Silayev, Lindstrom, Catton, Iginla, Parekh, Eiserman

[River Meadow]

This is a refreshing take.

We all kind of know this is inevitable, but sometimes it's nice to hope and pretend..

I see no reason why the Habs don’t trade 5+26 to Anaheim for 3. If they’re picking Silayev, Columbus won’t take him and they get another first rounder for free essentially. It makes too much sense for both teams.

WTF

Move up to 3 to draft WHO?

Who is so much better at 3 than 5 that it's worth a #26 pick???????????

 

[BergevinBurner]

WTF

Move up to 3 to draft WHO?

Who is so much better at 3 than 5 that it's worth a #26 pick???????????

I'd do that trade in a heartbeat if Demidov is there at 3. I don't think his ceiling is that much higher than the rest of the pack, but I think he has the highest chance of hitting his ceiling by a considerable margin.

 

[River Meadow]

I'd do that trade in a heartbeat if Demidov is there at 3. I don't think his ceiling is that much higher than the rest of the pack, but I think he has the highest chance of hitting his ceiling by a considerable margin.

If Chicago takes Demidov at 2, that means you're not doing that trade, right?

Unrelated:



This will be funny if Habs do take Sennecke at 5....

 

[Omar]

We all kind of know this is inevitable, but sometimes it's nice to hope and pretend..



WTF

Move up to 3 to draft WHO?

Who is so much better at 3 than 5 that it's worth a #26 pick???????????

Umm Demidov? Considering Lindstrom’s injury it’s a no brainer. Get the best forward available

 

[BergevinBurner]

If Chicago takes Demidov at 2, that means you're not doing that trade, right?

Correct. If Lindstrom/Sennecke/Iginla have perfect development and hit their maximum potential I think they can be just as effective as Demidov, I just feel much more confident that Demidov will hit his potential.

 

[Player 61]

I change my Mind if Ignila is takan before 5? Take Senneke.

 

[River Meadow]

Correct. If Lindstrom/Sennecke/Iginla have perfect development and hit their maximum potential I think they can be just as effective as Demidov, I just feel much more confident that Demidov will hit his potential.

Demidov is a bit scary....

Those Russians can just up and leave EZ if they don't like stuff.

 

[Rapala]

It's funny we don't see anyone putting together videos of the kids bad plays as if there is nothing to choose from.

 

[The Last Red]

Demidov is a bit scary....

Those Russians can just up and leave EZ if they don't like stuff.

But few do.

 

[themilosh]

But few do.

The other issue with Russian prospects, though rarely talked about... is that there is still a concern with outside "forces". The MHL-KHL has some pretty sketch business practices, maybe not on SKA but you always have to wonder what motivations are at play..

 

[Team_Spirit]

All the Iggy noise has died since the combine, tbh.

Opsec, he's ours.

NHLers hams right there.

 

[Kents polished head]

And they could potentially create a bidding war between us and Columbus.

If that happened we would have the best cards in terms of draft picks.

 

[Habssince89]

All the Iggy noise has died since the combine, tbh.

I think he's just going to be like Suzuki, kinda quiet but suddenly everyone is aware of his talent level

 

[themilosh]

I think he's just going to be like Suzuki, kinda quiet but suddenly everyone is aware of his talent level

I tend to agree with the suzuki comparison, but 2 years ahead at D+0. While we have no "super star" forward, id be pretty happy with 2 Suzukis in the top 6.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

All the Iggy noise has died since the combine, tbh.

I saw Iggy at 3 on some list.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

I tend to agree with the suzuki comparison, but 2 years ahead at D+0. While we have no "super star" forward, id be pretty happy with 2 Suzukis in the top 6.

I can see a line with Dach-Iggy-Roy. That leaves Slaf with CC and Su. Iggy will be that kind of winger not affraid to go in corners and so useful for a line. He will be what NY Rangers almost never had. They always had talented wingers who never got their nose in dirty corners, they were waiting for the pass yu know.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I saw Iggy at 3 on some list.

There's plenty of lists but I'm talking people in and around the game/scouting community.

 

[Catanddogguitarrr]

There's plenty of lists but I'm talking people in and around the game/scouting community.

All lists have been very wrong from time to time.

 

[WeThreeKings]

All lists have been very wrong from time to time.

OK.

 

[ChesterNimitz]

We all kind of know this is inevitable, but sometimes it's nice to hope and pretend..



WTF
Move up to 3 to draft WHO?

Who is so much better at 3 than 5 that it's worth a #26 pick???????????

With the talent available in the top 10 to 12 of this draft being somewhat equal, I would put my efforts (and excess assets) in upgrading that includes the 26 OA pick. Make no mistake, there is considerable value in just retaining and using that pick in this excellent draft class. But if a player you feel strongly about ‘falls’ into the early to mid-teens, I think it behooves Hughes to become pro-active, if not aggressive, in moving up in the draft ( built around a package includes the 26 OA pick) to be in a position to draft that player. I never like the passivity of some general managers who like to wait and see if the draft will come to them.

Imagine a draft where at 5 OA we take a Iginla, Buium, Sennecke or Lindstrom plus taking a 'fallen" player like Yakemchuck, Helenius or Eiserman. But you don't overreach. If the player you want isn't there or the cost is too high, just use that pick to select a number of excellent players who should ( will) be available at 26 OA in this very deep draft.

 

[samsagat]

Gainey had his shortcomings, of course, but nothing is all black or white.

Gainey +/- inherited "Peanut" Houle fiasco.

There was Andre Savard in between, who did a great job at clearing away the dead/rotten wood.

But under Gainey, MTL stopped patching and the organization went all in on drafting and developing.

He took a team that was more or less scorched earth and built it from there.

Markov, Ryder, Ribeiro, Theodore, Komisarek, Higgins, Plekanec were young players, drafted by the previous managements, that spread their wings under Gainey's tenure.

Gainey was a master at not giving his coaches older "has been/wanna be that never gonna be" players, that most of Habs conservative coaches would have naturally preferred to fill up their roster, over young guys.

He was constantly leaving holes in his rosters, so Mtl prospects had opportunities.

Furthermore, they drafted and developed Price, Subban, Pacioretty, Halak, Streit, the Kostsytsyns, Latendresse, Lapierre, Emelin, Grabovsky, etc..

It wasn't perfect, but at least under him the Habs had a vision/plan and they were sticking to it, with relative success.

To evaluate his tenure in a rational manner, we have to consider where he took the team and where he got it in the end.
All this without picking high apart from A Kost at 10 and Price at 5.

We can say whatever we want, but the team MB inherited, maybe it missed the playoff the year prior (2011-2012), but they had a young and strong nucleus. A lot stronger than the mess MB left behind.

I'm not trying to tell you that Gainey was a hockey management genius. But surely he was above some GMs we've had since Serge Savard.

He had excellent leadership and he was methodical. I'd say those were his two best attributes.

 

[CrAzYNiNe]

I'm f***ing lost. Mega games played by the GMs and I love it!

 

[BeliveauFan4ever]

No actually Buium is bad news, we've decided. In fact, that will be his nickname on our team. "Bad news" Buium.

I’ll need copious amounts of Copium if Habs take Buium.

 

[Habs]

If Chicago takes Demidov at 2, that means you're not doing that trade, right?

Unrelated:



This will be funny if Habs do take Sennecke at 5....

Yeah but who trusts that moustached soy boy's scouting? I wouldn't buy something from him off of facebook marketplace, nevermind take his scouting advice.

 

[samsagat]

- Gold at WJC U18 2023.

- Gold at WJC U20 2024, being USA best defenseman at barely 18.

- Winning NCAA Frozen four with Denver, being their best defenseman (played around 30 min in both SF and F, against 2 NCAA offensive powerhouse. He was a defensive wall), at 18.

- Established a new pts record for a draft year defenseman in the NCAA.

Buium is no fluke.

And if you watched him play, he's more or less a 2" taller/20 pds more Hutson, in terms of style.
He's as unpredictable and smart offensively, while not having the skating (backward and pivots), defensive and size flaws.

Furthermore, he was listed at around 5'10" last year and he's now 6'. His brother is 6'4" (drafted at 6'3"). So growing a little more isn't out of the question...

I know that a lot of people don't wanna hear nothing about drafting another LHD, but at the end of the day drafting 5th overall is an opportunity that don't pass often.

In that range of pick you HAVE to go for the BPA, notwithstanding position.

And IMHO, if Demidov/Lindstrom are gone at 5, Buium would have to be the one.

As he's a player that's one grade or two ahead of the Iginla/Sennecke of this world.

At the end of the day, yes Habs have tons of LHD, but none are in Buium category.


P.S.: this is my opinion based on my full games viewings of +/- the top 15 of this year's draft. I don't pretend detaining the absolute truth...