Speculation: best available center at #6 nhl draft

[Hen Kolland]

Someone needs to buy you and @The Zetterberg Era a Kakko jersey and fly y’all out to Finland.



Maybe, or maybe he is a guy who flexes between wing and center like Seguin has at different stages.

I’ll be curious to see what he looks like once he puts some more weight on, I think at his size he can easily put (at least) 20 or so more pounds on. If Bellerive is gone he should get big minutes in Lethbridge next year at center.

Well that’s exactly it. Depends on the team, what they need, etc.

 

[RabidBadger]

This is a good problem to have with so many highly touted players to choose from. In the past 2 months I've gone from Cozens to Turcotte to Dach...now Krebs. I like his overall game and compete level.

I won't be upset if any of them end up rocking the Winged Wheel.

 

[DetroitRed]

I imagine there's a good chance the Wings will put these five names in order of preference and take the lowest one available. One exception might be if Byram drops.

 

[Henkka]

In my deep analyze, Dach will fit most of our needs, if all are equal BPA.

Right-handed playmaker to feed Zadina on the PP.

------- Rasmussen/Mantha (L)

Dach (R) ----- Larkin (L) ----- Zadina/Mantha (L)

-------- Pointman

We haven't had that kind of guy since Robert Lang/Yzerman.

Larkin is already our "Turcotte", don't think we need a team full of Turcottes. They will hustle, we need a different matchup hell to mix things out. Babcock wanted Sheahan up, because Ryan Getzlaf was a matchup nightmare on his eyes. So let's draft this "Getzlaf-styled" Dach to let that matchup problem to be solved on opposite teams. Somebody who slows the game, is hard to play against and when some others skate like crazy.

Nothin against Krebs but he is a lefty. Another lefty for the group of million lefties? No. It's just time fix these minor things out this time. This kind of equal draft offers you a chance to plug those detail-holes. Right-handed centerman for faceoffs, possibility for L to R one-timer shots. When he have a primary R-handed option there, we don't have to use any "Glendenings" ever on offensive end. Just go with the primary guy and forget all the Plan B nonsenses.

Cozens would also fit on that bill, but is less of a playmaker. More of an individual/scorer, which will became prizy in a cap world. Dach as a plamaker makes his linemates become overpaid, thanks to his great playmaking, and when they are gonna get overpaid, Yzerman trades them away to avoid the problem, and Dach will get new guys to feed. Repeat.

That's what I hope in this draft. Not possibly the best single individual. But the best fit for our needs and best relative fit in a cap world. You have to think deeper on these things. Big-sized playmaker, which finally gives us a needed handness and a new dimension. And a stastistically low-costed possible elite player.

Kirby Dach.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

This is a good problem to have with so many highly touted players to choose from. In the past 2 months I've gone from Cozens to Turcotte to Dach...now Krebs. I like his overall game and compete level.

I won't be upset if any of them end up rocking the Winged Wheel.

It's nice that the worst we're looking at is "Oh, that one wasn't my favorite" rather than "WTF are you thinking?"

Well, unless they draft a winger. Which wouldn't even be a catastrophe, but I think the reaction would be a little stronger.

 

[Bench]

Someone needs to buy you and @The Zetterberg Era a Kakko jersey and fly y’all out to Finland.

That's true. I sort of spaced out and forgot about him for a moment. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if any of those 3 ended up the best player of the draft. Dach has that Jamie Benn/Todd Bertuzzi factor to his game that I appreciate. But we'll see. I change my mind about these things all the time because ages 17-20 feel like a huge leap. I don't envy scouts.

 

[NickH8]

It's nice that the worst we're looking at is "Oh, that one wasn't my favorite" rather than "WTF are you thinking?"

Well, unless they draft a winger. Which wouldn't even be a catastrophe, but I think the reaction would be a little stronger.

I wouldn't be surprised if Yzerman picks Podkolzin if he's there at six, judging from his comments in his Athletic interview and his success in Russia in Tampa. I would be pretty neutral about it. If they pick a winger it's because they like that winger a lot, and I'll trust their judgement. Especially with Yzerman at the helm.

 

[Ghost of Ethan Hunt]

Could Dach be a "poor man's" Backstrom?

 

[Henkka]

I wouldn't be surprised if Yzerman picks Podkolzin if he's there at six, judging from his comments in his Athletic interview and his success in Russia in Tampa. I would be pretty neutral about it. If they pick a winger it's because they like that winger a lot, and I'll trust their judgement. Especially with Yzerman at the helm.

Nope. That's not the way it went at Tampa. He skips Podkolzin, because he is not anyhow a special choise on 1st round and real equal centers are more valuable.

But I could see Yzerman taking some hidden gems, lower round Russians, who will fall without a reason at draft, and are boom or bust types.

That was the Yzerman/Al Murray way to draft.

 

[DetroitRed]

Cozens would also fit on that bill, but is less of a playmaker. More of an individual/scorer, which will became prizy in a cap world.

Kirby Dach.

I like a lot of what you had to say about Dach. However, I disagree on the character of Cozens' play. Cozens has been more of an assist guy than a goal scorer during his WHL and team Canada experiences. Out of the centers listed in this poll, it is true that Cozens is the most developed goal-scorer, but if you call him an individual, it makes him seem like he's not generous or not a team player. Or it makes him sound like he's a guy who just wants to score and that's it.

So, instead of that, I would say he has a different play style than Dach or the others. He's kind of a bean pole, tall but skinny. His skating for a guy so tall is pretty amazing. He's among the best skaters in the WHL. So, his skating is pretty elite in general. He also uses his skating to make entries and drive through defenders towards the net. That's something some of the other prospects on the list don't have the option to do as often because they don't skate as well. That doesn't mean Cozens is not a team player. It just means he's a great option for a possession style game.

Dach has really taken a leap forward with goal scoring recently, but he's definitely been more of a passer and that's his best skill. Dach relies more on his size and strength in the offensive zone, and that's also an asset.

I think it's just a question of each player playing to their strengths.

 

[Shaman464]

If we’re looking at likeliness to hit as a center, I’d personally rank them as the following:

Turcotte
Dach
Krebs
Cozens
Zegras

Cozens skill set screams winger to me (not as much as Zegras obviously), I like my centers to be complete, 200ft, high motor players, and Cozens doesn’t show well under that criteria when I’ve watched him. He’s like Athanasiou’s and Mantha’s best skills are merged together, imho.

You pretty much took the ranking out of my mouth. Especially if you want someone who will be a center. If its by skill I'd go move Zegras to third, but solid list.

 

[Hen Kolland]

You pretty much took the ranking out of my mouth. Especially if you want someone who will be a center. If its by skill I'd go move Zegras to third, but solid list.

It’s a pretty simple logic. Turcotte and Dach are almost exclusively centers (at even strength) with their current teams. Zegras has been primarily a winger when his team is healthy. Krebs and Cozens both have split time between center and wing at even strength. Really all that list reflects is if you held a gun to my head and I had to pick a player who ends up as center, that’s how I’d pick.

I’m not ready to prioritize position over skill. I’m still seeking that player who has a chance to be the best of the bunch, but I am very cognizant of the level of risk that is associated with particular players. There’s a reason Zegras will never be the absolute #1 for me on this list, and that’s because the inherent risk that comes with the amount of development he needs. Physically and play style, he’s the furthest from being NHL ready, which is a tough sell. Dach is still an elite level prospect and I feel like the board has really dried up on his hype because he was injured coming out of the WHL playoffs and didn’t play at U18s when all of his counterparts did. I think he carries all the upside of Zegras but his floor is a lot higher as well.

Lots of speculation on these guys to come without a doubt.

 

[Dotter]

The thing about Turcotte for me is he's more of a North and South player with less edgework. And he's redundant for the DRWs. I prefer Yzerpick Dach. He brings an element this team doesn't have and you don't see available often.

I like Turcotte, but for team need I want Dach.

 

[jkutswings]

The more I read/see on this group of players, the more I like each of them, for their own set of reasons.

Can we just wave a magic wand and acquire slots 3 through 7, so we can take all of them?

 

[Henkka]

Yeah, the point on Cozens is that he is more like Scheifele or Jeff Carter. I love those kind players but we have great left-handed shots already on the kid core. I'd like to have a special future power-play, which is different than on any team.

Right-handed playmaker is the rarest player type, and when you connect that kind of guy with our mix of guys, it completes our unit.

I dunno, it could go any way, but imo we don't have Daysyuk/Zetterberg level elite passer on the kid core to feed scoring threat like Cozens. So we have to build it as a mirror image.

We have left-handed shooting threats. Getting a right-handed feeder on the left side completes our future PP.

You just have to think deeper and match the 2019 1st pick guy (on this rare draft-situation, equal options) with the guys we have.

If Zadina and Mantha would be right-handed shooting threats like Frk, I would prefer a left-handed playmaker like Krebs.

But they are lefties. Then you go after Dach.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Yeah, the point on Cozens is that he is more like Scheifele or Jeff Carter. I l8ve those kind players but we have great left-handed shots already on the kid core. I'd like to have a special future power-play, which is different than on any team.

Right-handed playmaker is the rarest player type, and when you connect that kind of guy with our mix of guys, it completes our unit.

I dunno, it could go any way, but imo we don't have Daysyuk/Zetterberg level elite oasser on the kid core to feed scoring threat like Cozens.

But we have the left handed shooting threats. Hetting a right-handed feeder on the left side completes our future PP.

You just habe to think deeper and match the guy (on this situatio) with the guys we have.

If Zadina and Manths would be right-handed like Frk, I would prefer ja left-handed playmaker like Krebs.

But they are lefties. Then you go after Dach.

Fortunately, a player like Dach is immensely talented as a player regardless of the criteria you choose to look at him, so I have absolutely no issue with placing your preference with him. But I would caution you that trying to craft things as specific as powerplay units is not likely the best approach to rebuilding this team. First and foremost, you have to build the talent base, meaning you need the most talent possible. Part of the coach's job is to sort out how to use the players provided to him.

Would it be nice to add a right handed forward to the mix? 110% yes, but we can't prioritize based on that level of scrutiny just yet. If Yzerman thinks that Turcotte/Krebs/Zegras is the absolute best chance of getting a top line caliber player, that's what he has to go with. Conversely, if it's Dach or Cozens, then we got theoretically the best talent AND addressed the balance of handedness in the pipeline.

I love your commitment to deep analysis, but not everything has to be thought about as deep as you are suggesting. Plain and simple, pick whoever you think the best player is based on skill and character and physical ability.

 

[Frk It]

Yeah, the point on Cozens is that he is more like Scheifele or Jeff Carter. I l8ve those kind players but we have great left-handed shots already on the kid core. I'd like to have a special future power-play, which is different than on any team.

Right-handed playmaker is the rarest player type, and when you connect that kind of guy with our mix of guys, it completes our unit.

I dunno, it could go any way, but imo we don't have Daysyuk/Zetterberg level elite oasser on the kid core to feed scoring threat like Cozens.

But we have the left handed shooting threats. Hetting a right-handed feeder on the left side completes our future PP.

You just habe to think deeper and match the guy (on this situatio) with the guys we have.

If Zadina and Manths would be right-handed like Frk, I would prefer ja left-handed playmaker like Krebs.

But they are lefties. Then you go after Dach.

These are all the reasons I think Dach will be our pick at #6 this year if he is there.

Dach and Byram fit our needs best of the options we will have, IMO. Last year we went for the most talented guy. This year with everyone packed in tight, I think we will look at need.

 

[Henkka]

Would it be nice to add a right handed forward to the mix? 110% yes, but we can't prioritize based on that level of scrutiny just yet. If Yzerman thinks that Turcotte/Krebs/Zegras is the absolute best chance of getting a top line caliber player, that's what he has to go with. Conversely, if it's Dach or Cozens, then we got theoretically the best talent AND addressed the balance of handedness in the pipeline.

I love your commitment to deep analysis, but not everything has to be thought about as deep as you are suggesting. Plain and simple, pick whoever you think the best player is based on skill and character and physical ability.

Yzerman was a right-handed playmaker(and scorer, kind of balanced) by himself, so I could bet he will understand the importance of this thing. Best power-plays will have a handness mixes, and we don't have any legit forward right-handers on the prospect system.

This draft is the draft to fix that thing.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Yzerman was a right-handed playmaker(and scorer, kind of balanced) by himself, so I could bet he will understand the importance of this thing.

I'm sure he realizes his skill level was more important than his handedness.

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

What's the big knock people have on Dach? I see a potential superstar there, but I feel like I'm missing some glaring issue because people are passing on him even at #6.

Skating.

 

[Bench]

Skating.

Hmm. Is that important in hockey?

 

[lilidk]

Skating.

i believe skating is not problem at all its consistency , Mantha stepbrother I gees

 

[Cyborg Yzerberg]

Hmm. Is that important in hockey?

If he can make up for it with a strong vertical leap, we’ll be set.

 

[jkutswings]

If he can make up for it with a strong vertical leap, we’ll be set.

high motor
tremendous athleticism
great measurables
plays well in space

That should do it for the draft day cliches.

 

[waltdetroit]

high motor
tremendous athleticism
great measurables
plays well in space

That should do it for the draft day cliches.

add high hockey IQ