Who do you Pick at 10th Overall

[MessierII]

Any chance Evan Bouchard falls to 10 or perhaps the Oilers trade up? Right shot d-man, looks like a decent puck mover, pretty good shot.

Would be great if one of Boqvist, Bouchard or Dobson fell to 10 but I doubt it.

 

[nexttothemoon]

Any chance Evan Bouchard falls to 10 or perhaps the Oilers trade up? Right shot d-man, looks like a decent puck mover, pretty good shot.

Can't see it happening at all but he would easily be my pick as well if they could somehow get him at #10 or even trade up a couple spots if he was still available. I value him much higher than most and he's one of the few players I'd actively want to trade up to grab.

He is easily a top 2 dman in this draft.

 

[BarDownBobo]

It's funny, I was actually thinking the complete opposite regarding Smith. If he wasn't an Alberta kid playing in the WHL on the same team as Yamamoto would people be as high on him as they are here?

10 seems a tad high based on the majority of the draft rankings:

Ty Smith



And McKenzie's scouting survey had him at 13.

I haven't seen any of these guys play live so I'm just going on what I read here and online. But sometimes I think Smith might get a tad overrated here because some of us have seen a lot more of him than other guys ranked around him.

I think you're bang on with this. If he was from Airdrie or Regina or something and was playing for say Kamloops or Prince George I don't think he'd be getting anywhere near as much attention on these boards for the 10th pick.

 

[Ritchie Valens]

Would be great if one of Boqvist, Bouchard or Dobson fell to 10 but I doubt it.

Can't see it happening at all but he would easily be my pick as well if they could somehow get him at #10 or even trade up a couple spots if he was still available. I value him much higher than most and he's one of the few players I'd actively want to trade up to grab.

He is easily a top 2 dman in this draft.

I'd be working Holland pretty hard to have something in place if Bouchard is available at #6 or possibly with Phoenix to move up to #5 and take him there. I doubt either will happen but Bouchard is my target for this draft. Hopefully Pete can find a way to land him.

 

[MessierII]

I'd be working Holland pretty hard to have something in place if Bouchard is available at #6 or possibly with Phoenix to move up to #5 and take him there. I doubt either will happen but Bouchard is my target for this draft. Hopefully Pete can find a way to land him.

We aren’t going to pay to move up for a prospect. Makes no sense for us in terms of where we’re at at this moment.

 

[lakai17]

Missing a few other poll options but only because it's the #10 selection.

 

[bobbythebrain]

I'd be working Holland pretty hard to have something in place if Bouchard is available at #6 or possibly with Phoenix to move up to #5 and take him there. I doubt either will happen but Bouchard is my target for this draft. Hopefully Pete can find a way to land him.

We hardly have the assets to better the team next year, never mind waste some more to get a prospect who isn't gonna help for a couple of years

 

[Dan Kelly]

if i wasn't distrustful of Chia's lack of ability to make a major trade that ends up hurting the team, i'd say just go ahead and trade it because the players we really need are all RD and they'll likely all be gone before #10 and we need to get better quickly and we'll still be able to continue to stock the cupboards with the rest of our picks, but this is Chia we're talking about here !

 

[Ritchie Valens]

We aren’t going to pay to move up for a prospect. Makes no sense for us in terms of where we’re at at this moment.

We hardly have the assets to better the team next year, never mind waste some more to get a prospect who isn't gonna help for a couple of years

You're not moving into the top 2 or top 3 so I hardly think the farm would be mortgaged to move up 4 spots, maybe 5. From a few scouting reports on Bouchard, most think he'd be NHL ready sooner than 2 years down the line. If the ask is too high, of course you fold your cards and hold the 10 spot and see what's available.

I don't follow other teams closely so I have no idea what Phoenix's immediate needs are or Detroit's...they could be very likely more inclined to keep their picks than to move down.

 

[bzur]

Say Boqvist is available at 7.. what would it cost to move up?

 

[nexttothemoon]

It's not going to be cheap or easy to get a bonafide #1 puck moving PP dman either... so if an OEL or Karlsson aren't realistically in the cards (and they likely aren't)... then getting one in this draft... even if it means waiting 2+ years for him to reach the NHL is the next best option.

In the meantime the Oilers can hopefully get a 2nd tier placeholder like a Mike Green or even a 3rd tier PP placeholder like a Cody Franson or Michael Del Zotto type to help fill in while that offensive puck mover taken from this draft develops.

Hopefully Bear can take a leap forward in his development as well but I'm not counting on that occurring next season (and hopefully neither are the Oilers).

 

[WigWam]

For me it's a toss up between Farabee, Kotkaniemi, Kupari, and Denisenko at the #10 spot. Assuming Dobson, Hughes, Bouchard, all gone.

No more Finns for this team, just dont know what to do with them. Rantanen and Laine would be also useless here.
So no Kupari or Kotkanniemi. Pak is already leaving, Koskinen is going to be bust and we have to get rid of Puljujärvi allreary, for both, for teams sake and hor him sake... Fins in edmonton after Kurri just isn´t working !!

 

[McCombo]

Kotkaniemi could easily be as good or better than Svechnikov. Great size, good speed, defensively responsible, already playing a strong pro game vs men and the flexibility to play the C or W position as well.

Perfect fit for the Oilers.

Kotkaniemi plays for my hometown team Ässät. Last year he played as a winger, but the team lost few centers so I would assume Kotkaniemi will play center next year. Ässät isn't powerhouse in FEL and the structure was defensive minded before coaching change (~15 games before regular season ended). Associate coach Mikael Kotkaniemi (Jesperi's dad) took over and is the coach also next year. So his 29 points in 57 games as a 17 year old is nothing to sneeze at ! Team high was 39 (defenseman) and highest amount for forward was 35 points (Antoine Laganiere).

What I have heard and seen, he is better as a winger. Definetely has issues at own zone coverage as a center against men, but of course he is very young and there is time to develop in this area. Very skilled with nice shot, high hockeyIQ but still not the smartest player (very important for center when they are timing their retrievals). But of course the flexibility (as you mentioned) to be capable of playing both positions is great and valuable.

I think Teuvo Teräväinen is pretty good comparison, Kotkaniemi sure does have size advantage. I would be thrilled if Oilers picked him.

 

[dustrock]

Svechnikov is scoring at McDavid levels in junior and we're trying to argue that Kotkaniemi is at his level. Okay.

 

[CupofOil]

Granted it's 1 game of viewing but I'm surprised that there isn't more mention of Kupari. Watching him against the U.S. in the final and he was all over the place in a good way but maybe this was more the exception with him than the rule. Kotkaniemi wasn't as noticeable but that was a great pass he made on the game winner. I have a feeling that some team in need of a center (Montreal, Rangers) will fall in love with his skillset and nab him before us.

I'd be thrilled if Wahlstrom fell, he has such a tantalizing skillset, reminds me a bit of Rackell. He did blow some easy chances but that happens to the best of them.
Question for those who have seen him more than me. Does he always play the left side?

 

[Mcnotloilersfan]

Would be great if one of Boqvist, Bouchard or Dobson fell to 10 but I doubt it.

I have a good feeling one of those guys will be there. There are a few teams ahead of us that want to get right back in the mix and will probably take a forward that's closer to playing.

 

[GameChanger]

Granted it's 1 game of viewing but I'm surprised that there isn't more mention of Kupari. Watching him against the U.S. in the final and he was all over the place in a good way but maybe this was more the exception with him than the rule. Kotkaniemi wasn't as noticeable but that was a great pass he made on the game winner. I have a feeling that some team in need of a center (Montreal, Rangers) will fall in love with his skillset and nab him before us.

I'd be thrilled if Wahlstrom fell, he has such a tantalizing skillset, reminds me a bit of Rackell. He did blow some easy chances but that happens to the best of them.
Question for those who have seen him more than me. Does he always play the left side?

I believe with Kupari the risks are a bit higher, but so is the potential. He's smaller and he's had a bit tougher time producing lately (partly because of his linemates in the FEL, and now in the U18). However, he's got some tools that could make him a very useful player in the NHL.

His hands are one of the best, if not even the very best, I've seen in the FEL for someone so young. He's also able to get and organize those opportunities, and sooner or later those should start showing more on the scoreboard, too. In the FEL he played in lower lines, and didn't produce as much as he's used to (0,36ppg). He didn't play much in the playoffs, but was called back to play in the seventh quarter final against HIFK, and had a great game, showing his exceptional hands again.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

I have a good feeling one of those guys will be there. There are a few teams ahead of us that want to get right back in the mix and will probably take a forward that's closer to playing.

I get the feeling Bouchard will be there because of "skating" concerns.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

I get the feeling Bouchard will be there because of "skating" concerns.

That woyld be a tantaliz8ng development

 

[Underdogoil]

We need a defenseman cause we likely gonna lose a good one in the next expansion draft. Need a exempt prospect so why trade it for a defenseman we will likely lose in a season or 2?

 

[EDMOILERS9729]

I get the feeling Bouchard will be there because of "skating" concerns.

Exactly my thoughts, someones gonna reach for a C, and the odd man out is going to be Bouchard because of his bad skating. However if we draft him and Leon introduces him to his skating coach we could fix that issue.

 

[Slats432]

Based on Button's draft, I would be excited with anyone. https://www.tsn.ca/tsn-hockey-mock-draft-post-lottery-edition-1.1071168

I do believe that someone will take a C within the top 10. Kotkaniemi will likely be gone. If I am guessing we get one of Dobson, Bouchard or Wahlstrom.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Exactly my thoughts, someones gonna reach for a C, and the odd man out is going to be Bouchard because of his bad skating. However if we draft him and Leon introduces him to his skating coach we could fix that issue.

If anything I think those "issues" could be over blown because of the quality of the skating of his contemporaries in the draft.

 

[CycloneSweep]

Wahlstrom at 10 to play with McDavid or Drai could be excellent if he turns out. One of these right shot wingers is going to work eventually.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Wahlstrom at 10 to play with McDavid or Drai could be excellent if he turns out. One of these right shot wingers is going to work eventually.

I like the Defensemen available, but if Wahlstrom is available at 10, that would be increadible, he would be such great fit, imo. I could totally see him maybe being a Max Pac type.