Confirmed with Link: Leafs will draft #4!

[Daisy Jane]

Where's Giroux?

Leafs draft him #13

 

[Trapper]

Where's Giroux?

Thanks completely forgot about him.
3-4 becomes a preference between Kessel/Giroux.
Pittsburgh won the Cup with Staal but imagine a Kessel/Giroux on his wing.

 

[Stephen]

Jason Spezza might be a good comparison. Still a 70 point center.
Ryan Johanson is also a good comparable. During the tank, I watched a lot of Columbus games this year and Johanson plays that kind of style.
The good and bad of Strome:

Good: size, elite level vision,passing,shooting. Can set you up perfectly or finish it off himself. Can control the play,slow it down and protect the puck with his size. Very dangerous setting up behind the opposition net as well. Knows how to maintain his position on the D side.

Bad: lacks breakaway speed. Big man choppy stride. Sometimes seems to play without intensity. Doesn't like to be involved in the physical side of things. Average D (although I said he does maintain his position to force turnovers).

At the end of the day, Strome is a no. 1 C. He has the tools.

Yeah, thing about Johansen is he looks a lot more solid and powerful than Spezza, so you want Strome developing that kind of frame and that type of game as he matures at the pro level.

 

[Trapper]

Yeah, thing about Johansen is he looks a lot more solid and powerful than Spezza, so you want Strome developing that kind of frame and that type of game as he matures at the pro level.

It also took Johanson 4 years from his draft to hit his stride. He went back to Portland, then half a year in Springfield, 40 games in Columbus where he scored 12 points in 40 games, moved from the West to the East and came on strong.

 

[hockeywiz542]

According to the Toronto Sun, with the Edmonton Oilers winning and bumping the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes down one spot, there is speculation that the Coyotes might take Dylan Strome before the Leafs, rather than top NCAA defenceman Noah Hanifin.

The debate in the desert now is whether to take Hanifin and create a dominant defensive tandem with Oliver Ekman-Larsson or address a weakness down the middle with Strome. A good defenceman can never be overlooked, but the Leafs have Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner as a fair starting point.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Toronto/2015/04/19/22353066.html

After congratulating Edmonton Oilers' assistant general manager Bill Scott on his team's winning combo of ping pong balls in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes, Maple Leafs president Shanahan turned his full attention to the fourth pick at next June's draft in Florida - welcome to the spotlight Dylan Strome - and Nashville's selection, which Toronto currently owns at 25th.

Shanahan's team had a 9.5% chance amid 1,001 possible combinations. So he was trying to be realistic when he entered a sequestered room with Scott and the reps from five other teams who had the best odds to snare McDavid.

"There was a 90.5 chance we won't be getting first, so you start (worrying) about slipping from four to five," Shanahan said. "We're happy at fourth. I said the other day (when he fired GM Dave Nonis to kick the revamp into high gear) that there are no short cuts."

Before leaving for the world under-18 championships in Switzerland, Leafs director of amateur scouting Dave Morrison said McDavid would be a godsend, but his staff was committed to team-building "the traditional way."

That could start with Strome, the 6-foot-3 centre from the Erie Otters who drove to Toronto with teammate McDavid on Friday for the announcements. But with the Oilers winning and bumping the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes down one spot, there is speculation that the Coyotes might take Strome before the Leafs, rather than top NCAA defenceman Noah Hanifin.

The debate in the desert now is whether to take Hanifin and create a dominant defensive tandem with Oliver Ekman-Larsson or address a weakness down the middle with Strome. A good defenceman can never be overlooked, but the Leafs have Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner as a fair starting point.

"I'll talk to (interim GM) Mark Hunter, but you're still looking for the best guy available," Shanahan said about draft strategy in June. "There are some good players. (Whether they can step right in) depends who you get, it depends whether they're ready. We are willing to wait."

 

[Teeder9]

Yeah, thing about Johansen is he looks a lot more solid and powerful than Spezza, so you want Strome developing that kind of frame and that type of game as he matures at the pro level.

Far stronger. Last year's playoffs he reminded of prime Sundin with the power he showed. Strome will have to hit the gym to bull his way through guys like that

 

[KGL]

According to the Toronto Sun, with the Edmonton Oilers winning and bumping the Buffalo Sabres and Arizona Coyotes down one spot, there is speculation that the Coyotes might take Dylan Strome before the Leafs, rather than top NCAA defenceman Noah Hanifin.

The debate in the desert now is whether to take Hanifin and create a dominant defensive tandem with Oliver Ekman-Larsson or address a weakness down the middle with Strome. A good defenceman can never be overlooked, but the Leafs have Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner as a fair starting point.

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Toronto/2015/04/19/22353066.html

Meh. We take Hanifin then. I'm so happy we have the fourth overall, literally can't miss there.

 

[A1LeafNation]

...So where will Hanafin, Marner, Strome be playing next year? Junior? AHL? NHL?

 

[Teeder9]

...So where will Hanafin, Marner, Strome be playing next year? Junior? AHL? NHL?

I think for the teams they are on already

 

[fahad203]

I think for the teams they are on already

Hanifin is the only player eligible for AHL

 

[Nithoniniel]

Thanks completely forgot about him.
3-4 becomes a preference between Kessel/Giroux.
Pittsburgh won the Cup with Staal but imagine a Kessel/Giroux on his wing.

Don't see how it can be a matter of preference between Giroux and Kessel. The former is better offensively, better possession player, much better defensively, seem to be a very good captain and is a center rather than winger.

 

[Yosho]

I haven't read the near-40 pages in this thread.

Any indication on who Arizona is likely to take at 3? What position are they looking at? With Yandle gone, I'd expect them to take Hanifin but who knows. They could have been expecting to grab a center in McDavid or Eichel, so maybe they go with the 3rd option in Strome.