Prospect Info: Draft 2025 - Everyone is trading up, but no one seems to be trading down edition

[ikyan]

Because championship teams are built around center depth and Hagens is the best center available in this draft.

Misa (offensive ability), Desnoyers (two-way play), and Martin (speed and grit) all bring elite skills that I don't think Hagen's touches in any of those categories.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

I just wanted to say Mans Goos

 

[Empoleon8771]

it's been said many times "the team that gets the better player wins the trade." it's always much easier to add lesser players than the very good ones. imo

The issue is we don't know if Hagens will be better than the guys drafted at #11 and #12.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

we are getting Hagens and Eklund without trading up.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

To be fair, you can include McQueen in that group too, who I think you may be able to draft by just sitting at #11.

I know people have expressed their opinions on McQueen on here, but Hagens at #8 vs McQueen at #11 and Eklund at #12 is a tough argument for me. I'd probably prefer McQueen and Eklund.

Well I f***in' hate the idea of McQueen so I'll trade the 11th and 12th all day for Martone or Hagens if the alternative is McQueen+1.

 

[Empoleon8771]

we are getting Hagens and Eklund without trading up.

I don't want to draft both Eklund and Hagens at all. The NHL is rapidly shifting away from small and speedy teams having success, doesn't mean you can't have those guys but you need some physicality and size too. That's why I like the O'Brien and Eklund duo.

If Hagens falls to #11, I draft Hagens at #11 and probably trade down with #12.

 

[Kasperi kapanen]

Hagens is about the same weight but 1 inch shorter than Brady Martin fwiw. He’s not small. Soft? Maybe. But shit he’s got that Crosby build developing.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

we are getting Hagens and Eklund without trading up.

This is the kinda psycho shit I wanna see from you, buddy. None of that McQueen or Jarry trolling.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

which sounds nice but imagine having to deal with all the scorned Leafs fans “Durrrr Dubas and Clark got small SOFT skilled guys hur hur hur” coming to the board

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

This is the kinda psycho shit I wanna see from you, buddy. None of that McQueen or Jarry trolling.

Gonna be hilarious when we take McQueen and Mrtka with 11 and 12 and they become the 2 best players in the draft.

 

[ikyan]

we are getting Hagens and Eklund without trading up.

I think Rags keep 12, but if they don't, this is a real possibility...

 

[The Old Master]

Gonna be hilarious when we take McQueen and Mrtka with 11 and 12 and they become the 2 best players in the draft.

could happen

 

[Empoleon8771]

If the Penguins drafted Hagens at #11 and Aitcheson at #12, which thread would have more posts? Praising the Hagens pick or bitching about the Aitcheson pick?

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Gonna be hilarious when we take McQueen and Mrtka with 11 and 12 and they become the 2 best players in the draft.

Bjugstad and Michalek.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Hagens is absolutely not falling to 11 in a draft like this but if he does they'd be pretty moronic to not take him barring the guy being openly a giant piece of shit in his team interviews or something.

 

[Big Friggin Dummy]

Hagens is absolutely not falling to 11 in a draft like this but if he does they'd be pretty moronic to not take him barring the guy being openly a giant piece of shit in his team interviews or something.

Always a possibility with the dude being from Long Island and going to Boston College.

 

[Gurglesons]

I don't want to draft both Eklund and Hagens at all. The NHL is rapidly shifting away from small and speedy teams having success, doesn't mean you can't have those guys but you need some physicality and size too. That's why I like the O'Brien and Eklund duo.

If Hagens falls to #11, I draft Hagens at #11 and probably trade down with #12.

Which is why you target them because everything comes in cycles.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Hagens is absolutely not falling to 11 in a draft like this but if he does they'd be pretty moronic to not take him barring the guy being openly a giant piece of shit in his team interviews or something.

Honestly I wouldn't say this with such confidence. He's ranked #7 on McKenzie's board and McKenzie tends to average 2 guys ranked in the #7-#10 range falling outside of the top-10 in the actual draft. Beyond that, he's not really that good of a fit for any of the teams drafting #8-#10.

Eklund is 100% going to be one of the guys that falls out of McKenzie's top-10. But if there's 2 guys? I'd probably guess Hagens or McQueen as equally as likely.

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

If the Penguins drafted Hagens at #11 and Aitcheson at #12, which thread would have more posts? Praising the Hagens pick or bitching about the Aitcheson pick?

Depends the amount of Leafs fans involved

 

[Mr. T]

So a 5'11 forward just became 5'9?

Last week an anvil fell on his head

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Honestly I wouldn't say this with such confidence. He's ranked #7 on McKenzie's board and McKenzie tends to average 2 guys ranked in the #7-#10 range falling outside of the top-10 in the actual draft. Beyond that, he's not really that good of a fit for any of the teams drafting #8-#10.

I would be pretty shocked.

He's the closest thing to a star center outside the obvious in this draft and those are always in style.

 

[Jared Grayden]

Honestly I wouldn't say this with such confidence. He's ranked #7 on McKenzie's board and McKenzie tends to average 2 guys ranked in the #7-#10 range falling outside of the top-10 in the actual draft. Beyond that, he's not really that good of a fit for any of the teams drafting #8-#10.

Eklund is 100% going to be one of the guys that falls out of McKenzie's top-10. But if there's 2 guys? I'd probably guess Hagens or McQueen as equally as likely.

I would be very surprised if Mrtka were available and wasn't taken by any of SEA, BUF, ANA if those three all stay put.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I would be pretty shocked.

He's the closest thing to a star center outside the obvious in this draft and those are always in style.

If teams thought he was that, would he be ranked #7 in McKenzie's list and behind Frondell, Desnoyers and O'Brien?

I would be very surprised if Mrtka was available wasn't taken by any of SEA, BUF, ANA if those three all stay put.

Mrtka in the top-10 and Eklund out of the top-10 is a move I'm like 99% confident in. The only area that 1% comes from is me wondering if Smith or Aitcheson goes before Mrtka.

 

[eXile3]

*shrug*

I just generally think prioritizing quantity over quality is a bad policy particularly in sports.

Unless you just have an utter shit scouting dept. and need that ol shotgun effect to get anywhere.

At least for the NFL, it’s the opposite. The athletic did a study and no teams scout any better than the other, and the only way to have better results in the long run is to aggregate picks.

I would think the same would apply to the NHL given these are kids we are talking about. But also since they are kids it’s really apparent when some are developing faster than others.

I think there absolutely is a large degree of luck regardless of how good the scouting department is.

 

[T1K]

If the Penguins drafted Hagens at #11 and Aitcheson at #12, which thread would have more posts? Praising the Hagens pick or bitching about the Aitcheson pick?

I would be so happy about Hagens I would give them a pass to do something stupid