Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Draft

[jkutswings]

I think the same way you do. In a "normal" draft year for Detroit I wouldnt want him. But the wings basically have a 5th overall that should get them a solid prospect, and their 2 seconds are basically the same as late first round picks because of how high theyll be. I think with a talent level as high as Merkleys I would take the risk on one out of those 4 picks.

Its kinda the home run swing a lot of people want to be taken on here. But theyll get a safer player (and higher end) at ~5 and add two more good prospects in the same range as Merkley if they were to draft him. I dont really see the issue

A good analysis of risk/reward. I think some people just completely close the doors on certain red flags, no matter what round the pick is.

 

[datsyukfan]

I think if merkley is around with the Vegas pick you take him and go for the home run with him. A lot of kids just need to mature. I think he’s so talented and plays on a crummy team that that can be a major reason why he feels entitled, gives up, etc. at the nhl level if you do that your simply just not good enough. I think the threat of not being good enough because of those issues can really change the way a player thinks and allow him to mature. Too much talent to not take a chance and hopefully the leadership is able to teach him how to be a mature professional because based on talent the kid is a top 5-7 prospect in this draft

 

[FireBird71]

I think if merkley is around with the Vegas pick you take him and go for the home run with him. A lot of kids just need to mature. I think he’s so talented and plays on a crummy team that that can be a major reason why he feels entitled, gives up, etc. at the nhl level if you do that your simply just not good enough. I think the threat of not being good enough because of those issues can really change the way a player thinks and allow him to mature. Too much talent to not take a chance and hopefully the leadership is able to teach him how to be a mature professional because based on talent the kid is a top 5-7 prospect in this draft

Would rather have Dellandrea or Foudy

 

[ChadS]

Berggren (#17) hat trick vs SUI, also a set up by Gustafsson (#13).

 

[datsyukfan]

Watched some highlights on this Berggren kid I like his skill and skating ability a lot. Wouldn't hate taking him with an early 2nd. Not sure where he is projected to go

 

[datsyukfan]

Whalstrom wow what a release! Watching him he reminds me of Laine a bit

 

[ChadS]

Watched some highlights on this Berggren kid I like his skill and skating ability a lot. Wouldn't hate taking him with an early 2nd. Not sure where he is projected to go

I think he's well on his way into the 1st round. He's only been getting better and was already in the early-to-mid 2nd round talk earlier.

 

[BinCookin]

Personally I'd take the solid Ericsson replacement in Samuelsson over a "high skill bad attitude player".
How is that Josh Ho Sang (bad attitude) going for NYI?

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

I want Merkley with the Vegas pick if we can swing it. He's got red flags, but he's got undeniable talent. If there is ever a time to roll the dice on a "red flag" player, it's at the very start of the rebuild. What happens if he flames out? It won't materially affect our results in the next couple years. But if he's a boom.... and we got Dahlin or Boqvist or Dobson or Lil Svech and they boom, that's a potential couple of top pairing D or a top pairing D plus an elite wing prospect.

Merkley is a risk worth taking. I would certainly want to trade AA before Merkley would be up for good though.

 

[TCNorthstars]

I want Merkley with the Vegas pick if we can swing it. He's got red flags, but he's got undeniable talent. If there is ever a time to roll the dice on a "red flag" player, it's at the very start of the rebuild. What happens if he flames out? It won't materially affect our results in the next couple years. But if he's a boom.... and we got Dahlin or Boqvist or Dobson or Lil Svech and they boom, that's a potential couple of top pairing D or a top pairing D plus an elite wing prospect.

Merkley is a risk worth taking. I would certainly want to trade AA before Merkley would be up for good though.

AA would probably be a UFA by the time Merkley would be up for good and leave on his own (assuming he is still around by then).

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Anybody catch how Boqvist played today? I saw he got an assist.

 

[Frk It]

Would rather have Dellandrea or Foudy

Would love to get Dellandrea. I think he is being undervalued big time in this draft.

Personally I'd take the solid Ericsson replacement in Samuelsson over a "high skill bad attitude player".
How is that Josh Ho Sang (bad attitude) going for NYI?

I want Merkley with the Vegas pick if we can swing it. He's got red flags, but he's got undeniable talent. If there is ever a time to roll the dice on a "red flag" player, it's at the very start of the rebuild. What happens if he flames out? It won't materially affect our results in the next couple years. But if he's a boom.... and we got Dahlin or Boqvist or Dobson or Lil Svech and they boom, that's a potential couple of top pairing D or a top pairing D plus an elite wing prospect.

Merkley is a risk worth taking. I would certainly want to trade AA before Merkley would be up for good though.

I really can see both sides. I would be OK with staying away from him or picking him. We have enough picks to where I can stomach the risk. But this has a lot of risk, let's all understand that.

 

[TCNorthstars]

Would love to get Dellandrea. I think he is being undervalued big time in this draft.




I really can see both sides. I would be OK with staying away from him or picking him. We have enough picks to where I can stomach the risk. But this has a lot of risk, let's all understand that.

Is it really that much risk at the end of the 1st round though? Aren't the chances of picking a star pretty slim in that area already? I don't expect him to be there with the Vegas pick, but I think I take that chance. Especially with a couple of early 2nds.

 

[Frk It]

Is it really that much risk at the end of the 1st round though? Aren't the chances of picking a star pretty slim in that area already? I don't expect him to be there with the Vegas pick, but I think I take that chance. Especially with a couple of early 2nds.

I am usually all for high upside guys, but I don't think the odds of him pulling his head out of his ass are very good personally. If he doesn't he won't be an NHL player at all. There are some other guys in the late 1st who are good options with less baggage.

 

[Red Stanley]

If they go for a kid like Merkley, they'd better do their homework and make sure he's got a good chance to grow out of it. Fast. Do not want soccer star mentality on my hockey team. No thanks.

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

If they go for a kid like Merkley, they'd better do their homework and make sure he's got a good chance to grow out of it. Fast. Do not want soccer star mentality on my hockey team. No thanks.

Aren't most soccer stars also g at people?

Mesi and ronaldo seem great

 

[Red Stanley]

Aren't most soccer stars also g at people?

Mesi and ronaldo seem great

I equate them to Disney child stars. The kind that grow up into "adults" who throw tantrums on the field when their blatant dives don't get awarded with penalty kicks.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Is it really that much risk at the end of the 1st round though? Aren't the chances of picking a star pretty slim in that area already? I don't expect him to be there with the Vegas pick, but I think I take that chance. Especially with a couple of early 2nds.

I'll start by saying I am for taking Merkley with the Vegas pick (although I think he will be gone in the late teens) entirely depending on how the draft plays out. I'm an advocate for moving up in the first using picks/roster players, but I wouldn't move up to take Merkley. I would have to stay put and have other players of interest come off the board before us.

That being said, I think there's so much more risk than that of a normal first round draft pick. Obviously drafting Larkin or Rasmussen has some risk that they never became/become the high end player that we are hoping for, but the one thing that we know for sure is that they have the inner drive and mental composure that we can trust that they will put in the work to get achieve their potential, whatever it may be. That they are going to be good professionals along the way.

Merkley is just a wild card with his personality. Maybe playing in juniors is a bit detrimental to him mentally because the game is coming so easy that he doesn't feel the urgency to try to improve certain areas. From what I've read from the variety of scouting reports or tidbits that pop up here and there is that he ends up wanting to play too much offense and doesn't lock in on defense. Also having disagreements with coaching in general sounds a lot like Athanasiou's junior career. It's entirely possible he ends up being stubborn the same way that AA is, and then we find ourselves sitting here with RFA years on the table debating if we should just trade him. If we do end up with him, the best bet would be to get him in for training camp and have him around Z/Kronwall/Daley and learn from people near the end of their career that still work harder than anyone.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

I would be fine with Merkley if it were just on-ice issues. But we're talking about a kid who has burnt basically every bridge he's ever crossed, and by all accounts hasn't learned any lessons yet. He's not good enough as he is right now to be an offensive defenseman in the NHL, so it doesn't really matter to me how good he is right now. (Also, that A/60 graph floating around seems misleading to me, because Merkley gets incredibly sheltered icetime.)

I just could not see using a 1st round pick on that guy (or even one of the early 2nds). Not when there are so many good players that are going to still be on the board. Besides, it's not like Detroit is 2 years back and so starved for offensive defensemen that they'll take anything. They have Hronek, Cholowski, and Saarijarvi. Maybe even Sulak. They don't have to scrape the bottom of the barrel like this.

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

I'm wondering how the U18's are affecting draft positions.

Any movers in your opinion?

 

[Frk It]

I'm wondering how the U18's are affecting draft positions.

Any movers in your opinion?

Only been 1 game... but not surprised Wahlstrom has 2 goals already.

 

[Henkka]

I'm wondering how the U18's are affecting draft positions.

Any movers in your opinion?

Could affect a lot for lower round guys. Not much for 1st round or especially TOP10. They are set already.

 

[Frk It]

Merkley is just a wild card with his personality. Maybe playing in juniors is a bit detrimental to him mentally because the game is coming so easy that he doesn't feel the urgency to try to improve certain areas. From what I've read from the variety of scouting reports or tidbits that pop up here and there is that he ends up wanting to play too much offense and doesn't lock in on defense.

Well, if he was on a 1st place team and just coasting through games that would be one thing. But his team sucks and a lot of that is because of him and how he plays. Not the biggest fan of the plus/minus stat, but the kid is a -70 over the last 2 seasons for a reason.

 

[jkutswings]

Would love to get Dellandrea. I think he is being undervalued big time in this draft.

+1 to that. I think Ty is going to be a very nice snag for whomever gets him around the end of the first round.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

I would be fine with Merkley if it were just on-ice issues. But we're talking about a kid who has burnt basically every bridge he's ever crossed, and by all accounts hasn't learned any lessons yet. He's not good enough as he is right now to be an offensive defenseman in the NHL, so it doesn't really matter to me how good he is right now. (Also, that A/60 graph floating around seems misleading to me, because Merkley gets incredibly sheltered icetime.)

I just could not see using a 1st round pick on that guy (or even one of the early 2nds). Not when there are so many good players that are going to still be on the board. Besides, it's not like Detroit is 2 years back and so starved for offensive defensemen that they'll take anything. They have Hronek, Cholowski, and Saarijarvi. Maybe even Sulak. They don't have to scrape the bottom of the barrel like this.

Merkley is a top 50 puck mover in the NHL tomorrow. He is crazy elite offensively. He is the best passer in this draft. He does next level Karlsson stuff a lot. That graph shows me what I have seen whenever I see him play. He generates offense at an astonishing rate. I think the issues are very real though in terms of off-ice and effort wise. But I don't think you can say he isn't a good enough offensive d-man. He is substantially better offensively than the guys like Murphy and DeAngelo people would use to argue restraint on him. It is whether or not he ever gets it. If not he floats around as a PP guy that coaches hate still for a while in the NHL just because of his talent level.

Merkley is insanely young so I would keep him down another year and to build on his frame. But he thinks the game offensively already at an insane level, especially for a kid that won't be 18 until August.