who isn't under team control for the reasonably foreseeable future. It's going to take a very rare fit of a player who fits that profile and is made available.

Willy Nylander maybe? Even he hits UFA in two years and is going to get paid. The list isn't long.

Ya Nylander’s great but he’s not under team control long enough at all.
I’d say they gotta be under team control for at least 4-5 years or if they’re an rfa can’t be going into the final year or something.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Ya Nylander’s great but he’s not under team control long enough at all.
I’d say they gotta be under team control for at least 4-5 years or if they’re an rfa can’t be going into the final year or something.

Agreed, that's what makes it difficult. When you do the analysis of guys who are elite talents that are under team control for 4-5 years at palatable cap hits, it's just not a list of players that get moved.

 

[Triumph]

He’s always working and he’s relentless on the forecheck. Doesn’t go around running people over but he’s very effective at reading the play and using his reach and strength to disrupt plays. He’s a very hard but also smart worker.

I also think it’s dumb when people make random stuff up.
Won’t ever show a physical aspect to his game like a JVR?
The guy who has 724 hits over the course of 879 games (18th in class).
He’s 72nd in his draft class in hits/60 with 3.
JVR isn’t some big physical player. He’s a big strong forward with some skill that can score.

JVR and Bobby Ryan are two of the best forwards from their draft class, and are definitely better than the forwards taken immediately after them. Bobby Ryan struggled with wrist and hand injuries for the entire back half of his career. Neither guy was a superstar but at their peak they were 1st line wingers.

It bugs me that everyone wants 'power forwards' to be Todd Bertuzzi - the combination of net front wizard and menace to opposing D is really rare, and that sort of player also tends not to last very long, for obvious reasons.

 

[JrFischer54]

Again, it can't be just a first line talent though. It's going to have to be a first line talent who is about 26 years old or younger and under team control for an extended period of time at a reasonable cap hit.

You don't trade the second overall pick for a player with a giant cap hit who is already heading towards decline and you certainly don't trade the second overall pick for a player who isn't under team control for the reasonably foreseeable future. It's going to take a very rare fit of a player who fits that profile and is made available.

Willy Nylander maybe? Even he hits UFA in two years and is going to get paid. The list isn't long.

Gtfo with that stupid decline shit I’m so tired of it on this board. Can’t wait til we let jack and Nico walk when these current deals are up because we aren’t going to want to have them when they are declining after 28 for 7 more years

 

[Hisch13r]

Gtfo with that stupid decline shit I’m so tired of it on this board. Can’t wait til we let jack and Nico walk when these current deals are up because we aren’t going to want to have them when they are declining after 28 for 7 more years

No the stupid shit is acting like a contending team makes moves in the same way a team in a rebuild does. A rebuilding team is not in the position to be moving top picks for players who could walk very shortly. That's a risk you do not take.

 

[Billdo]

I just don't see any realistic move with regard to 2OA that makes sense long term other than drafting Slaf.

 

[Hisch13r]

I just don't see any realistic move with regard to 2OA that makes sense long term other than drafting Slaf.

I mean you can make other picks that make sense. There's not going to be any realistic trade to be made. Anyone we want is not a guy that's going to be moved.

 

[Billdo]

I mean you can make other picks that make sense. There's not going to be any realistic trade to be made. Anyone we want is not a guy that's going to be moved.

Well yeah, I think it'll be Slaf so I said him, but other than making a pick at 2, I don't see it shaking out any other way.

 

[Nubmer6]

I think the talk of trading 2OA is possibly preparation in case Montreal picks Slafkovsky. It would be nice to know what we could get for Wright and have a possible trade in place in case he falls to us.

As for a power forward, a power forward doesn't have to beat up an opponent. I'm looking for someone who can win board battles, and can't be pushed around in the slot, which Slaf seems to be able to do. He also seems to be able to use his body to protect the puck, which is definitely something you look for in a power forward.

 

[Devs3cups]

I think the talk of trading 2OA is possibly preparation in case Montreal picks Slafkovsky. It would be nice to know what we could get for Wright and have a possible trade in place in case he falls to us.

As for a power forward, a power forward doesn't have to beat up an opponent. I'm looking for someone who can win board battles, and can't be pushed around in the slot, which Slaf seems to be able to do. He also seems to be able to use his body to protect the puck, which is definitely something you look for in a power forward.

Wright would be a great get, but some teams might get desperate for that #1 C tag. Agree with what you've said on Slaf.

 

[Guttersniped]

My main and ultimate concern with Slafkovsky is the lack of intensity to his game which ends up leaving me with a sense that he won't ever show a physical aspect to his game and turn into a JVR or Bobby Ryan. His lack of production in the Liga is also a slight concern and for the most part between the WC and Olympics he's somehow mainly produced vs very weak opposition.

I still have him as a top 3 or 4 however so there isn't a dislike just concern

I have similar concerns. He’s a finesse player with a lot of skill in the tough areas, which doesn’t necessarily mean he is tough to play against. Those two guys are great examples of mediocre outcomes with this pick, though they had their moments.

Go look at 2005 and 2007 drafts.

While the 1st round in 2005 has Crosby and strong 1-2 punch of goalies (Price #5 and Rask #21), it’s a pretty thin group other than that. Jack Johnson is 3rd, and the only stand out players are Kopitar at #11 and Oshie at #24. Ryan is a solid #2 pick for that draft.

And JVR was a solid choice for 2nd considering Kyle Turris, Thomas Hickey and Karl Azner were taken after him. Voracek is #7 and Couture is #9 but I don’t see Ryan over those players as a shocking miss.

And JVR is literally Mr Net Front PP Goal Guy, a job we currently have filled by Bastian. Oh no, not a way more skilled guy to do that! We might actually have a functional PP with a guy like that, yuck!

Slafkovsky is 6’4” and 218 at age 18, he’s not going to be that easy to play against in the sense of puck possession, board battles, interior play, net front, etc

He’s the anti-Zacha in his shear enthusiasm for hockey and he’s developed a lot as this year went on, which is exactly what you want to see in a draft year.

 

[Guadana]

1.
I do not hold myself out to be a hockey talent evaluator like some on here who do an excellent job evaluating the draft eligible prospects (Steven ToddIves, Jason MacIsaac, etc.)




2.
2013: MacKinnon, Barkov, Drouin, Jones

2014: Ekblad, Reinhart, Draisaitl, Bennett

2015: McDavid, Eichel, D. Strome, Marner

2016: Matthews, Laine, Luc-Dubois, Puljujarvi

2017: Hischier, Patrick, Heiskanen, Makar

2018: Dahlin, Svechnikov, Kotkaniemi, B. Tkachuk

First of all - I will not give you a like for this.

For the second- its an interesting list, because we have 25% chance of bust potential. Would be interesting to see how many years long deals with 25+ yo players really working. Anyway - with good scoring you have a shot to take a super player and use him 3 years for free, if you have second pick, good scouting and good management.

For the third - great post.

 

[ninetyeight]

I get why some of you would try to trade Wright (if he's available at #2) . But after immersing myself in draft talk, scout reports, videos and ongoing wc games this past couple of weeks, it really seems like there's 2 elite talents above all the rest. As great as Jiricek, Nemec, Cooley.. etc might be / end up being, it would be disappointing to walk out of this draft without one of the 2 top talents. And who knows what Fitz and the crew is thinking.

We need wingers and RDs, but if there's an elite (maybe even a franchise) two-way center talent available, you take him no matter how many C skaters you already have. Having bunch of elite centers would give us so much depth an flexibility. Forget the oldschool model that 1st line plays ~20min, 2nd+3rd ~30mins, 4th the rest.. You could spread the time (more or less) equally, basically have no weak lines out there. Or maybe see which line has the best drive game by game basis and play them more. You wouldn't wear out your best players and injuries wouldn't be so devastating.

 

[ninetyeight]

However, I do think that it is better to argue FOR a player you want to draft than AGAINST a player you do not want to draft, for myriad reasons. If you do sincerely feel a player is not as good as he's been hyped up to be, this is fine, but the way to debate this without creating an argumentative environment or unnecessary vitriol is to illuminate specific instances and examples without blanket pejorative statements.

For example -- saying "Player XXX made several poor puck decisions and was poor defensively against Team XXX" or whatever will create a real debate.

However, saying "Player XXX is totally overrated and stunk in the game against Team XXX" will just get people riled up.

First of all, I really love your excitement about all these prospects and your deep interest and knowledge to drafts. But if I may offer a criticism, or maybe more of a request, I think the way you hype these players up and focus on the strong parts sometimes reads as if every one of these prospects is a great future nhler. Which we obviously know isn't the case as about half of the skaters picked in the first few rounds don't become regulars (not to even mention the last rounds). So what I would like is more critical analysis on their weaknesses and how likely is it that they become a top6 talent or even have a spot in the (nhl) lineup.

 

[Doublechin]

Go look at 2005 and 2007 drafts.

While the 1st round in 2005 has Crosby and strong 1-2 punch of goalies (Price #5 and Rask #21), it’s a pretty thin group other than that. Jack Johnson is 3rd, and the only stand out players are Kopitar at #11 and Oshie at #24. Ryan is a solid #2 pick for that draft.

And JVR was a solid choice for 2nd considering Kyle Turris, Thomas Hickey and Karl Azner were taken after him. Voracek is #7 and Couture is #9 but I don’t see Ryan over those players as a shocking miss.

And JVR is literally Mr Net Front PP Goal Guy, a job we currently have filled by Bastian. Oh no, not a way more skilled guy to do that! We might actually have a functional PP with a guy like that, yuck!

Slafkovsky is 6’4” and 218 at age 18, he’s not going to be that easy to play against in the sense of puck possession, board battles, interior play, net front, etc

He’s the anti-Zacha in his shear enthusiasm for hockey and he’s developed a lot as this year went on, which is exactly what you want to see in a draft year.

I get what you're saying. However if you could know the future and you'd know that Slaf will end up as a JVR/Ryan type. Would you still take him at 1, 2, 3 or would you gamble and try getting someone better. I'd say the odds of getting better value than JVR/BR in the top 3 are quite high.

 

[Blackjack]

Go look at 2005 and 2007 drafts.

While the 1st round in 2005 has Crosby and strong 1-2 punch of goalies (Price #5 and Rask #21), it’s a pretty thin group other than that. Jack Johnson is 3rd, and the only stand out players are Kopitar at #11 and Oshie at #24. Ryan is a solid #2 pick for that draft.

And JVR was a solid choice for 2nd considering Kyle Turris, Thomas Hickey and Karl Azner were taken after him. Voracek is #7 and Couture is #9 but I don’t see Ryan over those players as a shocking miss.

And JVR is literally Mr Net Front PP Goal Guy, a job we currently have filled by Bastian. Oh no, not a way more skilled guy to do that! We might actually have a functional PP with a guy like that, yuck!

Slafkovsky is 6’4” and 218 at age 18, he’s not going to be that easy to play against in the sense of puck possession, board battles, interior play, net front, etc

He’s the anti-Zacha in his shear enthusiasm for hockey and he’s developed a lot as this year went on, which is exactly what you want to see in a draft year.

Can't believe we need a New Yorker to defend our Jersey guys? Come on now.

 

[glenwo2]

Seeing reports from Elliotte Friedman that the Devils are considering trade options for the 2nd overall pick is just purely frustrating to hear as a fan. Why is this report even out there?

This is Elliotte Friedman :

That's all this is : Getting CLICKS.

 

[NJDevs26]

Or as was pointed out a few posts ago, the Devils could be just as paranoid as a number of posters here that the Habs pick Slaf and let Wright drop, then it becomes a different discussion if we’re strengthening a strength (center) as opposed to getting a power forward