Considering our NHL depth at center is going to be Koivu and Brodziak, then maybe Larsson...yes we could use more centers.
I agree. Could be a knee-jerk reaction, but i dont see MiG being the long-term answer to needing a 2nd line center. He could still become that, and i would love it if he did, but i think his future will involve a lot of wing time, similar to Joe Pavelski out in San Jose.
I'd love for the Wild to go after a center with the 1st rounder this season. Our prospect pool has LW and Goalie covered for now. Defense could use a bit more bolstering, so i'd like to see one or two defenders taken in the first 4-5 rounds, but its not a huge deal. RW and Center are the big voids in our pool right now.
Preferably, the Wild would get a 1st round C and then spend the 2nd on a RW in an ideal world. We have 3 3rd rounders this season, right? Get two defenders with those and then evenly distribute the rest of the picks between positions.
/armchairgm
Although, if we miss the playoffs, i have a good feeling about winning the lottery. Then trade down to the #3 spot and grab Drouin, while picking up an additional 2nd? Boom! I feel like I'm John Madden. The football one.
But I still think that when it's your time to make a selection and you have two guys rated equally between a center and a winger, you pick center...and if you have two guys rated equally between a defenseman and a winger, you pick defense.
Great teams are strong down the middle...besides, it's easier to convert a center to wing then the other way around.
But I still think that when it's your time to make a selection and you have two guys rated equally between a center and a winger, you pick center...and if you have two guys rated equally between a defenseman and a winger, you pick defense.
Great teams are strong down the middle...besides, it's easier to convert a center to wing then the other way around.
True. Both Hall and P Kane were shifted to Center in hopes that they could pull it around. Those guys are 1st overall players and are some of the best in the league at their positions. Neither of them could do it, and those are just the most prominent and recent examples.
haha, he is so finnish, just like zibanajad is swedish
My only question about shinkaruk is his size. Maybe we will do poor enough to grab barkov, lindholm or monahan.
Strength is an issue that he needs to work on but his skating is very strong with very strong balance. If he puts on some muscle, he'll be very hard to push off even if he is standing at 5-11 because of his strong skating.
I did a mock on my own and ended having the Wild selecting Joshua Morrissey at #16.
Mobile defenseman that plays a solid all-round game with above average puck-moving skills and very good agility. Not huge but he's quite mobile and is decently built with decent strength.
With Brodin being a smooth skating but non-physical defenseman and Dumba being a more high risk type of player, Morrissey is a nice blend on skating, puck movement, and physicality that will work nicely with Brodin and Dumba, a sort of blend of the two.
The other choice was Curtis Lazar, a forward thats great with the forecheck and creating a bit of chaos in the offensive zone through his energetic play. He compliments all of that with a quick release and a good shot. A combination that seems to fit the Wild's style of play perfectly while filling a need of a forward that can shoot the puck.
