I also believe with all the Eichel talk Buffalo will go with Mathew B. at center at number one
Prospect Info: 2021 Mock Draft 1.0, Post-Palmieri Trade
- Thread starter StevenToddIves
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Ok, let's say that the draft order stays the same way it is according to Tankathon's current standings: 1 BUF 2 ANH 3 SEA 4 NJ 5 CLB
In this case, I would put the odds of Brandt Clarke falling to the Devils as very, very high. Let's say Columbus lost out and the Devils moved to 6th. There is still a very strong chance of Brandt Clarke.
Keep in mind I study all 31 franchises draft tendencies and histories pretty intently. While Buffalo is unpredictable with (unfortunately) very little vision in running that franchise, I think we can agree that they probably aren't ignoring convention and consensus in their current PR nightmare and passing on Power or a potential #1 center in Beniers (if they are forced to trade Eichel) for Clarke. So right now my choice here would be Power.
Anaheim is desperate at LD, having drafted a RD first last year -- and another darned good offensive one in Jamie Drysdale. I cannot see them taking Clarke here, especially with one of Hughes or Power on the board. Additionally, this is the only team I can see taking Simon Edvinsson in the NHL so early, as there is no team in the NHL which is so traditionally drawn to "big and fast". He would be a strong possibility here, unless Power were passed on by the Sabres. But while two inches shorter, Hughes is the best skater in the draft and could create a lightning duo with Drysdale, so he's my pick here.
Seattle is of course impossible to predict. But if Beniers were to fall here, he'd be the obvious choice. Starting your franchise with a high-compete, high-IQ, two-way center would make the most sense. But if not, I would not see Clarke as being a likely choice over names like Eklund, Guenther, Johnson and, yes... Luke Hughes. I do think that Edvinsson would be off the board here, as Ron Francis is too smart to reach so much with his team's first ever pick and he seems to value high hockey IQs, a la Yzerman. Again, this leads us back to Beniers, who would be my pick here.
At #4, I feel the Devils would be choosing between Clarke, Eklund, Guenther and Johnson. Positionally, Clarke is of the greatest need. If he continues his amazing U18 tourney, he'll be fresh in their heads as a potentially dominant offensive defenseman, which the NJ organization also lacks. He's the brother of a NJ prospect and also an OHL product -- where the Devils have scouts with great pull, as the OHL has been their #1 draft resource over the past half decade.
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Ducks are most desperate at LD than any other position. They are not devoid of scoring prospects -- they have the current #1 prospect in the entire NHL with Trevor Zegras, and got quite lucky with Jacob Perreault falling to them at #27 last year. RD is far less of a question in Anaheim after drafting Jamie Drysdale #6 overall last year. My choice for the Ducks came down to Hughes vs. Beniers, as Anaheim also has a big hole up the middle. The idea of Beniers and Zegras on a line together (plus Perreault) with Drysdale on the blueline would actually make this team watchable again.
I think in the current standings, Clarke would be a very, very low chance of going #1 or #2 to Buffalo or Anaheim. Of course there would be a chance he could go to Seattle -- but no greater than the other top prospects like Guenther, Eklund, Hughes etc. because Seattle is (of course) starting from scratch.
If Columbus fell behind the Devils, I'd say the biggest need there is at C, but they are unpredictable at the draft table (Chinahkov last year was simply shocking) and they also need help at D -- so again I'd put Clarke in a similar tier with the rest of the top 7.
Mathematically, every pick the Devils falls reduces their chances of getting Brandt Clarke, of course. And considering that -- as I've stated -- my only choice if the Devils picked #1 overall would be whether to take Power or Clarke? Yes, I would be very upset if the Devils drafted #7 and Clarke went off the board at #6, which I feel is precisely what happened with the Devils and Jamie Drysdale last year.
Guadana
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There's nothing to add after Steven. I don't have any idealogical differences this year.
Unless I don't see a particular need for left wingers. I think we have enough of them. Yegor, Zacha, Foote, Maltsev, Wood are good parts. Even Bratt could play on the left, if Mercer, Thompson, Holtz or Clarke are real players.
If Clarke will be picked before us, I hope Devils will draft Guenther. I really like Eklund, saw him a lot, but we have enough top-6 small players in our list. If Beniers will be availabe somehow - ofcourse he is my #2 after Clarke.
Unless I don't see a particular need for left wingers. I think we have enough of them. Yegor, Zacha, Foote, Maltsev, Wood are good parts. Even Bratt could play on the left, if Mercer, Thompson, Holtz or Clarke are real players.
If Clarke will be picked before us, I hope Devils will draft Guenther. I really like Eklund, saw him a lot, but we have enough top-6 small players in our list. If Beniers will be availabe somehow - ofcourse he is my #2 after Clarke.
Great to hear from you, @Guadana !! I agree that I would be very pleased with Guenther on the Devils. To me, Guenther would immediately jump in as the Devils top prospect over Dawson Mercer. Also, Guenther's versatility combined with Mercer's versatility would give the Devils a ton of options. Guenther has showed he can produce at either RW or LW, while Mercer has shown the same at either RW or C. So you could picture Guenther as the top line RW with Hughes, then Holtz on the second line RW with Hischier and Mercer as the long-term answer as the 3C. OR, you could envision a top line of Hughes centering a very talented duo of Guenther at LW and Mercer at RW. Either scenario is very, very attractive.
Guadana
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I don't want tomatoes thrown at me. But I'm still not sure about Holtz. He's got a great shot, a good pass, I think you know what I'm getting at. I'm not saying that he's a bad prospect, that he doesn't have a future in the NHL, he is very good prospect, just that I personally have questions for him. Including playing in the AHL.
For example, you can look at Thompson - great hands, speed, but a large field for growth. Holtz has an even bigger field. And if he doesn't get to play in the top 6, he won't have a place in the bottom 6.
On the other hand if Clarke is gone, but Berniers will be available somehow, I think Beniers and Hischier will beautifuly compensate Holtz`s problems.
- Dec 20, 2018
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Buffalo isn’t trading Dahlin, who is a LD and they desperately need RD as much as we do. But I don’t so how they would take Clarke over Power. They are... simple. They’re going to the big, best defenseman. Unless Clarke over takes Power as the consensus.
The problem is if to other teams win the lottery and Buffalo is ahead of us. They do need RD more than just about anything. The worst lottery luck for us is both Buffalo and us losing both lotteries. We both get shoved down and they need RD.
Hell, Miitelstadt is doing a lot better right now. He played too early in the NHL and then was mishandled by Krueger but even before Kruegee was fired he started to figure things out. Last 17 games: 9G 5A 14pt.
I don’t know where he’ll end up. His turn around isn’t the same as Dahlin, whose now playing fantastic and is player on the team (now that Krueger isn’t there to do his best to ruin him) and Skinner now gets to be on scoring lines and be one of the teams best players again as well. Damn, Krueger was bad.
Cozens is playing great and outplaying the improved Miitelstadt. I don’t want to over selling Casey too much. But maybe Miitelstadt needed to get a lot stronger and physically mature before he could successfully play with pros.
And Buffalo just needs defense so much. And Eichel’s neck injury and surgery kills any potential trade for a while. They aren’t selling him at a discount. (Unless they’re concerned he’s broken.)
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As long as Devils take BPA I'll be happy with it no reaching....I think either Wallstedt or Johnson should be considered don't lean towards Clarke for positional need.....
Why do you think Edvinsson is a reach? He's been ranked in the same tier as Hughes and Clarke for at least a year and was ranked #2 globally along with Guenther in Bob McKenzie's most recent list, not even 2 weeks ago.
Ryaduesu
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- Apr 28, 2021
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Give me Luke Hughes and watch the world burn as the Mickey Mouse Devils become a national media story, dynasty led by two brothers
anything that can make Jack happy and improve the blueline is a net positive no matter how it works out
Ill maybe, just maybe, settle for Power or Beniers
anything that can make Jack happy and improve the blueline is a net positive no matter how it works out
Ill maybe, just maybe, settle for Power or Beniers
And that's how you end up with our abundance of forward prospects and a defense with no future. Our best defenseman is a UFA we got for a 5th round pick and our best D prospect was a big reach who wasn't even supposed to be a 1st round pick.
I agree that he has to get more involved and show more urgency in his game and not just wait for a pass.....His play without the puck will have to improve as well....
Guadana
Registered User
Yeah. Nhl play is more about timing and understanding when players need to be in right place and right time. NHL defensemen won't let just stand and wait. There's very little movement in his game for my taste. I really hope that devils will be able to work on his game properly with him.
- Dec 20, 2018
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If we’re picking later than sure, take Luke and run. Let him play in college for at least two years. Remember next year will be Luke’s equivalent of Quinn’s draft year and not D+1 year. He’s so crazy young, that you have to remember he’s really a year behind some of these guys.
His birthday is September 9th birthday 2003 and the draft age cut if September 15th because NHL only care about prospects being 18 when pre-season training camp opens in autumn. And Quinn had Oct 1 1999 so he was old for the 2018th draft.
A while back I posted on Luke’s main thread about this. One of the prospect dudes responded that age gap “has been proven to not be much of a factor at a elite level” or something and said Luke could have gone to college early.
And it still bugs that I didn’t respond. (I don’t know what that says about me.) It’s cool that he volunteers Luke to go to college a year early, even though most kids don’t want to or can’t handle going to college that young. And Quinn didn’t go to college early, he just went to college. His “solution” has Luke skipping over playing with U18 USDP class, which Quinn did in his D-1 year.
And Matthews played in the same U18 in his D-1 year before getting to play in a pro Swiss league in his draft year because of his Sept 17, 1997 birthday. (Remember the draft cutoff is Sept 15.)
And Jack Eichel played with the same UI8 in his D-1 year before getting to play at Boston University in his draft year because of his Oct 28 1996 birthday.
I guess the “Luke could have gone to college too so what’s the big deal” bugged me because, surprise!, he said Jack easily could have skipped his U18 year with the USDP team too for college. ( Jack’s birthday is May 14 2001.)
I listed Eichel and Matthews because 1) even they found that their year U18 program was necessary so I don’t know how “skippable” it is 2) their incredible play in the NL and the NCAA didn’t change their draft position but scouts (and everyone else) learned a ton about them when they play against much tougher competition. It’s the same with every older prospect who gets the same opportunity.
My point wasn’t Luke needed to get his ass in college pronto so he can be scouted there for our benefit, he’s just in a earlier part of his development then some of other players in the draft because of his age. (And he doesn’t seem to be a particularly mature 17 yo.)
I will say I am not at all sold on Anaheim being definitively in on Edvinsson. I can see them drafting him yes but I think if they are willing to draft Dyrsdale that certainly puts Clarke on the table. Now considering they have drafted a healthy balance of all three forward positions and both sides of defense I don't think we can write off any pick for them. I full believe they will go BPA to their board and based on their last two first I expect them to draft whoever they feel is the most dynamic player.
Do you have any idea how difficult it is to throw a tomato all the way to Russia from here?
I do my own rankings, completely independent of the other rankings. Though I pay close attention to the consensus, when it comes to Edvinsson I am more along the lines of Corey Pronman and Steve Kournianos -- the three of us all have Edvinsson ranked in the #15-#20 range.
I have explained at length why I would not use a top 10 pick on Edvinsson, but also why I would take him later on in the first round. Many of my arguments were confirmed quite emphatically in the recent Sweden U18 loss vs. Team Canada. I will go over them quickly for you.
To me, the most important qualities when rating a prospect defenseman are passing ability and acumen, defensive-zone play and hockey IQ. I feel every elite NHL defenseman is also elite or close in these three categories. None of these categories are particular strengths for Edvinsson. He's pretty good defensively -- although he has room to grow. His decision making and awareness are also decent, but not noteworthy. His passing is again somewhere in the middle -- neither a notable weakness or strength.
Edvinsson possesses three elite qualities, however. He is an elite skater with elite size and elite hands. Any player with so many elite skills must be considered a worthy candidate for the top 2 rounds in the NHL draft. His compete level is also very good, which is a plus, but his biggest weakness might be a very unconvincing shot.
Ultimately, I think Edvinsson's tremendous skill and work ethic will make him improve to the point where he should be a very, very good mid-pairing NHL defenseman, especially on the transition where his speed and hands play out the best. But I'm not sure where his offensive upside is coming from -- quite simply, 90% of a defenseman's points are amassed through passing and shooting, and Edvinsson's combination of those skills is far from impressive. He's not going to be effortlessly stick handling around NHLers for 50 points per year, that's for certain.
So, to me, and I hope I've been clear on my reasoning, Edvinsson is a very good prospect for potentially (talent ceiling) a very good NHL mid-pairing LD who excels on the transition and could be good-but-not-exceptional both offensively and defensively. The people who rave about his upside tend to repeat the same old "big and fast" song and dance, and I feel many of them overstate his offensive instincts. If you watched the loss vs. Canada, you'd see Edvinsson is a talented young man who can undress a defender with a series of slick moves, but also a player who created more scoring opportunities for Team Canada than he did for Team Sweden.
I believe Edvinsson will improve on this, and as such I have him slated in the #15-#20 overall range. But he is quite simply not the same caliber of player as Owen Power, Brandt Clarke and his upside does not approach either of those players or Luke Hughes. So while that trio is my top 3 D for the 2021 draft, Edvinsson is not quite in that stratosphere.
I have Brandt Clarke currently rated as my #2 overall prospect, so I personally feel he's the BPA as soon as Beniers is off the board.
I do have Power neck and neck with Clarke, and either of them could make my final rankings at #2.
So you believe he'll be a first pair Rhd or no worse then second pair?
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
Going to pass the Canucks if tonight's score holds. Still not seeing where they win any games.
Basically given up on getting any of the D
Basically given up on getting any of the D
They have 12 games. The odds of them not picking up anything is very very slim
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
Only playoff teams left. Schedule is a jumbled mess, lots of players with Covid issues. Have a scandal brewing as well. Very possible They lose out or at best win only 1 or 2 more.
And odds are we aren't losing out.
We are going to finush ahead of them.
Captain3rdLine
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- Sep 24, 2020
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What we are now tied with them. We have 5 more games, 4 of them against playoff teams(Bos, NYI). They have 11 games left, 4 of them against Calgary who aren’t a playoff team and the others against EDM and WPG who are beatable teams. It is much more likely that they finish ahead of us given they have 6 more games to play.
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
Covid-19. They are a bad team that was torn up by Covid and playing almost every night now.
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