Sorry To Ruin The Draft For You....

[#66]

You make some decent points, but I don't understand how you can say Kessel didn't create offense this year. He basically ran the Gophers PP this year and did a pretty good job generating offense for his two linemates (Gordon and Wheeler).

I know that we've gone over Kessel before and please don't mistake me as a Kessel-hater. I have always said that he has the most upside in this draft because of his great skating and shot. I just question his decision making alot of the time and for me thats a big question mark. Maybe that part of his game will come around as he matures but IMO thats a tough sell than having some skating issues.

As for the GG PP, I've always thought of Goligoski and Kessel co-running it with Kessel being more of a trigger man. He does look to be a very good PP player and maybe that could end up being his bread and butter.

 

[shureshot66]

Its just my opinion but I like Toews hands and sense alot more than Kessel's. Plus he's a more well rounded player. I think that people forget his birthdate and that he's already a good player but still very raw. Once his skating is cleaned up and he puts some meat on his bones, he does alot of corner work for a skinny kid, I think his game will improve that much more. IMO he has sense and vision like Brad Richards but has a better shot and is more combative.

As for Kessel, I just don't think that his game will adjust well to the pro's. Watching him at least once a week I found myself saying that as good a skater as he is and as hard as he shoots what has he done to really impress. Most of his goals were not great and his passes were gimmee's. A superstar creates offense and I just didn't see Kessel creating plays as much as just making the play infront of him. In the end I don't think that Kessel will bust but just not turn out as good as people think. IMO he'll be a Samsonov or Afinagenov type. More of a shooter and less of a stickhandler than those two but about the same type of player. So if Toews and Kessel are both point per game players, I would want Toews because he has more all around value.

Thanks for the feedback. To be honest, I've been wishy-washy on this since the lottery, as I agree with some of your points on Kessel. I wasn't impressed at all with some of his moves at the most recent WJCs, as even defenses there seemed to figure out his inside-out moves pretty quickly. So I didn't have all that high of an opinion of Kessel to begin with... I dunno, perhaps it's just been rationalizing of Kessel's ability on my part since the Pens are most likely going to end up with him?

That being said, I'm not sure I'd be so disappointed with a Samsonov-type player at this point, especially when his ceiling is arguably the highest in the draft.

I'd like to do a little more research on Toews though for my own benefit. In the few (albeit early) interviews I've seen with Pens brass/scouts, maybe Kessel isn't the odds-on favorite choice in their minds.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I will be worried until the draft actually takes place that the Pens end up with someone other than Kessel or Johnson. If we take Toews or Staal I will be physically ill. But will get over it and hope that I am as wrong as can be about Kessel. In the end we really can not lose, any of those four should thrive on the Pens for years to come. But God, who would have thought even ten months ago that we could have won the lottery and gotten Crosby, and then end up with Kessel the year after on this team? If someone would have told me that I would have passed out right there.

 

[Gardebut30]

If we take Toews or Staal I will be physically ill. But will get over it and hope that I am as wrong as can be about Kessel.

That says a lot.

If the Pens took Toews, you hope Kessel wouldn't turn out to be as good as you want him too were he selected by the Pens, instead of saying you hope Toews exceeds your expectations and turns out to be the better player if he was taken at #2. Selfish no?

 

[Jaded-Fan]

That says a lot.

If the Pens took Toews, you hope Kessel wouldn't turn out to be as good as you want him too were he selected by the Pens, instead of saying you hope Toews exceeds your expectations and turns out to be the better player if he was taken at #2. Selfish no?

Huh? It makes me a fan. What do you expect, me to hope that Kessel breaks all of Gretzky's records for another team while Toews never plays a shift? If Kessel is drafted by someone else and becomes another Crosby for them, I will be pissed everytime I see him score a goal for the next twenty years. If that makes me selfish, so be it.

 

[Oedi]

Wow i'd be pissed if Little was taken right before the Leaf was able to draft. O well, Opkoso is not too bad so i can live with that. If they picked a defencemen though so at least it seems realistic enough...

 

[Caesium]

I'd rather have Okposo than Little. The Leafs need wingers and most of the forwards Toronto has coming up don't have a lot of size.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Not to turn this into a Pens thread, but I agree to an extent with #66 about Kessel. I prefer Toews to him by a slight margin.

My draft board is as follows: Johnson, Backstrom, Toews, Kessel, Mueller, Staal, gap. I don't really see any big dropoff between any of those six guys. They all have their strongpoints. Maybe Johnson is a little ahead of the pack just because he is seemingly a total package and is already so big and strong, but I only see very slight gaps between the five forwards.

 

[#66]

I will be worried until the draft actually takes place that the Pens end up with someone other than Kessel or Johnson. If we take Toews or Staal I will be physically ill. But will get over it and hope that I am as wrong as can be about Kessel. In the end we really can not lose, any of those four should thrive on the Pens for years to come. But God, who would have thought even ten months ago that we could have won the lottery and gotten Crosby, and then end up with Kessel the year after on this team? If someone would have told me that I would have passed out right there.

To be honest one of the reasons I don't want Kessel is because that would almost be a tell tale sign of the Pens going into playing run and gun hockey again. IMO that just doesn't work anymore and I'm tired of losing badly and winning sloppy. So thats not Kessels fault by any means.

As for Toews and Staal, both project to be horses and the player you see now isn't the player that we'll be watching in the long run. Add strength and leg drive to those players and they'll lose some of the gawkyness that you see now. Malkin is more elite than those players but was in the same boat at 17. I would be overly happy with either.

Like shureshot66 said, I wouldn't mind a Samsonov type of player with Malkin or even Samsonov himself but when going for the BPA I would go with some of the other well rounded players in this draft.

 

[GoBoltz56]

Why would Detroit use their first rounder on a goalie when they have Jimmy Howard, Stefan Liv, and to an extent Joey Macdonald if his back ever heals? I think they'll go for a skilled forward.

 

[#66]

I'd rather have Okposo than Little. The Leafs need wingers and most of the forwards Toronto has coming up don't have a lot of size.

Whats the call with Leaf fans? Is the need a player to put with Sundin or the hopes to set their future in motion?

 

[Gardebut30]

Huh? It makes me a fan. What do you expect, me to hope that Kessel breaks all of Gretzky's records for another team while Toews never plays a shift? If Kessel is drafted by someone else and becomes another Crosby for them, I will be pissed everytime I see him score a goal for the next twenty years. If that makes me selfish, so be it.

Look, i'm not trying to sway your opinion, but it's very simple-minded to hope against a player's success in the league simply because he was not drafted by your team. That doesn't mean you have to be a fan of his or follow his career, but adding dynamic players to the game is what makes it exciting. I'm a Crosby fan, but even though my Hawks missed out on him along with 28 other clubs, I don't see the point in hoping he doesn't reach his potential. Every time the Hawks would play Pittsburgh, I'd hope he'd get laid on his ***, but other than that, I find it entertaining to see this guy explode into a great player.

 

[Butchered]

I don't know anything about the prospects, but would Bernier be worth that pick? I've heard alot about Vasyunov, and he would be available (if we're going by this mock) when Tampa picks. Is Bernier good enough to come in and be the goalie of the future for Tampa?

 

[Caesium]

Whats the call with Leaf fans? Is the need a player to put with Sundin or the hopes to set their future in motion?

It's split between the people who scream MATS WILL RETIRE IN TORONTO HE IS THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE LEAFS HE'LL PLAY TIL HE'S 45! and people who actually would like to enter a rebuilding process. I'm on the trade Sundin and Tucker and actually rebuild side instead of waiting for Sundin to retire (and get nothing) and then start rebuilding, which by the time we're actually competitive would probably mean our goaltenders (Rask, Pogge) are leaving as UFAs. Rinse and repeat, no Cup for another 40 years.

I say we need wingers because Toronto has quite a few centers already. Stajan, Steen and Wellwood are in the NHL, but they seem like they'll be staying with the Leafs for a while. We do have Suglobov and Williams for right wingers and Earl for left wing, but the jury is out on whether they can actually become NHLers. Suglobov has been impressive at the NHL level, but when he came up to the NHL for a few games he just didn't impress.

The preference would be left wing, but Toronto needs more of a physical presence with their players than, say, Tlusty. Frolik would also fill the niche, but my bet is on him being a bust and Toronto can't afford to waste another top pick ala Antropov. Though, given the chance, I would trade up to take Backstrom in a heartbeat, regardless of him playing center.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

To be honest one of the reasons I don't want Kessel is because that would almost be a tell tale sign of the Pens going into playing run and gun hockey again. IMO that just doesn't work anymore and I'm tired of losing badly and winning sloppy. So thats not Kessels fault by any means.

As for Toews and Staal, both project to be horses and the player you see now isn't the player that we'll be watching in the long run. Add strength and leg drive to those players and they'll lose some of the gawkyness that you see now. Malkin is more elite than those players but was in the same boat at 17. I would be overly happy with either.

Like shureshot66 said, I wouldn't mind a Samsonov type of player with Malkin or even Samsonov himself but when going for the BPA I would go with some of the other well rounded players in this draft.

I suppose it's safe to say that you feel Kessel can't/won't round out his game? I've seen a fair amount of Toews and I wouldn't consider him exceptionally well-rounded either at this point. More so than Kessel to be sure, but he's no backchecking, monster check throwing dynamo at this point.

 

[shureshot66]

To be honest one of the reasons I don't want Kessel is because that would almost be a tell tale sign of the Pens going into playing run and gun hockey again. IMO that just doesn't work anymore and I'm tired of losing badly and winning sloppy. So thats not Kessels fault by any means.

As for Toews and Staal, both project to be horses and the player you see now isn't the player that we'll be watching in the long run. Add strength and leg drive to those players and they'll lose some of the gawkyness that you see now. Malkin is more elite than those players but was in the same boat at 17. I would be overly happy with either.

Like shureshot66 said, I wouldn't mind a Samsonov type of player with Malkin or even Samsonov himself but when going for the BPA I would go with some of the other well rounded players in this draft.

Given the state of the franchise lately, I think your fear of returning to the old systemless style we've come to know and loathe is a founded one. But I think a lot of that would fall on Therien or whoever the coach will be when this #2 pick reaches the show. I guess it's one thing if people are of the opinion that Kessel is a lost cause in the defensive end, but he's seemed at least serviceable on the backcheck from what I've seen.

Also, I think it certainly helps that Crosby and especially Malkin are responsible at both ends of the ice, so it's not as though adding Kessel to one of their wings would cause the line/team to just run n' gun.

 

[bigd]

Who is Brian Strait? Well, at least he's a defenseman. And he was on that US team who won gold at the World U-18s. I guess I'm OK with this?

He's the captain of the U18 team. He's more of a defensive defenseman in the Stevens mold.

 

[Lars]

Theres no way the Canucks take ANOTHER D!!

Is is there..

 

[islandermaniac]

we'll see about that. interesting site btw.

oh yea, we already know its not right.

Toews to Pittsburgh? So they draft 3 centermans 3 years in a row? Where they gonna put toews?

and who exactly would you take considering that there is erik johnson and then a steady stream of top notch centremen available?

 

[Boston]

...but this site seems to have a way to look into the future and see how the draft will work. They seemed top get previous years right as well.

http://www.mynhldraft.com/2006

That's a joke.

 

[dafoomie]

I am still waiting for Bruins fan to give their take to this mock draft

Its not really worth commenting on... Frolik at 5 is one of the dumbest things I've ever seen.

 

[brianscot]

Boston's greatest need is at center. (With so many needs upfront its hard to be that concise, but oh well).

The only way they would draft Frolik at 5 is if they plan on moving Brad Boyes back to his old center position or plan on going hard for free agents to be.

I'm hoping for Backstrom, not just for the offensive potential, but because the Swedish forwards usually come with their defensive game already in place.

 

[Bruins2020]

I have heard that some in the B's organization were very high on Frolic earlier this year (as with many others), but I seriously doubt that they remain that high on him at this point, and I certainly don't see them taking him at #5 with what will likely be there (2 of Staal, Backstrom, Mueller). Now if the B's had the 8th selection, Frolic would be much more likely.

I'm thinking the B's end up with either Staal or Backstrom at #5.

If they remain sold on Frolic for whatever reason, they could easily trade down and grab him a bit later.