Confirmed with Link: Training Camp

[Mangosteen]

Geekie was a tool last Lightning game. 19 mins in penalties and tossed. He will be a 3rd or 4th line center

 

[Arizonatah Coyetis]

Geekie was a tool last Lightning game. 19 mins in penalties and tossed.

They gave him a 1 game suspension today too.

 

[Half Clapper]

It was widely reported that Michkov gave us the "distinct impression" that he didn't want to play for us during his pre-draft meeting with the team. I don't even consider him as an option for BA. Glad he didn't risk taking him in that case. Other teams passed on him too.

The biggest goal of the offseason was to improve defense. Sergachev will be a big part of that and also has gobs of playoff experience. I also like the idea of Sergachev being a russian speaking mentor that helps make the transition to NA easier for But and Simashev.

Losing Geekie hurts, but I think what we got in return is what's best for us right now. There will be more painful trades coming while the team transitions from rebuild to going all in.

Iginla is currently the 16th ranked NHL prospect. Yakemchuk is rated 20. Maybe 16 to 20 is splitting hairs a bit, but this team has been unable to find a true number 1 center for over two decades. I'll stick with Iginla.

Way too soon for me to have any regrets that BA took But over Benson. Right now I actually like what I'm hearing about But.

Simachev is the pick that is heavily TBD for me. Not so sure about that one since he seems to have very little offensive capabilities. I hope he turns into a killer Defensive D because he worries me.

I'm good with option 2.

Michkov would have played here with the move to Utah, and who knows if it was actually true. Michkov is going to be an elite player imo. Better player than any pick Bill Armstrong has made yet for this team, and will be a far superior pick over Simashev.

Yakemchuk looks good enough to make Ottawa this year, but will probably be sent back. He is def a better pick than Iginla imo. Yakemchuk is a right shot, 6'3, unreal hands, great shot, and plays mean. This is the kinda guy every team covets in the NHL. Iginla will be a solid NHLer, but I don't think he ends up better than Yakemchuk. Plus guys like Yakemchuk are harder to find than guys like iggy.

Geekie looks unreal so far in tampa, and a real warrior. He just gave a guy a whooping in a pre-season game. I love his bite, how he hits, his size, everything about him just screams playoff beast. I think sergachev has won his cups, and now he is going to enjoy his retirement years in Utah. I don't think he will have that extra drive. Plus Moser was still a solid top 4 D-man. There is a reason tampa traded sergachev like Seravilli said on that podcast.

Benson right now looks like the better prospect over But. The kids compete, his hands, vision, defensive play etc is all damn good, and he will be a big piece for Buffalo. I am not counting out But, I just think Benson right now looks like the better pick. He is on an NHL roster for a reason.

Simashev has no offensive upside at all, and I think he tops out as a top 4 D-man who is good on the PK and solid in is own end. I don't think he ever will be a #1 D-man, which you're hoping for when you draft a guy 6th overall...Yakemchuk on the other hand, I think will be.

So in my opinion, BA missed out on.

Michkov - Elite level player who has a good shot at being the next kucherov, kaprizov, or panarin.
Yakemchuk - A #1 D-man who will be a game changer as a Brent Burns type player.
Benson - great two-way fwd, who I think will be a top line winger for a long time.
Geekie - I think Geekie will be a #1 Center in the NHL, and will be a Getzlaf lite Center.

#1 C, #1 D, elite RW, and a #1 LW.

I know you guys will defend BA in your responses, but I am not drinking the kool-aid just yet. BA has done some excellent work don't get me wrong, but passing up on Michkov and not taking Yakemchuk will bite him in the ass imo. Also this Geekie trade might look very rough when it's all said and done.

 

[Arizonatah Coyetis]

Michkov would have played here with the move to Utah

You say that like he's told you personally.

He never interviewed with Utah HC because it didn't exist yet. Strange argument.

and who knows if it was actually true.

His agent supposedly confirmed it in an interview:

"'Arizona and Washington are the two clubs that are exactly [what he wanted to avoid] for various reasons,' Fedotov added."

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/takes/washington-capitals-matvei-michkov-not-drafted#:~:text=Per Russian hockey agent Sergei Fedotov, who represents

He was also considered a top 3 pick and ended up going 7th. 5 other teams passed him up and took very good, but lesser regarded prospects. IMO that only lends even more credibility that he was trying to avoid certain teams and just like BA, they didn't like the risk either.

Since you don't believe all the reports, why do you believe the other teams passed on Michkov too since he was clearly the BPA?

Better player than any pick Bill Armstrong has made yet for this team, and will be a far superior pick over Simashev.

I agree. But picking Michkov only to have him stay in Russia or force a trade would be devastating and not worth the risk. Like I said above, 5 other teams weren't willing to take that risk either. Hard to fault BA for not taking him.

guys like Yakemchuk are harder to find than guys like iggy.

We've had some fantastic D-men on this team over the years. Been over 20 years since we've had good C depth. So I disagree.

Geekie looks unreal so far in tampa, and a real warrior.

It's only been a few preseason games. Slow down a bit. He's known for being streaky. Besides, Sergachev has looked pretty damn good for Utah too.

Benson right now looks like the better prospect over But.

Maybe. I'd like to see But in the NHL for a fair comparison. 5 years from now Benson could be Connor Garland and But could be Tage Thompson. It's way too early to declare a winner.

Simashev has no offensive upside at all

Agreed. That's the one pick I really, really question. Time will tell.

I am not drinking the kool-aid

Don't be smug just because you disagree. I don't think it's too crazy to have faith in the 'owski's and the rest of the scouting staff. They've earned it based on their resumes/track record. BA has assembled one heck of a scouting staff.

 

[Jagged Ice]

Michkov made it pretty clear he didn't want to be drafted by certain clubs. Hard pass on a very elite player.

 

[Half Clapper]

Michkov made it pretty clear he didn't want to be drafted by certain clubs. Hard pass on a very elite player.

You use the player as a trade chip or you call out his bluff and be patient, just like they're right now with Simashev and But. This is a guy who wants to play in the NHL. You take BPA no matter what. We all know why he didn't want to play in Arizona, and I can't blame him. MTL taking Reinbacher over Michkov is looking very bad as well.

Also, Tij isn't a Center at this stage. Good chance he will be a winger at the NHL level. The easiest position to fill. I think Tij could and will be a damn good player, but I still think our D is severely lacking that one high-end prospect, where we already got a plethora of fwds in the system. I don't see any of the D-man in our prospect pool that will be an elite #1. I see Yakemchuk being that type of player.

They should have taken Michkov no matter what because honestly, I don't think Simashev ends up being anything special anyway. If he was a sure-fire top 2 D-man I'd understand the logic behind it. It's a crime that Michkov didn't go 2nd overall.

You guys can hate on Geekie all you want, but I disagree with him being streaky. I think he just got bored in the dub because he was too good for that league. I watched him at the WJC, and he looked impactful in every game, and was also good in every playoff game for Swift. Geekie is gonna be the kind of guy who makes an impact the most when it matters.

Bill has made some good moves, and I think he is doing a fine job with the rebuild, but now comes the hard part. Any GM can strip a team down and rebuild it, and have zero expectations while doing so. But now comes the hard part of actually building a team that contends.

The team now has real pressure to take that next step this year, and another bottom-10 finish this year will be unacceptable, and I'll be open to seeing a firing. You have to start building a winning culture because guys start to get used to losing.

Also, I disagree with BA when he says it takes 10 years to build a contender. The Hawks won a cup in 2010. This was 3 years after drafting Kane, and 4 years after drafting Toews. They also made the 3rd round the year before they won that cup. The year before that they missed the playoffs for 5 straight years.

 

[Half Clapper]

You say that like he's told you personally.

He never interviewed with Utah HC because it didn't exist yet. Strange argument.



His agent supposedly confirmed it in an interview:

"'Arizona and Washington are the two clubs that are exactly [what he wanted to avoid] for various reasons,' Fedotov added."

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/takes/washington-capitals-matvei-michkov-not-drafted#:~:text=Per Russian hockey agent Sergei Fedotov, who represents

He was also considered a top 3 pick and ended up going 7th. 5 other teams passed him up and took very good, but lesser regarded prospects. IMO that only lends even more credibility that he was trying to avoid certain teams and just like BA, they didn't like the risk either.

Since you don't believe all the reports, why do you believe the other teams passed on Michkov too since he was clearly the BPA?



I agree. But picking Michkov only to have him stay in Russia or force a trade would be devastating and not worth the risk. Like I said above, 5 other teams weren't willing to take that risk either. Hard to fault BA for not taking him.



We've had some fantastic D-men on this team over the years. Been over 20 years since we've had good C depth. So I disagree.



It's only been a few preseason games. Slow down a bit. He's known for being streaky. Besides, Sergachev has looked pretty damn good for Utah too.



Maybe. I'd like to see But in the NHL for a fair comparison. 5 years from now Benson could be Connor Garland and But could be Tage Thompson. It's way too early to declare a winner.



Agreed. That's the one pick I really, really question. Time will tell.



Don't be smug just because you disagree. I don't think it's too crazy to have faith in the 'owski's and the rest of the scouting staff. They've earned it based on their resumes/track record. BA has assembled one heck of a scouting staff.

BA has never been a GM other than here. His track record is as a scout, not as the man calling the shots. Big difference! He did some great work as a scout, but at the end of the day, Doug Armstrong deserves the most credit for building the Blues. I think getting a guy like Kenny Holland in as an advisor would help a lot.

Remember, nobody on this staff has won a cup while being the actual guy in charge.

 

[Arizonatah Coyetis]

BA has never been a GM other than here. His track record is as a scout, not as the man calling the shots. Big difference! He did some great work as a scout, but at the end of the day, Doug Armstrong deserves the most credit for building the Blues.

I'd argue that the scouts in St. Louis deserve most of the credit for building the Blues. That's why I mentioned the 'owski's (Plandowski, Jankowski) and the rest of the scouting staff. BA isn't making these decisions by himself, neither was Doug Armstrong. Hiring a damn good scouting department was one of his first priorities when he took over as GM.

If there's one thing BA has shown me as GM it's that he values the expertise of others and is definitely not a "smartest person in the room" kind of guy. Pretty sure he's listening to what these guys have to say because he has surrounded himself with experienced brains to pick throughout the entire organization.

 

[Half Clapper]

I'd argue that the scouts in St. Louis deserve most of the credit for building the Blues. That's why I mentioned the 'owski's (Plandowski, Jankowski) and the rest of the scouting staff. BA isn't making these decisions by himself. Hiring a damn good scouting department was one of his first priorities when he took over as GM.

If there's one thing BA has shown me as GM it's that he values the expertise of others and is definitely not a "smartest person in the room" kind of guy. Pretty sure he's listening to what these guys have to say because he has surrounded himself with experienced brains to pick throughout the entire organization.

I understand your point, but each scout has differing opinions on players, and it is up to the GM to go with the best guy. The GM is drafting, doing amateur scouting, pro scouting, doing trades, signing players in free agency, negotiating contracts, managing the cap etc. A scout has one job and that is to scout players. There is a big difference in the job duties.

 

[Arizonatah Coyetis]

I understand your point, but each scout has differing opinions on players, and it is up to the GM to go with the best guy. The GM is drafting, doing amateur scouting, pro scouting, doing trades, signing players in free agency, negotiating contracts, managing the cap etc. A scout has one job and that is to scout players. There is a big difference in the job duties.

Still. BA isn't goin' it alone. He's making educated decisions based on tons of information from the scouts and, like you said, he did some great work as a scout too. He's not a calculator punching desk jockey like Chayka was. He's done the job.

From what I gather, the GM and the scouts will all sit down together over a few days and come up with a draft order together. Sure a few may not all agree 100%, but at the end of the day they compile the list as a group. They all have influence.

 

[Half Clapper]

Still. BA isn't goin' it alone. He's making educated decisions based on tons of information from the scouts and, like you said, he did some great work as a scout too. He's not a calculator punching desk jockey like Chayka was. He's done the job.

From what I gather, the GM and the scouts will all sit down together over a few days and come up with a draft order together. Sure a few may not all agree 100%, but at the end of the day they compile the list as a group. They all have influence.

You might feel this way, but he still has the final say, as his ass is the most on the line if it fails. Like I said before guys will always have varying opinions. This is why the GM will always get the brunt of the fault if the team fails.

You guys think BA is a mastermind, but the guy hasn't won jack shit as the actual guy in charge. He thinks it takes 10 years to build a contender, which is flat-out wrong. You hit on the right picks / make the right trades / sign the right players, and you can have a contender in 5 years after a rebuild. The Hawks dynasty started 4 years after drafting Toews, and they were a legit contender three years after, because they made the third round in 09.

 

[Arizonatah Coyetis]

You guys think BA is a mastermind, but the guy hasn't won jack shit as the actual guy in charge.

The thing is, neither have you, but here you are trying to convince me that you know best. I'm not convinced. Maybe your resume could change my mind, but I doubt it.

Sorry if liking Option B the best bothers you that much, but I think you'll live.

 

[samabam]

He thinks it takes 10 years to build a contender, which is flat-out wrong. You hit on the right picks / make the right trades / sign the right players, and you can have a contender in 5 years after a rebuild. The Hawks dynasty started 4 years after drafting Toews, and they were a legit contender three years after, because they made the third round in 09.

With the added benefit of drafting a kinda important part of their cup runs 1st OA in the year after drafting Toews

 

[Jakey53]

Great conversation by you guys, and both making valid points. I agree with both of you. This is the year where it starts to get hard and all eyes will be on BA and Bear. I thought we under performed last year but some blamed the moving rumors as an excuse. This year there are no more excuses.

 

[Heldig]

With the added benefit of drafting a kinda important part of their cup runs 1st OA in the year after drafting Toews

That and having a ridiculously good, young defense:

Duncan Keith 24
Brent Seabrook 22
Dustin Byfuglien 22
Nik Hjalmarsson 22

 

[Llewzaher]

You might feel this way, but he still has the final say, as his ass is the most on the line if it fails. Like I said before guys will always have varying opinions. This is why the GM will always get the brunt of the fault if the team fails.

You guys think BA is a mastermind, but the guy hasn't won jack shit as the actual guy in charge. He thinks it takes 10 years to build a contender, which is flat-out wrong. You hit on the right picks / make the right trades / sign the right players, and you can have a contender in 5 years after a rebuild. The Hawks dynasty started 4 years after drafting Toews, and they were a legit contender three years after, because they made the third round in 09.

If you watch the behind the scenes footage they hand BA the name ..

Bill says is this the guy?

They say make it happen Bill

He relies on the scouts heavily and lets them do their job

However if the pick turns out to be a bust , BA will go down as the guy who missed the pick, but he relies heavily on them .. he doesn’t have time to scout theses guys himself.. he may go to the odd game though

 

[Schemp]

If you watch the behind the scenes footage they hand BA the name ..

Bill says is this the guy?

They say make it happen Bill

He relies on the scouts heavily and lets them do their job

However if the pick turns out to be a bust , BA will go down as the guy who missed the pick, but he relies heavily on them .. he doesn’t have time to scout theses guys himself.. he may go to the odd game though

They'll have to do a lot more than that to convince BA.

 

[Llewzaher]

Great conversation by you guys, and both making valid points. I agree with both of you. This is the year where it starts to get hard and all eyes will be on BA and Bear. I thought we under performed last year but some blamed the moving rumors as an excuse. This year there are no more excuses.

Agreed they have absolutely everything they need

I still think they need to get a new D coach

 

[Mosby]

I don't think anyone thinks BA is a messiah. He has made mistakes, but the good news is that they were all short-term, low risk guys like Dumba, Zucker, Smith for Little contract, Jaskin, etc.

 

[Schemp]

I don't think anyone thinks BA is a messiah. He has made mistakes, but the good news is that they were all short-term, low risk guys like Dumba, Zucker, Smith for Little contract, Jaskin, etc.

Those weren't mistakes, they were needed to fill rosters.