Nashville Predators talk - The offseason.

[triggrman]

I know that the draft is a crap shoot, we just aren't hitting on anything lately other than replacement level players.

I'm not searching for high end picks, what mid level player have we added in the last 5 drafts? Let's be honestly if you're 25 and haven't made it, you're likely not going to be anything above tweener.

I don't think MDG, or Afanasyev will amount to much if anything. Afanasyev might be a poor man's Sissons type or Cole Smith, II. MDG probably a lessor Carrier at best.

Last year's draft has me feeling better along with some of the higher picks in recent years have me feeling a bit better.

I'm really high on Molendyk and L'Heureux. Oddly 2 picks that were highly criticized by the experts here. I have hope for Ufko, Stastney and Wood as well.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I'm really high on Molendyk and L'Heureux. Oddly 2 picks that were highly criticized by the experts here. I have hope for Ufko, Stastney and Wood as well.

You may have missed the discussions on Molendyk and L'Heureux around here? There's a difference between expressing surprise at a pick or criticizing specific *ASPECTS* of a player's history and actually "highly criticizing" the picks themselves? Name me one "expert" here? It's all a bunch of know-nothing fans as far as I can tell? Who thinks otherwise?

I don't really have any hopes for Ufko or Stastney. They will be "serviceable" types IMHO. If some coach takes a shine to them, who knows, maybe they will stick around or get a little more love than most of our tweener types do, but end of the day neither is going to be a star player here. Wood is still too up in the air to really know. Hopefully his new school is a better fit and helps him take a step next season. (These are NOT criticisms - I am glad to have them all).

 

[Armourboy]

I think the main problem with this list is that you only see 1 player basically who is a potential top-6 forward with us (Evangelista), and basically ZERO other players who are anything above replacement-level. Askarov may hopefully change some of that by becoming a top player, but so far that hasn't happened. We may have some sentimental attachment to a few, but if you're an outside observer, they aren't actually anything anybody else wants.

So if almost nobody in those 6 drafts is anything more than a generic depth UFA or guy we could have picked up on waivers (or tossed away ourselves), then that feels like a problem?

Not sure if it's with the drafting entirely as much as the development, since it does feel like at least a few of those players could have been something a little more for us if things had turned out differently, but then if at the end of the day we have NOTHING to show for those picks, what difference does it make? We already scrapped Tolvanen and Vejmelka, seem very likely to do the same with Tomasino and Fabbro. Ended up with nothing for Girard. It's kind of a problem at some level that basically nobody on the entire list (aside from crossing fingers so far on Evangelista+Askarov) is going to have amounted to anything for us? The scouts found some players. But we didn't get value out of them. Flip side, I guess if we start a new tally from the 2020 draft onwards and things turn out better, great, the prior era was somebody else's mess.

Except in his post he expressly said he wasn't worried about stars just players. Those guys are exactly what he said he was looking for. If he had said top 6 players it would have been different looking.

 

[Armourboy]

I know that the draft is a crap shoot, we just aren't hitting on anything lately other than replacement level players.

I'm not searching for high end picks, what mid level player have we added in the last 5 drafts? Let's be honestly if you're 25 and haven't made it, you're likely not going to be anything above tweener.

I don't think MDG, or Afanasyev will amount to much if anything. Afanasyev might be a poor man's Sissons type or Cole Smith, II. MDG probably a lessor Carrier at best.

Last year's draft has me feeling better along with some of the higher picks in recent years have me feeling a bit better.

I'm really high on Molendyk and L'Heureux. Oddly 2 picks that were highly criticized by the experts here. I have hope for Ufko, Stastney and Wood as well.

Like I said when you are looking at drafts and players saying " last 5 " isn't really fair starting point. Outside of maybe your first rounder, and as late as we draft not even then really, you can't have any expectation at all that any of those guys in the last 2 drafts anyways would be here yet.

Then you gotta look at other factors like 2018, where you only had 4 picks total, the highest being a 4th rounder, and so expecting to get 3 players out of that is unreasonable. The fact Stastney is looking to be serviceable is pretty lucky out of that draft tbh.

Then you get into the fact we weren't picking that high in most of those years, where talent that is going to likely show up early is going to come from and its not surprising.

There is a reason the guys from our last two drafts look to maybe be scaling a bit higher, we were picking higher.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Except in his post he expressly said he wasn't worried about stars just players. Those guys are exactly what he said he was looking for. If he had said top 6 players it would have been different looking.

What he said (wasn't it you)? I'm talking about what we actually got out of those drafts. Which wasn't much.

 

[triggrman]

You may have missed the discussions on Molendyk and L'Heureux around here? There's a difference between expressing surprise at a pick or criticizing specific *ASPECTS* of a player's history and actually "highly criticizing" the picks themselves? Name me one "expert" here? It's all a bunch of know-nothing fans as far as I can tell? Who thinks otherwise?

I don't really have any hopes for Ufko or Stastney. They will be "serviceable" types IMHO. If some coach takes a shine to them, who knows, maybe they will stick around or get a little more love than most of our tweener types do, but end of the day neither is going to be a star player here. Wood is still too up in the air to really know. Hopefully his new school is a better fit and helps him take a step next season. (These are NOT criticisms - I am glad to have them all).

No I didn't miss it, just had nothing to add to it, much like the rest of this post.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

No I didn't miss it, just had nothing to add to it, much like the rest of this post.

Ok, you didn't miss it, but you somehow thought there were experts posting here who were highly critical of Molendyk and L'Heureux picks? Ooookay.

 

[jumb0]

Went back to the draft GDT...not a lot of positivity for the Molendyk pick

 

[triggrman]

Went back to the draft GDT...not a lot of positivity for the Molendyk pick

Speaking of, when we redo the rankings list who will be higher, Wood or Molendyk; L'Heureux or Svechkov?

 

[glenngineer]

Went back to the draft GDT...not a lot of positivity for the Molendyk pick

I loved the pick, still do.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Speaking of, when we redo the rankings list who will be higher, Wood or Molendyk; L'Heureux or Svechkov?

Molendyk, L'Heureux, and Askarov should be 1-2-3 for us this year, in whichever order.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Molendyk, L'Heureux, and Askarov should be 1-2-3 for us this year, in whichever order.

I'd put Kemell somewhere in the running too. Put up pretty comparable numbers to L'Hereux and is a year younger. L'Hereux's playoff performance puts him ahead for me but I think they are all in a simialr tier. Wood could have an argument to be in the same the tier too. Really interested to see how he does on a much stronger team.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I'd put Kemell somewhere in the running too. Put up pretty comparable numbers to L'Hereux and is a year younger. L'Hereux's playoff performance puts him ahead for me but I think they are all in a simialr tier. Wood could have an argument to be in the same the tier too. Really interested to see how he does on a much stronger team.

And Svechkov got off to a good start too. I would have Kemell #4, Wood #5, Svechkov #6 now. All apologies to Afanaseyev, who basically did exactly what we might have asked in terms of breaking out offensively in the minors, but I am still less enthusiastic about his upside despite that.

 

[herzausstein]

Molendyk, L'Heureux, and Askarov should be 1-2-3 for us this year, in whichever order.

1-5 is gonna be difficult tbh.
L'Heureux - great year in the AHL, stirs the pot and creates offense.

Molendyk - still playing in the CHL so still questionable as to how his game will translate. Ufko's transition to the AHL gives me alot of hope that itll go smoothly though

Askarov - new toy shine kindof wearing off but tons of potential.

Kemmell - strong AHL season but not as strong in the playoffs as i wouldve liked

Svechkov - another player with a great AHL season


Wood - had an decent year on a pretty bad team. Cant wait to see what happens on a better team. I think he is the most likely to raise his stock next season

 

[herzausstein]

And Svechkov got off to a good start too. I would have Kemell #4, Wood #5, Svechkov #6 now. All apologies to Afanaseyev, who basically did exactly what we might have asked in terms of breaking out offensively in the minors, but I am still less enthusiastic about his upside despite that.

Afanaseyev is 23. I cant remember what the cutoff is for the rankings/poll. He had a great AHL season though but i feel like his peak is trenin

 

[Scoresberg]

L’Heureux
Molendyk
Svechkov
Wood
Kemell

 

[bdub24]

How about that Rangers Goodrow fella?

 

[Armourboy]

Afanaseyev is 23. I cant remember what the cutoff is for the rankings/poll. He had a great AHL season though but i feel like his peak is trenin

Which we need a replacement for anyways.

How about that Rangers Goodrow fella?

Not big on overpaying bottom 6 guys.

 

[Armourboy]

What he said (wasn't it you)? I'm talking about what we actually got out of those drafts. Which wasn't much.

I mean we say that but the comparison would need to be to other teams, what they got over that same time period, and where they were drafting to get them.

I mean you can't look at a team like Edmonton, Carolina, or several other teams as comparatives. We didn't suck for two decades to get those players.

 

[bdub24]

Which we need a replacement for anyways.


Not big on overpaying bottom 6 guys.

I liked his playoffs production but yeah. Fair enough

 

[predhead1]

The guys on the COI podcast were talking about the possibility of re-signing Arvy. Strategically, I don't think it makes a lot of sense, but man do I think that would create some excitement if he'd be willing to sign a 1 or 2 year deal at $1.5mm AAV.

 

[Armourboy]

Trotz has no tie to Arvy so I'm not real sure why he would want to bring him back?

 

[herzausstein]

I really like Arvidsson. His health is a big question though. He missed alot of last season and has missed a decent amount of time every season since 18-19. Taking out last season's 64 missed games, he has averaged about 13 missed games a season since start of 18-19 season.

He would be a good add for the right price if we cant get a reinhart/Guentzel/Stamkos level player through free agency.

 

[beardawg]

Molendyk, L'Heureux, and Askarov should be 1-2-3 for us this year, in whichever order.

I agree with this, and I think all 3 get a look at the big leagues next season. Molendyk could get a 9 game trial, Askarov will certainly play more than 1 game again, and L'Heureux is probably first in line on the call-up list.I'd rank the top 5 as:

Askarov - Still our most valuable prospect with the highest ceiling, no other way to cut it
Molendyk - Strong D+1 season, proving he deserved being a 1st rounder
L'Heureux - Marchand-lite? He needs to learn to contain himself a bit, but he's gonna be a pest for years
Kemell - Right behind ZLH. Good season in the AHL at only 20 years old. His stock seems to have slipped a bit, but I still think he's a top 6 forward in a few seasons
Wood - Trending downward...needs a strong D+2 to get back on track

I still maintain the opinion as well that MDG, Stastney, and Ukfo don't have much to offer in terms of NHL contribution. I think they're all NHL depth/bottom pairing guys. Molendyk is the only guy showing real potential IMO, and I expect GMBT to take a defenseman in the first round again

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I really like Arvidsson. His health is a big question though. He missed alot of last season and has missed a decent amount of time every season since 18-19. Taking out last season's 64 missed games, he has averaged about 13 missed games a season since start of 18-19 season.

He would be a good add for the right price if we cant get a reinhart/Guentzel/Stamkos level player through free agency.

I think we should have room to add 2 UFA forwards. Just 2. While preserving room for young players to gain opportunity to play. So while I'm not averse to taking Arvidsson at "the right price", it could only be as a fallback option for me. Because I'd have my sights set on 2 different UFA forwards first.

If it came down to it, and we fail to sign 2 other guys in the first week of free agency, then I'd be ok with Arvidsson at something like $1.5M for 1 year. "Show me" kind of deal only. He might be very good, or he might be injured all year, but I wouldn't risk term on him at this stage anyway. Hopefully for his sake he gets a better offer than that, and isn't still hanging out there available on July 7th anyway!