Official NHL Thread

[beekay414]

That is the 2nd time this week I've gotten the FF jinx. God damn it. How many cokes do I owe people now?

[Canadian Saint]

Looks like Winnipeg is serious about trading Laine. Which makes sense if his contract demands are true, however I have a feeling if he goes to a team with a good C he's going to breakout.

[Canadian Saint]

2 hours ago, beekay414 said:

Well, they now have an incredibly expensive right side officially!

 

I don't understand. The guy has lost all confidence, played horribly and basically got benched in the playin rounds, and Pittsburgh is like, yup, that's the contract I wanna take a risk on. They even take on more money next season! What the heck is Rutherford doing lol.

Letang is so gone. They are going to trade him for pennies on the dollar.

[beekay414]

 

[roysmyboy31]

1 hour ago, beekay414 said:

 

Glad to get that contract off the books.  Staal unfortunately lost his defensive ability a long time ago.  With Henrik's deal up after next year, that will be even more free cap space.  Stinks that we had to give up the 2nd, but getting LaFreniere plus another 1st rounder this year more than makes up for it.

[roysmyboy31]

Pavelski is on fire these last two games.

[roysmyboy31]

Tampa in complete control of the OT period.  Dallas has not been able to get any momentum going.  Feel like it is a matter of time before Tampa wins.

[roysmyboy31]

Dallas lives to fight another day.  Their FA acquisitions Perry and Pavelski coming through with big goals tonight.

[roysmyboy31]

Dallas never really got into the game tonight.  Tampa controlled it from beginning to end.  Congrats to the Lightning on the Stanley Cup.  Happy to see McDonagh get the Cup.  

[Canadian Saint]

Congrats to the Lightning. The most talented roster in the NHL and tha team damn near mastered drafting and developing. So many late round gems. I'm also glad for Stamkos. I'm not sure if he's ever going to be healthy, but atleast he can say he's a cup winner. Also happy for Stevie Y and JBB, they put together an unbelievable roster from the ground up, so at least they have a cup to show for it.

So the good news and bad news.

The bad news:

- No hockey until likely the new year in possibly a weird format

The good news:

- We're going to be starting a probable bonkers offseason with a ton of moves.

[beekay414]

1.   - Alexis Lafreniere | LW | Rimouski (QMJHL) - The no brainer pick if they stay at #1. He's the best prospect in the class and a major marketing tool for the money machine in NYC.

19/20 stats: 52 GP, 35 G, 77 A, 112 PTS

 

2.   - Tim Stutzle | LW/C | Mannheim (DEL) - The gap between Stutzle and Byfield is marginal and the Kings are set on the dot, so they go with the dynamic winger with the ability to play center.

19/20 stats: 41 GP, 7 G, 27 A, 34 PTS

 

3.  (via SJS) - Quinton Byfield | C | Sudbury (OHL) - Simply put, the Sens take whichever of the big 3 is left. Byfield fits as the Sens don't have a centerman with his upside in their system.

19/20 stats: 45 GP, 32 G, 50 A, 82 PTS

 

4.   - Marco Rossi | C | Ottawa (OHL) - Rossi is polarizing for a lot of people. Some see him outside the top 10 due to his age/perceived lack of room to develop, but he's a very Stevie Y pick, the man responsible for Brayden Point.

19/20 stats: 56 GP, 39 G, 81 AST, 120 PTS

 

5.  - Jamie Drysdale | RHD | Erie (OHL) - Raymond would be tempting due to how high his ceiling is and him being a Swede and all but the Sens severely lack a top line RHD in their system and Drysdale is the clear cut best in the class there. His upside is tremendous.

19/20 stats: 49 GP, 9 G, 38 A, 47 PTS

 

6.   - Jake Sanderson | LHD | USNTDP (USHL) - The Ducks lack what Sanderson brings on the left side in their system and is an ideal fit for what they do. 

19/20 stats: 19 GP, 2 G, 12 A, 14 PTS

 

7.   - Lucas Raymond | LW | Frolunda (SHL) - Devils take the chance on the monumental upside that Raymond possesses here. If he clicks, the trio of Raymond, Hughes and Hischier would have the potential to be as good as any in the NHL.

19/20 stats: 33 GP, 4 G, 6 A, 10 PTS (9 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 14 PTS for Frolunda J20)

 

8.   - Alexander Holtz | RW | Djurgardens (SHL) - Could you imagine this man on Eichel's wing? If it hits, he puts up 50 goals in a Sabres sweater.

19/20 stats: 35 GP, 9 G, 7 A, 16 PTS (3 GP, 7 G, 2 A, 9 PTS for Djurgardens J20)

 

9.   - Anton Lundell | C | HIFK (SM Liiga) - Lundell is another polarizing prospect but he's exactly what the Wild lack and he's a total Wild pick. He could immediately step in as their 2nd line centerman in 2021.

19/20 stats: 44 GP, 10 G, 18 A, 28 PTS

 

10.   - Cole Perfetti | LW/C | Saginaw (OHL) - The rich get richer, my friends. Perfetti's natural ability is evident and Winnipeg is not afraid of playmaking wingers (see; Scheifele, Mark). It was a disappointing season for the Jets from the get go but they replenish the ranks with a top 5 talent in the 2020 draft.

19/20 stats: 61 GP, 37 G, 74 A, 111 PTS

 

11.   - Yaroslav Askarov | G | SKA-Neva (VHL) - We saw just what bad goaltending will do to you when this team dominated the Yotes only to get embarrased on the scoreboard. Askarov's ceiling is immense and, outside of Ingram, the Preds have nothing in the system. Poile shoots the moon in his last hoorah before **** potentially hits the fan.

19/20 stats: 18 GP, 2.45 GAA, .920 SV%

 

12.   - Jack Quinn | RW | Ottawa (OHL) - Last mock I had Kaiden Guhle here but with the new management, I don't see them passing on a potential top 10 talent like Quinn. He's still relatively new to hockey and he already bombed in 50+ goals playing on the 2nd line in Ottawa. 

19/20 stats: 62 GP, 52 G, 37 A, 89 PTS

 

13.   (via TML) - Seth Jarvis | RW | Portland (WHL) - Talk about the rich getting richer. Carolina is going to be cup favorites if they can figure out their netminder problem (hint; Mrazek isn't the answer - go get Lehner). They have their pick of the litter at RW and I think Jarvis, along with his upside, is an ideal fit for what they do. They play fast and dynamic, which is Seth's specialty. He's no pushover either, despite the size, as he scores plenty of garbage goals by working his *** off every shift.

19/20 stats: 58 GP, 42 G, 56 A, 98 PTS

 

14.   -  Rodion Amirov | LW | Ufa (KHL) - Helium. That's the word for Amirov right now. I don't see any way whatsoever he gets out of the top 14.

19/20 stats: 21 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS (17 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 PTS in the VHL)

 

15. (via PIT) - William Wallinder | LHD | MoDo (SWE J20) - Nobody has ever said Kyle Dubas was known for his shrewd drafting. He values offense over all else and nobody remaining on the blueline can touch Wallinder's upside. 6'4" people don't normally skate this well. He's extremely raw but the upside is immense. The risk may outweigh the reward though as Wallinder is so far off from his ceiling, it could backfire dramatically.

19/20 stats: 37 GP, 5 G, 19 A, 24 PTS (18 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2 PTS for MODO in Allsvenskan)

 

16.   - Kaiden Guhle | LHD | Prince Albert (WHL) - Montreal just spent dumb money on a terrible LHD in Joel Edmundson. They are desperate for dmen in the pipeline and Guhle is the best of the rest. Huge, can skate and has a bomb of a shot. Likely a #3 or #4 but could fill in on the top pair with the right partner if all goes right.

19/20 stats: 64 GP, 11 G, 29 A, 40 PTS

 

17.   - Braden Schneider | RHD | Brandon (WHL) - Two words. Defensive. Stalwart. Schneider is as shutdown as it gets in this draft. Pair him with an offensive LHD, sit back and reap the rewards. 

19/20 stats: 60 GP, 7 G, 35 A, 42 PTS 

 

18.   (via ARI) - Dawson Mercer | RW/C | Chicoutimi (QMJHL) - The Devils land a 2 way monster at RW that's a perfect partner for Jack Hughes. He's strong everywhere and can even play the dot. Amazing prospect to be landing at 18.

19/20 stats: 42 GP, 24 G, 36 A, 60 PTS

 

19.   - Dylan Holloway | C/W | Wisconsin (Big-10) - Holloway is a force that can play all three spots well. He's the type of player built for the playoffs and, with how things have gone lately for the Flames in the SCP, they'll be looking for change. 

19/20 stats: 35 GP, 8 G, 9 A, 17 PTS

 

20.   (via VAN) - Jacob Perreault | RW | Sarnia (OHL) - The Devils get Nico Hischier's future right hand man. Perreault's skill is immense. He has 40-50 goal upside if it all clicks. By placing him with Nico, you alleviate some of the two way work ethic concerns while capitalizing on his scoring ability. A potential top line of Raymond-Hischier-Perreault is absolutely tantalizing. This draft, right here, would set the Devils up for a potential dominant future if it all clicks.

19/20 stats: 57 GP, 39 G, 31 A, 70 PTS

 

21.   - Lukas Reichel | LW | Berlin (DEL) - Columbus, possibly more than anyone, values 200 foot ability. Reichel has shown he can play a 200 foot game in a men's league in Germany. The upside is potential top line LW while being an EASY high value middle 6 winger at worst. 

19/20 stats: 42 GP, 12 G, 12 A, 24 PTS

 

22.   (via CAR) - Connor Zary | C | Kamloops (WHL) - Zary's production could get him drafted a lot, and I mean alot, higher. The Rangers are absolutely hurting for center play and Zary is the safest pick left there. They have Mika as their #1 for the future so Zary slots in rather easily as their #2 and, at worst, he's an elite 3rd line center for the next decade plus.

19/20 stats: 57 GP, 38 G, 48 A, 86 PTS

 

23.   - Mavrik Bourque | RW | Shawinigan (QMJHL) - Produces from everywhere offensively. The questions, if any, come from the skating. He's a good skater but, for his size, you'd expect better. Clean that up and you have a potential 1st line RW.
19/20 stats: 49 GP, 29 G, 42 A, 71 PTS

24.   - Marat Khustnutdinov | C/LW | SKA (MHL) - Absolutely dazzling hands. He's small but excellent. Washington isn't afraid to take risks and, if Marat clicks, we could be talking about a top 10 player from this class, if not better. 

19/20 stats: 44 GP, 13 G, 25 A, 38 PTS

 

25.   - Ridly Greig | C/LW | Brandon (WHL) - This man has my heart. He's tenacious, relentless, all those words to describe effort. However, he's more than that. He's a potential 60 point, 2 way nightmare for the opposition. He's the type of player that you love when he's on your team but dread playing against when he's not. Really want him for the Devils but the board fell with higher upside players and we need that type of blood in the system.

19/20 stats: 56 GP, 26 G, 34 A, 60 PTS

 

26.   - Helge Grans | RHD | Malmo (SWE J20) - If there's one team to trust with the blueline, it's St. Louis. Grans has potential elite offensive upside but he's an absolute mess in his own zone. It's as simple as this...Grans is a shoot the moon pick. He could go as high as 15 depending on if Toronto wants LHD or RHD.

19/20 stats: 27 GP, 4 G, 23 A, 27 PTS (21 G, 1 G, 2 A, 3 PTS for Malmo in the SHL)

 

27.   (via BOS) - Noel Gunler | RW | Lulea (SHL) - After landing their LHD of the future, the Ducks go and get their next big time goal scorer. They are in need of a goal scoring RW and the risk of Gunler is worth the reward here.

19/20 stats: 45 GP, 4 G, 9 A, 13 PTS (4 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 6 PTS for Lulea J20)

 

28.   (via NYI) - Hendrix Lapierre | C | Chicoutimi (QMJHL) - When you have a million picks in the draft, you can afford to take a risk. Lapierre's skill is evident when you watch him, it's the injuries that scare you. If he clicks, he's a #1 center and a line driver with dazzling hands and unreal vision. 

19/20 stats: 19 GP, 2 G, 15 A, 17 PTS

 

29.   - Ryan O'Rourke | LHD | Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) - Maybe not the highest of upsides with ROR but he's about as solid as solid gets and Vegas is known for getting the most out of their blueline. 

19/20 stats: 54 GP, 7 G, 30 A, 37 PTS

 

30.   - Jan Mysak | C/LW | Hamilton (OHL) - Mysak is a home run swing here. He came over early to get used to North American ice and he took off in Hamilton. Dallas needs scoring blood and, at this rate, Mysak is worth the risk.

19/20 stats: 22 GP, 15 G, 10 A, 25 PTS (26 GP, 5 G, 4 A, 9 PTS for HC Litvinov in the Czech League)

 

31.   (via TBL) - J.J. Peterka | LW | Munich (DEL) - Pretty simple pick here and nothing new. Damn near every mock you'll see has the Sharks taking one of the Germans. So, naturally, I went the lazy route here with tendency. That being said, Peterka absolutely fits what the Sharks do.

19/20 stats: 42 GP, 7 G, 4 A, 11 PTS

Edited September 29, 2020 by beekay414

[Canadian Saint]

I reckon there is a solid chance Lundell is picked by Detroit at 4. Him playing significant minutes in Sm-Liiga and improving his skating; his upside is a top 6 C with a decent chance at being a Mikko Koivu type C. 

[Forge]

8 hours ago, Canadian Saint said:

I reckon there is a solid chance Lundell is picked by Detroit at 4. Him playing significant minutes in Sm-Liiga and improving his skating; his upside is a top 6 C with a decent chance at being a Mikko Koivu type C. 

I said elsewhere that if Stevie Y goes "off the board" at 4, it's going to be for Lundell. 

[beekay414]

Well, we'll find out in a week. I'm just over all the speculation. I want to know wtf is gonna happen and, as patient as I am, I'm growing way too antsy for being a week out.

[beekay414]