Prospect Info: Is it too soon to discuss the 2021 draft?

[verbalkint47]

If we draft 9th I'm hoping for Wallstedt. In the top 8 go for BPA among the skaters. If we pick 7th or 8th, I'm hoping one of the Swedes (Edvinsson, Eklund) or Hughes falls to us.

 

[KopitarFAN]

I just don't see a scenario where they are picking in the top 10 and a Goaltender makes sense.

 

[AzKing]

I can't visualize the Kings taking goaltender that high. They need a #1 Defenseman and an elite scoring Winger. If they are in the Top 10 it will probably be BPA so it could happen. I would rather them package some other picks to move into the 1st round with their second pick and go for a goalie there if one of the good ones is around.

This may not be an incredible pool of first round talent but it is certainly top heavy in Defenseman who fit the criteria of what they need so if they are going to take a shot at one, this is the year.

 

[Bandit]

Is it too soon to talk about the 2022 draft?

 

[KopitarFAN]

Is it too soon to talk about the 2022 draft?

Shane Wright

 

[Herby]

I can't visualize the Kings taking goaltender that high. They need a #1 Defenseman and an elite scoring Winger. If they are in the Top 10 it will probably be BPA so it could happen. I would rather them package some other picks to move into the 1st round with their second pick and go for a goalie there if one of the good ones is around.

This may not be an incredible pool of first round talent but it is certainly top heavy in Defenseman who fit the criteria of what they need so if they are going to take a shot at one, this is the year.

I agree, Cal P is in his prime and the Kings could possibly get another 7-8 seasons out of him if he were to be the man. Not sure going goalie is an option for the Kings right now.

LH d-man and goal-scoring winger are the areas of need. But there is a BPA case to be made if there is a C they really like. Blake obviously places massive importance on strength down the middle. They have gone C with their last 4 first round picks (one of the reasons for the D and wing issue) and taken another two centers in the 2nd round. They look like they have the future 1C, but how confident are we at this very moment that one of Turcotte, Kupari or Vilardi will be the championship caliber 2C that Blake is shooting for? I think it's fair to say that is up for debate, and could be debated internally, the Kings have also shown a willingness to just draft C's and then move them to winger once they turn pro.

I personally think that you have to assume that one of them will be able to play that role and look for an elite goal-scoring prospect to play with Byfield or a d-man with hopefully top pairing upside. But it wouldn't shock me if the Kings were to go for another C.

 

[Schrute farms]

Well what if the goalie is the BPA

 

[AlphaBravo]

I get the concept of BPA but there is no way we can take a C with our 1st round pick. Jeez how many C prospects can we have? We need to draft a D at some point with our high pick.

 

[funky]

I get the concept of BPA but there is no way we can take a C with our 1st round pick. Jeez how many C prospects can we have? We need to draft a D at some point with our high pick.

I agree. Between that and our draft position I would not be surprised if we do target a Defenceman or even I of the 2 top end goalies.

this will be one of the wildest drafts maybe ever seeing where players are ranked and actually picked.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I can't visualize the Kings taking goaltender that high. They need a #1 Defenseman and an elite scoring Winger. If they are in the Top 10 it will probably be BPA so it could happen. I would rather them package some other picks to move into the 1st round with their second pick and go for a goalie there if one of the good ones is around.

This may not be an incredible pool of first round talent but it is certainly top heavy in Defenseman who fit the criteria of what they need so if they are going to take a shot at one, this is the year.

I agree, Cal P is in his prime and the Kings could possibly get another 7-8 seasons out of him if he were to be the man. Not sure going goalie is an option for the Kings right now.

LH d-man and goal-scoring winger are the areas of need. But there is a BPA case to be made if there is a C they really like. Blake obviously places massive importance on strength down the middle. They have gone C with their last 4 first round picks (one of the reasons for the D and wing issue) and taken another two centers in the 2nd round. They look like they have the future 1C, but how confident are we at this very moment that one of Turcotte, Kupari or Vilardi will be the championship caliber 2C that Blake is shooting for? I think it's fair to say that is up for debate, and could be debated internally, the Kings have also shown a willingness to just draft C's and then move them to winger once they turn pro.

I personally think that you have to assume that one of them will be able to play that role and look for an elite goal-scoring prospect to play with Byfield or a d-man with hopefully top pairing upside. But it wouldn't shock me if the Kings were to go for another C.

I just think it will depend on what happens prior to the Kings pick.

In a perfect world, they either win the lottery or package some assets to move up to get whoever 'their guy' is in this draft.

But in a world in which we go on a dumbass winning streak now and drop a spot and no teams will oblige us trading up, we'd be picking like 11-15, where it's likely move of those desired players are off the board. At that point it becomes a philosophical thing--do you go with a blue chip goalie prospect, or a boom/bust forward prospect like Lysell? Because I don't see many D prospects post-10 that move the needle with the Kings' prospect pool unless someone falls hard.

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Maybe it’s time for Blake to trade the 1st rd pick for a player who can have an impact on our team next season.

 

[Mats26]

Weird draft year but Kings need to get as close to that top 5 as possible for a big D.
At or around pick 10 we'll need to settle for a Bjornfot level D man or take a chance on a goalie or one of the Centers. i.e Stillman, Raty?

The way I see it:
There is little chance Luke Hughes, Clarke or Power make it pass pick 8.
Edvinsson is a wild card, limited offensive range but is huge and mobile. Could slide out of top5 (5-8?)
Carson Lambos will possibly fall in the 8+ range. I think that would be the Kings D man target.
Lysell, Eklund should be gone by pick 10.

Sucks to be picking this far back in a draft year with some decent LD prospects. Hope someone does fall.

 

[kingsboy11]

Its hard for me to visualize us taking a goalie that high when we have shown to develop goalies taken well into the later rounds. I know Wallstedt has been hyped up for a couple of years now, but I just don't see it

 

[SFKingshomer]

This is the year teams draft for need instead of BPA due to lack of exposure.

 

[apadilla]

Around where they're picking, goalie may very well be BPA

but @AnThGrt also rightfully points out that while all the focus is on Wallsteadt (I mean, that's a f***ing awesome goalie name--doesn't it translate as "stable wall?"), Cossa is pretty ridiculous in his own right.

Unless Hughes drops to our pick (around 10th overall) I'd go with either Wallsteadt or Cossa. I sure hope they won't select one of the smurfs at 10. Have enough of those. After yesterday's effort, it's clear the team needs some guys that "like" to finish their checks and who "want to" respond to cheap shots. Currently the Kings have one guy on the roster who fits those two needs, but he doesn't dress for half the games.

 

[KopitarFAN]

Maybe it’s time for Blake to trade the 1st rd pick for a player who can have an impact on our team next season.

I think that's the most likely outcome, unless they get the defenseman (Power, Hughes, Clarke and Edvinsson).

 

[funky]

Maybe it’s time for Blake to trade the 1st rd pick for a player who can have an impact on our team next season.

We have a wicked prospect stable as it is I agree this would be the time to do it. Especially if the person we want is off the board. There are a ton of cab strapped teams, there’s tons of teams like Arizona that have no picks. I am sure if Blake tries hard enough he can make something work.

If I am Blake I throw the kitchen sink at Tampa Bay for Sergachev and take one of their bad contracts with him. Or I get Arizona on the phone and see what I can do for Chychrun. I would include Werenski in that as well but it looks like he wants to go to Detroit if rumors are true.

The way my luck is he will trade with Arizona for Kessel

 

[Sol]

I would never take a goalie in the first round.

 

[YP44]

I would never take a goalie in the first round.

I normally says this too. Wallstedt maybe the exception. Not just because he looks like a great goalie but because this draft is so screwed up as far as scouting and overall top end talent. Wouldn't be like passing on a Vilardi.

 

[Mats26]

I would never take a goalie in the first round.

All goalies are wildcards for sure, but some are legit.
This guy is doing pretty well. Spencer Night.

Florida Panthers

NHL

3

1.67

.943

0

3-0-0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I mean Carey Price was not bad in his 20s. Fleury etc... I guess it depends on who are u giving up to take a goalie in the 1st round.

 

[YP44]

All goalies are wildcards for sure, but some are legit.
This guy is doing pretty well. Spencer Night.

Florida Panthers

NHL

3

1.67

.943

0

3-0-0

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I mean Carey Price was not bad in his 20s. Fleury etc... I guess it depends on who are u giving up to take a goalie in the 1st round.

Askarov looks good too. I still was against taking either Knight or Askarov because i thought those drafts were deeper. Also because of where LA was drafting. This draft class could be different and the best player available when LA picks may actually be a goalie.

 

[Brodeur]

I would never take a goalie in the first round.

I'll always argue against the general phobia of taking a goalie in the first round because some didn't work out. I think a slightly longer mantra that I can get behind is 'don't draft a goalie if there's a guy with top line / top pair upside still on board.' Something that gets overlooked is that a lot of guys taken at the tail end of the top 10 aren't exactly projected to be stars. Like people will say "LOL Al Montoya was picked sixth overall, see you never take a goalie" while ignoring that the next five picks were Rostislav Olesz, Alex Picard, Ladislav Smid, Boris Valabik, and Lauri Tukonen.

I remember arguing with an Ottawa fan who asserted that a first round forward/D could play in your bottom six so that made them a better bet. I asked him if he would still pass on John Gibson (bubble 2011 1st rounder) for Stefan Noesen and Matt Puempel and he dodged that. Or if the Buffalo Sabres might reconsider passing on Andrei Vasilevskiy twice for Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons.

It's easy to say "just take a goalie later" and cherry pick the goalie who pans out. The Kings wanted to draft Connor Hellebuyck in 2012 but Winnipeg took him ~20 picks before LA was planning to.

 

[Mats26]

Askarov looks good too. I still was against taking either Knight or Askarov because i thought those drafts were deeper. Also because of where LA was drafting. This draft class could be different and the best player available when LA picks may actually be a goalie.

We also need to realize that Cal is 27 next year and only has 48 NHL games under his belt. The pipeline for goalies is also realitivley weak. Would be nice add to add a top tier D man and Goalie this draft.

 

[kovacro]

This draft is a totally different animal due to COVID, anything goes. I'd be fine even packaging pick(s) and a prospect/player to get back into the end of the 1st round to grab Cossa, provided he is still on the board in the mid/late 20's. He is intriguing to me.

 

[YP44]

I'll always argue against the general phobia of taking a goalie in the first round because some didn't work out. I think a slightly longer mantra that I can get behind is 'don't draft a goalie if there's a guy with top line / top pair upside still on board.' Something that gets overlooked is that a lot of guys taken at the tail end of the top 10 aren't exactly projected to be stars. Like people will say "LOL Al Montoya was picked sixth overall, see you never take a goalie" while ignoring that the next five picks were Rostislav Olesz, Alex Picard, Ladislav Smid, Boris Valabik, and Lauri Tukonen.

I remember arguing with an Ottawa fan who asserted that a first round forward/D could play in your bottom six so that made them a better bet. I asked him if he would still pass on John Gibson (bubble 2011 1st rounder) for Stefan Noesen and Matt Puempel and he dodged that. Or if the Buffalo Sabres might reconsider passing on Andrei Vasilevskiy twice for Mikhail Grigorenko and Zemgus Girgensons.

It's easy to say "just take a goalie later" and cherry pick the goalie who pans out. The Kings wanted to draft Connor Hellebuyck in 2012 but Winnipeg took him ~20 picks before LA was planning to.

fair points, for me if you have tow players valued fairly similar and one is goalie and one is a skater I take the skater 99 times out of 100. This year maybe that 1 time for me.