NHL Entry Draft Future Draft Watch

[GCK]

And yet he wins a significant amount of the puck battles he engages in, despite his listed 5'10 176lb size.

Giroux does the same at 5'11 188lbs and in the same way - using his great stick and high-end IQ.

If Kindel's available at 21 and we pass him on we'll sorely regret it. He should be in top 10 consideration.

Considering we moved Ostapchuk for Zetterlund, I think the size thing is overstated for wingers. Big centres and big D for sure.

 

[Tuna99]

Considering we moved Ostapchuk for Zetterlund, I think the size thing is overstated for wingers. Big centres and big D for sure.

Agree but Zetterlund plays with every pound of his body, he claims space like he belongs.

Excited about his potential, didn’t love his offensive hockey IQ but I liked his hustle. Baby Alfie type, he’s going to really learn a lot and grow into a top 6 player if he finds stability in Ottawa

 

[Senator Stanley]

Considering we moved Ostapchuk for Zetterlund, I think the size thing is overstated for wingers. Big centres and big D for sure.

The thing about the Sens under Dorion/Murray is they weren't opposed to having a smaller winger or two at the NHL level (e.g. Dadonov, Ennis x2), they just didn't value them in the draft. This is, I believe, in large part because they believe/recognize that smaller wingers are the easiest assets to acquire through trade and free agency. When drafting, they prioritize positions and player types that are most difficult to acquire any other way. "You can't trade for this kind of player" was one of Trent Mann's go to lines.

All of which is to say, I don't see the Ostapchuk for Zetterlund trade as evidence that we're now more open to smaller wingers at the draft. If anything, it's evidence that philosophically things haven't changed - you draft big, you trade for small.

 

[DJB]

How about just drafting good players instead of Rogers, JBD’s and Jarventie’s?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

The thing about the Sens under Dorion/Murray is they weren't opposed to having a smaller winger or two at the NHL level (e.g. Dadonov, Ennis x2), they just didn't value them in the draft. This is, I believe, in large part because they believe/recognize that smaller wingers are the easiest assets to acquire through trade and free agency. When drafting, they prioritize positions and player types that are most difficult to acquire any other way. "You can't trade for this kind of player" was one of Trent Mann's go to lines.

All of which is to say, I don't see the Ostapchuk for Zetterlund trade as evidence that we're now more open to smaller wingers at the draft. If anything, it's evidence that philosophically things haven't changed - you draft big, you trade for small.

I agree its not the same people involved... The amateur scouts vs the pro scouts .
Zetterlund was a proven NHL player to the degree that he scored at a 20g pace for 2 seasons in a row before acquiring him. He's 220 lbs. Very different situation. I don't think Staios would override the recommendation of the scouts based solely on the size of the player

 

[Masked]

How about just drafting good players instead of Rogers, JBD’s and Jarventie’s?

Like Sanderson, Greig, and Pinto?

 

[GCK]

How about just drafting good players instead of Rogers, JBD’s and Jarventie’s?

Roger was a brutal pick.

JBD was a good pick, in that he is an NHL player but he never got bigger or stronger.

Jarventie was a boom or bust pick that most posters want the team to draft after the first round.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Roger was a brutal pick.

JBD was a good pick, in that he is an NHL player but he never got bigger or stronger.

Jarventie was a boom or bust pick that most posters want the team to draft after the first round.

Jarventie was derailed due to knee injuries over 3 years .. Sens missed on Peterka but it doesn't mean Jarventie was a bad pick

 

[Hale The Villain]

Considering we moved Ostapchuk for Zetterlund, I think the size thing is overstated for wingers. Big centres and big D for sure.

Ostapchuk was physical (110 hits in 56GP) but so is Zetterlund (154 hits in 84GP), and obviously Cozens is quite physical as well.

There's a reason Staios hasn't fired the scouts. He probably agrees with their focus on physicality and toughness.

 

[aragorn]

Watching the playoffs isn't physicality & toughness required? Isn't that the big complaint against the Leafs & why they lost because their best players are not physical or tough? Isn't that what a lot of teams covet physical tough players who can play especially in the playoffs? Do we want a regular season team or a physical tough playoff team? We will need to replace Giroux & Perron at some point with some skilled players but hopefully the players we get also bring some physicality & toughness with their skill level.

 

[Hale The Villain]

Watching the playoffs isn't physicality & toughness required? Isn't that the big complaint against the Leafs & why they lost because their best players are not physical or tough? Isn't that what a lot of teams covet physical tough players who can play especially in the playoffs? Do we want a regular season team or a physical tough playoff team? We will need to replace Giroux & Perron at some point with some skilled players but hopefully the players we get also bring some physicality & toughness with their skill level.

You need a mix of both.

You don't want to just draft players with above-average skill and IQ and below-average size, physicality and toughness, as that team will likely struggle come playoff time.

But at the same time you don't want to focus too much on size, physicality and toughness at the expense of skill/smarts, as those big/tough players won't be able to help you win in the playoffs if you don't make the playoffs in the first place.

We've drafted almost exclusively for size, physicality and toughness, or as Brian Burke put it when he was GM for the Leafs - "pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence" - for many years now.

It's time to add some skill to the pipeline, otherwise we'll be at risk of failing to replace our skill players when they decline or leave via UFA, and we'll struggle to make the playoffs in the future.

 

[Wallet Inspector]

Brady is one of the most physical forwards in the NHL, and Stutzle, Cozens, Batherson and Zetterlund all consistently have triple digit hit numbers.

We got plenty of physicality in our top 6 already, we need a scoring winger.

 

[aragorn]

You need a mix of both.

You don't want to just draft players with above-average skill and IQ and below-average size, physicality and toughness, as that team will likely struggle come playoff time.

But at the same time you don't want to focus too much on size, physicality and toughness at the expense of skill/smarts, as those big/tough players won't be able to help you win in the playoffs if you don't make the playoffs in the first place.

We've drafted almost exclusively for size, physicality and toughness, or as Brian Burke put it when he was GM for the Leafs - "pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence" - for many years now.

It's time to add some skill to the pipeline, otherwise we'll be at risk of failing to replace our skill players when they decline or leave via UFA, and we'll struggle to make the playoffs in the future.

We also drafted Stutzle, Sanderson, Greig, Chabot, Hamara, Crookshank, Johansson, Thomson & others who were smaller skilled guys. I agree we need a good balance of skill & physicality & we have a few like that in Tkachuk, Batherson, Pinto, Greig, Cozens who we traded for & others. I like it that Stutzle & Sanderson play a physical game at times.

Ott has been fairly lucky when you look at all the drafted players they have playing on their team & some are still in the NHL playing for other teams. IMO Yakemchuk, Merilainen & Halliday will be full time NHLers within the next yr or two & hopefully we get one or two players out of this draft.

 

[PlayOn]

There was a really good article about Florida and Carolina in the Athletic that discusses how good they are at forechecking. And I believe the Sens want to build that kind of team, but sometimes they seem misguided in what they look for.

What do NHL’s best forecheckers look like? Just watch Panthers and Hurricanes

Forechecking is a big reason the Panthers and Hurricanes are the last two teams standing in the Eastern Conference.

www.nytimes.com

I really liked this part in particular:

Deception is the trait that comes up a lot when discussing the best forecheckers. As Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin said, “Really smart players are the scary ones.” At lower levels, the fastest, most aggressive and most physical players are typically the difference-makers on the forecheck. But in the NHL, there are also subtle skills like reading the play and having the hand-eye coordination to pick off passes that make a big difference. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said a player needs physicality, hockey IQ and a good stick. Two of those three make an effective forechecker, all three make an elite forechecker.

This feels like where the disconnect is in terms of Sens scouting. It’s not so much that they value physicality because imo they have to - they’re not gonna build a super skilled team like Edmonton so this is the way to go, but it does seem like they focus on the aggressive players rather than the hockey IQ piece.