Prospect Info: Devils picking 4th Overall.

[TheUnseenHand]

What if the picks go Power, Hughes, Clarke 123?

 

[aboriginal]

Then f***

 

[devilsblood]

What if the picks go Power, Hughes, Clarke 123?

Then f***

Ya, worst case scenario there.

I'd absolutely consider trading down at that point.

 

[hidek91]

Then f***

Ya, worst case scenario there.

I'd absolutely consider trading down at that point.

Then we pick Beniers and call it a day. Swapping center for a d-man later on wouldn't be that hard, having Hughes - Beniers - Hischier combo as our center core wouldn't be bad either.

 

[My3Sons]

I'm totally on board with this.

But for the sake of the convo, say Hughes goes 2, and Clarke and Edvinsson are there. If the Devils take Edvinsson I'll trust the scouts on that. (though the righty lefty consideration would have me leaning Clarke pretty strongly).

You are onboard with insect overlords?

 

[Darkauron]

You are onboard with insect overlords?

Personally I prefer our lizard men overlords. I hear the insect overlords bug people.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

What if the picks go Power, Hughes, Clarke 123?

Then take Berniers or Elkund. ‘Member when defense was supposedly taken care of and we took McCleod instead of McAvoy. Or when we were supposedly loaded with RHD and now we desperately need to draft a bunch of them.

 

[TheUnseenHand]

Then take Berniers or Elkund. ‘Member when defense was supposedly taken care of and we took McCleod instead of McAvoy. Or when we were supposedly loaded with RHD and now we desperately need to draft a bunch of them.

I'm all aboard the Eklund train in that instance. Curious what other think though.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

I'm all aboard the Eklund train in that instance. Curious what other think though.

Yeah, take the winger at that point. I don't think the gap between the two is big at all and Holtz/Eklund connection is a good bonus.

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

Can Beniers jump right into the NHL? 3C is a need on the main roster as well, getting Beniers seems like a great outcome. Luke Hughes isn't going to be in the NHL for 2 years minimum.

 

[SJinNewJersey]

What if the picks go Power, Hughes, Clarke 123?

Then you go BPA, Beniers. Take a D with the Isles pick.

While this scenario might screw the Devils, I honestly don't think it has a chance of happening.

 

[aboriginal]

IIFFFFF we take the bpa forward, then we need to go hard core for hamilton and/or dumba. I’m fine taking a forward as long as we fix the D.

 

[AusDev]

If the top three Dmen were gone and we were entertaining the idea of drafting one of the forwards somewhere in the top ten, the guy I love is McTavish.

Ignoring the questions about him playing C or W and how he might fit, I think he's exactly what a lot of us are looking for up front. Strong, physical, scrappy goal scorer who will do what he has to do to score and win. For the people who have talked about trading for a Meier or a Tkachuk (not that he's a clone of either of those guys) I think this kid could be that guy. There was an Athletic article about him earlier this month talking about his tenacity and confidence and attitude, like getting into it a little bit with Claude Giroux at a summer skate a little while back, which shows a lot of balls for a 17 year old kid. Mentioned him being the kind of player that will break your stick to score a goal, and at the same time this guy is a straight up goal scorer, quite possibly the best in the draft, something else we desperately need. Leadership traits too.

I think it's incredibly unlikely we draft him, as I would guess the organisation would sooner gamble on Edvinsson or jump at Beniers if the others were taken, and I know people don't like the idea of trading back. But man, I'm going to be crazy envious of the team that drafts him.

 

[Smitty426]

IIFFFFF we take the bpa forward, then we need to go hard core for hamilton and/or dumba. I’m fine taking a forward as long as we fix the D.

Oleksiak too!

 

[aboriginal]

Oleksiak too!

 

[RememberTheName]

There are a lot of great players left if those three defensemen are off the board. It's not like they are a tier above the rest. Most of them are in the same tier of players that comprise of the top 8 or 9 guys. Guenther would be just a great fit for this team as a smart scoring winger whose IQ could keep up with that of Jack Hughes. Lysell and Eklund are just great as well. Although we don't need centers, Beniers is BPA in my opinion and easily has 1C potential. If he is there at #4 and those three are gone, he's my pick. And let's not act like there are no defensemen left either. Lambos would be a bit of a reach just by general consensus and wouldn't be the best value at #4 knowing he would probably be available around 12, but in my highly controversial opinion, he is a top 5 player in the draft and should be considered. This board seems to have a thing for hating Edvinsson, and while I am not as high on him as most either, I cannot deny the ridiculous potential he possesses. McTavish was mentioned as well, and I feel like, if he is going to be a winger at the next level, he fills both a positional and stylistic need for this team. A lot of people have been loving McTavish lately, and while I don't necessarily see the allure of putting him in the top 8 players, he seems like he might be good value if we trade down to 10 and he is still there.

I've been insanely busy as of late and haven't had the chance over the past 3 or so weeks to do much draft work, but hopefully, that will change and I can finalize my draft rankings for this year.

 

[devilsblood]

Then take Berniers or Elkund. ‘Member when defense was supposedly taken care of and we took McCleod instead of McAvoy. Or when we were supposedly loaded with RHD and now we desperately need to draft a bunch of them.

But McLeod was only one fwd out of 6 who were drafted in the 1st round over a 6 year span. We addressed the need for fwd by drafting fwds. Now we have a need for D, and more specifically RHD. Filling that need won't just happen, you need to actively address the issue.

And McAvoy was not a clearly better prospect then McLeod predraft. If anything the Devils could have used a better crystal ball, not a different game plan.

 

[A Plus]

Ya, worst case scenario there.

I'd absolutely consider trading down at that point.

Trading down would be a mistake IMO

we need high-end talent; our prospect pool is plenty deep already, were certainly pass the 'stocking the cupboards' phase

 

[devilsblood]

Trading down would be a mistake IMO

we need high-end talent; our prospect pool is plenty deep already, were certainly pass the 'stocking the cupboards' phase

But do we not have top end fwd talent? Unless people have cooled on Nico or think Hughes has limited upside because of his lack of goals?

D is literally Smith, and then a 5 question marks 2 years from now.

 

[devilsblood]

Can Beniers jump right into the NHL? 3C is a need on the main roster as well, getting Beniers seems like a great outcome. Luke Hughes isn't going to be in the NHL for 2 years minimum.

With a November b-day and a successful year of college under his belt I'd think he could play in the NHL next season.

Edit: Though I'm fine with Boqvist and McLeod as our bottom 6 centers next year. I thought McLeod was good in his role, and certainly earned his spot for next year, and Boqvist was coming on strong late, and I thought really started to get going when he was moved to center.

 

[A Plus]

But do we not have top end fwd talent? Unless people have cooled on Nico or think Hughes has limited upside because of his lack of goals?

D is literally Smith, and then a 5 question marks 2 years from now.

I was speaking about our prospect pool.

Obviously wed prefer a defenseman but we need more high-end talent for the pool.. hell and the roster. Bratt Nico Jack are the only known first line commodities we have; so even if Hughes Clarke and Power are gone, and they dont like Edvinsson, id still take Eklund or Guenther before moving back

Though I think people are in for a surprise, because if those three dmen are off the board I wouldnt be shocked to find our we have Edvinsson up there and take him (my
Preference is Eklund if not Hughes)

 

[devilsblood]

I was speaking about our prospect pool.

Obviously wed prefer a defenseman but we need more high-end talent for the pool.. hell and the roster. Bratt Nico Jack are the only known first line commodities we have; so even if Hughes Clarke and Power are gone, and they dont like Edvinsson, id still take Eklund or Guenther before moving back

Though I think people are in for a surprise, because if those three dmen are off the board I wouldnt be shocked to find our we have Edvinsson up there and take him (my
Preference is Eklund if not Hughes)

Fwd prospect pool talent includes Holtz, Mercer, and Foote. That's 3 recent 1st round picks.

 

[A Plus]

Fwd prospect pool talent includes Holtz, Mercer, and Foote. That's 3 recent 1st round picks.

Foote isnt a high-end prospect, he was a late round pick

Mercer and Holtz fit the bill but you dont trade away 4th overalls because you have Holtz and Mercer. You add to that so your odds of getting a first liner from that pool increases

If you trade down Youre getting a prospect outside the top tier of guys this year; and that, to me, isnt an option considering we need the highest end prospects we can get for the long term.

I doubt very much we get anyone but Hughes anyway, the stars are too aligned for it not to happen. Anaheim needs scoring so I see them taking Eklund or Guenther

 

[devilsblood]

Foote isnt a high-end prospect, he was a late round pick

Mercer and Holtz fit the bill but you dont trade away 4th overalls because you have Holtz and Mercer. You add to that so your odds of getting a first liner from that pool increases

If you trade down Youre getting a prospect outside the top tier of guys this year; and that, to me, isnt an option considering we need the highest end prospects we can get for the long term.

I doubt very much we get anyone but Hughes anyway, the stars are too aligned for it not to happen. Anaheim needs scoring so I see them taking Eklund or Guenther

But the team has a ton of good young fwd's at the NHL level already. Then you factor in the Holtz's and Mercer's. I wouldn't leave Foote off the list, but that's not too important, overall the organization is packed with young fwd talent, both high end talent in the NHL as well as propects, and the team is stocked with good or depth level talent both at the NHL level and at the prospect level.

The same can not be said for D.

But ya chances of either Hughes or Clarke not being there are super low.

 

[A Plus]

But the team has a ton of good young fwd's at the NHL level already. Then you factor in the Holtz's and Mercer's. I wouldn't leave Foote off the list, but that's not too important, overall the organization is packed with young fwd talent, both high end talent in the NHL as well as propects, and the team is stocked with good or depth level talent both at the NHL level and at the prospect level.

The same can not be said for D.

But ya chances of either Hughes or Clarke not being there are super low.

Then, if Hughes and Clarke arent there, just take Edvinsson

As long as we arent trading down, Im fine with any outcome.