Eberle, Hall, RNH, Gagner, Smyth, Hemsky. Then there's also MPS.
If I'm Oilers I'd try to trade down with say Isles or Leafs. Take a D-man, Murray or Dumba and get extra picks. Hard to pass up on a guy like Yakupov but they wont be making playoffs until they improve that blue line.
I get the point, but I would never do this (unless I could get a great looking 2-way D, and there aren't 10 of them around even and I very much doubt anything could be worked out).
EDM have Smyth in the locker-room. If I were them, Id try some gambles like Barker and co, while putting a run-and-gun team on the ice untill you get to the point were like Colorado were in 1995 (ie, a good team with flaws. But, not untill you have a team that compete.).
Trying to do anything else is tremendously difficult. You don't have a clue what you got. You don't have a clue how the league will look in 2-3 years. Who your coach will be. It's still to early to say just how good any of the kids they have will become.
Boo Nieves please. Take players who have SUPER high upside but who may take a little bit longer. The Rangers don't need their players to step in at 19. Let them develop until they are 21 or 22 and dominate each level.
Interesting list from CSS. Of course Thrower and Nieves are right smack next to each other on the NA rankings. Those are two very good players.
Couple of guys I've been keeping tabs on seem to be lower than I would expect. One of which is Cody Corbett (#117), who I mentioned earlier in this thread. Another is Matej Beran from PEI in the Q (#97). I had them both pegged as late 2nd rounders. Interesting to see them that low. Though I guess Beran's questionable skating is really putting the hurt on his ranking.
Can any of our European posters give me any info on Tobias Törnkvist? Very intriguing prospect from the tidbits I've heard thus far. Big kid that can skate very well and loves to throw the body, and also has an emerging offensive game.
if im edmonton i draft Yakupov and fill in the D with free agency. they can afford to spend that money. to bring in a big time D. Offer Suter a max contract, build around him.
if im edmonton i draft Yakupov and fill in the D with free agency. they can afford to spend that money. to bring in a big time D. Offer Suter a max contract, build around him.
That makes the assumption that hign-end UFA's want to go to a rebuilding team. Let alone a rebuilding team that's in Edmonton, Alberta.
Rumors are that Nashville is/was prepared to spend huge money to retain Suter and Weber. If he leaves, I just can't see it being about the money. Even with Yakupov, Edmonton and Suter, Edmonton still isn't a cup contender.
Several mock drafts i've seen have the Rangers selecting RW'er Scott Komachuk. Anyone know anything abouth him? Plays for Guelph in the O. Numbers are decent, 30 goals and 29 assists for 59pts, but 110PIMS. He's not a big guy, listed at 5'11 185lbs though. Wonder what the bulk of those PIMS were.
Much like every year with a prospect we all talk about on these boards (Nino and Zibanejad come to mind) the word is out on Nieves and he's no longer a sleeper pick like many of us had. Watch him go at like 19.
Very surprised that Matteau was ranked so high. Who knows though.
Interesting that Koekoek dropped so much in these mock drafts. Honestly, if Nieves is gone and they don't have a guy targeted, trade down, get an extra second at the very least, and pick Koekoek and Kerdiles and call it a day.
So, I am reading Boo Nieves could be around in the late 2nd early 3rd? True?
This draft is a real crap shoot when you get out of the top-15 or so. There are going to be a lot of kids in that 20-60 range who could be up or down 30 spots depending on which scout you talk to. Inconsistency is running a muck in this draft. A scout may have seen a prospect 10 times, and he dominated 8 of the games, while another scout saw 12 different games, and he was lousy though 9 of them.
Nieves is a kid who has great physical tools, but his compete level and hockey IQ are in question. However, you could draw a lot of comparisons to Kreider in his draft year. I.e., big kid with great wheels, quality offensive skill, but questions about his level of competition and ability to think the game at a high level.
If we're in the 28-30 range and he's on the board, he would be a good pick, IMO. We can afford to roll the dice on a project and give him a long development cycle.
It's looking more and more that Forsberg will be drafted ahead of Grigorenko and Galchenyuk.
Edmonton has to take Yakupov. They dont have time to wait for Murray to develop. 3 or 4 years is too long. They can draft Yakupov and trade MPS and Gagner for NHL-ready defense.
Columbus will take Forsberg. He's a little like Landeskog, and that's what they need. Two big centers to build around in Johansen and Forsberg.
It's looking more and more that Forsberg will be drafted ahead of Grigorenko and Galchenyuk.
Edmonton has to take Yakupov. They dont have time to wait for Murray to develop. 3 or 4 years is too long. They can draft Yakupov and trade MPS and Gagner for NHL-ready defense.
Columbus will take Forsberg. He's a little like Landeskog, and that's what they need. Two big centers to build around in Johansen and Forsberg.
Forsberg is talented, he looks great -- BUT his play in Sweden all year have not even remotely been up to par with the normal top 15-20 pick in a first round. Guys like Zinbanejad and MPS were stars in the SEL at the same age, Forsberg has been mediocre in the second tier league. I dont think that it's unlikely that he will become a Anisimov type of player...
Forsberg is talented, he looks great -- BUT his play in Sweden all year have not even remotely been up to par with the normal top 15-20 pick in a first round. Guys like Zinbanejad and MPS were stars in the SEL at the same age, Forsberg has been mediocre in the second tier league. I dont think that it's unlikely that he will become a Anisimov type of player...
He's one of those risers. All the scouts are apparently fawning over him, and word has spread to the draft mockers.
On pure talent, he wouldnt crack the top-5, but it looks like the Radulov / Filatov / Tarasenko / Kuznetsov situations have scared people away.
Here's a scary stat -- Look at all the drafts post-Ovechkin/Malkin/Radulov in 2004: Russia has only produced one 30-goal scorer, and that's Kulemin.
7 drafts worth of Russians, and the best the Motherland can offer is Kulemin?
All these Russians want to play in Sochi in 2014. I will bet the farm that they are waiting to find out if the NHL commits to Sochi. If they do, the Russians will come ovber. If not, they stay in Russia until after the Olympics.
He's one of those risers. All the scouts are apparently fawning over him, and word has spread to the draft mockers.
On pure talent, he wouldnt crack the top-5, but it looks like the Radulov / Filatov / Tarasenko / Kuznetsov situations have scared people away.
Here's a scary stat -- Look at all the drafts post-Ovechkin/Malkin/Radulov in 2004: Russia has only produced one 30-goal scorer, and that's Kulemin.
7 drafts worth of Russians, and the best the Motherland can offer is Kulemin?
All these Russians want to play in Sochi in 2014. I will bet the farm that they are waiting to find out if the NHL commits to Sochi. If they do, the Russians will come ovber. If not, they stay in Russia until after the Olympics.
Interesting fact about the Russian players. It's a sad situation, because there are plenty solid Russians in the league like Kulikov and Burmistrov who don't get mentioned enough.
Interesting fact about the Russian players. It's a sad situation, because there are plenty solid Russians in the league like Kulikov and Burmistrov who don't get mentioned enough.
Kulikov is a stud. Burmistrov is getting there but he needs to add muscle.
To be honest , I thought the KHL was going to be like the old IHL -- where the only star players would be pre-draft youngsters or contract holdouts.
But the lack of top-end skill in the NHL is a byproduct of many things, and the KHL has to be one of them.
Any first hand information on Devin Shore from Whitby, OJHL? Supposedly has great vision and playmaking. Skating could be improved. Similar to Derek Stepan? Could be a very good pick late first, maybe second.
