GDT: NHL Entry Draft 2018: The Attitude Era Begins @ 7PM ET June 22, 2018

[Shabutie]

You are the one that brought up the rankings... Now your arguing it's a bad argument?

You questioned a poster saying that Kotkaniemi isn't a unanimous top 10 pick. I provided you with (the best available) proof that he isn't.

I wasn't making an argument for/against anything. I personally don't know enough about any of the top 10 prospects to be disappointed in anyone we pick; however, I trust professional (not only NHL) scouts who've watched over 3000 games combined to come up with lists over message board scouts and highlight reviewers.

 

[Laurentide]

No need to debate who to take between Zadina or Kotkaniemi. Pick Noah Dobson and your building surely in defense.

Idk what’s the hype on all the forwards but Dobson is for me the best prospect after Dahlin and Svechnikov. Remove your beer goggles and realize how Dobson is the BPA who most potential amongst the remaining top prospects. The day this kid fills out his frame and continue developing, he will become so dominant in this league. If you don’t pick him, you will regret this. He’s a Seth Jones/Pietrangelo hybrid type of player. You pick that 3rd overall. Period.

Id rather wait next year to pick an elite #1C.

I'd sooner take Dobson over Zadina than Kotkaniemi over Zadina.

 

[Shabutie]

Take this from a different perspective. While there seems to be a great disparity among scouts about where Kotkaniemi slots in (anywhere from 3rd to 13th, or so it seems) where do all of these sources have Zadina going? Are opinions about him and where he ranks as varied as those involving Kotkaniemi? I haven't checked but I'd be willing to bet that not one of them has Zadina ranked as low as they have Kotkaniemi. On most lists I've seen, Zadina is solidly entrenched at #3 and wherever he isn't ranked that high, he's only a couple of spots lower. I have yet to see any ranking where Zadina is ranked at 10th or lower but more than a couple have Kotkaniemi down there.

As far as I know, the lowest Zadina is ranked is 4th.

 

[Saxon]

You questioned a poster saying that Kotkaniemi isn't a unanimous top 10 pick. I provided you with (the best available) proof that he isn't.

I wasn't making an argument for/against anything. I personally don't know enough about any of the top 10 prospects to be disappointed in anyone we pick; however, I trust professional (not only NHL) scouts who've watched over 3000 games combined to come up with lists over message board scouts and highlight reviewers.

Allot of the publications release their rankings before all the hockey is played, somes don't have the resources to properly Scout outside of North America. But NHL teams do and a concensus of ten of them have him at five.

 

[Saxon]

Allot of the publications release their rankings before all the hockey is played, somes don't have the resources to properly Scout outside of North America. But NHL teams do and a concensus of ten of them have him at five.

Not to mention they all said that the players from three to nine are all pretty much equal

 

[Laurentide]

As far as I know, the lowest Zadina is ranked is 4th.

Exactly. That's why I'm not buying the narrative that Kotkaniemi is as good or better than Zadina. He's just the flavor of the moment. I'm sure he will become an NHL center someday. But I'm not sold on him becoming a #1 go-to guy. Zadina will be a first line winger.

 

[Uncle Gary]

Let's hope we actually make a selection with the 3rd overall and don't trade it for ROR.

 

[cphabs]

​

He's a genius. I would work for him as a windshield cleaner. Putin too

 

[sandviper]

Happy:
Boqvist
Wahlstrom

Ok with:
Kotkaniemi
Zadina
Hughes

Meh:
Dobson
Tkachuk

I put Kotkaniemi in my OP mostly because I’ve resigned to the fact we aren’t drafting Boqvist or Wahlstrom.

 

[NotProkofievian]

As far as I know, the lowest Zadina is ranked is 4th.

One of the scouts polled by Bob had him 9th. 80% chance that scout is running his NHL team's draft, too. 5 of the 10 polled had him out of the top 5. Meaning at least 3 NHL teams have Zadina out of their top 5 on their draft board.

 

[Habaneros]

I'd sooner take Dobson over Zadina than Kotkaniemi over Zadina.

did they even meet Dobson..dinner??lol

Zadina met 3 times he said

 

[Habaneros]

One of the scouts polled by Bob had him 9th. 80% chance that scout is running his NHL team's draft, too. 5 of the 10 polled had him out of the top 5. Meaning at least 3 NHL teams have Zadina out of their top 5 on their draft board.

are those teams picking in the top 5????

 

[Habaneros]

Let's hope we actually make a selection with the 3rd overall and don't trade it for ROR.

Picking Kota at 3rd is like trading for Ryan Ohreally....both not legit number 1 centers in NHL
Maybe #1's in Montreal ?YES...but heck we play wingers at center here ,so bar is lower....just like we played dfensemen as forwards with Jacques Martin....this club has been trying to square peg into round holes for way to long

 

[Shabutie]

One of the scouts polled by Bob had him 9th. 80% chance that scout is running his NHL team's draft, too. 5 of the 10 polled had him out of the top 5. Meaning at least 3 NHL teams have Zadina out of their top 5 on their draft board.

Yup - I was specifically talking about the publications.

As Bob mentionned in his article:

Scouts tend to be positionally biased. Centres and defencemen, generally speaking, tend to be more highly valued than wingers.

If we want to get into the nitty and gritty stuff of Bob's list, 9 out of the 10 scouts had Brady in the top 5. So if we want to rely on NHL scouts only, he should be our pick.

 

[Treb]

Picking Kota at 3rd is like trading for Ryan Ohreally....both not legit number 1 centers in NHL

And Zadina could be a Yakupov/Filatov/Dal Colle/Virtanen/Connolly....

You act like Zadina is a surefire 40-50 goalscorer...

 

[Le Barron de HF]

Picking Kota at 3rd is like trading for Ryan Ohreally....both not legit number 1 centers in NHL
Maybe #1's in Montreal ?YES...but heck we play wingers at center here ,so bar is lower....just like we played dfensemen as forwards with Jacques Martin....this club has been trying to square peg into round holes for way to long

Nice crystal ball you got there.

 

[NotProkofievian]

are those teams picking in the top 5????

No idea.

Yup - I was specifically talking about the publications.

As Bob mentionned in his article:

If we want to get into the nitty and gritty stuff of Bob's list, 9 out of the 10 scouts had Brady in the top 5. So if we want to rely on NHL scouts only, he should be our pick.

I don't want to rely on NHL scouts only. I'm just saying that there are rankings of which you should be aware that don't have Zadina in the top 5. So no, the lowest that Zadina is ranked is not 4th.

 

[Habaneros]

And Zadina could be a Yakupov/Filatov/Dal Colle/Virtanen/Connolly....

You act like Zadina is a surefire 40-50 goalscorer...

he is a sure fire NHL'er........

 

[Laurentide]

And Zadina could be a Yakupov/Filatov/Dal Colle/Virtanen/Connolly....

You act like Zadina is a surefire 40-50 goalscorer...

He could be a bust, like anyone else, but chances are better that he will score 40. The chances of Kotkaniemi being a bust are higher than Zadina's.

 

[TheBuriedHab]

I'm surprised a fan base that hasn't had a number one center since Koivu are trying to rationalize not taking the best Center in the draft.

 

[Treb]

he is a sure fire NHL'er.....

Nail Yakupov was also seen as a sure fire NHLer.

 

[Habaneros]

Nail Yakupov was also seen as a sure fire NHLer.

Zadina isnt first overall in a weak draft

 

[Andrei79]

If Montreal had the #2 pick instead of #3 would they still pick the center or draft the best player.

The real question is: what's your point here ?

Svechnikov has clearly separated himself from the rest of the pack. He's a potential franchise level winger with an incredible goal scoring pace in the OHL. Hes likely closer to Dahlin than he is to pick no.3.

Picks 3 to 11 are all fairly close, that's what people are arguing, and have been arguing for weeks now, there's no clear BPA.

 

[Treb]

He could be a bust, like anyone else, but chances are better that he will score 40. The chances of Kotkaniemi being a bust are higher than Zadina's.

How so?

Zadina isnt first overall in a weak draft

And? What's your point? Everyone was viewing him has a sure fire NHL player even if it was a weak draft.

 

[Andrei79]

He could be a bust, like anyone else, but chances are better that he will score 40. The chances of Kotkaniemi being a bust are higher than Zadina's.

How so ? Players who've produced Kotkaniemi level numbers at his age in Liiga havent busted, at all.

Do you know how many wingers have scored 40 goals since the last lockout ? And how many of them werent 1st or 2nd OA picks ?