Zoidberg Jesus
Trotzkyist
- Oct 25, 2011
- 3,814
- 0
1. Nail Yakupov: No explanation necessary.
2. Ryan Murray: Edmonton's done a great job of stocking up forward talent. Now they start on the blueline by nabbing the top defenseman in the draft. Murray and Smid could be a great pairing for a long time to come.
3. Filip Forsberg: Grigorenko is the typical pick here, but I don't see center as a huge need for the Habs. Plekanec is a very under-appreciated center who plays Selke caliber defense, and Eller and Desharnais are both promising. The two biggest needs for the Habs are to add size and wingers, and Forsberg provides both.
4. Mathew Dumba: With guys like Tavares, Strome, Nelson, Nielsen, and Cizikas down the middle, the Isles can afford to pass on Grigorenko in favor of bigger needs. With no wingers within range, taking the number two defenseman in this class is a no brainer. With Dumba, de Haan, and Donovan in the pipeline, the Islanders' blue line has a promising future.
5. Mikhail Grigorenko: I don't think this could have worked out any better for the Leafs. They come into the draft looking for a number one center, and find the two best centers still available at number five. Burke loves players with size and grit, so I think he'll chose the 6'3 Grigorenko over the slightly smaller Galchenyuk.
6. Alex Galchenyuk: I was tempted to go with Trouba here, but I don't think the Ducks would pass up Galchenyuk. Saku Koivu only has so much left in him, and the Ducks would be wise not to put all their eggs in one basket with Peter Holland as his replacement. Best case scenario, they end up with Getzlaf-Galchenyuk-Holland down the middle, which would be downright scary.
7. Jacob Trouba: This pick feels odd for a team with a great defense and very little offense, but the Wild have amassed a very promising forward prospect pool. The one thing they lack is high end defensive prospects. Taking Trouba certainly remedies that situation. He and fellow blue chip defenseman Jonas Brodin could make an excellent pairing.
8. Teuvo Teräväinen: There are a lot of good defensemen available here, but this is Rutherford's Hurricanes, and he'll be damned before he uses a high pick on a defenseman. They have decent center depth behind Staal with Brandon Sutter and prospect Zac Dalpe; what they really need are scoring wingers. Teuvo is the best option in the department, so the Canes reach a little to get him.
9. Morgan Reilly: This pick was a tough call. Center may be a slightly bigger need for the Jets than defense (I suppose it depends on how you view Burmistrov, Little, and Scheifele), but Reilly is clearly better than any of the remaining centers. The Jets get a great talent here who's only available because of an ACL tear in November. He'll round out a very promising top 4 with Bogosian, Enstrom, and Byfuglien.
10. Cody Ceci: I personally prefer Griffin Reinhart, but this pick is all about finding a partner for Hedman, and Reinhart's game overlaps with Hedman's. Ceci also has size, but he by far the more mobile of the two and has the more promising two way game.
11. Radek Faksa: Coming into this season, Marcus Johansson seemed to be the 2C of the future for the Caps. Now, he seems better off on the winger, leaving the Caps' center depth once again lacking. Faksa provides the combination of size, toughness, and skill down the middle that the Caps have lacked for so long.
12. Brandan Gaunce: The Sabres improved their center depth by acquiring Cody Hodgson, but they'd be smart not to stop there. Like the Caps, they've lacked that size and skill combination at center for a while (and trading Paul Gaustad doesn't help). Gaunce is another prospect who fits that role well.
13. Zemgus Girgensons: The Stars are another team that could use some depth at center. Ribeiro's contract is nearly up, and while Benn is a fantastic center, he's even better on the wing. Girgensons is the third and least writer friendly of the size/skill center prospects in the middle of the first. He may be a little rawer than Faksa or Gaunce, but he has all their potential and is a coaches dream. Given time, he could be every bit as good.
14. Griffin Reinhart: Having a prospect like Reinhart fall into the Flames' lap at 14 would be a dream come true for a team desperately in need of retooling its blue line. Reinhart has the kind of size and strength that are perfect for the Western Conference. Coincidentally, his brother Max is also a Flames prospect.
15. Olli Määttä: The Senators have an excellent group of forward prospects, and an aging group of defensemen, so this pick is all about finding Karlsson's partner of the future. Matt Finn and Derrick Pouliot are higher rated than Määttä, but they're smaller offensive types like Erik. Määttä is a bigger, more defensively responsible blueliner who'll be able to protect Erik for years to come.
2. Ryan Murray: Edmonton's done a great job of stocking up forward talent. Now they start on the blueline by nabbing the top defenseman in the draft. Murray and Smid could be a great pairing for a long time to come.
3. Filip Forsberg: Grigorenko is the typical pick here, but I don't see center as a huge need for the Habs. Plekanec is a very under-appreciated center who plays Selke caliber defense, and Eller and Desharnais are both promising. The two biggest needs for the Habs are to add size and wingers, and Forsberg provides both.
4. Mathew Dumba: With guys like Tavares, Strome, Nelson, Nielsen, and Cizikas down the middle, the Isles can afford to pass on Grigorenko in favor of bigger needs. With no wingers within range, taking the number two defenseman in this class is a no brainer. With Dumba, de Haan, and Donovan in the pipeline, the Islanders' blue line has a promising future.
5. Mikhail Grigorenko: I don't think this could have worked out any better for the Leafs. They come into the draft looking for a number one center, and find the two best centers still available at number five. Burke loves players with size and grit, so I think he'll chose the 6'3 Grigorenko over the slightly smaller Galchenyuk.
6. Alex Galchenyuk: I was tempted to go with Trouba here, but I don't think the Ducks would pass up Galchenyuk. Saku Koivu only has so much left in him, and the Ducks would be wise not to put all their eggs in one basket with Peter Holland as his replacement. Best case scenario, they end up with Getzlaf-Galchenyuk-Holland down the middle, which would be downright scary.
7. Jacob Trouba: This pick feels odd for a team with a great defense and very little offense, but the Wild have amassed a very promising forward prospect pool. The one thing they lack is high end defensive prospects. Taking Trouba certainly remedies that situation. He and fellow blue chip defenseman Jonas Brodin could make an excellent pairing.
8. Teuvo Teräväinen: There are a lot of good defensemen available here, but this is Rutherford's Hurricanes, and he'll be damned before he uses a high pick on a defenseman. They have decent center depth behind Staal with Brandon Sutter and prospect Zac Dalpe; what they really need are scoring wingers. Teuvo is the best option in the department, so the Canes reach a little to get him.
9. Morgan Reilly: This pick was a tough call. Center may be a slightly bigger need for the Jets than defense (I suppose it depends on how you view Burmistrov, Little, and Scheifele), but Reilly is clearly better than any of the remaining centers. The Jets get a great talent here who's only available because of an ACL tear in November. He'll round out a very promising top 4 with Bogosian, Enstrom, and Byfuglien.
10. Cody Ceci: I personally prefer Griffin Reinhart, but this pick is all about finding a partner for Hedman, and Reinhart's game overlaps with Hedman's. Ceci also has size, but he by far the more mobile of the two and has the more promising two way game.
11. Radek Faksa: Coming into this season, Marcus Johansson seemed to be the 2C of the future for the Caps. Now, he seems better off on the winger, leaving the Caps' center depth once again lacking. Faksa provides the combination of size, toughness, and skill down the middle that the Caps have lacked for so long.
12. Brandan Gaunce: The Sabres improved their center depth by acquiring Cody Hodgson, but they'd be smart not to stop there. Like the Caps, they've lacked that size and skill combination at center for a while (and trading Paul Gaustad doesn't help). Gaunce is another prospect who fits that role well.
13. Zemgus Girgensons: The Stars are another team that could use some depth at center. Ribeiro's contract is nearly up, and while Benn is a fantastic center, he's even better on the wing. Girgensons is the third and least writer friendly of the size/skill center prospects in the middle of the first. He may be a little rawer than Faksa or Gaunce, but he has all their potential and is a coaches dream. Given time, he could be every bit as good.
14. Griffin Reinhart: Having a prospect like Reinhart fall into the Flames' lap at 14 would be a dream come true for a team desperately in need of retooling its blue line. Reinhart has the kind of size and strength that are perfect for the Western Conference. Coincidentally, his brother Max is also a Flames prospect.
15. Olli Määttä: The Senators have an excellent group of forward prospects, and an aging group of defensemen, so this pick is all about finding Karlsson's partner of the future. Matt Finn and Derrick Pouliot are higher rated than Määttä, but they're smaller offensive types like Erik. Määttä is a bigger, more defensively responsible blueliner who'll be able to protect Erik for years to come.