Who should the Chicago Blackhawks select 2nd overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft?

[Giovi]

His nationality was banned from the CHL draft, so he hasn't had an opportunity to be drafted. They are eligible to be drafted again, so I'm sure there is some mechanism, including being a CHL Free Agent. The CHL Import Draft is on July 3rd, so even if they don't think he's particularly likely to come, someone would probably throw a dart throw on him (since that is after the Draft, they may have a better sense of his objectives by then, obviously if it's already decided he is returning to MSU, they'd not be as interested since he will be considered Age 20 by 2025-26 season). Obviously any team would love to have him if it's an option since they get a few import player slots and he'd be better than whomever else they could have.

I just really don't see this happening. He'll either turn pro and play in the A, or stay in college, imo.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Picks probably going to be Zeev Buium, Hawks got lots of watch time with him since he played with Aidan Thompson, no injury concerns Im aware of, no Russian factor, no effort issue. As much as I would like Demidov, I feel like they'll go with Buium who isn't far off in the ranking, and doesn't have any future worry.

why is he even seen as a tier below the MSU defenseman to begin with...because he's a left handed shot?

 

[WarriorofTime]

I just really don't see this happening. He'll either turn pro and play in the A, or stay in college, imo.

I think you're probably right. I was more so just stating how there is technically that "in-between" option where he could turn Pro if he really wanted to but still play the bulk of the season at an amateur level. And in his case, he has stated CHL was his original goal until that was not an option, so it's a bit more unusual than the scenario of players that willingly opted for the NCAA path all along. It would most likely arise if he signed, went to the AHL, but wasn't necessarily ready for that level (as it's tough for a teenager). If he could hold his own in the AHL, there'd be no reason to send him to Juniors (and since he wasn't drafted out of a CHL league, he's not subject to the Transfer Agreement restriction that prevents teenagers from there from playing in the AHL).

 

[WarriorofTime]

why is he even seen as a tier below the MSU defenseman to begin with...because he's a left handed shot?

Lev has better tools, he's bigger, stronger a better skater. Right handed helps but it's not true that Levshunov just sucks but is right-handed. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. I think the HF reports on him are way too negative, but that's just me. Guys who are big and skate really well are really all the rage in the modern NHL. There's a reason Silayev is going to be a high pick. Add in that Levshunov has good offensive skill and is a potential PPQB? There's a lot to be excited about rather than "he's RHD and that's it".

Not gonna neg Buium too much, whom I still like a lot, but his skating is not something that projects super highly. He'll be a bit bigger than say Adam Boqvist, but he's not a particularly big guy. Maybe Erik Gustafsson size.

(fwiw, if it were up to me, my pick is Demidov but I would not be mad if it were Levshunov).

 

[TLEH]

I think in general people just see Levshunov's stats and project him as a PP1 QB and I watch the tape and look back at the games I watched and I don't see anything remotely close to a PP1 guy in the NHL. If he can get his compete more consistent and play with more urgency I think he's going to be a really good #3 that can play really good defense. But that remains to be seen.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Lev has better tools, he's bigger, stronger a better skater. Right handed helps but it's not true that Levshunov just sucks but is right-handed. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. I think the HF reports on him are way too negative, but that's just me. Guys who are big and skate really well are really all the rage in the modern NHL. There's a reason Silayev is going to be a high pick. Add in that Levshunov has good offensive skill and is a potential PPQB? There's a lot to be excited about rather than "he's RHD and that's it".

Not gonna neg Buium too much, whom I still like a lot, but his skating is not something that projects super highly. He'll be a bit bigger than say Adam Boqvist, but he's not a particularly big guy. Maybe Erik Gustafsson size.

(fwiw, if it were up to me, my pick is Demidov but I would not be mad if it were Levshunov).

don't see either one of those guys in this tape, if he can skate like the wind he'll be fine regardless of size, Boqvist can't skate well enough or stay on the ice in general because of injuries, Gus is just terrible defensively

 

[dj Mahoney]

Interesting all the options Davidson has. If he plays his cards right it might not be a bad idea to move down a bit from 2 use the assets and move up from 20 . At the end of the day end up with the 5th or 6th pick and the 11th or 12th pick. What would be better #2 and #20 or #5 or #6 and #11 or #12 ? Something to ponder .

 

[TLEH]

don't see either one of those guys in this tape, if he can skate like the wind he'll be fine regardless of size, Boqvist can't skate well enough or stay on the ice in general because of injuries, Gus is just terrible defensively

Buium doesn't skate like the wind though. He's just an average skater imo.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Buium doesn't skate like the wind though. He's just an average skater imo.

his edge work seems pretty damn good, can he not continue to develop his straight line speed more?

 

[TLEH]

his edge work seems pretty damn good, can he not continue to develop his straight line speed more?

Agree with that assessment, his edges are great. He could develop his straight line speed more, I was just saying as of today.

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

Interesting all the options Davidson has. If he plays his cards right it might not be a bad idea to move down a bit from 2 use the assets and move up from 20 . At the end of the day end up with the 5th or 6th pick and the 11th or 12th pick. What would be better #2 and #20 or #5 or #6 and #11 or #12 ? Something to ponder .

Theoretically - agree with your suggestion and I'd rather have #6/11 than #2/20. That said - it's highly unlikely the Hawks can make either of those draft moves. It seems unlikely that a team would give up the draft capital necessary to move from up to #2, and there is a ton of downside risk for Kyle if he makes that deal. There also seems to be a pretty solid consensus that there is a tier that ends around 15/16 OA, which would make it expensive to move up from #20.

 

[WarriorofTime]

I think in general people just see Levshunov's stats and project him as a PP1 QB and I watch the tape and look back at the games I watched and I don't see anything remotely close to a PP1 guy in the NHL. If he can get his compete more consistent and play with more urgency I think he's going to be a really good #3 that can play really good defense. But that remains to be seen.

Fair to say he's more of a rush guy and gets a surprisingly high proportion of his points at even strength, compare to Seamus Casey who had 51.1 % of his points off powerplay, Levshunov only had 22.9 % of points off the powerplay. Also of note, Levshunov was a much more tilting player at 5 on 5 than Casey, whom a lot of people like. I do think Levshunov can be a PP1 QB, especially with the way he skates and shoots the puck, but that there is work to be done before he is there. MSU had one of the better powerplays in the country with Levshunov at PP1 (not as good as Michigan, but much better than say, Minnesota), but they were pretty balanced as a unit and their PP2 got its fair share as well.

Anyways, won't bemoan any points too much, just hope people don't groan too much if Levshunov is the guy that they prefer. I think there's just a big disconnect between the main HFBoards discussion on him and how he's being viewed around the scouting world. I really don't think he's a trainwreck as it is sometimes insinuated and he wouldn't have had as successful a season he did if he was unless he was just insanely lucky, which nothing really points towards. Sometimes I think there's a bit of an effect where rushing defensemen get overly nay-sayed and picked apart regarding their own end play and people miss how impactful they are as far as what they are bringing and the pressure it puts on other teams.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Lev has better tools, he's bigger, stronger a better skater. Right handed helps but it's not true that Levshunov just sucks but is right-handed. He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. I think the HF reports on him are way too negative, but that's just me. Guys who are big and skate really well are really all the rage in the modern NHL. There's a reason Silayev is going to be a high pick. Add in that Levshunov has good offensive skill and is a potential PPQB? There's a lot to be excited about rather than "he's RHD and that's it".

Not gonna neg Buium too much, whom I still like a lot, but his skating is not something that projects super highly. He'll be a bit bigger than say Adam Boqvist, but he's not a particularly big guy. Maybe Erik Gustafsson size.

(fwiw, if it were up to me, my pick is Demidov but I would not be mad if it were Levshunov).

He's thicker, but Buium will still grow into his body and thicken up over time. I don't know, I just dont see it with Levshunov, average shot, average passing, not an amazing skater. I could see him being a #2 or #3 Dman, like an Ekblad, but not sure I see the offensive upside we should be aiming for with a #2 pick. Speed isnt a necessity for Dmen imo. Obviously they can't be slow, but they dont need to burn like the forwards, and I dont think Lev is that much of a better skater than Buium. I like Buiums vision and passing more, shots are roughly equal.

I still like Dickinson the most out of all the Dmen I've seen, but it may be a biased POV, so not going to make a for sure statement on it.

 

[TLEH]

Fair to say he's more of a rush guy and gets a surprisingly high proportion of his points at even strength, compare to Seamus Casey who had 51.1 % of his points off powerplay, Levshunov only had 22.9 % of points off the powerplay. Also of note, Levshunov was a much more tilting player at 5 on 5 than Casey, whom a lot of people like. I do think Levshunov can be a PP1 QB, especially with the way he skates and shoots the puck, but that there is work to be done before he is there. MSU had one of the better powerplays in the country with Levshunov at PP1 (not as good as Michigan, but much better than say, Minnesota), but they were pretty balanced as a unit and their PP2 got its fair share as well.

Anyways, won't bemoan any points too much, just hope people don't groan too much if Levshunov is the guy that they prefer. I think there's just a big disconnect between the main HFBoards discussion on him and how he's being viewed around the scouting world. I really don't think he's a trainwreck as it is sometimes insinuated and he wouldn't have had as successful a season he did if he was unless he was just insanely lucky, which nothing really points towards. Sometimes I think there's a bit of an effect where rushing defensemen get overly nay-sayed and picked apart regarding their own end play and people miss how impactful they are as far as what they are bringing and the pressure it puts on other teams.

Like Levshunov more than Casey, and I like Casey. But Casey would project as a PP1 guy with his deceptiveness and poise with the puck. I don't necessarily see that with Levshunov on the PP1. He doesn't have that same level of poise with the puck and ability to make plays under pressure. I know the Bogosian thing has sort of caught on with HF Hawks. I do think that is a possible outcome, although maybe a bit hyperbolic.. but its more to do with my thoughts that I don't think the offense plays and I think its hard for me to get behind a guy at 2 that you project to play a ton of minutes but doesn't generate offense at that level.

I'll get on board with whoever they pick. I do my best to not whine when they take players I don't like. I preferred Perreault over Moore but I'm not going to bitch about it. I followed Moore all the same this year. If Levshunov hits like he could then I hope you parade around here like I will if Catton becomes what I think he can.

 

[WarriorofTime]

He's thicker, but Buium will still grow into his body and thicken up over time. I don't know, I just dont see it with Levshunov, average shot, average passing, not an amazing skater. I could see him being a #2 or #3 Dman, like an Ekblad, but not sure I see the offensive upside we should be aiming for with a #2 pick. Speed isnt a necessity for Dmen imo. Obviously they can't be slow, but they dont need to burn like the forwards, and I dont think Lev is that much of a better skater than Buium. I like Buiums vision and passing more, shots are roughly equal.

I still like Dickinson the most out of all the Dmen I've seen, but it may be a biased POV, so not going to make a for sure statement on it.

Thicker and also about 2-3 inches taller. Yeah, I'm not gonna go into the scouting report too much other than to say I respectfully disagree, I realize I'm in a bit of a minority on HF with the main prospect thread, but then I look outside and see the positive reports and feel less crazy. I can get behind the defensive concerns a bit, but less so the offensive concerns and definitely strongly disagree with. If he was small, he'd be considered a really good skater, the fact that he's big too? The positional scarcity? All of that just screams "future core piece", especially with the NHL current meta of big defensemen that skate really well, which is why I'd be pretty surprised if he isn't a Top 5 selection at a minimum.

 

[WarriorofTime]

Like Levshunov more than Casey, and I like Casey. But Casey would project as a PP1 guy with his deceptiveness and poise with the puck. I don't necessarily see that with Levshunov on the PP1. He doesn't have that same level of poise with the puck and ability to make plays under pressure. I know the Bogosian thing has sort of caught on with HF Hawks. I do think that is a possible outcome, although maybe a bit hyperbolic.. but its more to do with my thoughts that I don't think the offense plays and I think its hard for me to get behind a guy at 2 that you project to play a ton of minutes but doesn't generate offense at that level.

I'll get on board with whoever they pick. I do my best to not whine when they take players I don't like. I preferred Perreault over Moore but I'm not going to bitch about it. I followed Moore all the same this year. If Levshunov hits like he could then I hope you parade around here like I will if Catton becomes what I think he can.

I don't think Bogosian is a horrible comparison as a potential outcome tbh, and also not a horrible outcome if that's more "floor" than "likely destination" especially considering Bogosian had a lot of injuries which likely impacted his ability to reach a higher level of play. I'm not necessarily saying the concerns with Bogosian are too unfounded, ideally he's a player you'd draft like 5th overall, the fact that he's in discussion for 2nd/3rd is bit more of a testament to the fact that there isn't really a Carlsson/Fantilli in the class (or if you'd say Celebrini is more Carlsson/Fantilli then you could say there isn't a Bedard with Carlsson/Fantilli behind). Demidov is similiar-ish to Michkov without the long extension and some of the weirdness around his attitude/not wanting to be with certain teams (Demidov is high character from what I can glean). Personally, Demidov is still my guy and the more I pontificate on it, the more that's what I'm really hoping for (caveat that I'm not a scout and just another idiot on a message board at end of the day).

 

[HawksDub89]

Consider me a Levshunov truther as well.

I’ll be very pleased with either one of Levshunov/Demidov.

I actually think both have pretty safe floors and very high ceilings.

 

[Hawkaholic]

Thicker and also about 2-3 inches taller. Yeah, I'm not gonna go into the scouting report too much other than to say I respectfully disagree, I realize I'm in a bit of a minority on HF with the main prospect thread, but then I look outside and see the positive reports and feel less crazy. I can get behind the defensive concerns a bit, but less so the offensive concerns and definitely strongly disagree with. If he was small, he'd be considered a really good skater, the fact that he's big too? The positional scarcity? All of that just screams "future core piece", especially with the NHL current meta of big defensemen that skate really well, which is why I'd be pretty surprised if he isn't a Top 5 selection at a minimum.

2-3" taller?

Hockeydb lists them both as 6'-2" as does their respective college team web pages.

 

[WarriorofTime]

2-3" taller?

Hockeydb lists them both as 6'-2" as does their respective college team web pages.

Levshunov probably about 6'3.5, Buium a generously listed 6'1, but I've never seen them stand back to back, lol

 

[Hawkaholic]

Levshunov probably about 6'3.5, Buium a generously listed 6'1, but I've never seen them stand back to back, lol

I'll stick with their college pages and hockeydb.

 

[DemiGod]

My comparison for Levshunov is Weegar. Good speed, can be a good top4 defender in the future, but far from being a PP1, top pair and I don't like decision making or childish mistakes.

 

[TLEH]

My comparison for Levshunov is Weegar. Good speed, can be a good top4 defender in the future, but far from being a PP1, top pair and I don't like decision making or childish mistakes.

I think he's never going to have the brain to be able to be a 1D and I don't think the offense will ever be high end. I feel like his best case is like Weegar and I don't think Weegar is a 1D.

I agree that he has all the "tools" though, in the sense of size, skating, shot. I guess I just get tired of everyone projecting D that are drafted Top 5 as 1D. Levshunov "could" become a 1D because he has the tools to do it, I wouldn't project that though.

 

[dj Mahoney]

Theoretically - agree with your suggestion and I'd rather have #6/11 than #2/20. That said - it's highly unlikely the Hawks can make either of those draft moves. It seems unlikely that a team would give up the draft capital necessary to move from up to #2, and there is a ton of downside risk for Kyle if he makes that deal. There also seems to be a pretty solid consensus that there is a tier that ends around 15/16 OA, which would make it expensive to move up from #20.

The astute move is probably hang on to the 2nd overall and do what it takes (within reason) to move up from 20th . In 2021 Yzerman flipped 23rd 2nd rder and 5th rder to move up to 15. It's doable imo.

 

[ChicagoHockeyFan]

Buium skating isn’t an issue, not a huge asset either but I think it’s a bit overblown. The PP upside is also much higher than Lev’s IMO

 

[Kevin Musto]

Buium skating isn’t an issue, not a huge asset either but I think it’s a bit overblown. The PP upside is also much higher than Lev’s IMO

It's not about Buiuim vs Lev imo.

You have to sort out Buium vs Parekh first. Because both are the only offensive D-men that are projected to go top 10.