GDT: NHL draft lottery
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riznat
Registered User
Leaning towards him too, interested in Turcotte too. The hip injury worries me but not enough to not pick him if Bryam is gone and he is there.
- May 9, 2014
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Disagree.
We have nothing I’ve seen but speculation with regards to Vilardi’s actual problem(s), apart from a vague comment regarding muscles and discs from Blake. At Vilardi’s age growth spurts and the associated change in gait, weak spots in the back etc (purely as an example) could easily account for it.
It’s a different sport but Steven Gerrard (football for anyone living in a cave) at this age was considered injury prone he was injured every few weeks and lots of people wrote him off. However once his strength caught up with his gangly body it was a very different story.
Given I’m not aware of any major surgical interventions and that they seem to be at least planning on him being in camp I’m not prepared to write him off. They are clearly handling the situation carefully and that’s correct. They must not take chances and the state of the Kings last season gave them no reason to do so.
Obviously we cannot count him in, but let’s not write bin him just yet either.
I feel for the kid though, it must be absolutely devastating getting so close to you dreams and having these problems. He’s young and may well have a great future, but it’s not going to feel like that for him at the moment. Not one little bit.
BigKing
Blake Out of Hell III: Back in to Hell
He has missed way more time than he has played going all the way back to his draft year. The kid misses full-seasons worth of time, not just a week or two here and there.
They pretty much sound like they don't know what it is. Could just be a degenerative condition.
I was 100% positive that is why he dropped in the draft. I wish I was wrong but it is pretty obvious when you watch him play how there is no way he should have been there at 11.
You can't write him off completely, but it is prudent to forecast a future without him. He has played a total of 147 games the past four years, including a grand total of four this past season. This doesn't even include the fact that he has spent summers not skating either.
I'll be completely shocked if he is ready for training camp.
No Name The Nameless
Registered User
I believe that the lottery should be top 5. Everyone else stays where their record slots them. This prevents complete tanking while not diminishing the opportunity at league parity.
There is no reason to over complicate it.
There is no reason to over complicate it.
riznat
Registered User
That's the thing though, he will be and will look good right up until preseason game 1 when he is out for an upper body injury, week to week
BigKing
Blake Out of Hell III: Back in to Hell
RocketKing
Registered User
- Jul 2, 2017
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Agreed - if Pod is still there and you have him with Dach, Cozens, and Turcotte you have to take the best player. If its Pod then you take him. If for whatever reason Byram and Pod are still both there then I guess it gets harder.
The way I would list these guys from what little I've read:
Byram
Pod
Cozens
Dach
Turcotte
Basilisk
Registered User
- Aug 5, 2012
- 1,925
- 375
Upon absolutely nothing. Fact he he leaves out the highest potential player of all the names he listed says all you need to know.
Mats26
Vet Movement - What's the Maatta?
- Sep 16, 2005
- 3,865
- 3,799
If there was ever a year to get f***ed over by the draft, this was it. Seems deep.
We are getting 3rd pick from one of these guys.
Byram
Pod
Cozens
Dach
Turcotte
Zegras
Personally I don't care who we pick as long as he develops and plays to his potential. Hoping for a player to drop to us is another setup for disappointment.
We need to get some steals on the next 2 picks to salvage this lottery disaster.
We are getting 3rd pick from one of these guys.
Byram
Pod
Cozens
Dach
Turcotte
Zegras
Personally I don't care who we pick as long as he develops and plays to his potential. Hoping for a player to drop to us is another setup for disappointment.
We need to get some steals on the next 2 picks to salvage this lottery disaster.
Basilisk
Registered User
- Aug 5, 2012
- 1,925
- 375
Here's my thinking....
1) Because Turcotte and Zegras aren't either 6'4" or 6'3", those guys are out.
2) Because Byram is a defenseman and we need goal scoring (And Kopi is 31 and Carter is 34), Byram is out.
3) Because Pod has the potential to turn into a Prokhorkin situation, Pod is out.
.....that leaves Cozens and Dach, and I do not believe both of those guys will be there @ #5, only one of them......if that!!!
SlimCharles
Kings & Sabres
Nodoughtyboutit
Registered User
- May 14, 2010
- 246
- 137
My thoughts too. Most likely whoever we draft won't play on the big club next year anyways and most people have Pod at #3 or #4 based on play but have him falling due to the "Russian factor". So if hes the bpa I say take him.
Jason Squirties
Registered User
- Apr 15, 2014
- 1,338
- 1,043
As far as the Russian thing goes, you have to expect that teams will be in contact with him leading up to the draft to get a better idea of where his heads at. You can't just pin everything on that one or couple conversations he's said in the press.
Reaper45
Registered User
Theres more than just the Porkhorkin problem of will he ever come over. There's the problem that Shafigullin and Dergachyov have of hardly playing. Would do wonders for both to come over but again will it ever happen? I think the ship has sailed for Big D. For every Voynov and Frolov willing to come over there's double the amount of Russians who dont.
Glad no one here was our GM when we took Kopitar. Slovenian we can't draft him the guy works out by carrying rocks back and forth (credit to who remembers and gets that reference). If Podkolzin drops to 5 we will be chewing out Blake in a few years if we don't take that risk. Also where is the risk when the player numerous times stated his dream is playing in the NHL, he can't wait to play, etc. I think it is good he said he would honor his contract as shows commitment and signs of a honorable individual.
Peter James Bond II
"Man, we were right there" - De-Luc-sional
- Mar 5, 2015
- 3,682
- 5,520
But Byram improves your offense. He's only 17 and does not turn 18 until June. I think he's the youngest of all the top 10 players.
He will end up being about 6'3" 210 and possibly an All Star defenseman.
He's great on the PP and a future PP QB. If he falls to 5, I think you cannot pass.
Cozens and Dach may end up being 40-50 pt players...maybe, maybe not.
I think Byram has a higher floor and ceiling than anyone not named Hughes, Kakko or Podkolzin.
BigKing
Blake Out of Hell III: Back in to Hell
From just the tape and little bit I've read, Pod and Byram look fantastic.
Pod is more exciting but Byram just looks like a set-and-forget Top 3 at worst defenseman for a long time. Has the great skating you want nowadays and can generate offense from the blueline.
He seems safer than Pod. Have to think the potential Vilardi whiff will be in Blake's mind. If they are probably going to suck hard again next season, maybe you go safe and swing next year or are fortunate to not get f***ed by the lottery and are in a position to nab a no-doubter.
Pod is more exciting but Byram just looks like a set-and-forget Top 3 at worst defenseman for a long time. Has the great skating you want nowadays and can generate offense from the blueline.
He seems safer than Pod. Have to think the potential Vilardi whiff will be in Blake's mind. If they are probably going to suck hard again next season, maybe you go safe and swing next year or are fortunate to not get f***ed by the lottery and are in a position to nab a no-doubter.
SlimCharles
Kings & Sabres
I would love to have Byram almost as much as Podkolzin. I really feel like it will go: Hughes, Kakko, Turcotte, Byram, which leaves us Pod as the best pick IMO. Turcotte to Chicago because of that jr. connection, plus Byram feels like a good fit for the Avalanche since they seem to have a nice forward core and could definitely improve their defense. The Kings have many needs, but I really feel like we need to take a chance on a guy who could potentially be a 30-40 goal scorer, which is what Podkolzin looks to be. The Kings need elite offensive talent badly.
The problem with that is that we don't know what to do with it. Just look at Kovalchuk's usage. We haven't had much luck with Russians.
Raccoon Jesus
We were right there
Nope, disagree. Apples and oranges.
Kopitar's 'foreign factor' was playing in a nontraditional country and different development path and unsure how he'd fare/translate his game to north america, not whether he'd come or get paid more to stay home.
People keep trying to downplay it but it's not just LA, the entire Pacific division has a huge problem getting and keeping Russian players, it's not some unicorn, blanket horse shit argument, so the dismissive attitudes are frankly a little insulting given the ample amounts of evidence. You can feel the other way, that he's worth the risk and/or he's not a risk like some others, but you can't just pretend that the Russian Factor isn't a thing for this organization.
Oh do please provide the ample amount of evidence that Podkolzin doesn't plan, want to, is all about money, etc. I'll wait. Only insulting thing is to insinuate Podkolzin won't come over yet alone grouping everyone from one country together. Let me guess too all Muslims are terrorist risks too right? Even more insulting to have a loosely translated line from SEP and out of context used as the argument against Podkolzin coming over. You tell me, which is more insulting... Saying anyone from one of the largest countries in the world automatically is a risk yet alone one who can't have more times said it is his dream to come here, can't wait, etc... or blanket horse shit argument and comments generalizing entire populations?
I'll await my infraction again for having an opinion that differs with your own lol. I won't be replying to further responses, but go ahead and get your last word back in =)
Choralone
Registered User
If the SHL paid like the KHL, we'd be worried the same way about Swedish Players. Hell, even when they didn't I remember Kyosti Karjalainen leaving the Kings to play for less in Sweden. But the KHL DOES pay a bundle. And Pacific teams are located much farther away from Russia than Atlantic and Metropolitan teams (unless the player is from a Siberian city, I guess), which has an impact on young players and their families. There is some objective risk, and the Kings can't afford any additional risk in this draft unless the player is phenomenal.
King'sPawn
Enjoy the chaos
- Jul 1, 2003
- 23,193
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I do have a concern with the Kings taking a Russian simply for the uncertainty of him wanting to come to play in the NHL. This isn't a nationality bias. If the best player in the world was in Sweden, Finland, Great Britain, or Japan, I would have reservations drafting him if he seemed not to be interested in playing in North America.
Now even if Podkolzin said "I want to play in the NHL, but I want to stay in Russia for 3 years, etc" I would rank him 3rd after Kakko and be happy if the Kings got him, even over Turcotte.
He's talented and driven.
