Seven Round Snake Draft

[Transplanted Caper]

Buffalo is proud to select Defenseman Jack Johnson.

excellent pick. Johnson dropped further then I thought he would.

 

[petec1978*]

Boyle, Kubina, Sydor and Sarich represent a decent top 4, but none of them are elite players.

I think if any of these four players were in a bigger market, or a Canadian market, they would be much more respected than they currently are playing out of the eye of the northern hockey media.

Dan Boyle had 92 points over the past two seasons. Compare that to some of the "bigger names" amongst offensive d-men. Zubov: 97 points. Niedermayer: 93 points. Rafalski: 76 points.

Pavel Kubina was tied for the league lead for goals amongst defensemen last season with 17... but it seemed like guys like Souray were the ones getting all the press when it came to that statistic.

Darryl Sydor, obviously he's an older horse, but he's put up 30 points or more 8 times in his career.

And Cory Sarich... you know a guy like Regher in Calgary gets a ton of press, rightfully deserved, for being a big physical defenseman. I'm telling you though, Cory Sarich is another guy who is possibly going to take the mantle of the game's next great intimidator now that Scott Stevens' career is winding down. If you dont believe me, ask Robert Lang's ribs.

However, you guys should have some extra cap room to add another Top 2 or Top 4 guy, so the blueline will be "average" in the near future.

Our "average" blueline was good enough to win a cup.

A blue chipper like Jack Johnson comes along once every three or four years

A "blue chipper" like Jack Johnson seems to come along every year. I remember once upon a time Mike Komisarek was "the next Scott Stevens" and I even remember a day when Bryan Berard was being hyped as "the next Bobby Orr". The question is, what is hype and what is real... and I simply don't buy the "Jack Johnson is sure-fire the next Rob Blake" mystique. I've seen far too many "next" ofs come and go.

But as far as prospects go, none of those six you mentioned will ever be Top 2 guys and Egener is the only guy I would be even partially optimistic about.

And that's your opinion... one not shared by the professionals in the Lightning organization nor myself who has seen all these guys play.

As for you looking to draft a goaltender, I was simply saying that might be the direction Tampa's real GM takes this year for the reasons I mentioned. Grahame is a good backup and could maybe share NHL duties when play resumes, but he wouldn't be one of the Top 20 starters in the league.
Gerald Coleman is decent, but he wasn't even the starter for the London Knights at the Memorial Cup and I personally don't see a future starter among your goaltending prospects.

Let me ask you a question: do you know who finished first in Finnish Jr. A in sv% and GAA last season AHEAD of Tuukka Rask?

A smart GM faced with Tampa's current goaltending situation, providing Khabibulin is going to test the market and not return, would definitely use this year's draft as an opportunity to snag one of the two top goaltenders in Price and Rask.

You're not going to replace Nikolai Khabibulin on a team defending its championship with an 18 year old... so as far as I'm concerned Khabibulin's situation is inconsequential to the draft strategy of this team.

I'm satisfied that our pool of young defensemen and goaltenders, while they may not be flashy, is sufficient to yield depth at those positions over the next 5-6 years. I am NOT satisfied that there is enough depth in terms of scoring liners to sustain the team's elite status over the next 5-6 years as guys like Modin and Prospal age. Skille is the answer to that problem.

 

[petec1978*]

It's come to the point where 6-footers are considered future "power forwards."

I never used the "power forward" tag, which is overused nomenclature in today's NHL. That was salostyle. I don't believe Pouliot qualifies as a "power forward" either. However, in Skille's case, he is big and strong enough to be able to compete against NHL sized defensemen and be effective. I have reservations about Brule's abilities in that regard... I can't ignore the fact he's only 175 lbs. Sorry.

6-0 wingers like Skille are now considered future power forwards.

Skille is 6'1" 200 lbs... how is that markedly different than a 6'0" 210 lbs Bobby Ryan? And for that matter, why does Jack Johnson get a pass on the size issue when at 6'0" 197 lbs he's quite a bit below the 6'2"-6'3" 215-220 lbs or so ideal of an NHL defenseman these days? That's another reason it's hard for me to swallow the "Jack Johnson is the next Rob Blake hype"... he's 3 inches shorter and 25 pounds lighter than Blake.

IMO deciding to pick Skille because Red Line likes him is silly (a little rhyme there).

Well you'd be wrong if you thought that was the only factor that weighed in my decision.

Skille may go in the top 10, but to pick him over the likes of Brule, Johnson and Kopitar because he "might" be a power forward who fills a need despite being average sized is most certainly questionable thinking.

I think I've made my position with regard to Brule and Johnson pretty clear... but if you want to talk Kopitar now and why I passed on him, ok. Truth is I'm leary of reading too much into Swedish junior hockey and lower tier international play performances. I look at Kopitar's junior team in Sodertalje and yes, he put up great numbers, there's no denying that but he did it on a team with some good talent around him... guys like Bergfors and Videll and, perhaps tellingly and perhaps not, Sodertalje gave Bergfors 5 times the games at the Elitserian level than Kopitar. He didn't really get enough games against men (5) to prove himself on that level and in international play, because he's Slovenian, he was playing in the lower pool against inferior talent so it's hard to get a read on that too.

Could Kopitar be the next Gaborik, as I've seen a few people on HF suggest? Sure. Does anyone really KNOW he's going to be the next Gaborik? I think anyone who tells you that with a straight face is either naive or a good liar. Truth is it's incredibly hard for me to get a read on what Kopitar will do at the next level... and if I'm the Lightning trying to build around an established core of Lecavalier and Richards, I don't need to swing for the fences with this pick and risk striking out. Hitting a double or triple with Skille suffices to build up my talent base to help sustain my elite franchise.

And that's not "questionable thinking", that's playing smart with the last top-5 pick the Lightning are likely to see for a decade.

 

[Larry Fisher]

Fair enough Boltprospects. We agree to disagree on a few points, but at least you're not disagreeing for the sake of disagreeing and I don't think I am either. We both have fairly valid arguments, although we do see things differently.

I do believe Jack Johnson is for real.

I do love Corey Sarich and remember him from his WHL days, but I don't think he's in the same caliber as Robyn Regehr...yet. Boyle, Kubina, Sydor could all play on my favourite team (Oilers) and would all three be welcome additions to the team I'm drafting for (Florida), but I feel they are Good not Great and Jackson will be Great...IMO.

Your average blueline was good enough to win a cup because your offence was the best in the league and carried the backend.

Let me ask you a question: do you know who finished first in Finnish Jr. A in sv% and GAA last season AHEAD of Tuukka Rask?

Without even researching this question I am going to guess: A Tampa prospect who is a year or two older than Rask, on a better overall team that plays a more defensive game. I would still bet my money on Rask being better than this mystery man five years from now.

Edit: You never said Skille was a power forward but you did say you think he will be the next Bill Geurin or a player in that mold. Just curious what you would classify Geurin as because last time I checked he is one of the few true power forwards in the game?

 

[petec1978*]

One other point and I'll get off my soap box:

Skille is 7 months younger than Brule and Johnson... and while that may not sound like a big deal, that's 7 more months more he's going to mature physically than his two contemporaries.

 

[petec1978*]

Your average blueline was good enough to win a cup because your offence was the best in the league and carried the backend.

The Lightning's system doesn't work unless the defensemen pinch aggressively to sustain the attack... one of the main reasons our offense was one of the best in the league WAS our defensemen.

Without even researching this question I am going to guess: A Tampa prospect who is a year or two older than Rask, on a better overall team that plays a more defensive game.

Karri Ramo is only 9 months older than Rask... and the team he played for, the Lahti Pelicans, is the laughing stock of Finnish hockey. Not only did he lead Finnish Jr A in sv% and GAA but in late December he was called up to the SM-liiga when Pasi Nurminen left the team and became their starter for a month when the team's other veteran goaltender went down to injury. This kid, at 18 years old, won more games for the Pelicans in a month than Pasi Nurminen did for them the entire first half of the season, including beating Andrew Raycroft head to head. And at the end of the season, when the Pelicans sent Ramo down to junior to help save their team's flagging playoff hopes, Ramo threw three straight shutouts in the last three games of the regular season to get them into the playoffs. Now he's going to play in the SM-liiga next season at 19 years old as Miika Wiikman's backup for HPK, which is the same organization that brought up Toivonen.

Now, I don't mean to say he's better than Rask or that he's the next Toivonen... but I say it to illustrate a point. Karri Ramo doesn't get any publicity because he was an obscure 6th round pick playing for the worst franchise in Finland, and because he doesn't get any pub you wouldn't know him if he came up and whacked you in the back of the head with a 2x4. You're not qualified to tell me about my team's goaltending depth, and when I'm telling you I'm satisfied with the development shown by Brian Eklund, who is a huge goaltender who put up a .911 save percentage on a Springfield team that was so young they barely knew how to lace their skates, and with Karri Ramo, and with a talented guy like Jonathan Boutin, and with a project like Gerald Coleman... trust my word for it.

 

[Patty Ice]

It's come to the point where 6-footers are considered future "power forwards."

whatever happened to the day when there were only a handful of players considered power forwards, namely Neely, Tocchett, and Kevin Stevens? It used to be that you had to be tough (at least 150 PMs per season including fights), big (alll were above average in size), and a sniper (40+ goals). I realize the game has changed but it's gotten ridiculous. Now even relatively soft centers like Pouliot (a power forward is a winger, not a center) and 6-0 wingers like Skille are now considered future power forwards.

Baloney, if anything its the 6'4+ guys that get mislabeled as power forwards (Alexeev anyone?). I like a guy like Skille because he's a wrecking crew out there. I got a question for you. Is Owen Nolan a power forward? Is Bill Guerin? If the answer is yes (if otherwise, have your head checked), go take a look at their size...just about the same size as Skille. Being a power foward isn't just about size...it's how you use it. Yes, there is a certain point where a guy is too small to be a power forward, Theo Fleury and Pat Verbeek being to examples given to me. Skille doesn't fit in that catergory, however. At 17 years of age, the kid is already 210 for crying out loud. This kid will be able to bully his opponents just like the Nolans and Guerins (and GASP! even Neelys and Howes) if he shows the heart of a warrior like those fellows. So before you start with these average 6-0 footers being called power forwards, remember that Cam Neely (6'1), Gordie Howe (6'0) and Owen Nolan (6'1) are in that company. I'd be worried about the Eric Dazes of the world being mislabled first.

 

[petec1978*]

BTW salostyle, your downplaying of the quality of Rask's Junior A team is entirely inaccurate. Ilves A finished first in the Junior A standings last season.

http://www.sm-liiga.fi/finhockey2/sjl_uusisarjataulu.asp?TID=1344

And his SM-liiga team, what little he played there, may have missed the playoffs by six points, but they were still 55 points better than the Pelicans were.

http://www.sm-liiga.fi/default.asp?cmd=1

 

[petec1978*]

You never said Skille was a power forward but you did say you think he will be the next Bill Geurin or a player in that mold.

Actually that was Redline's comparison.

 

[Shane]

Whoops, I forgot SPORTSMANIAC sent me a shortlist. Anyway, the Atlanta Thrashers proudly select from the Vancouver Giants of the WHL... Shaun Ve... Just kidding. I mean, GILBERT BRULE.

 

[Shane]

And from Balej's Dance's list, the New York Rangers select flashy Slovenian winger Anze Kopitar.

 

[CH Wizard]

The hurricanes select Guillaume Latendresse.

No gm's wanted to trade their picks...so I'm obligated to pick him.

 

[gamblor]

The Nashville Predators select, from the Erie Otters, 6'2 Centre Ryan O'Marra.

 

[Skk82]

A blue chipper like Jack Johnson comes along once every three or four years

i disagree. i'm a big jack johnson fan, in fact i have him #2 on my draft board, but whether the name is barker, suter, coburn, bouwmeester, pitkanen or even whitney; there's always a smooth skating above average height defenseman that has a great outlet pass and potential PP quaterback that seems to come out in the draft the past couple years.

jack johnson is the latest name of the aforementioned. credit guys like leetch, lidstrom and gonchar to get them noticed, but there seems to be a 'cookie cutter' defenseman like johnson available at the top of every recent year in the draft.

 

[Skk82]

also, i think if NYR gets kopitar their fans would be estactic. especially if they get the 7th pick in the draft and are lucky enough to see him there.....IMO one of the earliest 'best' steals in the draft. not to knock how this mock draft has played out, but i think it would be a universal shock if kopitar's still on the board after 6 picks.

i'm not even a rangers fan, but a potential combination of balej, kopitar and jessiman would be a pretty awesome and complete line!

 

[Skk82]

btw, if the draft really worked like this, here's how the penguins lines would look...

lemieux-crosby-morozov(or a top end UFA like kovalev or kariya
if morozov stayed in russia, trust me there's plenty of cap room and internal payroll to make it happen)
malone-kraft-recchi
koltsov-beech-armstrong
vandenbussche-endicott-bradley

i've been accused of being a homer, but honestly, if lemieux and recchi can hold up, how this lineup not make the playoffs?

 

[petec1978*]

there's always a smooth skating above average height defenseman that has a great outlet pass and potential PP quaterback that seems to come out in the draft the past couple years.

He's not even above average height. He's 6'0"-6'1" and around 2 bills.

 

[Skk82]

He's not even above average height. He's 6'0"-6'1" and around 2 bills.

that's true. i was using the average composite of guys like bouwmeester, whitney, coburn and barker.

the point remains....in the past few drafts there's been a blue-chip defenseman that's regarded as a very smooth skater, good passer, nice shot and potential NHL powerplay quarterback. even if johnson doesn't grow anymore, i'd still classify him with the aforementioned, based on the same attributes.

 

[Captain Conservative]

The ColoRAYdo Avalanche are pleased to welcome Marek Zagrapan to the OrganEYEzation.

 

[Captain Conservative]

that's true. i was using the average composite of guys like bouwmeester, whitney, coburn and barker.

the point remains....in the past few drafts there's been a blue-chip defenseman that's regarded as a very smooth skater, good passer, nice shot and potential NHL powerplay quarterback. even if johnson doesn't grow anymore, i'd still classify him with the aforementioned, based on the same attributes.

I agree. Even though I personally rate Johnson in a plateau above the next 5 after he and Crosby, I think that it could be considered a 6 player plateau after Crosby. Every player(sans Johnson, but just imo), has certain amazing attributes and certain weaknesses, but most have the potential to be franchise or superstar players.

 

[Anthony Mauro]

I agree. Even though I personally rate Johnson in a plateau above the next 5 after he and Crosby, I think that it could be considered a 6 player plateau after Crosby. Every player(sans Johnson, but just imo), has certain amazing attributes and certain weaknesses, but most have the potential to be franchise or superstar players.

Exactly, before I had made my list just like that Crosby, Johnson, Brule, Pouliot, Kopitar and Ryan, O'Marra to send to Shane in case I wasn't here. If Boltsprospects hadn't taken Skille at four, I would have tried to trade down from the seven spot. Their are top 6 players it seems to me and a lot of other people, but I'm not too sure the real scouts and GM's have those six as their's. But overall I think those guys pretty much make up a solid top 6.

 

[Anthony Mauro]

also, i think if NYR gets kopitar their fans would be estactic. especially if they get the 7th pick in the draft and are lucky enough to see him there.....IMO one of the earliest 'best' steals in the draft. not to knock how this mock draft has played out, but i think it would be a universal shock if kopitar's still on the board after 6 picks.

i'm not even a rangers fan, but a potential combination of balej, kopitar and jessiman would be a pretty awesome and complete line!

Well it could happen though. As turnbuckle has said previously some team may like Staal just enough to take him 5. But it would have to be the right team that needed a dman and it remains to be seen if Kopitar would be the odd man out at seven. Something tells me if PHI doesn't draft highly, Ryan may drop to 7.

 

[Alain Racette]

-------------------------------
Now even relatively soft centers like Pouliot (a power forward is a winger, not a center) and 6-0 wingers like Skille are now considered future power forwards.</i>
-------------------------------

In Pouliot's defense, I've seen him play about 15 times this past year and 99% of the time he was on the ice, he was on the left wing (though he does play centre, LW is his preferred position). And he may be softer than, say, Brule, but he is most definitely not a wimp. Not the toughest guy out there but he's no wuss and willing to take some punishment (think Mats Sundin). Though in reality I'm almost certain Sutter would have selected Brule at third overall (for his feistyness and his Western roots), I'm addressing another need - scoring on the wing - and felt Pouliot was the BPA for that. But then again, isn't this the fun of being a mock GM? Choosing who YOU think should be drafted? It certainly is fun and eciting to see who others pick.

Anyway, keep the draft coming!

(edit; just realized there was a Quote feature; I'll make use of it next time (I'm so used to italicizing everything wit HTML!)

 

[bert]

Pouliot is defenitely the best player after crosby in the draft available for Calgary. They have plenty of smaller fiesty forwards. They lack true offense and after Crosby, Pouliot brings it more then anyone. Plus they are weak on the left side Pouliots natural position. Brule would have been my 6th or 7th option if im Calgary.

Im surprised that Bourrett has not been picked yet.

Boltprospects I love the Skille pick not because im especially high on him (dont get me wrong I still like him) but I love the defense of your pick and totally agree with you on your breakdown of the Lightning team. Skille is a player that fits in very well with the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. He does have a fair amount of upside to him and he is much younger then most of the top picks in this draft.

 

[CH Wizard]

Guys, what are your opinions on my Latendresse pick?

Well, Latendresse has some nice potential...he could be the '' future dominant forward'' I tried to find.....

A risky pick at this point but he's a really nice project...he has improved in the Q...

What ya think?

I lost Staal so that's why I picked a forward.I'm looking forward to add some defencemans now....