NHL Entry Draft 2020 NHL Draft Discussion - Part IX

[Nac Mac Feegle]

I don't think you can screw up two top 6 picks - even if, for example, they pick Byfield and he busts, I don't consider that a mistake at draft time.

I get what you're saying. If all the experts say a kid is top 6 material, it's hard to call it a screwup if he busts.

But at the end of the day, missing on that pick screws up the franchise for years. You don't get many golden opportunities to pick that high....missing on that rare opportunity hurts. Alot.

 

[ijif]

I get what you're saying. If all the experts say a kid is top 6 material, it's hard to call it a screwup if he busts.

But at the end of the day, missing on that pick screws up the franchise for years. You don't get many golden opportunities to pick that high....missing on that rare opportunity hurts. Alot.

If all the experts say a kid is top 6 and turn out to be wrong, you can absolutely call it a mistake or a screw-up, but I don't think it entirely depends on how the player turns out. For example, taking Pavel Zacha in the top 6 in the 2015 draft is a mistake. It is a mistake because a forward that can't score a PPG in the OHL should never be taken in the top 10. Lawson Crouse is in the same boat being selected at #11.

Players like Yakupov, Daigle, Strome, or Drouin are not the same as players like Zacha or Crouse, because every indicator suggested they would be strong players for many years. If a team misses on a player when everything suggested that player would be good, that is okay. It can set a team back, and a really good scout might notice that the player won't be as good as advertised, and the scout can be proud of that, but the team is not making a mistake.

 

[operasen]

I expect we come out of Draft with a Centre (top 4 slots) And a winger at 5. Given a 3-5 slotting with Lafreniere and Byfield off the table, Stuzle and Raymond/Rossi
Drysdale is tempting as a RD talent, if he is still there, but our needs at RW, C and even LW are deeper. Any of that second group are valuable plug and play picks.

 

[bert]

I expect we come out of Draft with a Centre (top 4 slots) And a winger at 5. Given a 3-5 slotting with Lafreniere and Byfield off the table, Stuzle and Raymond/Rossi
Drysdale is tempting as a RD talent, if he is still there, but our needs at RW, C and even LW are deeper. Any of that second group are valuable plug and play picks.

LW , LD and goalie are positions the team is stacked from a rebuild perspective. RD is probably the biggest organizational weakness but having a legit number 1 in Chabot makes the Center position the biggest need. I think the team is pretty good on both wings, but you're right if they are focusing on one wing specifically RW is the bigger need.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

LW , LD and goalie are positions the team is stacked from a rebuild perspective. RD is probably the biggest organizational weakness but having a legit number 1 in Chabot makes the Center position the biggest need. I think the team is pretty good on both wings, but you're right if they are focusing on one wing specifically RW is the bigger need.

I agree with this but just want to add that we have center depth. What we need is one dominant #1 C. It's the biggest piece we need to add on our way to becoming a Cup contender.

Organizational needs as I would rank them:

1. #1C
2. #1RD
3. #1RW
4. #1LW

So basically I think we need a top line player at every position other than LD. I think we've got second line/pairing covered in all those slots for the future but we desperately top line talent.

 

[Masked]

LW , LD and goalie are positions the team is stacked from a rebuild perspective. RD is probably the biggest organizational weakness but having a legit number 1 in Chabot makes the Center position the biggest need. I think the team is pretty good on both wings, but you're right if they are focusing on one wing specifically RW is the bigger need.

There's no need to be focusing on position with picks in the top 10. Pick the best players.

 

[bert]

I agree with this but just want to add that we have center depth. What we need is one dominant #1 C. It's the biggest piece we need to add on our way to becoming a Cup contender.

Organizational needs as I would rank them:

1. #1C
2. #1RD
3. #1RW
4. #1LW

So basically I think we need a top line player at every position other than LD. I think we've got second line/pairing covered in all those slots for the future but we desperately top line talent.

I think LW were fine Tkachuk, Formenton and Duclair is going to be one of the best LW depth in hockey. Balcers and Paul also play LW. But 100 percent agree about the center ice position. Solid depth but no number 1. If they come out of the first round with Byfield, Drysdale and one of Quinn/ Jarvis/Gunler they may fill the three big holes.

There's no need to be focusing on position with picks in the top 10. Pick the best players.

Agreed, would be nice to go BPA and fill positions of need.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Yeah Im not a fan of the system. Potentially dropping 3 spots is brutal for teams that need the picks more than others.

I think it would be more fair just to have the one lottery winner get first overall. Maybe even lower the odds for the bottom 3 teams or something.

Finishing dead last and getting 2nd isn't that terrible. Finishing dead last and getting 4th is brutal.

finishing second last and getting 5 and 6 tho not bad

 

[Micklebot]

I agree with this but just want to add that we have center depth. What we need is one dominant #1 C. It's the biggest piece we need to add on our way to becoming a Cup contender.

Organizational needs as I would rank them:

1. #1C
2. #1RD
3. #1RW
4. #1LW

So basically I think we need a top line player at every position other than LD. I think we've got second line/pairing covered in all those slots for the future but we desperately top line talent.

Org depth at RD depends on where Brannstrom plays and how zub turns out

RD has a lot of uncertainty, but if Brannstrom plays that side and JBD and/or Thomson become good top 4 dmen were suddenly stacked at RD. RD is like our goalie situation, good potential but no sure thing.

RW seems like a bigger hole in the system to me. Now you can certainly argue its more important to get D and C right.

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

There's no need to be focusing on position with picks in the top 10. Pick the best players.

To me it's totally the opposite. You should only focus on need (if that's what you want to do) if you have top picks who will be on your team within a year. Drafting on need in the later rounds when guys are years away makes no sense.

 

[Masked]

To me it's totally the opposite. You should only focus on need (if that's what you want to do) if you have top picks who will be on your team within a year.

Focusing on need is what gets you a second line center instead of an all star winger. Montreal took Kotkaniemi instead of Tkachuk because they wanted a center. That was a big mistake.

 

[Micklebot]

Focusing on need is what gets you a second line center instead of an all star winger. Montreal took Kotkaniemi instead of Tkachuk because they wanted a center. That was a big mistake.

Got us Lee instead of Kopitar imo.

Nice thing is with two top 6 picks odds are decent that one of the centers is BPA so we shouldn't have to worry about bpa vs need

 

[BondraTime]

Got us Lee instead of Kopitar imo.

Nice thing is with two top 6 picks odds are decent that one of the centers is BPA so we shouldn't have to worry about bpa vs need

Yup, Muckler wanted a Redden replacement, so took who we thought was the best PMD in Lee.

Absolutely changed what could have been a cup, we were the best team in the league and we had a top 10 pick, and a guy ranked 4th, I believe, fell to us and we decided to take Lee still.

Sad thing is, I heard we had Skille very high and would have taken him before Kopitar as well.

Take whoever our top 2 rated players are, regardless of position outside of goalie. We are in need of stars everywhere.

 

[FormentonTheFuture]

Focusing on need is what gets you a second line center instead of an all star winger. Montreal took Kotkaniemi instead of Tkachuk because they wanted a center. That was a big mistake.

if you rank two players the same at the top of the draft then drafting on need is perfectly fine.

 

[Masked]

if you rank two players the same at the top of the draft then drafting on need is perfectly fine.

That's not focusing on a position or drafting for need.

 

[The Devilish Buffoon]

Yup, Muckler wanted a Redden replacement, so took who we thought was the best PMD in Lee.

Absolutely changed what could have been a cup, we were the best team in the league and we had a top 10 pick, and a guy ranked 4th, I believe, fell to us and we decided to take Lee still.

Sad thing is, I heard we had Skille very high and would have taken him before Kopitar as well.

Take whoever our top 2 rated players are, regardless of position outside of goalie. We are in need of stars everywhere.

Muckler was counting on getting Price and was underprepared for that draft. I remember that being one of the first drafts I followed closely, and being so stoked that we were likely to end up with either Marc Staal or (my favourite) Anze Kopitar, who was pretty widely ranked between 4th - 6th overall, in the 2nd group that also consisted of Pouliot and Brule. I watched Kopitar drop and got more and more excited as our pick approached. Then McKenzie (I believe) said he was pretty sure we were going to take Lee and my heart sunk.

 

[Bileur]

Yup, Muckler wanted a Redden replacement, so took who we thought was the best PMD in Lee.

Absolutely changed what could have been a cup, we were the best team in the league and we had a top 10 pick, and a guy ranked 4th, I believe, fell to us and we decided to take Lee still.

Sad thing is, I heard we had Skille very high and would have taken him before Kopitar as well.

Take whoever our top 2 rated players are, regardless of position outside of goalie. We are in need of stars everywhere.

I can’t even imagine rolling out Spezza-Kopitar-Fisher-Kelly as your Center depth.

 

[Micklebot]

I can’t even imagine rolling out Spezza-Kopitar-Fisher-Kelly as your Center depth.

Don't forget Vermette.

 

[Bileur]

Don't forget Vermette.

I wasn’t forgetting. I had him at LW with Kopitar.

Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson
Vermette-Kopitar-Eaves
Schaefer-Fisher-Neil
McAmmond-Kelly-Saprykin/McGrattan

 

[BondraTime]

Don't forget Vermette.

Or Smoke

 

[Bileur]

Or Smoke

Presuming Kopitar still plays D+1 in Sweden,
Smoke was traded by Kopitar’s rookie year.

 

[DaveMatthew]

We have needs everywhere. BPA should be the only consideration.

We're a last place team that needs an infusion of talent. We're not a contender looking to plug a couple holes.

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

Dylan Peterson seems like a sens draft pick with either the 2nd or 3rd round pick.

 

[aragorn]

If all the experts say a kid is top 6 and turn out to be wrong, you can absolutely call it a mistake or a screw-up, but I don't think it entirely depends on how the player turns out. For example, taking Pavel Zacha in the top 6 in the 2015 draft is a mistake. It is a mistake because a forward that can't score a PPG in the OHL should never be taken in the top 10. Lawson Crouse is in the same boat being selected at #11.

Players like Yakupov, Daigle, Strome, or Drouin are not the same as players like Zacha or Crouse, because every indicator suggested they would be strong players for many years. If a team misses on a player when everything suggested that player would be good, that is okay. It can set a team back, and a really good scout might notice that the player won't be as good as advertised, and the scout can be proud of that, but the team is not making a mistake.

Clearly Crouse & Zacha picked that early was a scouting mistake especially Crouse who they might have been able to draft much later. However, what is different with Crouse & Zacha is that both can fill a role on a lower line that someone like Yakapov for example can't do. Crouse has become a 4th line enforcer & Zacha could bring an element of skill to the bottom six while some of those other guys, if they aren't scoring they aren't doing much of anything else.

Daigle takes a lot of abuse here, but in his first & third yr was a very good player & just a notch below Yashin in talent IMO, his 2nd yr he was injured for most of that yr. The problem with Daigle was not hockey, but what he himself wanted to do with his life. It was his father's dream for him to play NHL hockey, but Daigle wanted something else. Not his fault if you don't have the passion for the career you have pursued for someone else & Ottawa gave him the contract without much negotiation so again not his fault.

I've never been a fan of Yakapov or Drouin & at least Drouin has had a little more success although I still view him as a bad pick. Strome like Zacha with his size & skill can at the least fill in a 4th line role, so as not to be a total loss, although as it turns out was a bad pick to draft that early. If Yakapov is not on a scoring line & scoring consistently they are pretty much useless to do anything else while these bigger guys have an opportunity to fill a bottom six role.

 

[Cosmix]

That 24.5% should be around 18% and redistribute that 6.5% to the top 7 something like: 2, 1.5, 1, .5, .5, .5, .5

I prefer a method that limits the advance of the lottery winning teams to jumping over 3 or 4 teams in the list, rather than giving the first round pick to any of the teams not in the playoffs.