Prospect Info: 2021 Mock Draft 1.0, Post-Palmieri Trade

[Hockey Fanatik]

Interesting. Why?

My logic is that the Wings have one top-four D at the NHL level, and he's a right-shot -- Hronek. Their #1 prospect is a RD who will be ready next year in Mortiz Seider. But they have high-end needs at literally every other position. They need a top-6 winger, another top-6 center to compliment Larkin, and they need a top pairing LD -- where Detroit has a ton of depth in the system but no true high-end players.

Though Clarke is clearly the "type" of player liked by Steve Yzerman (who loves the high IQ/creative/high compete-level players), so is Kent Johnson, whom I have the Red Wings picking out of nearby Ann Arbor.

Out of nearby Ann Arbor?

is this Pierre McGuire?!

Very logical reasoning. I simply think they take the defenseman and I have a higher view of Zadina and Raymond than maybe most (granted Raymond is another year or two off)

Ive read Ottawa is seriously considering Stuetzle at center for the long term, and so I think if thats the case they target a defenseman as they are much harder to find in free agency or via trade (high-end potential players I mean)

 

[StevenToddIves]

Ottawa sees Stuetzle as a long-term option at Center and are focused on trying him there as long as need be

That might change if they were able to land a high-end 1C talent like Matt Beniers. But it does pose an interesting question. Stutzle has looked better at LW than C this year, primarily in the defensive zone. But he's still just 18, and young centers are going to take their lumps.

 

[My3Sons]

No but I think Detroit wants someone to go along with Seider in the defensive core and they dont have another high-end defensive prospect

I see Clarke Hughes and Power as the big-3 on D. And all three Id pick if we had the chance, preferably Hughes for obvious reasons (one being skating if my biggest physical attribute I look for)

Not that it's dispositive of anything but I agree with the sentiments of STI for the most part. My guess is they go for Hughes to pair with Seider if he isn't gone.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

Given the Devils penchant for clustering players from certain programs (ie Ottawa 67s, Kelowna Rockets, NTDP) in recent years, can't help thinking that if they're not in the top three or four picks and Eklund is still on the board he'd be tough for them to pass.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Out of nearby Ann Arbor?

is this Pierre McGuire?!

Very logical reasoning. I simply think they take the defenseman and I have a higher view of Zadina and Raymond than maybe most (granted Raymond is another year or two off)

Ive read Ottawa is seriously considering Stuetzle at center for the long term, and so I think if thats the case they target a defenseman as they are much harder to find in free agency or via trade (high-end potential players I mean)

I am far less grating than Pierre, I can assure you.

Raymond is universally considered to be a top NHL scoring prospect. While Zadina's star has diminished some, he's a very talented player who most think should be able to round out into a good second-liner at the least. Raymond is a right-shot who can play either wing and Zadina is a left-shot who can play either wing. Beyond these two, the Red Wings have depth -- with many middle-six and bottom-six wings at both the pro and prospect levels -- but need high-end talent.

Kent Johnson would immediately be neck-and-neck with Raymond for top Detroit forward prospect. Clarke would give Detroit a future organization with 3 top RDs and huge holes at literally every single other position.

As for Ottawa, they've got some defensive talent on the way. The best player on the team right now could be LD Thomas Chabot, with a top prospect LD Erik Brannstrom about ready to step into the line-up full time (he's been up and down from the AHL). At the prospect level, the Senators may have the top D prospect in all hockey with LD Jake Sanderson. Beyond them they have two other highly regarded LD prospects in Tyler Kleven and Johnny Tychonick. At RD -- while they don't have the absurd talent as LD -- the Senators are still in good shape with former first-round picks Lassi Thomson and Jacob Bernard-Docker.

The Senators have a loaded prospect pool, for certain. Their position of greatest depth is without a doubt LD. The position where they have the most questions (though they are "hoping" Stutzle is a long-term answer) is center. Matt Beniers is also the the of player the Senators scouts seem to like -- high-effort, fast, willing to play physical, two-way, you name it. He also is probably the consensus #2 or #3 overall player for the 2021 draft. This was my reasoning in connecting Ottawa to Matt Beniers.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Not that it's dispositive of anything but I agree with the sentiments of STI for the most part. My guess is they go for Hughes to pair with Seider if he isn't gone.

In my scenario, Power went #1 and Hughes went #3, so Detroit misses out on both. #5 is far too early for a team with such good scouting to be reaching for the next-best LDs (Lambos, Edvinsson, Svozil), so I had the Wings fill another big need with Kent Johnson.

 

[My3Sons]

In my scenario, Power went #1 and Hughes went #3, so Detroit misses out on both. #5 is far too early for a team with such good scouting to be reaching for the next-best LDs (Lambos, Edvinsson, Svozil), so I had the Wings fill another big need with Kent Johnson.

That makes sense. Yzerman is a sharp cookie and will make a good pick. I would be surprised to have him reach unless he was absolutely sure of who he was picking - as in Seider’s case. This year it sounds like it’s tough to be absolutely sure about any of the picks at the top of the draft when comparing them against each other.

 

[hidek91]

I honestly believe teams factor these things in. When the Devils took two RWs at #7 and #18 in the 2020 draft, there was simply no way the Devils were taking a third RW at #20. It did not matter how hard a scout in the room argued that a Perreault or Gunler was the highest-upside guy left in the draft. To me, those guys were off the table once Mercer was picked.

Again, this is a matter of opinion (we don't know how it is for sure) but if I was a GM, I picked Holtz and Mercer already and I believed that e. g. Foerster is the best player available at #20, I'd pick the 3rd RW. This would be especially true for centers, since they can switch to wing and partially for defence because if you are icing 3 good LD or 3 good RD, there's a good chance that because you drafted way too many defensemen but also there's a chance that it caused your defence to be elite.

By the same token, it could be countered with the fact that heavy focus on forwards meant that Devils didn't spend 1st and 2nd round picks on defensemen in recent years besides Smith and Okhotyuk, which combined the fact that the only d-man from Lou era that wasn't in his 30s was Severson caused the lack of quality depth at this position and it's very hard to build the defence without literally drafting it (unless you're VGK and can sign Pietrangelo) but again, Devils didn't draft a d-men with their elite picks because they were forced to take BPA:

1) in 2017 either Hischier or Patrick
2) In 2019 either Kakko or Hughes,
3) In 2020 after Sanderson and Drysdale were picked going for a d-man would be a crazy reach.

An example of a team that drafted their defence is Dallas. But if Dallas picked #1 in 2017 draft and Jersey picked #3, would Dallas defence look the same? It wouldn't.

Let's say Ottawa wins the lottery this year. This is a team loaded with prospects/young talent on the wing (Stutzle, Tkachuk etc.) and on D (Chabot, Sanderson etc.) but lacking for a top-line caliber C anywhere in the system. I don't think it matters if their scouts rate Power the highest or Clarke the highest -- I think they're taking Beniers.

I agree with you but, by definition, d-men are harder to project and carry higher risk in terms of how well the transition to NHL goes. I think that Beniers could be taken at #1 even by teams that have no problems with center depth e. g. us, LA or Buffalo.

I think teams factor in organizational want and need, and I think this will occur even more this year -- a draft where it has been more difficult than ever to assess and rate many prospects with precision. If the Devils pick #6 and Clarke, Guenther and Eklund are available? Maybe they will have Guenther ranked slightly higher than the other two, but I think they would take Clarke anyway because the difference between Guenther and Clarke won't be as large as their organizational chasm at RD.

History shows that to a certain extent it is right, teams sometimes reach to fill the positional need but it very often fails e. g. Kotkaniemi at #3, Hayton at #5 etc. Nashville, a team with a very good defence already, picked Seth Jones and he turned out to be a star.

Overall, I think that if you think that player A will be better than player B, you should always pick player A, the lists should differ not because of different needs of teams but because the scouts have different quality and value different things. But this vision would basically turn your mock drafts into rankings, which would make it less interesting.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Again, this is a matter of opinion (we don't know how it is for sure) but if I was a GM, I picked Holtz and Mercer already and I believed that e. g. Foerster is the best player available at #20, I'd pick the 3rd RW. This would be especially true for centers, since they can switch to wing and partially for defence because if you are icing 3 good LD or 3 good RD, there's a good chance that because you drafted way too many defensemen but also there's a chance that it caused your defence to be elite.

By the same token, it could be countered with the fact that heavy focus on forwards meant that Devils didn't spend 1st and 2nd round picks on defensemen in recent years besides Smith and Okhotyuk, which combined the fact that the only d-man from Lou era that wasn't in his 30s was Severson caused the lack of quality depth at this position and it's very hard to build the defence without literally drafting it (unless you're VGK and can sign Pietrangelo) but again, Devils didn't draft a d-men with their elite picks because they were forced to take BPA:

1) in 2017 either Hischier or Patrick
2) In 2019 either Kakko or Hughes,
3) In 2020 after Sanderson and Drysdale were picked going for a d-man would be a crazy reach.

An example of a team that drafted their defence is Dallas. But if Dallas picked #1 in 2017 draft and Jersey picked #3, would Dallas defence look the same? It wouldn't.



I agree with you but, by definition, d-men are harder to project and carry higher risk in terms of how well the transition to NHL goes. I think that Beniers could be taken at #1 even by teams that have no problems with center depth e. g. us, LA or Buffalo.



History shows that to a certain extent it is right, teams sometimes reach to fill the positional need but it very often fails e. g. Kotkaniemi at #3, Hayton at #5 etc. Nashville, a team with a very good defence already, picked Seth Jones and he turned out to be a star.

Overall, I think that if you think that player A will be better than player B, you should always pick player A, the lists should differ not because of different needs of teams but because the scouts have different quality and value different things. But this vision would basically turn your mock drafts into rankings, which would make it less interesting.

You make a series of great points here. I think the only thing I disagree with is that the Devils were choosing between Hughes and Kakko -- I think it was an utter myth that there was any chance of the Devils taking anyone other than Hughes. Like I kept writing on these threads leading up to the 2019 draft, it was a lot closer between Kakko and Byram at #2 than it was between Hughes and Kakko and #1. Of course, the humor in all of it is that if the 2019 draft occurred again today, the #2 pick would be Trevor Zegras and everyone else would be jockeying for #3. I had Zegras way too low at #5 and accept all responsibility for my moronic oversight.

 

[hidek91]

You make a series of great points here. I think the only thing I disagree with is that the Devils were choosing between Hughes and Kakko -- I think it was an utter myth that there was any chance of the Devils taking anyone other than Hughes. Like I kept writing on these threads leading up to the 2019 draft, it was a lot closer between Kakko and Byram at #2 than it was between Hughes and Kakko and #1. Of course, the humor in all of it is that if the 2019 draft occurred again today, the #2 pick would be Trevor Zegras and everyone else would be jockeying for #3. I had Zegras way too low at #5 and accept all responsibility for my moronic oversight.

No worries, I was just making a point that using that pick, there was no way we could take defenseman, even though it was a bigger need at that point than getting a forward. I think that taking Byram at #1 would have been universally perceived as an insane reach, while taking Kakko would have been perceived as a brave but potentially rational decision.

 

[TheDuke93]

You make a series of great points here. I think the only thing I disagree with is that the Devils were choosing between Hughes and Kakko -- I think it was an utter myth that there was any chance of the Devils taking anyone other than Hughes. Like I kept writing on these threads leading up to the 2019 draft, it was a lot closer between Kakko and Byram at #2 than it was between Hughes and Kakko and #1. Of course, the humor in all of it is that if the 2019 draft occurred again today, the #2 pick would be Trevor Zegras and everyone else would be jockeying for #3. I had Zegras way too low at #5 and accept all responsibility for my moronic oversight.

TBF a lot of people said that Zegras success was piggy backing off everything being thrown at Hughes and while maybe not rational teams might be wary of drafting the next Dylan Strome. Now Strome is not a bad player by any means but based on his OHL numbers and physical tools he would be a 1oa pick in most drafts. Not saying that is 100% what happened with Zegras but I would be shocked if it didn't creep into some scouts minds.

 

[Guttersniped]

Interesting. Why?

My logic is that the Wings have one top-four D at the NHL level, and he's a right-shot -- Hronek. Their #1 prospect is a RD who will be ready next year in Mortiz Seider. But they have high-end needs at literally every other position. They need a top-6 winger, another top-6 center to compliment Larkin, and they need a top pairing LD -- where Detroit has a ton of depth in the system but no true high-end players or Johnson and Berniers are both gone.

Though Clarke is clearly the "type" of player liked by Steve Yzerman (who loves the high IQ/creative/high compete-level players), so is Kent Johnson, whom I have the Red Wings picking out of nearby Ann Arbor.

Yeah, it’s hard to see Detroit not take a center unless they are completely crazy in love with a specific prospect or both centers are gone.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Yeah, it’s hard to see Detroit not take a center unless they are completely crazy in love with a specific prospect or both centers are gone.

Detroit needs help at LD too. They have depth there, but lack a true top-pairing type talent. I'd rank their LD prospects as:

1 Viro
2 McIsaac
3 Sebrango
4 Johansson
5 Wallinder
6 Moore
7 Aucoin

So, there's a lot of bodies there, but Viro is the only one I see having potential as a true "impact" guy. I think Detroit would have great interest in Power or Hughes.

 

[TheDuke93]

I am not saying that the Devils shouldn't target LW in the draft but do you think the emergence of Kuokkanen + Zacha's play at wing and Foote's development in the AHL would affect the teams need for LW prospects as much? Granted we don't know what Fitz/Castron are thinking and its still very early but Fitz did say Kuokkanen was Carolina's top prospect. Maybe in his mind he is definitive top 6 LW for the foreseeable future. I wonder if that kind of outlook from would make them think we could go Samoskevich because you can never have to many centers in the system. Or any of the other number of prospects that could "fall" in this strange draft year.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I am not saying that the Devils shouldn't target LW in the draft but do you think the emergence of Kuokkanen + Zacha's play at wing and Foote's development in the AHL would affect the teams need for LW prospects as much? Granted we don't know what Fitz/Castron are thinking and its still very early but Fitz did say Kuokkanen was Carolina's top prospect. Maybe in his mind he is definitive top 6 LW for the foreseeable future. I wonder if that kind of outlook from would make them think we could go Samoskevich because you can never have to many centers in the system. Or any of the other number of prospects that could "fall" in this strange draft year.

Neither Kuokkanen nor Zacha nor Sharangovich have ridiculous offensive ceiling of a Kent Johnson. Neither does Foote and neither does Bratt. Though I am a vocal fan of all the Devils I just mentioned, it's just the fact.

The 2021 draft is deeper at LW than any other position. In 2020, this was true for RW and the Devils used their top two picks on the position. I would not be shocked if this happened at LW this year. Johnson at #6 or #7 overall and then Othmann or McTavish or L'Heureux at #26 overall is not out of the question. I do think that the Devils would love to use their own pick on a D -- but there is a good chance that the "Big 3 D" of Clarke, Hughes and Power are all gone when they step to the podium.

 

[TheDuke93]

Neither Kuokkanen nor Zacha nor Sharangovich have ridiculous offensive ceiling of a Kent Johnson. Neither does Foote and neither does Bratt. Though I am a vocal fan of all the Devils I just mentioned, it's just the fact.

The 2021 draft is deeper at LW than any other position. In 2020, this was true for RW and the Devils used their top two picks on the position. I would not be shocked if this happened at LW this year. Johnson at #6 or #7 overall and then Othmann or McTavish or L'Heureux at #26 overall is not out of the question. I do think that the Devils would love to use their own pick on a D -- but there is a good chance that the "Big 3 D" of Clarke, Hughes and Power are all gone when they step to the podium.

I agree with this sentiment, more so just asking that you really don't believe if a player higher rated on their board at RW/LD/C was to fall to the Islanders pick that they wouldn't go that route as opposed to taking the highest ranked LW on their board because its of greater need in the system?

 

[StevenToddIves]

I agree with this sentiment, more so just asking that you really don't believe if a player higher rated on their board at RW/LD/C was to fall to the Islanders pick that they wouldn't go that route as opposed to taking the highest ranked LW on their board because its of greater need in the system?

It comes down to the fact that there are a dozen left-shooting wings in the consensus first round neighborhood. Johnson, Eklund, Sillinger, McTavish, L'Heureux, Othmann, Robertsson, Olausson, Rosen, Chibrikov, Poltapov. That's a whole lot. It gets even more ridiculous when you factor in the fact that Lysell and Coronato are both right-shots who have played primarily left wing. And I'd say Guenther has had equal time at both wings. That's nearly half of your potential first round for potential LWs.

All I'm saying is that your top-ranked group of players anywhere in the first round is pretty inevitably going to include a LW, and maybe the second round too. Factor in that the Devils need high-scoring, high-upside guys at the position -- I love Kuokkanen and Sharangovich but do not foresee either of them ever having 80+ point seasons -- and I think we can say there is legitimate likelihood that some of these names will be of great interest to New Jersey's scouting team.

 

[TheDuke93]

It comes down to the fact that there are a dozen left-shooting wings in the consensus first round neighborhood. Johnson, Eklund, Sillinger, McTavish, L'Heureux, Othmann, Robertsson, Olausson, Rosen, Chibrikov, Poltapov. That's a whole lot. It gets even more ridiculous when you factor in the fact that Lysell and Coronato are both right-shots who have played primarily left wing. And I'd say Guenther has had equal time at both wings. That's nearly half of your potential first round for potential LWs.

All I'm saying is that your top-ranked group of players anywhere in the first round is pretty inevitably going to include a LW, and maybe the second round too. Factor in that the Devils need high-scoring, high-upside guys at the position -- I love Kuokkanen and Sharangovich but do not foresee either of them ever having 80+ point seasons -- and I think we can say there is legitimate likelihood that some of these names will be of great interest to New Jersey's scouting team.

This is exactly what I was looking for thanks Steven.

 

[TheDuke93]

It comes down to the fact that there are a dozen left-shooting wings in the consensus first round neighborhood. Johnson, Eklund, Sillinger, McTavish, L'Heureux, Othmann, Robertsson, Olausson, Rosen, Chibrikov, Poltapov. That's a whole lot. It gets even more ridiculous when you factor in the fact that Lysell and Coronato are both right-shots who have played primarily left wing. And I'd say Guenther has had equal time at both wings. That's nearly half of your potential first round for potential LWs.

All I'm saying is that your top-ranked group of players anywhere in the first round is pretty inevitably going to include a LW, and maybe the second round too. Factor in that the Devils need high-scoring, high-upside guys at the position -- I love Kuokkanen and Sharangovich but do not foresee either of them ever having 80+ point seasons -- and I think we can say there is legitimate likelihood that some of these names will be of great interest to New Jersey's scouting team.

To double back to this real quick, do you think a winger that's primary role is being a line driver will be less valued then a guy with TVR or Wayne Simmonds tool box?

 

[StevenToddIves]

To double back to this real quick, do you think a winger that's primary role is being a line driver will be less valued then a guy with TVR or Wayne Simmonds tool box?

I believe NHL teams need balance. I loved Adam Oates, but three Adam Oateses on a line would have no one to actually put the puck in the net. I loved Brett Hull but three Brett Hulls on a line would have no one to pass them the puck.

Line driving wingers are rare. The closest the Devils have to one is Bratt, but he's not what I would call a true line driver like a Patrick Kane or Nikita Kucherov or Artemi Panarin. When you can get one, you take them.

But the Devils -- in particular -- have a need for someone to crash the net and get some dirty goals. I mean, our net front guy on the first PP unit last game (vs. Pittsburgh) was Andreas Johnsson, one of the softer players in the league and not a guy with much scoring talent. Many rebounds came in and out of the crease because our guy there could not get body position or a deflection. My dream trade target for the 2021 off-season -- which I have not touched on on these threads because s--t like this tends to dominate all conversation in an almost annoying way -- would be Matthew Tkachuk. We need a guy who can both be physical and score in tight. But is Tkachuk a line driver? No. Is Johnny Gaudreau? Absolutely, but again the Devils do not need a Gaudreau as desperately as they need a Tkachuk.

This is all for the sake of argument -- while Calgary might re-build after a disappointing campaign, they also might not -- but my point is that different players compliment different players. Jack Hughes is brilliant in space, but he's spent too much time this season along the boards digging out pucks because he has been paired with softer wingers who do not play with any authority in the net-front or on the walls. This is part of the reason he looks so much better recently alongside Sharangovich and Kuokkanen -- two players who can dig out pucks and win battles. Unfortunately, neither of them possess the elite vision or passing ability to accentuate Hughes' elite skill rather than simply compliment it -- think of Panarin with Kane, as opposed to Saad with Kane. Better snipers would help Hughes, too -- though Sharangovch certainly has 25+ goal upside, I don't think -- as much as we love him -- that anyone is confusing Kuokkanen with a true NHL sniper.

My dream Hughes line would have him with a Tkachuk-type net-front hell raiser with skill and a true sniper with 30+ goal ability. Hughes has the potential to be his own line driver, and an elite one. Hischier as well in his own way, with less pure offensive skill but a Datsyukian two way ability matched with some excellent offensive tools. I'm discussing Nico less because of his inactivity this season due to injury, but he is certainly also a player who would benefit from a more diverse blend of talent on his line.

Maybe Holtz will become our "true sniper" and maybe Mercer will become our high-talent hell-raiser down low. It's certainly within the realm of possibility. But the Devils should be trying to draft more of these high-upside hopefuls, especially at LW where they are thinner than the right side.

 

[Edmonton East]

This organization needs everything aside from undersized Cs and a goalie. Pretty easy to just go BPA.

Of course you could still have the philosophical argument of leaning towards forwards with high picks in the draft. Easier to project development, generally speaking. I'd be shocked if 4 of the top 6 picks go D. Heck, I'd be surprised if it's even more than 2.

But who knows. The last draft with over 2 dmen selected in the top 6 was way back in 2012 I think. Ironically, that was an infamously D top heavy draft and it worked out pretty well for most teams (relative to an overall rough draft).

 

[StevenToddIves]

This organization needs everything aside from undersized Cs and a goalie. Pretty easy to just go BPA.

Of course you could still have the philosophical argument of leaning towards forwards with high picks in the draft. Easier to project development, generally speaking. I'd be shocked if 4 of the top 6 picks go D. Heck, I'd be surprised if it's even more than 2.

But who knows. The last draft with over 2 dmen selected in the top 6 was way back in 2012 I think. Ironically, that was an infamously D top heavy draft and it worked out pretty well for most teams (relative to an overall rough draft).

Great points here. But we also have to consider that every draft has different talent configurations at different positions. I think that it's very possible that three of the first 4 overall picks could be D -- the "Big 3 D" of Clarke/Hughes/Power. Edvinsson and Lambos are also both very toolsy and big kids with the possibility of going anywhere in the #4-#10 range.

This is not a draft with a ton of top-line centers and right-shooting wings. Beniers and Guenther are locks for the top 10, while Lysell, Raty, Lucius and Sillinger all have a shot to break into the top 10. The first round will be very heavily slanted to the left -- with maybe 4 LD in the top 12 or so picks and over a dozen left-shooting wings going in the first round.

 

[TheDuke93]

I believe NHL teams need balance. I loved Adam Oates, but three Adam Oateses on a line would have no one to actually put the puck in the net. I loved Brett Hull but three Brett Hulls on a line would have no one to pass them the puck.

Line driving wingers are rare. The closest the Devils have to one is Bratt, but he's not what I would call a true line driver like a Patrick Kane or Nikita Kucherov or Artemi Panarin. When you can get one, you take them.

But the Devils -- in particular -- have a need for someone to crash the net and get some dirty goals. I mean, our net front guy on the first PP unit last game (vs. Pittsburgh) was Andreas Johnsson, one of the softer players in the league and not a guy with much scoring talent. Many rebounds came in and out of the crease because our guy there could not get body position or a deflection. My dream trade target for the 2021 off-season -- which I have not touched on on these threads because s--t like this tends to dominate all conversation in an almost annoying way -- would be Matthew Tkachuk. We need a guy who can both be physical and score in tight. But is Tkachuk a line driver? No. Is Johnny Gaudreau? Absolutely, but again the Devils do not need a Gaudreau as desperately as they need a Tkachuk.

This is all for the sake of argument -- while Calgary might re-build after a disappointing campaign, they also might not -- but my point is that different players compliment different players. Jack Hughes is brilliant in space, but he's spent too much time this season along the boards digging out pucks because he has been paired with softer wingers who do not play with any authority in the net-front or on the walls. This is part of the reason he looks so much better recently alongside Sharangovich and Kuokkanen -- two players who can dig out pucks and win battles. Unfortunately, neither of them possess the elite vision or passing ability to accentuate Hughes' elite skill rather than simply compliment it -- think of Panarin with Kane, as opposed to Saad with Kane. Better snipers would help Hughes, too -- though Sharangovch certainly has 25+ goal upside, I don't think -- as much as we love him -- that anyone is confusing Kuokkanen with a true NHL sniper.

My dream Hughes line would have him with a Tkachuk-type net-front hell raiser with skill and a true sniper with 30+ goal ability. Hughes has the potential to be his own line driver, and an elite one. Hischier as well in his own way, with less pure offensive skill but a Datsyukian two way ability matched with some excellent offensive tools. I'm discussing Nico less because of his inactivity this season due to injury, but he is certainly also a player who would benefit from a more diverse blend of talent on his line.

Maybe Holtz will become our "true sniper" and maybe Mercer will become our high-talent hell-raiser down low. It's certainly within the realm of possibility. But the Devils should be trying to draft more of these high-upside hopefuls, especially at LW where they are thinner than the right side.

This all makes perfect sense and that's how ideal lines are created. I do agree with going BPA available almost always unless their is some sort of dire need to address a certain area and even then you shouldn't pass up on an A prospect for a B prospect of greater need. Based on this draft and what a lot of people yourself included obviously it sounds like we will be in a prime position to get both BPA and address team needs. When I think of Tkachuk I naturally think or Parise and wonder how dominant the Devils PP could be with a skilled grinder in front of the net. He once said "within 10 feet I'm as dangerous as they get" and that has been pretty damn accurate for the prime of his career. Are there any high skilled grinders in this draft that you would like targeted in particular? I think that grit and toughness are buzzwords that don't mean a whole lot but when they are describing talented players those individuals usually end up being very very good players.

 

[TheDuke93]

I'm not sure if this if okay here and I will delete it if you want @StevenToddIves but certainly some similarities with your list.

 

[StevenToddIves]

I'm not sure if this if okay here and I will delete it if you want @StevenToddIves but certainly some similarities with your list.

Haha -- post everything! I want more opinions and information, not less.