Prospect Info: New Jersey Devils Draft Simon Nemec, 2nd Overall

[StevenToddIves]

Who cares? Fitz has zero track record for going against the grain and coming away with the better player. Zero. He could feel that Maveric Lameuroux was the best player in the draft for all I care. Means nothing.

At this point I'd rather have Byron Bader running the drafts. Funny enough, he probably would have made the same pick at #2.



Nah, I'm just too tired of this. I have no faith that he's not going to go off the board at #37 because at this point it's his MO. He'll probably pick a goalie or something.

Can you imagine if Shero was here? We probably walk away with Wright and Chesley. Maybe he moves back into the first round somehow and we come away with Wright and Yurov.

Fitz is not the right man for the job. He's done irreparable damage to the rebuild. I don't think I can get too invested in the team any more until he's gone. Hopefully it will be soon after Wright shows him to be an absolute clown.

Ironically -- and extremely strangely -- two of the best players to unexpectedly fall out of Round One were RDs: Ryan Chesley and Tristan Luneau. Adding in Noah Warren, there are 3 terrific RDs still floating out there with probably about a 100% chance of one of them falling to pick #37.

If Bader picked #2, he likely would have drafted Nemec and then told everyone that, although none of them had probably heard of this Nemec guy until The Great All-Knowing Bader introduced him to the hockey world, there's no need to worry because rest assured that everything The Great All-Knowing Bader does is 100% perfect. In the end, I'd still rather have Fitzgerald calling the shots.

I understand your fire and passion here, but I'm going to hold off on being eaten up by my own concerns until the 2022 draft is complete. But again, if the Devils pass up on Chesley or Beck at #37 for an over-aged LD playing in Swedish J20, then all bets are off.

 

[Unknown Caller]

The morning after and still mystified.

The Devils ability to disappoint has no limits.

How do they have a shot at Shane Wright and leave him on the board?

Did the Hughes family veto the pick?

Wright is the only guy I would have taken over Nemec, and I’m still very happy with the pick. The funny part is that a lot of fans would have been thrilled with Slafkovsky at 2, and for me that would have been the worst possible outcome (out of Wright, Nemec, Slafkovsky, Cooley and Jiricek).

Would I have passed up Wright? Probably not. But Nemec was always my pick at 2 assuming Wright went 1, so it’s hard to be upset. Nemec probably has the higher upside of the two as well. Either way, I’m happy we’re not the team that gambled on Slafkovsky with such an important pick.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

Now we’re at the stage where we’re hating on the pick for going for need and slamming the lack of foresight where this pick could have been avoided if we…picked for need in previous drafts.

lol.

That’s not even circular logic, it’s just nonsensical.

 

[NJDevs26]

He compounded his mistakes of taking Hughes x 2, Holtz and Mercer?

You're argument asking Nemec is that they reached on Mukh and Stillman?

Shero sucked at first round picks and was good at late round picks. Looks like Fitz is the opposite so far?

Zacha Mcleod and Smith

Fitz has done this before…going for need over BPA with ‘first’ round picks

2020 - Holtz was the best scorer and Muk was the best big defenseman available but BPA, not really

2021 - Stillman was the best power forward available, again a reach as BPA

2022 - Nemec was the best RD available, Fitz pretty much admitted that’s why he was drafted.

Once is an accident, four times is an issue

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Why would anyone expect a kid putting up historically good offensive numbers in a men’s league to also have excellent defense? If he did, he probably isn’t available to take at 2 because that’s a ridiculous prospect. He skates well and is great in transition — the two most important parts of being a modern defenseman.

 

[TheSituation]

Fitz has done this before…going for need over BPA with ‘first’ round picks

2020 - Holtz was the best scorer and Muk was the best big defenseman available but BPA, not really

2021 - Stillman was the best power forward available, again a reach as BPA

2022 - Nemec was the best RD available, Fitz pretty much admitted that’s why he was drafted.

Once is an accident, four times is an issue

I mean i'd agree if AZ took him, but a sliding to 1OA to 4 raises eyebrows.

 

[MartyOwns]

Fitz has done this before…going for need over BPA with ‘first’ round picks

2020 - Holtz was the best scorer and Muk was the best big defenseman available but BPA, not really

2021 - Stillman was the best power forward available, again a reach as BPA

2022 - Nemec was the best RD available, Fitz pretty much admitted that’s why he was drafted.

Once is an accident, four times is an issue

yeah it’s an issue that gives us one of the best prospect pools in the whole league. sign me up for some more of those issues, please

 

[NJDevs26]

yeah it’s an issue that gives us one of the best prospect pools in the whole league. sign me up for some more of those issues, please

LOL lottery balls and losing gifted us ‘one of the best prospect pools in the league’, if you want more losing and lottery watching vaya con dios but I’m sick of it and now I can’t even get excited about drafts knowing Fitz will probably fubar it anyway.

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

Fitz has done this before…going for need over BPA with ‘first’ round picks

2020 - Holtz was the best scorer and Muk was the best big defenseman available but BPA, not really

2021 - Stillman was the best power forward available, again a reach as BPA

2022 - Nemec was the best RD available, Fitz pretty much admitted that’s why he was drafted.

Once is an accident, four times is an issue

You're inventing things in your own head

 

[MartyOwns]

LOL lottery balls and losing gifted us ‘one of the best prospect pools in the league’, if you want more losing and lottery watching vaya con dios but I’m sick of it and now I can’t even get excited about drafts knowing Fitz will probably fubar it anyway.

if you have a better way of getting one of the best prospect pools in hockey, we’d all love to hear it

 

[Saint Beaurivage]

Some may not like this post.

As for the draft, I feel we pissed away a #2 spot for "a need" when the team is lacking overall talent? The Shayne Wright pick for #2 was our leverage for a trade. I can't imagine other teams were not interested in Wright. The allure of Shayne Wright was a ticket to deal.

The draft selection wasn't very good this year, however Fitzpatrick is still a young GM and he is lucky to have on the job training. A young GM and an old cupless coach that should have been fired already is where we are. I blame the cloud 9 owners for this.

#2 picks do not grow on trees and hopefully we do not see one again for a long time. I feel Nemec will be a NHL defenseman, but at #2 they need to stand out with power, size and grit.

 

[TheSituation]

Fitz has done this before…going for need over BPA with ‘first’ round picks

2020 - Holtz was the best scorer and Muk was the best big defenseman available but BPA, not really

2021 - Stillman was the best power forward available, again a reach as BPA

2022 - Nemec was the best RD available, Fitz pretty much admitted that’s why he was drafted.

Once is an accident, four times is an issue

And the jury is still out on all of them. Unless you're expecting every top 10 pick to play like Matthews and Makar, I don't even know what the argument is.

The oldest kid in that list put up a PPG season in the AHL at 20 f***ing years old.

 

[hidek91]

I think we all need to breathe a little. You can be both disappointed about Slaf and happy the Devils got the best ranked D in the draft.

When you have #2, getting 'the best ranked D in the draft' isn't enough, if you don't get a star player here (which Nemec may very well become, who knows) you failed.

Lets be honest with ourselves do you pay Nico 7+ to be a 3C? Should they use the #2 pick on a 3C?

Given that most of the teams in the league need centers, you can get fantastic value by trading away a young center (vide Dubois, Johansen trades). And also if Nico is playing 3C, it means that Wright pick worked out, which would probably mean it was a right choice. Yes, if you believe that Wright > Nico, you pick Shane here and sort things out via trades, it's that simple.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Why would anyone expect a kid putting up historically good offensive numbers in a men’s league to also have excellent defense? If he did, he probably isn’t available to take at 2 because that’s a ridiculous prospect. He skates well and is great in transition — the two most important parts of being a modern defenseman.

Here’s the thing. He does have very good defense (albeit not yet elite) and he is a ridiculous prospect. He’s just more of a cerebral/passive defender, so he doesn’t jump off the page defensively like a 6’4” defenseman who’s a physical shutdown guy.

 

[Torts]

At the end of the day we got the best dman in the draft. Can't be too disappointed with that.

I personally wanted Slaf but he wasn't on the board.

 

[AfroThunder396]

It's just astonishing that people look at someone having a difference of opinion and automatically assume the other person is a stupid f***ing worthless incompetent idiot.

Like, is it really that hard to believe that some people think Simon Nemec is a good hockey player? No? A guy has been playing in a professional men's league since he was 15, that's not impressive? He helped carry an irrelevant hockey country to it's first international success in decades? Was a point per game in the playoffs as a teenage defenseman? Broke a statistical model in ways no player has ever done? None of this sounds like a good player?

Nope, Margarita Man gave him a number and that's the number he has forever, and since we gave him a different number he therefore sucks and the franchise is doomed. We definitely would have been better taking the kid who didn't play last year and finished 8th in scoring in his league this year and put him on our 3rd line.

This is unbearable. A bunch of toddlers throwing tantrums because we didn't pick a player that other teams also didn't pick, and then having to come up with these Bond villain conspiracies explaining why without ever considering that the professional scouts might have a little more data than you do.

 

[hidek91]

Now we’re at the stage where we’re hating on the pick for going for need and slamming the lack of foresight where this pick could have been avoided if we…picked for need in previous drafts.

lol.

That’s not even circular logic, it’s just nonsensical.

How is that the case?

You may go for a need later in the draft, in the top 10 you always go for BPA because if you pick five LHD who are two-way and all are 6'0 but at the same time they turn into stars/franchise players you can trade them away for your need (and at this point you're no longer speculating about the development of 18 years olds).

The only way I can get behind drafting for a need in top 10 if the need is to get a franchise player.

 

[Unknown Caller]

Given that most of the teams in the league need centers, you can get fantastic value by trading away a young center (vide Dubois, Johansen trades). And also if Nico is playing 3C, it means that Wright pick worked out, which would probably mean it was a right choice. Yes, if you believe that Wright > Nico, you pick Shane here and sort things out via trades, it's that simple.

I don’t entirely agree with the premise that you could just trade Wright for equivalent value down the road. Look at what a lot of these highly regarded young players have been bringing back in trades. The returns have been pretty underwhelming and there’s no guarantee you’re getting equal value back.

On top of it, young elite RD are just impossible to acquire. This is why I don’t think Fitz was drafting for need per se, but just drafting for a specific type of player. He knows the only way to get an elite first pairing RD on a reasonable contract is to draft them.

 

[MartyOwns]

it’s just funny how so many people bitched that shero never addressed the defense, then 2 years in a row fitz nabs the best defenseman in the draft and you’re still bitching.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

Here’s the thing. He does have very good defense (albeit not yet elite) and he is a ridiculous prospect. He’s just more of a cerebral/passive defender, so he doesn’t jump off the page defensively like a 6’4” defenseman who’s a physical shutdown guy.

Not to play the “against men” card but I do think that is an important factor too. He doesn’t have to make the leap of playing against teenagers to grown men. As a cerebral player I’m sure he has a good idea of what works, what doesn’t, where he needs to get better.

 

[Unknown Caller]

How is that the case?

You may go for a need later in the draft, in the top 10 you always go for BPA because if you pick five LHD who are two-way and all are 6'0 but at the same time they turn into stars/franchise players you can trade them away for your need (and at this point you're no longer speculating about the development of 18 years olds).

The only way I can get behind drafting for a need in top 10 if the need is to get a franchise player.

As I posted above, they didn’t draft for organizational need and people are taking Fitz’s comments out of context. They drafted an elite prospect who plays a premium position that you can basically only get through the draft. That’s not the same as drafting for need. It just so happens that the Devils had an organizational need that meshed with a great prospect at a premium position.

 

[Clam Jensen]

it’s just funny how so many people bitched that shero never addressed the defense, then 2 years in a row fitz nabs the best defenseman in the draft and you’re still bitching.

Some people just don’t want to be happy.

 

[devilsfan35]

Let’s just hope that the Adam fox comparison pans out

 

[BurntToast]

This board is a mess. Multiple sources said they were happy to not win the draft lottery this year (it could be smoke), but many felt underwhelm with the top of this draft.

Its crazy but we have some sources saying teams had Nemec 1-3. You have media grades are coming in mostly positive.

Lets say he is #5 on @StevenToddIves board, he was picked at #2!! You guys are crying like they pulled a second rounder.

McTavish was ranked 5-10 last year and went 3.

We all need to do better, being more subjective. You guys fall in love with people and it’s like you got dumped by your partners.

In regards to Wright there we enough concerns, that he dropped. Maybe all the scouts are fooling themselves.

 

[Lou is God]

I thought after a night sleeping on this pick many would be in a better mood, not so it looks like.

Prediction - 3-5 years down the road, no one will be bitching about this pick.