At 13th, Leafs pick...

[DaveG]

Drafting for a perceived need is what made the Leafs take Luke Richardson over Joe Sakic, who was their second choice.

I'm obviously not making any comparisons to this year player or draft wise, but you should ALWAYS, ALWAYS take the best player available.

I don't disagree with you one bit. If Alzner or Ellerby were to fall to #13 taking (insert non-"top 8" forward here) over them would be stupidity IMO. But when all things are equal, or as close to equal as you can get, you draft the player at the position you have less of, or at least less quality at.

 

[FreeBird]

Eller

 

[Vincent_TheGreat]

After studying the info in THN Draft Preview, and considering the flaws contained by players rated in the area the Leafs will pick, I believe that the player the Leafs should draft is d-man Nick Petrecki. He may be the best player available at that point, if indeed he's still there when the Leafs pick. We may be stong at d now but these players are at least four years from the NHL in most cases. I don't believe a forward should be picked, from a need perspective, when the best player available could be a d-man.

We can't simply go best available, we have good D depth, we have to take a forward, that simple. We need scoring and youth at the forward position.

 

[Redwingsfan]

We can't simply go best available, we have good D depth, we have to take a forward, that simple. We need scoring and youth at the forward position.

im sorry, but i just dont agree with you. picking a forward now isnt going to fix your problem for the 07/08 season anyway. i think every team picks the best player available. who knows what the teams situation is like 5 years from now.

 

[Dr.Sens(e)]

im sorry, but i just dont agree with you. picking a forward now isnt going to fix your problem for the 07/08 season anyway. i think every team picks the best player available. who knows what the teams situation is like 5 years from now.

I'm not sure EVERY team drafts the BPA available (even though most say they do), but certainly the best drafting teams always draft the BPA in the first few rounds. The Sens have certainly done so over the years, much to the immediate frustration of their fans, only to be proven correct over the long-term. I can still remember the groans from Sens fans when Hossa and Havlat were drafted, despite the fact the Sens were well stocked with skilled European forwards at the time. While the drafting of Jason Ward and Luke Sellars would have made more sense on the prospect depth chart at the time (the Sens needed physical forwards and blueliners), the bottom line is a prospect depth chart doesn't really exist at the high level. You take the best asset because you have no idea what your team's needs will be in 4-5 years.

 

[Redwingsfan]

I'm not sure EVERY team drafts the BPA available (even though most say they do), but certainly the best drafting teams always draft the BPA in the first few rounds. The Sens have certainly done so over the years, much to the immediate frustration of their fans, only to be proven correct over the long-term. I can still remember the groans from Sens fans when Hossa and Havlat were drafted, despite the fact the Sens were well stocked with skilled European forwards at the time. While the drafting of Jason Ward and Luke Sellars would have made more sense on the prospect depth chart at the time (the Sens needed physical forwards and blueliners), the bottom line is a prospect depth chart doesn't really exist at the high level. You take the best asset because you have no idea what your team's needs will be in 4-5 years.

i agree, someone probably makes the mistake of not picking BPA.

 

[trickster]

exactly

Just not Gillies!

I don't think the Leafs are deep enough to draft a guy in the top half of the first round who could be a really good character guy in 5 years... puh-leees no!

Gotta be a guy who can score - heck, I'd even rather see them take Scott Mclean (is that the one who played with Tavares?) since Tavares will likely be a Leaf one day anyways! (j/k)

 

[Amadeus]

I don't think the Leafs are deep enough to draft a guy in the top half of the first round who could be a really good character guy in 5 years... puh-leees no!

Gotta be a guy who can score - heck, I'd even rather see them take Scott Mclean (is that the one who played with Tavares?) since Tavares will likely be a Leaf one day anyways! (j/k)

Close enough. Brett MacLean actually.

 

[Transported Upstater]

We can't simply go best available, we have good D depth, we have to take a forward, that simple. We need scoring and youth at the forward position.

Wrong. BPA always.

Let's say Keaton Ellerby falls to our pick, and we take him. Now, he likely has two more seasons in the WHL, and then minor-league time ahead of him. Now, our NHL/prospect list does not remain static during this time, it is changing/evolving/getting ****ed with by our Pejorative Slured GM. Do you know how much can change in 3 years? TONS. We could have a whole different lineup, even discounting the eight quadrillion NTC's we have.

That's why you always take BPA. You don't draft to fill needs on your present NHL team. That's INCREDIBLY shortsighted.

 

[Redwingsfan]

Wrong. BPA always.

Let's say Keaton Ellerby falls to our pick, and we take him. Now, he likely has two more seasons in the WHL, and then minor-league time ahead of him. Now, our NHL/prospect list does not remain static during this time, it is changing/evolving/getting ****ed with by our Pejorative Slured GM. Do you know how much can change in 3 years? TONS. We could have a whole different lineup, even discounting the eight quadrillion NTC's we have.

That's why you always take BPA. You don't draft to fill needs on your present NHL team. That's INCREDIBLY shortsighted.

i agree. some people just cant find a way to understand that its best to pick the BPA allways

 

[mooseOAK*]

Wrong. BPA always.

Let's say Keaton Ellerby falls to our pick, and we take him. Now, he likely has two more seasons in the WHL, and then minor-league time ahead of him. Now, our NHL/prospect list does not remain static during this time, it is changing/evolving/getting ****ed with by our Pejorative Slured GM. Do you know how much can change in 3 years? TONS. We could have a whole different lineup, even discounting the eight quadrillion NTC's we have.

That's why you always take BPA. You don't draft to fill needs on your present NHL team. That's INCREDIBLY shortsighted.

Ferguson took the BPA when he chose Rask while having Pogge already in the system. Was he doing the right thing or is he Pejorative Slured?

 

[Transported Upstater]

Ferguson took the BPA when he chose Rask while having Pogge already in the system. Was he doing the right thing or is he Pejorative Slured?

If Rask was the BPA per the Leafs scouting staff, then we were doing the absolute right thing when we chose him.

I don't see your point though. I've always been consistent with the BPA notion.

 

[mooseOAK*]

If Rask was the BPA per the Leafs scouting staff, then we were doing the absolute right thing when we chose him.

I don't see your point though. I've always been consistent with the BPA notion.

I'm just wondering why the GM is Pejorative Slured. Actually, he hasn't ****ed up the prospect situation, he has kept all of the best ones and hasn't made any panic moves when there was the chance to make them.

 

[Transported Upstater]

I'm just wondering why the GM is Pejorative Slured. Actually, he hasn't ****ed up the prospect situation, he has kept all of the best ones and hasn't made any panic moves when there was the chance to make them.

If you're referring to my using that term in relation to him, I'm most certainly not getting into that discussion in this thread because it's way off topic.

And you know I don't bombard/hijack the Leaf board with it (and I despise when people do), so what's the big deal?

 

[Redwingsfan]

Ferguson took the BPA when he chose Rask while having Pogge already in the system. Was he doing the right thing or is he Pejorative Slured?

absolutely. if he hadnt picked him, he would have been forced to give up pogge + another pick or prospect for raycroft and then have no really good goalie prospects left. he picked the BPA and got a decent starting goalie in return. allthough i think that trade was bad, i think the pick was the right one.

 

[sheed36]

i really dont think they will have to move up to pick espo.

I hope you are right but if Espo is still on the board @ #12 when the Habs pick I doubt he makes it to the Leafs @ #13.I prefer the Habs draft a big dman but if Espo is still available @ #12 he will probably be the Habs pick there.

 

[Redwingsfan]

I hope you are right but if Espo is still on the board @ #12 when the Habs pick I doubt he makes it to the Leafs @ #13.I prefer the Habs draft a big dman but if Espo is still available @ #12 he will probably be the Habs pick there.

i think so too. if i were a habs fan i would be disappointed if it happened, but chanses are, it will.


btw. nice avatar

 

[leafmon]

Ferguson took the BPA when he chose Rask while having Pogge already in the system. Was he doing the right thing or is he Pejorative Slured?

The Pejorative Slured part came when Rask was traded.

It is always BPA

 

[Redwingsfan]

The Pejorative Slured part came when Rask was traded.

It is always BPA

i agree with everything

 

[Bill_Crosby*]

Well just say BPA and lock the thread then. Nobody will even put forward some guesses as who will be available and who would be the best to pick, so it's a joke of a "discussion".

Sit on the fence some more why don't you.

 

[Redwingsfan]

Well just say BPA and lock the thread then. Nobody will even put forward some guesses as who will be available and who would be the best to pick, so it's a joke of a "discussion".

Sit on the fence some more why don't you.

well every team has their own ranking so you can guess who your team has on top when its their turn to pick.

 

[Diamond Joe]

Personally, after watching the Leafs and going to innumerable games, for the first time in a while the Leafs are fine on D. We have depth and we all know everyone complains about overpaying who we've got on the ice now, but we haven't had a scorer since Mogilny was around and even then he really wasn't a long stay with the team. Now this post is going to be bombarded with BPA picks but the prospects we hold now with Kulemin aside are not really scorers. I think there is an order by which teams hold their BPA...I think to the Leafs BPA in most cases will probably be a scoring forward.

I can't say Mats is going to be around when whoever we draft hits the NHL but we've been looking for that scoring forward for like 10 years, and Leaf fans know what I am talking about.

 

[dougy]

Just not Gillies!

definitely

 

[buddahsmoka1]

Screw BPA. Teams are always higher on certain players, therefore if theyre favourite player is available, he will be picked. What if you are weak in one area? You have to address your needs as well. However, if a players stock is falling on draft day, and you feel he has an edge over the remaining players, then sure, take him. Its all about reading and reacting in the draft, there is no way you can tell whats going to happen before the draft. You cant just go around picking the BPA, because you may not know that player well enough and are not even sure that he might be better than your favourites.

 

[Redwingsfan]

Screw BPA. Teams are always higher on certain players, therefore if theyre favourite player is available, he will be picked. What if you are weak in one area? You have to address your needs as well. However, if a players stock is falling on draft day, and you feel he has an edge over the remaining players, then sure, take him. Its all about reading and reacting in the draft, there is no way you can tell whats going to happen before the draft. You cant just go around picking the BPA, because you may not know that player well enough and are not even sure that he might be better than your favourites.

i just dont agree with you. in the long run you cant go wrong with picking the BPA every time. sure i think the teams are higher on certain players, but the players they are high on, are also high on their rankings. they dont look at the ISS ranking and pick the guy on top.

i think this is going to be a never ending discussion here. someone thinks its the beste to pick the BPA every time while others think its better to pick for need.