Prospect Info: The 2018 NHL Entry Draft Thread

[Patagonia]

Already answered for you above:

AVs can plan for next year and focus on their own pick. Sens selection will be a good one regardless on the draft year.

 

[Postanin CB Ting]

I dunno, I'd love to see a Top 5 pick, but unless we win the lottery I dont think it's realistically possible. Just far too many teams that are really bad this year and already starting a march down the standings pretty quickly. Philly, Arizona, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida. I dont think we finish below any of those teams. And I am becoming more and more tempted to add Edmonton and Ottawa to that list with every passing week.


I do think we'll have a pick comfortably in the Top 10, probably in the 6-8 range. But unless we strike gold in the lottery I cant see us being higher then that.

I don't wanna be a downer but I think Edmonton Philly Ottawa will all pass us. Maybe even Detroit.

I could see us or Van in the 4 spot when it's over. Boston, Montreal, and bubble teams putting Ottawa 9 overall.

4 with competitive hockey + Zadina would be mint. Just missing the Ottawa pick would suuuck. Gonna be a lot of 8 - 14 spot team

 

[Pokecheque]

I think Edmonton will figure it out and at least make an honest try at the playoffs. I don't think Ottawa will. No idea on Detroit.

 

[Tweaky]

Everyone is talking as if the placement of the picks is the only concern. One aspect of the Sens waiving protection for a 10OA pick is that if they do that, then they have that 2019 1st as a trade chip if they do well. They would be able to bid on higher value rentals for a cup run. A few have brought up the Sens being sellers if they don't do well enough. But if they do, they could be buyers as well, and having that 2019 1st could be huge...and it fits in with the attitude that most GMs have that they will improve in the offseason.

Hell, they could preemptively waive protection in order to buy this year if they were dumb enough (at this point, they aren't high enough up the chain to be legit cup contenders to be buyers IMO).

 

[McMetal]

I don't see any plausible scenario where Dorion lets us have a top 10 1st in this draft. The trade already looks bad, that would make it an absolute backbreaker. Frankly, even if Duchene was playing like a 1C, they gave up a 2C, a 1st, a 3rd, and a recent 1st round prospect for him. Even if that 1st in 2018 is in the 20s like we all expected it to be, that's a bad trade. Just for pride's sake, Dorion won't allow the trade to look any worse than it already does for him. He'll punt the pick, because frankly, unless the pick is a lottery selection in 2019, it's really, really hard for things to get worse for him than surrendering the 2018.

 

[VikingAv]

For those wondering why the pick from a team that was almost a sure thing to make the playoffs (at the time) is top 10 protected:

The rumors were that originally, Nashville was the team giving up their 1st and Ottawa their 2nd but Poile changed his mind at the last minute which is why the trade failed even though there was a Sens plane waiting outside for Duchene.

Then the assistant GM's met and talked Dorion into changing his 2nd for a 1st. Dorion agreed but top 10 protected it to minimize the risks. Since Sakic was originally expecting Nashville's 1st, he didn't care about the protection since he wasn't thinking about a top 10 pick anyway. Poile agreed to go on with the trade since he was giving up a 2nd instead of a 1st and the rest is history.

Huh? When/where did these rumours pop up? I thought the original deal died because Poile couldn't come to an agreement on Turris' contract?
Or was this part of the rumours that came out where Harpur was supposedly part of the deal from Ottawa's side, so they ended up changing quite a lot from the original deal?

 

[tigervixxxen]

Nashville needed to up their offer, that's what was the hold up. They've been very successful with second round picks and reluctant to let that go. But we are not on the topic here anymore.

 

[Bender]

Everyone is talking as if the placement of the picks is the only concern. One aspect of the Sens waiving protection for a 10OA pick is that if they do that, then they have that 2019 1st as a trade chip if they do well. They would be able to bid on higher value rentals for a cup run. A few have brought up the Sens being sellers if they don't do well enough. But if they do, they could be buyers as well, and having that 2019 1st could be huge...and it fits in with the attitude that most GMs have that they will improve in the offseason.

Hell, they could preemptively waive protection in order to buy this year if they were dumb enough (at this point, they aren't high enough up the chain to be legit cup contenders to be buyers IMO).

At this point, I wouldn't be surprised in the least. They can't move out their 2019 1st round pick without just giving us the 2018 pick outright. I think Dorion has created the situation for himself and the more it goes, the more desperate he's going to become.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Kotkaniemi not invited to WJC camp.

Yeah but i understand that why Ahokas didn't take him.
This years U20 WJC Team Finland is loaded for 2016 U18 world champions so there's no spot and role to Kotkaniemi. Even Jesse Ylonen didn't get inivite to U20 WJC camp.

Missing world juniors not hurt Kotkaniemi's draft stock.
His main tournament is still U18 WJC's in Russia next April and that's a factor Jesperi's draft position.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Sooooooo Filip Zadina. Certainly could use a goal scorer like that for this offense right now. And the way things are looking, we should be right in that area to nab him.

 

[Congo Jack]

Oh man, imagine us drafting both Zadina and Kotkaniemi, that would be heavenly

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

The more I look at the standings, the more I think this team is headed for a 29th place finish honestly.

Our pick would be 7th overall right now. Of the teams below us, I'd call it an almost certainty that Edmonton will pass us, and highly likely that Ottawa passes us. After that I also think Philly passes us once they get things figured out.

I dont think Arizona or Buffalo will catch us. Though Arizona is playing decent hockey lately so you never know with them.

I think it'll be between us and Florida for the 28/29 spot and picks 3/4. Very high probability our pick ends up at 4 or 5 and that's in the sweet spot for Zadina, and if Zadina Boqvist should be on the board at 4.

 

[Patagonia]

AVs might have drafted well, but painfully been losers with draft position.

2015 - Rantenan missed Werenski (by 1 point)
2016 - Jost missed Sergachev (MTL beat was tiebreaker)
2017 - Makar missed Hischier/Patrick/Heiskanen (lottery loss)

They may finish bottom 3rd overall. Sens miss the playoffs and keep their Top 10. Expect a bottom Top 10 selection and Sens keep their 1st round pick limiting the AVs to a single choice in the 1st round.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Sportsnet’s 2018 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: December - Sportsnet.ca


Sportsnet's Top 31 for December. Easily biggest surprise is Noah Dobson. I've read a lot about his game developing extremely well this year and that scouts are quickly becoming big fans but damn that's the furthers up on any list I've seen him yet by a big margin.


EDIT: Also no Kotkaniemi in the first round anymore. That's either some serious underrating of him or a lot of guys have taken huge strides over the last month.

If he's a 2nd round pick in this years draft then this draft is even deeper then people have given it credit for so far.

 

[Balthazar]

On a more important note, how many players named Rasmus have played in the NHL? Because I can't remember any and I see 2 in the top 10 here.

Also, article says that McIsaac has settled in after a slow start. So take that, haters

 

[Piestany88]

Sportsnet’s 2018 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings: December - Sportsnet.ca


Sportsnet's Top 31 for December. Easily biggest surprise is Noah Dobson. I've read a lot about his game developing extremely well this year and that scouts are quickly becoming big fans but damn that's the furthers up on any list I've seen him yet by a big margin.


EDIT: Also no Kotkaniemi in the first round anymore. That's either some serious underrating of him or a lot of guys have taken huge strides over the last month.

If he's a 2nd round pick in this years draft then this draft is even deeper then people have given it credit for so far.

Maybe we can take Kupari in the 1st and snag Kotkaniemi in the 2nd hehe but damn yea him outta the 1st is surprising. I want a another 2nd for Comeau

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

On a more important note, how many players named Rasmus have played in the NHL? Because I can't remember any and I see 2 in the top 10 here.

Also, article says that McIsaac has settled in after a slow start. So take that, haters

We played one last night(Ristolainen)


And we should see a lot more entering the league in the next couple years. Rasmus Kupari, Rasmus Andersson, Rasmus Asplund, and Rasmus Dahlin.

 

[Patagonia]

Maybe we can take Kupari in the 1st and snag Kotkaniemi in the 2nd hehe but damn yea him outta the 1st is surprising. I want a another 2nd for Comeau

Pens still have their 1-3 round picks and always looking for an upgrade to keep their championship window open. Don't think they want to miss the draft completely.

Maybe a package of:

Comeau
Bernier
Ghetto
Bigras

For

1st - 2018
3rd - 2018

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Pens still have their 1-3 round picks and always looking for an upgrade to keep their championship window open. Don't think they want to miss the draft completely.

Maybe a package of:

Comeau
Bernier
Ghetto
Bigras

For

1st - 2018
3rd - 2018

That's a whole lot of nothing for a 1st rounder let alone another pick.

 

[Balthazar]

Pens still have their 1-3 round picks and always looking for an upgrade to keep their championship window open. Don't think they want to miss the draft completely.

Maybe a package of:

Comeau
Bernier
Ghetto
Bigras

For

1st - 2018
3rd - 2018

Yeah that's not how it works. There's such thing as a salary cap and there's a maximum of contracts available as well. No team will take on 4 contracts and send only 2 picks back.

Also adding crap on top of crap is still crap. The value isn't there.

Edit: I was about to tell you to make sure not to post stuff like this on the main board but now I see that it's already too late.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Sigh....


Anyway, the more I watch Zadina play the more I want him. Really hope we end up in the 3/4 range and get him. Great consolation prize of Boqvist if we're at 4 and he goes at 3 as well.


Feel like this draft is starting to see some tiers being created. Dahlin is in his own tier, after that you've got Svech leading the 2nd pack with Boqvist and Zadina right behind him.


Then you have that next big tier with a long list of guys right now, but some that might be starting to move towards the top of the group.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Boqvist not going to the WJC isn't going to help his stock.

 

[UncleRisto]

On a more important note, how many players named Rasmus have played in the NHL? Because I can't remember any and I see 2 in the top 10 here.

At least Ristolainen, Andersson and Rissanen.

 

[The Abusement Park]

There’s gotta be a Rasmus Rasmussen that’s played right?

 

[Papa Francouz]

There’s gotta be a Rasmus Rasmussen that’s played right?

If not, then I know what I’m naming my kid.