Speculation: NHL draft - 2014 NHL Draft - Philadelphia - June 27-28, 2014

[Jacob]

I don't care about Ho-Sang's (or any prospect's) perceived attitude or maturity issues. We've been putting an emphasis on character for the past 6 drafts and we don't have much to show for it. It's a lot easier to correct something like that than it is to fix someone's skating or shooting or hockey sense.

 

[Corvidae]

Yea, i'm not moving Scuds, especially with Maata out to start the season. He can easily be moved by the trade deadline though so no problems there. I don't think he'll suck as much under non-Bylsma systems and his value will go up before the deadline.

Plently of options to move, if this team wanted a higher 1st or a high 2nd while keeping #22.

Yeah, no... if you can move Scuderi you move Scuderi to anyone for anything at anytime.

 

[wej20]

I don't care about Ho-Sang's (or any prospect's) perceived attitude or maturity issues. We've been putting an emphasis on character for the past 6 drafts and we don't have much to show for it. It's a lot easier to correct something like that than it is to fix someone's skating or shooting or hockey sense.

it's the hockey sense issue that worries me.

 

[Jacob]

With Ho-Sang? I haven't heard anything about his hockey sense, good or bad. From what I've seen of him it doesn't look like an issue. Mostly I've heard rumblings of a 'tude or immaturity.

 

[CaptainMckenna*]

A guy that covers the ohl did say some things gs about his hockey sense on tsn Winnipeg radio yesterday

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I think there can be a happy medium of character and high upside. I think going too heavily for one or the other is pretty terrible.

While we've seen guys picked on character alone fail, we've also seen guys with all-world talent bust as well.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

If anyone knows about Ho-Sang's puck poise, please let me know here or IM me.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I think there can be a happy medium of character and high upside. I think going too heavily for one or the other is pretty terrible.

While we've seen guys picked on character alone fail, we've also seen guys with all-world talent bust as well.

40% of first round picks 'bust' (in the study I saw they used 200 games or more as a cutoff point for having an NHL career). Three out of four second round picks, 88% of all subsequent picks.

So players gonna fail for all kinds of reasons, and if you want to find examples of any premise it should be easy to find myriad examples.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Are there any Pittsburgh-area forwards or goalies slotted to go in the 1st round? If so, management better pick them or feel the wrath of the masses later.

Of course, we tend to remember the Saads and Gibsons and forget the Leblancs, haha.

 

[UnrealMachine]

Are there any Pittsburgh-area forwards or goalies slotted to go in the 1st round? If so, management better pick them or feel the wrath of the masses later.

Of course, we tend to remember the Saads and Gibsons and forget the Leblancs, haha.

Or maybe they could use their inside position of seeing a prospect develop from day 1 to know that any knocks against a player's drive and work ethic were total ********? I was practicing with the Hornets during Saad's draft year and when I asked the coaches about his alleged 'laziness' they sounded personally offended. Instead, the Pens took the piss with most other teams and have 6 weeks of Brendan Morrow to show for it.

 

[DrDangles]

If we take anybody but a winger with our 1st this year I'm going to be extremely disappointed.

Scherbak or Karlsson, please.

 

[Sideline]

If we take anybody but a winger with our 1st this year I'm going to be extremely disappointed.

Scherbak or Karlsson, please.

I'm not going to judge harshly even if we take a defenceman until the whole off season plays out. If JR trades Scuderi, Letang, and a d prospect or two while letting Orpik walk then it's not crazy to take another defenceman if he's the best player available. If JR doesn't trade anyone and re-signs Orpik and Nisky then yeah torches and pitchforks.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

Or maybe they could use their inside position of seeing a prospect develop from day 1 to know that any knocks against a player's drive and work ethic were total ********? I was practicing with the Hornets during Saad's draft year and when I asked the coaches about his alleged 'laziness' they sounded personally offended. Instead, the Pens took the piss with most other teams and have 6 weeks of Brendan Morrow to show for it.

First off, you don't dedicate more time to a player simply because he's from your town. It tickles me when people talk disparagingly about a family mentality in Pittsburgh and then get up in arms when the team doesn't devote extra attention to a local kid that literally every other team in the league passed on, including the geniuses that eventually picked him...after McNeill, Danault, and Clendening. Pens fans shouldn't be any more miffed about passing on Saad than passing on O'Reilly. His coaches were convinced teams would regret passing on him too, doncha know.

Second, a number of independent observers, including the local Jesse Marshall of Faceoff Factor, commented on how Saad's focus and performance trailed off considerably as his draft year progressed. It's swell that you talked to Saad's totally non-biased coaches and all, but scouts place a premium on what's actually happening on the ice.

 

[Sutter16]

Scherbak is exactly who I want at 22. If he's there and we take him, it sounds like most of us would be thrilled. Now Nisky could get us a second round pick. Tyler freaking Kennedy did. Now, Nisky could fetch us a second, he probably won't. They interview period could change teams dealing for players rights. Can't wait for the draft...

 

[SHOOTANDSCORE]

Would anyone here trade our 1st (22nd overall) to Buffalo for Buffalo's 2nd (31st overall) and Winnipeg's 2nd (39th overall)? That could definitely give us both Lemieux (at 39) and Ho-Sang (at 31).

That would be a good way to make up for lost assets, if there are guys we like still around.

Something to consider, I'm not sure JR is familiar enough with these scouts to jump on a move like that.

 

[Epic Neal Time]

Scherbak is exactly who I want at 22. If he's there and we take him, it sounds like most of us would be thrilled. Now Nisky could get us a second round pick. Tyler freaking Kennedy did. Now, Nisky could fetch us a second, he probably won't. They interview period could change teams dealing for players rights. Can't wait for the draft...

Kennedy was an RFA. Niskanen will be a UFA. Huge difference in value there. Nisky won't fetch more than a late 3rd/4th.

 

[wej20]

Yep, Hamhuis got a 3rd so that's the best case scenario for Nisky.

 

[The Old Master]

Scherbak is exactly who I want at 22. If he's there and we take him, it sounds like most of us would be thrilled. Now Nisky could get us a second round pick. Tyler freaking Kennedy did. Now, Nisky could fetch us a second, he probably won't. They interview period could change teams dealing for players rights. Can't wait for the draft...

me too! but since i have fallen in love with the kid, I've got a bad feeling he won't be there at 22.[remember st. louie with tarasenko] i wish we could move up to around 15 then i would feel a lot better. scherbak should be there, and from what some are saying Virtanen might fall that far. win win

 

[Jaded-Fan]

As I said a while ago, if we were going to bow out in the second round, who advanced worked out perfectly for us, especially draft wise. Given that a couple of teams with better records than us went out in the first round, by our regular season record we should have been picking around 26. But because so many lower seeds advanced to the conference finals we ended up leapfrogging a few teams to end up at 22. And although that seems like little difference, a faller like we had with Maatta last year will usually end up around 22 and someone will step up and draft him, so it could make a pretty big difference.

 

[cygnus47]

I'm curious, wasn't there a rule instated in the CBA that teams could start talking to UFAs a week or two in advance of July 1?

 

[UnrealMachine]

First off, you don't dedicate more time to a player simply because he's from your town. It tickles me when people talk disparagingly about a family mentality in Pittsburgh and then get up in arms when the team doesn't devote extra attention to a local kid that literally every other team in the league passed on, including the geniuses that eventually picked him...after McNeill, Danault, and Clendening. Pens fans shouldn't be any more miffed about passing on Saad than passing on O'Reilly. His coaches were convinced teams would regret passing on him too, doncha know.

You are missing the point completely. This isn't about devoting extra efforts and having tunnel vision on one player. This is about using your available resources to dispel obvious rumors about a projected top-10 pick who played much of his draft season with an injury. Teams should know their local prospects better than any other team. Instead, the Pens scouts and rightfully fired GM were too busy obsessing over defensemen (bonus if they played for Portland/London).

Second, a number of independent observers, including the local Jesse Marshall of Faceoff Factor, commented on how Saad's focus and performance trailed off considerably as his draft year progressed. It's swell that you talked to Saad's totally non-biased coaches and all, but scouts place a premium on what's actually happening on the ice.

So you think the Pens should be hitting the blogosphere more instead of sending their scouts to talk to coaches or watch local games? How hard would it have been to talk to his major junior coaches to ask about his injury and how that affected his draft year performance? And for the record, many coaches will talk to you pretty openly and honestly about a player's strengths/weaknesses when you ask them.

 

[pensfan71]

highly unlikely, but say we make a trade for a very high pick in this draft - who is a better fit, Reinhart to Bennett?

Bennett

He does.

However, there are others who may be there like Sherbak who I like more. Not a shot on Ho-Sang, I will be fine if the draft falls in a way that leaves him as the best available. But it seems likely that the Pens will have better options.

Scherbak is easily the better option.

I wonder if a trade of Letang + 22nd overall + pick/prospect to Edmonton for Eberle + 3rd overall would work from either team.

Both teams address a weakness, and get stronger right now and going forward.

I don't think we add anything to that deal

me too! but since i have fallen in love with the kid, I've got a bad feeling he won't be there at 22.[remember st. louie with tarasenko] i wish we could move up to around 15 then i would feel a lot better. scherbak should be there, and from what some are saying Virtanen might fall that far. win win

I feel like just to smite us, he'll end up getting picked higher

 

[Ogelthorpe]

Does anybody have any thoughts/info about Adrian Kempe from Sweden? From what I've read, he is a great forechecker, very physical style of play, has good hands, and goes hard to the net. He is 6'2 187lbs, and a winger.......kinda sounds like what we need, and a lot of projections have him getting picked early to mid 20s

thoughts or insights please.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Does anybody have any thoughts/info about Adrian Kempe from Sweden? From what I've read, he is a great forechecker, very physical style of play, has good hands, and goes hard to the net. He is 6'2 187lbs, and a winger.......kinda sounds like what we need, and a lot of projections have him getting picked early to mid 20s

thoughts or insights please.

Lists at 6'2" so a big guy. Unfortunately I wonder if he is another case of size overcoming skill in draft rankings. Not that he doesn't have skill, but looking at his highlights he is another that just doesn't wow me. At least not compared to others I see in this range.



He is the youngest player in the draft making the cut by 2 days, so there is that.

 

[Valarukar]

Pretty badass list by a hf user. Has commentary on all 120 prospects he lists.

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1689811