Good Lord, I`d be ecstatic if we got Horvat in the 2nd round. That`s a pipe dream though.
Why are you so high on Horvat? Seen you mention him several times. His stats don't really stand out (I know, stats aren't everything). He is playing on a stacked London Kinghts though, so he might not be playing top 6 mins, I don't know.
Why are you so high on Horvat? Seen you mention him several times. His stats don't really stand out (I know, stats aren't everything). He is playing on a stacked London Kinghts though, so he might not be playing top 6 mins, I don't know.
Got good reports on him from my friend covering the Ivan Hlinka tourney. Watched him a couple of times, always liked his play. Not the biggest guy or the flashiest player, but a very smart two-way center with good hands, plays with his head in every situation. Generated more offense than Domi. Prototypical Devils player, I cannot not love him. Is he the boom-bust type with an outstanding upside we`re looking for at the moment? Probably not, but still.
I just went eyeballed from 2007 to 2003, there are plenty of mid first round busts and there are late first round scores, doesn't look to me like there is a huge difference between picking 18th and 29th.
The draft is a crapshoot, I'll give you that but wouldn't you say that odds would be on our side to pick a better player with a higher pick? We have a outstanding scouting team and that might be the reason why we've been picking solid talent in the early 20's for the past decade+.
I'm just saying that we might be able to pick a even better player in the early/mid teen's, that's all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Getzo5
Of course you can, you`ll most likely be in charge of the pack.
Of course I would and any Devils fan who wouldn't be pissed about selecting a prospect in the top #5, top #10 or even top #15 over Matteau at #29 is either drinking loads and loads of koolaid or he just wouldn't want to admit he was wrong about the mindset of keeping our second to last pick.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CJ Richey
Based on how the Devils have finished the last 20 years our average draft position is 22nd place. So I'm not sure how the odds are we'll be picking in the mid to earlier teens.
You're spot on.... but for the past 2 decades, we dressed a HOF goaltender that's going on the decline (wich is only normal) and will probably retire in the next 18 months, we didn't have to resign 4 key members of our team to UFA deals (Patty, Zajac, Zidlicky and Clarkson) and opposing teams are also getting better.
Add all those things together and it's only normal that we'll start slipping eventually but hey, if we can continu to dominate for the next decade, then I'll be happiest guy alive.
Yeah, being wrong in a guessing game while trying to come up with a logical explanation of the situation instead of acting like I see the future clearly, that sure sounds as a cardinal sin.
Drinking Lou-aid, brah.
You never disappoint, and I mean it. Hugs, hugs and kisses. bahaha
I really hate the drinking the kool-aid comments. Sorry that I have confidence in a GM that has made the playoffs 18 ****ing times the last 20 years. I will defend his dumbest moves against anyone that is constantly critical of an organization that is consistently good.
I really hate the drinking the kool-aid comments. Sorry that I have confidence in a GM that has made the playoffs 18 ****ing times the last 20 years. I will defend his dumbest moves against anyone that is constantly critical of an organization that is consistently good.
No one is saying that Lou's the idiots of all idiots... but the man is human like you and I my friend and humans make mistakes from time to time.
If I think otherwise about certain moves our team is making, it's like if I'm crapping on it since day #1, when I became a fan of the team in the late 1980's.
Do we have to agree on every move that's being made by the organisation to post on HF? 90% of the moves that are made by the team are fantastic and are expressed accordingly but if they screw up, I'll give them the same treatment as well.
I and certain posters have their own mindset on certain things and that's what this site is for but I might be way off and for those who think that we're rambling the same arguments over and over again... what do you expect me and others to do when there's a reply coming our way ?!?!?
Even if his rankings are questionable, props to Craig Button and TSN for putting more draft coverage this year. Was listening to a couple podcasts last night and it was pretty informative. Ie, Elias Lindholm is primarily listed as a center but has spent most of the year playing RW flanking his cousin Calle Jarnkrok.
Even if his rankings are questionable, props to Craig Button and TSN for putting more draft coverage this year. Was listening to a couple podcasts last night and it was pretty informative. Ie, Elias Lindholm is primarily listed as a center but has spent most of the year playing RW flanking his cousin Calle Jarnkrok.
This is true. Lindholm plays both positions very well though. Has the smarts, vision, puck handling as a center should and can also play very direct, great on the forecheck, physical as a winger. Lot to like.
The reason why Slepyshev wasn`t drafted by anybody last year was that he wanted to stay in Russia and finish out his contract with Novokuznetsk (was traded to Ufa prior to the WJC). He has one year left on his contract. That means he`ll be still eligible and most likely drafted in 2014.
He's definitely got all the tools you want in a defenseman, although I think he might be a bit overhyped.
He just turned 18 playing in a tournament dominated by guys with one or two more years of experience than him, and playing prime minutes. By no chance is he overhyped.
Big, toolsy defensemen are usually unpolished early on. Remember Hartford-era Pronger? It takes a while to bring multi-faceted dominance like that together.
The problem with the WJCs is that people let a short tournament with new players and new systems and new coaches and flights halfway around the world override scouting reports from hundreds of games prior. Seth Jones had a couple of bad games. So did Huberdeau and Strome and Hamilton and Subban and Galchenyuk and Yakupov. These are all supremely talented players and they deserve all the hype they can get at this point, in my opinion.
I think it can say something though when guys are apparently dominating their clubs or schools or whatever and are experienced at WJC level then seem absolutely underwhelming. Hamilton is a prime example.
Nothing amazing defensively and seemingly non-existent offensively.
Going to talk to Kuznetsov and Nichushkin tomorrow. I seriously hope they speak English, at least a little bit, so they can understand the questions. I have a Russian interpreter back home.
