Official NHL Thread

[diehardlionfan]

35 minutes ago, mattyice0401 said:

ANy reason or speculation why he dropped? I think the WIld got him at 9 and thats considered to be a huge steal for us.

Let’s not forget we don’t see the individual teams player rankings. I expect he didn’t drop, simply others were better fits on their respective teams. Rossi has been underestimated a number of times especially by big physical defenders.

 

[beekay414]

Just now, diehardlionfan said:

People underestimate Rossi all the time. He drove the defence nuts in the corners. He’s got a low centre of gravity and the kid is really strong. He’s not a typical 5 foot 9 hockey player. 

I expect they simply saw Holtz as a better opportunity. He’s not exactly a giant either.

They saw a massive hole at RW and wanted to fill it with a goal scorer next to Hughes rather than take the kid that would've been our 3rd line C or a top 6 playmaking LW. 

I just felt that Rossi was the clear BPA and if we were so intent on taking a RW, it should've been Seth Jarvis. Jarvis is a dynamo and has all the scoring ability you could ever want. Instead, we took a specialist, most likely, with the 7th overall pick. I was just never a fan of Holtz. Jarvis can be a Cole Caufield type goal scorer where he's going to contribute in a multitude of ways and dazzle you when he does pot one. Holtz is going to be more along the lines of a homeless man's Ovechkin where he's going to pot 35-40 in his prime but only give you like 20-25 assists. So he's more or less a 50-60 point winger and we took him 7th overall over a kid that could score 70-80 in a season. I don't care about his fit with Jack, he was a perfect fit with Nico. Dawson Mercer is a perfect fit for Jack at RW if we go out and get a sniper shot at LW. We just force picked Holtz with this idea that he's ideal next to Jack. 

These were my rankings from last year BTW.

1. Alexis Lafreniere | LW | Rimouski (QMJHL)
The consensus #1. No real reason to go into detail here.

2. Quinton Byfield | C | Sudbury (OHL)
From a H/W/S scenario, you won't find a more ideal mold than Byfield. The issues are whether or not he'll truly use that size. Ceiling is immense once he starts using his physical abilities to his advantage. Right now, he relies on speed/quickness more than size and that's a little disappointing, to say the least. The question then becomes whether you believe he'll do that or if he'll continue to shy away from the physical side of the game instead of embracing it.

3. Marco Rossi | C | Ottawa (OHL)
The little fire hydrant that could. You try telling this kid no. The work ethic, the hockey sense, the bulldog mentality, the individual skills, you name it, Rossi has it. He's every GMs dream in a top pick everywhere but H/W/S. Thing is, he's not your typical small forward. His base is unreal and he'll win far more board battles than he'll lose. This kid wants it all and I'm not sure I'm willing to be the GM that questions it.

4. Tim Stutzle | LW | Mannheim (DEL)
I don't think he's a center in the long run so that's why I dropped him below Rossi, who I have no doubt will man the dot. Stutzle is always moving, he's hectic on the ice and everywhere. He could be a superstar if it all clicks.

5. Jake Sanderson | LHD | USNTDP (USHL)
I'm higher on Sanderson than almost anyone. I think he's a true shutdown, give you 25 minutes a night #1 dman. I also believe his offense will take off once he gets comfortable implementing it more, as we saw during the last few months before the shutdown. You can't question the speed, as that's something his daddy gave him in spades. He gets the bump, for me, over Drysdale due to being a left hand shot.

6. Jamie Drysdale | RHD | Erie (OHL)
I have no doubt he'll be a #1 despite his size. He's not afraid of contact in his own zone and he's a gamebreaker when the puck is on his stick. True two way defenseman that'll score 50-60 a season. He's not a shutdown type though. If he was, he'd push for a top 3 spot in the class. Has everything you can't teach except size but he's not ever going to let that hinder him on the next level. He's a star.

7. Seth Jarvis | RW | Portland (WHL)
This kid's skating makes defenders shake in their skates. He forces action in dirty areas despite his size because he knows he has the defenders (and goalie's) heads spinning. He's also a two way, 200 foot player. He'll fall further than this due to the perceived size issue but don't let that be the reason you lose out on a dynamic player that's a potential all-star, top line play driver.

8. Jacob Perreault | RW | Sarnia (OHL)
I don't think I really need to explain myself here. I'm far higher on him than most. He has the ability to be the best player from this class if he wants it. He's got elite tools everywhere from his shot to his hands to his playmaking to his skating. This kid will go as high as he wants in the NHL. We're talking a potential superstar in the mold of David Pastrnak. I've even heard his skills be compared to Jack Eichel. He had the highest primary point percentage of this entire class at 90%. His compete level is the only thing holding him back.

9. Lucas Raymond | RW | Frolunda (SHL)
The only thing missing is the production and consistency. All the tools are there to be a franchise talent, it's just whether he wants it. People will probably question me for having Jarvis and Perreault over him but I don't question whether or not Jarvis wants it like I do Raymond and I have no reason to question Perreault's production. Talent alone, he's a top 5 player. 

10. Cole Perfetti | LW | Saginaw (OHL)
If he could skate, he's easily in the top 3. The hockey mind on this kid is out of this world. People have gone as far as to compare him to Nikita Kucherov in that regard. I do not think he's a center at the next level though. He has all the tools except skating and size so you just hope he can fix the skating enough to unleash his offensive upside.

11. Alexander Holtz | RW | Djurgardens (SHL)
I'm admittedly lower on Holtz than most. In the right situation, he's going to score 40 goals. No doubt, he's produced in a men's league already but there's more to scouting than just production. He never wows me and, outside of his shot, I question where his tools are anything more than decent. He'll probably make me look like an idiot but I don't care. I like several other wingers more, as made obvious by the rankings.

12. Yaroslav Askarov | G | SKA-Neva (VHL)
I don't know anything about goalies so I'm going with the consensus here and placing him just outside the top 10. There's no question he's been ultra-impressive as a teenager on the world circuit and in men's leagues. All the tools are there, it's just how long until he's on North American ice, as is the question with almost all Russians.

13. Rodion Amirov | LW | Ufa (KHL)
Speaking of Russians, Amirov is dazzling. He's an all-around 200 foot player. You can place him on PP1 and PK1 and not worry for a second. You question the production (unlike Holtz) but you don't question the skill. I don't see him getting outside of the top half of the first round.

14. Marat Khusnutdinov | C | SKA-1946 (MHL)
Oh look, another Russian! Dino is a favorite of mine (and many others for that matter) and just wows you when you watch him. The kid just does not quit. He's a dynamo, or as some have put it, high octane. Far from a finished product but unquestionable upside. Now, I don't see anyone gambling on him this high because that's the type of pick that gets ya fired if he doesn't click. However, it's also the type of pick that makes you look like a genius if it works, so.......

15. Jack Quinn | RW | Ottawa (OHL)
This placement is less about souring on Quinn than it is about falling more for other guys. Quinn is an all out, offensive threat. He's always looking to put pucks in front of the net when setting up teammates. As others have pointed out, he's not going to shoot as well as he did and he did it as more of an outside shooter, so it's not sustainable. Still, he grew exponentially in 2019-2020 and did a lot of the damage himself. He's also a 200 foot, highly effective defensive winger. There's value there even if he never reproduces his draft year numbers.

16. Lukas Reichel | LW | Berlin (DEL)
Reichel is a coach's dream. He does everything well. He's a 200 foot player that, once again, plays in a men's league, where he produced solid numbers. The question comes from the upside. Is he a top 6 winger? Some think he is in the end with a few more years growth in his game. That's the beauty of scouting...projection. He's young for the class and already has great hockey sense. 

17. Ridly Greig | C/LW | Brandon (WHL)
This little pest has my heart completely. The compete level is off the charts and, despite his current size, he is not afraid to throw his body around. Guaranteed fan favorite once he gets to the NHL. People question his skill but I don't. I see a 60 point, 2 way winger that you flat out win with and a player teammates would die for. I think he wears a letter someday.

18. Anton Lundell | C | HIFK (Liiga)
I don't think I've ever heard a better description of Lundell than the Christmas socks analogy lol. He'll definitely get drafted higher than this but the upside just isn't there. He's a good, two way #2 center in the mold of a Travis Zajac at his peak. Not thrilling in this draft but a pick that's necessary and has NHL value. 

19. Hendrix Lapierre | C | Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
The injury questions scare me. His 2019-2020 tape scares me. His vision, playmaking and hockey sense absolutely do not scare me. Lapierre is the biggest wildcard in this entire draft and almost all of that is beyond his control, so you feel bad for the kid. The on-ice issue I have is that his shot is absolutely not good and he's borderline afraid to shoot so he's predictable. You work on his shot and he stays healthy, you hit an absolute home run at this stage of the draft.

20. Noel Gunler | RW | Lulea (SHL)
What is it with this kid? Is it the league he plays in and how they approach things? Is he a primadonna? Does he just need to get out of Sweden? His shot is ridiculous and he's an easy 40 goal scorer alongside someone like McDavid, Point, Crosby or even Jack Hughes. He's not a line driver nor is he really a playmaker but he's going to absolutely bury goals for a living. 

21. Tristen Robins | C/RW | Saskatoon (WHL)
Robins is a wizard with the puck on his stick and nobody has risen higher, faster than Robins in this class. You watch the Blades, you're watching Robins. His hockey sense and ferocity rival anyone in the class and he skates like a man on fire. He's small but unafraid and he has clear top 6 upside. He can play on the dot, where he exploded the 2nd half of the season or he can drive a line from the wing. I have a feeling he's going to go much, much higher than projected come possibly as early as Tuesday.

22. Dawson Mercer | RW | Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
23. Jan Mysak | LW | Hamilton (OHL)
This might be a controversial spot for Mercer considering how much we've talked about him as a potential Devils target at 18 or 20. The upside just isn't really there but he's extremely safe and a perfect partner next to Jack Hughes. I just chose to go with more upside at the winger spot in my rankings. I'd absolutely adore Mercer if he was on the Devils.

There's really nothing that Jan Mysak can't do on the ice. He may not have an elite tool but everything he does is at a high level. He can play any role and not be out of place. He came over mid-season to get used to North American ice and all he did was produce. He's safe because I don't see any way this kid doesn't make an NHL roster. He's really interchangeable with Mercer in my rankings, being quite honest.

24. Mavrik Bourque | RW | Shawinigan (QMJHL)
25. Ozzy Wiesblatt | RW | Prince Albert (WHL)
26. Luke Evangelista | RW | London (OHL)
Considering I put emphasis on upside prior to Mercer, there's an argument to be made that I should've also put these three above him and Mysak. Bourque, while ranked ahead of Ozzy and Luke, is probably my least favorite of the group, though they are extremely interchangeable. I just question his desire when playing off the puck. Saying that, when the puck is on his stick, he's magnificient as he's an excellent playmaker and always finds a way to produce. I do not, however, think he's a center in the NHL so he'll have to be more in that playmaking role as a winger.

Wiesblatt should honestly be higher and right around where I have Ridly Greig placed. Wiesblatt has reckless abandon for his own body and is immensely skilled. Kid's compete level is ridiculous and his hockey sense is stupid. He was thrown into a top line role this year and all he did was impress. He forechecks, skates extremely well and plays a complete 200 foot game. If it all clicks, you get a top 6 steal in the late 1st or early 2nd. If not, you're getting a dynamic middle 6 winger who drives opponents nuts.

Evangelista is going to be a force once he grows into his body. He's already a bulldog on the puck and his hockey sense is extremely impressive. Almost all of his production came 5v5 and he's not afraid of doing the dirty work as he thrives in the high danger areas despite being 165 soaken wet. If it all clicks, you're getting a 2 way top 6 winger here.

27. Martin Chromiak | LW | Kingston (OHL)
He's a right handed shot but he'll play the left side, for sure. Chromiak is an offensive dynamo with top tier offensive hockey sense. The things holding him back are his skating and defensive play. I think, in the end, he's going to be a highly reliable middle 6 scoring winger that you play on a line with someone that can mask him on defense.

28. Kaiden Guhle | LHD | Prince Albert (WHL)
29. Dylan Holloway | C/W | Wisconsin (Big-10)
30. Connor Zary | C | Kamloops (WHL)
31. Braden Schneider | RHD | Brandon (WHL)
Finally, another defenseman! Guhle is big, skates well, has a good shot from the point and has great hockey sense on the defensive end of the ice. He's never going to put up a ton of points but he's capable of being a #3 who gives you 20+ minutes a night. No wow factor here, just a steady presence that won't compeltely hinder you on offense. 

Holloway has the H/W/S profile that a lot of people would kill for on the wing and he has the ability to play any forward spot, so there's value there. I just question the hockey sense. Yes, I know it's rare for a first-time draft eligible player to play in the NCAA but he was underwhelming when I watched Wisconsin this year. The entire team was. He's very likely to be a middle 6 winger in the end, so there's value to taking him day one but he's not a sexy pick whatsoever. Safe, which is why he'll go higher than this.

Yes, I'm lower on Zary than almost everyone. No elite skills at all so the production won't translate to the NHL. He's going to be a reliable middle 6 center but there's just no upside play with him. He'll go much higher than this, obviously, but he's not a thrilling pick.

I'm continuing with the "safe" trend to end my top 31. The simple fact is the game is going away from Schneider's type of defenseman more than it ever has. He's very likely to be the first defenseman from the class to make the NHL but he's a 2nd line, shutdown type. There's not much ceiling with Schneider. The Devils could certainly use his type in the system, someone you know will be reliable for you for years but there's more thrilling options that'll be on the board.

Some obvious misses already (Lundell, Mercer especially) but I just disliked Holtz relative to where we took him. Think we could've just taken Gunler at 20 for the same reasons we took Holtz at 7.

[Forge]

46 minutes ago, beekay414 said:

Cuz he's 5'9" and older. Players drop unnecessarily due to size all the time.

Yeah, but as a center, I get it. There aren't many might mite centers who produce at extremely high levels outside of Point. Trying to think of some others, but it's definitely a limited market. And you know I don't care that much about size in a vacuum because I had Lucas Raymond as my #3 or my #4 last year (I also think Eklund is my #1 forward this year) lol

[diehardlionfan]

Those are good rankings. I think Tim Stutzle will be the best player from the draft. 

Im actually going to miss Rossi. I go to a handful of 67’s games every year. At least I did before Covid 19 disrupted things. 

[Canadian Saint]

So I was the 'against' party when we were talking about Rossi last year. I didn't like him all that much. He was somewhere in the 9-13 spot for me IIRC.

For me it was his skating. I thought he had heavy boots. Being a smaller C and having a slow first step was something I didn't think could last as a C in the NHL. People point to guys like Point as guys who are small and have had success in the NHL. Those guys are above average skaters. @beekay414 and I disagreed on that, but I thought skating could be a limiting factor on his upside.

[beekay414]

10 minutes ago, Forge said:

Yeah, but as a center, I get it. There aren't many might mite centers who produce at extremely high levels outside of Point. Trying to think of some others, but it's definitely a limited market. And you know I don't care that much about size in a vacuum because I had Lucas Raymond as my #3 or my #4 last year (I also think Eklund is my #1 forward this year) lol

I was never worried about Rossi as a center but he's also able to play LW and there are enough 5'9" to 5'10" wingers in the NHL. Plus, dude plays a harder, stronger game than some dudes that are 6'3" lmao.

[beekay414]

2 minutes ago, Canadian Saint said:

So I was the 'against' party when we were talking about Rossi last year. I didn't like him all that much. He was somewhere in the 9-13 spot for me IIRC.

For me it was his skating. I thought he had heavy boots. Being a smaller C and having a slow first step was something I didn't think could last as a C in the NHL. People point to guys like Point as guys who are small and have had success in the NHL. Those guys are above average skaters. @beekay414 and I disagreed on that, but I thought skating could be a limiting factor on his upside.

Yeah, I'm not worried about his skating at all. He's got a base that'll be conducive to good enough skating, if not plus. Skating tends to get overblown nowadays due to the massive emphasis put on it. You can't teach the things Rossi can do on the ice. You can develop better skating unless he's just an absolute cement mixer of a skater like Will Butcher lol.

[Canadian Saint]

33 minutes ago, diehardlionfan said:

All players, with the exception of a few players have limitations. I understand what your saying in Larssons case but 4x4.5 wouldn’t bother me a bit. If he gets a ridiculous contract offer then Holland has to let him go.

Barrie would simply slow Bouchard progress which was already mismanaged by putting him on the taxi squad. It would’ve been better had he played in Bakersfield or loaned out to a European team.

The Oilers don’t have enough grit and they need to replace Larssons  physical play and we don’t have anyone close to providing it. With the rumours of Kassian possibly being traded the Ouls become even softer and easier to play against.

 

We're on the same page. I think we have an issue with clearing the front of our net already, with only Nurse and Larsson doing it. I don't think Larsson's skillset is irreplaceable, however it makes it completely moot if you go out and sign Barrie.

Like you said Barrie just slows down Bouch's progression. To make any contract of Barrie's worth it, I think he'd need significant PP time.

I will say, I'm not a big fan of Kassian and am totally fine with shipping him out. The guy shows up once every 10 games or when he's stapled to McDavid or Drai. For $3.2M/yr cap hit, I expect a bit of consistency. When he's on he's a great player, but it's so rare (and something he's dealt with his entire career) he's just not worth it to us.

Speculation on my part, but I think he's Pittsburgh bound for something around Jarry. Our goalie coach in Schwartz coached him in the Oil Kings and IIRC, works out with him in the offseason (and surprise surprise Jarry's glove hand is.....problematic). Pittsburgh has also had interest in Kassian in the past.

[Canadian Saint]

Not sure I love that for the Stars

[Forge]

Just now, Canadian Saint said:

Not sure I love that for the Stars

Not sure why the NHL loves Seth Jones so much. I mean, I know why...he's the type that the old school guys love...but the price points that have been thrown out there are absurd. 

[Canadian Saint]

Just now, Forge said:

Not sure why the NHL loves Seth Jones so much. I mean, I know why...he's the type that the old school guys love...but the price points that have been thrown out there are absurd. 

It's a gambit I think. If you're trading for him, you're betting that he gave less effort and suffered for being on a poor team. On your team, he rebound and looks like one of the NHL's premier D-man again. While it might seem silly, but if you can get Top-5 D-man Seth Jones again, he'll anchor any D. Him and Heskainen would be a ridiculous pairing that you could theoretically play 30 mins/night.

Is it worth the risk? Eh. I'm not certain we'll see that Seth Jones ever again. I think he goes the way of Trouba, however Jones has shown more than Trouba ever did on the Jets.

[Canadian Saint]

Also can we all agree that Pre-draft and free agency/post-Stanley cup is the best time in hockey? A billion rumors, 90% that don't come true but I find myself refreshing **** all day?

[diehardlionfan]

21 minutes ago, Forge said:

Yeah, but as a center, I get it. There aren't many might mite centers who produce at extremely high levels outside of Point. Trying to think of some others, but it's definitely a limited market. And you know I don't care that much about size in a vacuum because I had Lucas Raymond as my #3 last year (I also think Eklund is my #1 forward this year) lol

It depends on your definition mighty mite. Marcell Dionne and David Keon were both 5 foot 9. There are a whole bunch of centres at 5 foot 10 in the low 170’s that had good careers. 

[beekay414]

Just now, Canadian Saint said:

Also can we all agree that Pre-draft and free agency/post-Stanley cup is the best time in hockey? A billion rumors, 90% that don't come true but I find myself refreshing **** all day?

Yes, I agree

 

[Canadian Saint]

1 minute ago, beekay414 said:

Yes, I agree