Confirmed with Link: McDonagh + Miller to Tampa Bay for Namestnikov + Howden + Hajek + 2018 1st + conditional 2019 1st

[Beacon]

@Beacon said in one of the first responses that I’ve seen Howden extra because I watched Moose Jaw games to check out Josh Brook and Jett Woo. I’m done with this stupid conversation.

That's a reasonable, believable statement, very different from claims by multiple people that they "watch prospects" and have a personal opinion on thousands of kids across many leagues. That's impossible. You watch some games on some kids.

So now that this was established, I'd like not to hear that I need to never discuss prospects "full stop" because I don't (falsely) claim to regularly watch all the Junior kids, which would mean watching dozens of random Junior games per night. Nobody does that. Nobody. Claims of, "I know prospects" are B.S. and a lie.

You pick some games to watch. Ola watches the SHL because he's Swedish. Poster Pavel Buchnevich watches Russia. I watch Hartford, sometimes SKA when Shesterkin starts.

The opinion on all other prospects besides a few you prioritize are based on stats and scouting reports. That's true for me, you, all of us. There's no time to watch all the prospects.

Throwing (constantly) s--t in my face because I don't make up ridiculous lies that I personally watch all the Junior prospects is ****ed up. Just as in the NHL, some watch the Vancouver Giants or the Moose Jaw, but nobody watches prospects in general and therefore, nobody should tell me to stfu.

By any objective measure I watch as many or more prospect games as anyone here. That I don't claim to watch all of them is not reason to be an ass to me.

 

[Irishguy42]

Agreed. I think we did as well as we could have done. I think management wants to draw up their gameplan sooner rather than later, and certainly before the draft. Let's hope that Sather stays away from the draft day microphone though. Send him on a fishing trip somewhere far away!

 

[Ghost of jas]

So.....good trade?

Standard historical price for a player like McDonagh. Howden intrigues me, and I like extra #1 picks.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

He basically takes the safe route. Call 90% of prospects a long-shot / bust and you will be right most of the time.

Yep! It's almost like those of us who do put out predictions end up getting shit on when we're wrong (and the times we are really right, we get told not to talk about it - or something). Those that put out vague nothingburgers get to pretend to never be wrong. Funny how that works, isn't it?

 

[Hunter Gathers]

That I don't claim to watch all of them is not reason to be an ass to me.

What's your secret website that we are all too stupid to know, dude?

 

[Ghost of jas]

Yep! It's almost like those of us who do put out predictions end up getting **** on when we're wrong (and the times we are really right, we get told not to talk about it - or something). Those that put out vague nothingburgers get to pretend to never be wrong. Funny how that works, isn't it?

There are posters here whose knowledge and insight I place great value in. Those are the posters I converse with regularly.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

There are posters here whose knowledge and insight I place great value in. Those are the posters I converse with regularly.

Which is why I am so damn glad that @Edge is such a full time poster again.

 

[Ghost of jas]

Which is why I am so damn glad that @Edge is such a full time poster again.

Yup...after the hysterics when the McDonagh deal came down, he was a voice in the wilderness. I was waiting for your take, too.

 

[mrmovies779]

Guy walks into a thread and a "who watches more prospects" fight breaks out

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Yup...after the hysterics when the McDonagh deal came down, he was a voice in the wilderness. I was waiting for your take, too.

Admittedly, my take was a bit biased since I've been down on Miller for the past two years. Very excited about Howden and Hajek, though.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Yep! It's almost like those of us who do put out predictions end up getting **** on when we're wrong (and the times we are really right, we get told not to talk about it - or something). Those that put out vague nothingburgers get to pretend to never be wrong. Funny how that works, isn't it?

It's just insulting to people who actually watch the games but aren't spending 45 minutes writing down a recap. I've seen Lias play in 5 different countries this season. I've seen Lakatos almost times in person, same with Virta. I just don't have time to write a full recap of those games because I have more important things to do.

I was in Buffalo at the end of December and watched several games. I've seen Chytil, Andersson, Dahlin, Tkachuk, Mittelstadt etc. But I am not going to sit in my hotelroom behind my laptop to write an entire essay on how they played. Hajek and Howden were also there. I remember both of them playing well. As someone who has followed the draft year after year, these names were not unknown to me. Similar with Rykov on SKA.

If he wasn't so obnoxious, we'd probably get along great, since we both have the same obsession with prospects haha

 

[Fvital92]

What a stupid, pointless discussion.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

It's just insulting to people who actually watch the games but aren't spending 45 minutes writing down a recap. I've seen Lias play in 5 different countries this season. I've seen Lakatos almost times in person, same with Virta. I just don't have time to write a full recap of those games because I have more important things to do.

I was in Buffalo at the end of December and watched several games. I've seen Chytil, Andersson, Dahlin, Tkachuk, Mittelstadt etc. But I am not going to sit in my hotelroom behind my laptop to write an entire essay on how they played. Hajek and Howden were also there. I remember both of them playing well. As someone who has followed the draft year after year, these names were not unknown to me. Similar with Rykov on SKA.

If he wasn't so obnoxious, we'd probably get along great, since we both have the same obsession with prospects haha

Seriously. I relax and watch a game when I can on my iPad. I don't have time to sit there and write something. I barely have time to participate in Rangers GDTs. It's not like it was back in the day when I was in school and I could sit around posting shit all day about prospects.

Hell, I used to watch as much NCAA hockey as I could. Now I'm lucky to see who I want to see more than a couple of times a year. I do like with Neulion that I can watch many games after they happened. The flexibility is worth paying a couple of bucks for (OK, almost $100, but that's less than $10 a month for good hockey).

 

[Ghost of jas]

Admittedly, my take was a bit biased since I've been down on Miller for the past two years. Very excited about Howden and Hajek, though.

So you like Howden a lot, too? Great. Trxjw sold me on him. When I hear Stepan IQ in a 6’3” frame and better skating, that’s a potential #1 center to me. Not elite, but someone who can match up against the other teams best players and still be productive, which is what Stepan was at his best.

As for Hajek, sounds like if he fully develops, he becomes a complementary top pairing Dman to a RHD like, oh, I don’t know, say Boqvist. The 1st from TB means either a swing for the fences, or an asset to move up to get another top 10 pick.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

So you like Howden a lot, too? Great. Trxjw sold me on him. When I hear Stepan IQ in a 6’3” frame and better skating, that’s a potential #1 center to me. Not elite, but someone who can match up against the other teams best players and still be productive, which is what Stepan was at his best.

As for Hajek, sounds like if he fully develops, he becomes a complementary top pairing Dman to a RHD like, oh, I don’t know, say Boqvist. The 1st from TB means either a swing for the fences, or an asset to move up to get another top 10 pick.

Yeah, I really like him. He's a guy who I didn't think all that much of at the time of his draft since I was never a fan of his brother. But then he starts looking better and better. Whereas his brother never really developed, Brett has developed tremendously.

Keep in mind that with Hajek -- he was the guy that made the Lightning feel that ADA was replaceable (by him, nonetheless).

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Yeah, I really like him. He's a guy who I didn't think all that much of at the time of his draft since I was never a fan of his brother. But then he starts looking better and better. Whereas his brother never really developed, Brett has developed tremendously.

Keep in mind that with Hajek -- he was the guy that made the Lightning feel that ADA was replaceable (by him, nonetheless).

I love those small tidbits. We now have DeAngelo, and the player selected with the draft pick Tampa got for him.

 

[haveandare]

Yeah, I really like him. He's a guy who I didn't think all that much of at the time of his draft since I was never a fan of his brother. But then he starts looking better and better. Whereas his brother never really developed, Brett has developed tremendously.

Keep in mind that with Hajek -- he was the guy that made the Lightning feel that ADA was replaceable (by him, nonetheless).

Yeah, hearing Gorton say that they scouted Hajek heavily and wanted him at the draft makes me feel a lot better about getting him instead of Foote. Feels less like they caved to Yzerman not wanting to move Foote and more like they got a guy they've been after for a while.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Yeah, hearing Gorton say that they scouted Hajek heavily and wanted him at the draft makes me feel a lot better about getting him instead of Foote. Feels less like they caved to Yzerman not wanting to move Foote and more like they got a guy they've been after for a while.

That's a big thing. Hajek wasn't a throw-in if Gorton targeted him in the trade. I feel people often look at draft position and base their opinions on that more than anything. Prospects drafted in 2016 are closer to a finished products than prospects from 2017 or the ones we can select this summer. There's less mystery around those 2016 picks, both positive and negative.

 

[MarkMessyay11]

Yeah, I really like him. He's a guy who I didn't think all that much of at the time of his draft since I was never a fan of his brother. But then he starts looking better and better. Whereas his brother never really developed, Brett has developed tremendously.

Keep in mind that with Hajek -- he was the guy that made the Lightning feel that ADA was replaceable (by him, nonetheless).

I'm not going to claim to know everything about Howden, but after looking at his junior progression and reading various reports (from TB fans and independent scouting sites), he passes the "internet eye test" for me. He's continually put up better numbers since his draft year, he had an important role on the Canada WJC team and played very well, and he had a very good showing on his AHL ATO last year. Pair that with his size, skating, and IQ comps and I think he has the makings of a "safe" NHL prospect. The odds that he turns into a perennial 60-70 point top line center are probably low, but if he can produce 40-50 points, maybe 55+ in a couple of seasons, and be an excellent 2-way center...then that's a great deal.

Hajek intrigues me quite a bit. I think his potential floor/ceiling gap is much wider than Howden's...but his progress since his draft year is exciting as well. And Gorton confirmed that they've been interested in him since his draft year, but they didn't have the picks to move up to get him. Oddly enough, Lindgren went about 10 picks after Hajek in that same draft...so you have to wonder if they wanted both guys. Their first pick in 2016 was in the 3rd round and they selected Sean Day. So you have to think they had their eyes on defensemen.

 

[haveandare]

That's a big thing. Hajek wasn't a throw-in if Gorton targeted him in the trade. I feel people often look at draft position and base their opinions on that more than anything. Prospects drafted in 2016 are closer to a finished products than prospects from 2017 or the ones we can select this summer. There's less mystery around those 2016 picks, both positive and negative.

Yeah, everything else equal, 2016 players are preferable to 2017 players for what NYR is trying to do. You get an extra year to make sure they're progressing and you get guys who can join Hartford and give you a more accurate read of where they're at starting next year.

 

[Edge]

Re: Howden - I would be very happy if he developed into 20/50 player. Anything higher is a cherry on top.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Re: Howden - I would be very happy if he developed into 20/50 player. Anything higher is a cherry on top.

I'm shooting for 55 just to one up you. LOL.

 

[silverfish]

Yep! It's almost like those of us who do put out predictions end up getting **** on when we're wrong (and the times we are really right, we get told not to talk about it - or something). Those that put out vague nothingburgers get to pretend to never be wrong. Funny how that works, isn't it?

I told you to stop subtweeting me on here.

 

[TheTakedown]

Howden is the player I am most intrigued by. If he truly has Stepan’s hockey IQ, but in a 6’3” frame and better skating ability, that’s a huge get for this organization.

Yes, that's basically Ryan Getzlaf lite at that point

 

[romba]

Don’t buy the hype guys, prospect size matters.