2018 NHL Entry Draft Thread

[Monkey D Luffy]

Remember, we still have Vesalainen coming up and based off our track record with first rounders there's a decent chance he can make it up here some time soon. I would love to see us go defense in the first round as we'll be picking in the 20's most likely and I can't see us picking that late upgrading what we already have at forward.

 

[Weezeric]

So it is not a good thing that Little is back to looking like he has a few good years left in him? Or we should not try to get a C prospect with the potential to replace him in a few years?

I get what you are saying. Of course that is the case. I still don't see where it fits the post you quoted. What am I missing?

What about the jets drafting record has you convinced that we need to trade for that C prospect and can't draft one in 3 drafts, I guess, is my question. 2nd line centers aren't tough to find.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

This is a D draft though. Just like the year we got Trouba, I want one and trust our scouts to make out like bandits

They will 100% draft the best player available. Could very well be a winger like Bokk as well. I'll trust chevy in almost whoever he picks, but I'd just be the most excited for a center

I think you are way overrating our D prospects. Niku is looking very good. Samberg has shown potential but is a long way off. Stanley has shown improvement but only just what would be expected going from D to D+1 to D+2. He still has a long way to go to make the NHL at any level. Poolman has been healthy scratched the last couple of games in favour of Chiarot, with Kulikov playing his off side. He didn't look good the last couple of games he played.

We do also have Green and Nogier on the right side but they are hard to place, having missed the entire year so far.

Where we are likely drafting the odds of getting the kind of C we need are not good. We need a top 6 C, not another bottom 6 C. Our D needs are a little more modest but I think we need a L/R pair of 2nd pairing Dmen developing in the system. That's what will give us a steady progression of replacements as current D men age out or move on.

I'd be happy to get a C if he projects as a replacement for Little in the next 2-3 years. I expect the C's available where we will be picking will rate more at the bottom 6 level.

Will be really tough for Jets to find the 2C if you dont take the chances in these late 1st rounders. Wont be any of those top 10 picks in the near future for Jets.
In D side I think the 1st pair is set with Josh and Jacob, and while 2nd pairing isnt exactly set, Niku-Samberg pairing looks very good in my eyes. Also Myers is still pretty young

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

What about the jets drafting record has you convinced that we need to trade for that C prospect and can't draft one in 3 drafts, I guess, is my question. 2nd line centers aren't tough to find.

OK, now I get it - finally. Sorry for being so thick.

My thinking that we need to trade for that C is that 2C's are tough to find, where we will be drafting. I don't expect to draft earlier than about 24th for the next 10 years. 2C's can still be found there but they are rare in that location.

The draft BPA concept is always that you try to get the best player regardless of position and adjust your roster balance later. Well, it is later. We are overflowing with wingers and are short at top 3 D and top 2 C. We have bottom 6 C prospects and 4, 5, 6, 7 defense prospects.

With JoMo and Trouba we have a top pair but we may lose Trouba fairly soon. After them we are OK for the short term but have only Niku looking like moving in right below them. And then there is Trouba. We have no replacement for him if he moves on. Plus there are ??? attached to the other 2 RHD.

At 2C we have Little for the short term and the possibility still exists that Roslovic can replace him but that is still quite uncertain. We have no other candidate for 2C.

I just brought up the possibility of trading Roslovic and Connor as food for thought because it seemed to me we were neglecting it on the assumption that it was beyond consideration. I want to get the thought out there because we are in a position where we actually could trade high value players like them. In the past that was out of the question so we never gave it any thought.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

They will 100% draft the best player available. Could very well be a winger like Bokk as well. I'll trust chevy in almost whoever he picks, but I'd just be the most excited for a center


Will be really tough for Jets to find the 2C if you dont take the chances in these late 1st rounders. Wont be any of those top 10 picks in the near future for Jets.
In D side I think the 1st pair is set with Josh and Jacob, and while 2nd pairing isnt exactly set, Niku-Samberg pairing looks very good in my eyes. Also Myers is still pretty young

I think almost everyone almost always gets more excited for a C. They are just a sexier position.

I expect Chevy to go for the BPA again. I hope the BPA is either a C or a D. Considering the talent pool in this class I think D is more likely.

I think the most likely scenario for our next 2C is a trade, one way or another. The price will be good young players, good prospects and/or high picks in some combination.

 

[StatisticsAddict99]

I really want Veleno, he’s got some wicked playmaking skills...

 

[CaptainChef]

I think almost everyone almost always gets more excited for a C. They are just a sexier position.

I expect Chevy to go for the BPA again. I hope the BPA is either a C or a D. Considering the talent pool in this class I think D is more likely.

I think the most likely scenario for our next 2C is a trade, one way or another. The price will be good young players, good prospects and/or high picks in some combination.

Ok, BPA. But I've always maintained that each club has a different order to who they consider BPA, and that teams that are really well stocked with wingers & winger prospects will rate those below a C or D when making their list. So yes, Jets will chose BPA on their list, but list is going to be slightly biased towards D & C prospects.

 

[Daximus]

2019 will be a doozy for centers. My current top 15 ranking of just guys who have played some C at their current level.

1. Hughes
2. Newhook
3. Krebs
4. Pelletier
5. Suzuki
6. Cozens
7. Turcotte
8. Dach
9. Lavoie
10. Simoneau
11. Parent
12. Poulin
13. Beecher
14. Rizzo
15. Fleischer

Should be a really deep crop of C's. Some of these kids will eventually shift to the wing though for the NHL. Pelletier and Simoneau seem like easy candidates based on size and style of play. Others are being tried out at C and playing well like Krebs and Rizzo who were both mostly wingers at lower levels. John Beecher will be a big riser I think. It goes even deeper then this with a few other names but you get the picture. 2019 will be the year of the center.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Ok, BPA. But I've always maintained that each club has a different order to who they consider BPA, and that teams that are really well stocked with wingers & winger prospects will rate those below a C or D when making their list. So yes, Jets will chose BPA on their list, but list is going to be slightly biased towards D & C prospects.

JMO but I would always bias the list toward C & D. I would also always bias it a little toward team needs. Both biases are small though. Ehlers, Laine, Connor and KV were all drafted as wings. When the talent is there you've got to go with it.

 

[JetsUK]

2019 will be a doozy for centers. My current top 15 ranking of just guys who have played some C at their current level.

1. Hughes
2. Newhook
3. Krebs
4. Pelletier
5. Suzuki
6. Cozens
7. Turcotte
8. Dach
9. Lavoie
10. Simoneau
11. Parent
12. Poulin
13. Beecher
14. Rizzo
15. Fleischer

Reads like a cast list for Grease.

Krebs and Hughes are the only ones from this list I've followed at all. Both look terrific. Would be great to find a Little replacement in time for his graceful departure.

 

[Daximus]

Reads like a cast list for Grease.

Krebs and Hughes are the only ones from this list I've followed at all. Both look terrific. Would be great to find a Little replacement in time for his graceful departure.

It's going to be tough to get one of the highly ranked guys unless we have a terrible season next year and unlikely we are able to trade for a high pick as well. There still should be a good guy ranked around where we pick though.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Yeah I'd prefer to shoot for a defencemen this year. Unless Veleno falls to us, which is looking unlikely now.

Bet we could get Veleno with Edmonton's pick.

 

[Daximus]

Bet we could get Veleno with Edmonton's pick.

Well at that point we might as well draft Dahlin.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Well at that point we might as well draft Dahlin.

I'm assuming we get the pick lottery protected. Although ..... you never know with Chiarelli, he might forget to ask for that.

If we can't find a way to get Veleno, what about Kotkaniemi? Checks a lot of boxes.

 

[Aavco Cup]

I'm assuming we get the pick lottery protected. Although ..... you never know with Chiarelli, he might forget to ask for that.

If we can't find a way to get Veleno, what about Kotkaniemi? Checks a lot of boxes.

The lottery happens long before any offseason moves are made.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

The lottery happens long before any offseason moves are made.

I'm aware of that.

 

[Aavco Cup]

I'm aware of that.

So there's no need to lottery protect it, unless you think Edmonton is trading us their first round pick before the deadline?

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

So there's no need to lottery protect it, unless you think Edmonton is trading us their first round pick before the deadline?

You're not getting into the spirit here. Don't take it too seriously.

 

[Daximus]

I'm assuming we get the pick lottery protected. Although ..... you never know with Chiarelli, he might forget to ask for that.

If we can't find a way to get Veleno, what about Kotkaniemi? Checks a lot of boxes.

He might be available. Some skill, a Finn. Not sure where he projects yet. A lot of lists have him right in the middle. Benoit-Oliver Groulx is one that really interests me but I think he has more of a middle 6 kind of game. Not offensive enough but speedy, decent hands and a good two-way game. Ultimately I think going with a Dman, unless Veleno falls, is the way to go.

Wilde, Woo, Miller, Addison, Alexeyev or Samuelsson are who I would target. I'd also look to target some guys like Durzi and Minulin in the 2nd round.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

He might be available. Some skill, a Finn. Not sure where he projects yet. A lot of lists have him right in the middle. Benoit-Oliver Groulx is one that really interests me but I think he has more of a middle 6 kind of game. Not offensive enough but speedy, decent hands and a good two-way game. Ultimately I think going with a Dman, unless Veleno falls, is the way to go.

Wilde, Woo, Miller, Addison, Alexeyev or Samuelsson are who I would target. I'd also look to target some guys like Durzi and Minulin in the 2nd round.

OK, I thought Kotkaniemi might be flying under the radar a bit, playing in Liiga and being compared to others playing in Jr.

There certainly ought to be some good Dmen left. Durzi is interesting, having been passed over once already.

 

[Rheged]

Durzi shoulda gone last year, would be nice to get in the second if he lasts that long.

 

[Daximus]

Durzi shoulda gone last year, would be nice to get in the second if he lasts that long.

I think he will overagers typically do last into the 2nd. I wouldn't mind Minulin either having watched him a lot this season. Not sure why he went undrafted last year either. That being said we have a low 2nd so unlikely we get a shot at them but you never know.

 

[Rheged]

I think he will overagers typically do last into the 2nd. I wouldn't mind Minulin either having watched him a lot this season. Not sure why he went undrafted last year either. That being said we have a low 2nd so unlikely we get a shot at them but you never know.

There has to be something behind the scenes with Minulin no? Good size, shoots right, WAAAAAAY more productive than guys who go undrafted should be.

He's a super weird one to me.

 

[Maukkis]

There has to be something behind the scenes with Minulin no? Good size, shoots right, WAAAAAAY more productive than guys who go undrafted should be.

He's a super weird one to me.

That is a really good shout. I searched for his name, and a bunch of posters were wondering about the same thing. Upon further searching, there were a couple of guys mentioning that his skating is downright awful. Still, it is tough to imagine that a defenseman whose production is comparable to that of most D prospects of the draft class would be passed over 217 times just because of that...

 

[Gabe Kupari]

BPA Center or D. No more wingers needed