2014 NHL Draft Discussion: Part I

[MarginallyTalented]

My top 5 for us INPO is

Little Reinhart
Ekblad
Leon Draisaitl
Dal Colle
Ritchie



I love Draisitle and could be a great winger for Strome or Tavares




Also not first round but I love USA goalie Thatcher Demko....

I have the exact same top 5 so far, I really want Griff's brother but I'd settle for Ekblad

 

[Arsenalogist24]

Hey guys, finally decided to make an account here after just reading for the past 3 years. Unfortunately, the draft is another big talking part for our team once again particularly because of the Vanek trade and whether we give Buffalo this years or next. I think if we end up getting a top 5 pick this year we need to keep it. I know this is far from an elite draft class but I believe any of Reinhart, Ekblad, Dal Colle, Nylander, Draisaitl, and even guys like Sam Bennett, or Ritchie can help our team.

Ekblad seems to be NHL ready but I'd rather focus on getting a scoring forward this draft. 1 guy I'm surprised not many of you have mentioned is Michael Dal Colle. He's putting up 20-31-51 in 31 games in the OHL for Oshawa and I've read only positive things about him so far. Unfortunately, I can't get to watch any of these guys live but I'd appreciate any output you guys have on him because he's my #1 if we end up picking top 5 which seems to be the way its going. He seems to me like a scoring power forward which is something we very much need.

 

[doublechili]

I may be naive (dumb, stupid, whatever), But I really don't think we will be as bad as we are this year. I think you will see an influx of new blood and TALENT. Strome and Lee should be with the team fulltime, the goalie situation should be more stable, and Griffin Reinhart and Pulock (or one of Mayfield or Pedan) should be helping us defensively. If we wind up with a top 5 pick, I think we should take it, don't think we will be top 5 the following year headed into Brooklyn. If we wind up with Reinhart or Ekblad, that just gives this team one more stud prospect. Ekblad is better than Reinhart and Pulock, imagine having all 3 !

I tend to agree with your basic premise. The problem is that if they count (again) on youth coming through like they did this year (on D and at the goalie position), it could be a very dangerous thing. When you're dealing with a potential ultra-elite talent like McDavid, they better be very sure they're not going to be in the bottom 15 (ie., lottery) next year.

In other words, if they keep Vanek and obtain (or are committed to obtain over the summer) veteran help I'd be a lot more comfortable drafting in 2014. Then you just pray for JT staying healthy....

Having said all that, I do think this thread is a bit premature. IF there is a coaching change, Strome helps awaken secondary scoring, goalie help arrives via Nabby or trade, things could turn around this year and they at worst get out of the top 10.

 

[Levi Walking Bear]

I may be naive (dumb, stupid, whatever), But I really don't think we will be as bad as we are this year. I think you will see an influx of new blood and TALENT. Strome and Lee should be with the team fulltime, the goalie situation should be more stable, and Griffin Reinhart and Pulock (or one of Mayfield or Pedan) should be helping us defensively. If we wind up with a top 5 pick, I think we should take it, don't think we will be top 5 the following year headed into Brooklyn. If we wind up with Reinhart or Ekblad, that just gives this team one more stud prospect. Ekblad is better than Reinhart and Pulock, imagine having all 3 !

Scott, this is a very tough situation. I just don't know if next year will be better (to early to say of course) Have no faith that Wang-Snow can or will adrress some the problems which they did not do last summer. We both like a group of the prospects but how much can they do as rookies? Help is needed to suppiment them, so far this year some players on the Islanders have gone backwards. How high must this years pick be? Reinhart, Eckblad and Bennent, my top three are very good prospects but one really doesn't stand out from the other, you could probably add a Dal Colle for a top four. After that to me at least, hard to get any kind of consensus who is next (again early enough for some to emerge) . With the current management,their proven lack of success, I don't believe in anything they do and have no reason to think otherwise.

 

[YearlyLottery]

Hey guys, finally decided to make an account here after just reading for the past 3 years. Unfortunately, the draft is another big talking part for our team once again particularly because of the Vanek trade and whether we give Buffalo this years or next. I think if we end up getting a top 5 pick this year we need to keep it. I know this is far from an elite draft class but I believe any of Reinhart, Ekblad, Dal Colle, Nylander, Draisaitl, and even guys like Sam Bennett, or Ritchie can help our team.

Ekblad seems to be NHL ready but I'd rather focus on getting a scoring forward this draft. 1 guy I'm surprised not many of you have mentioned is Michael Dal Colle. He's putting up 20-31-51 in 31 games in the OHL for Oshawa and I've read only positive things about him so far. Unfortunately, I can't get to watch any of these guys live but I'd appreciate any output you guys have on him because he's my #1 if we end up picking top 5 which seems to be the way its going. He seems to me like a scoring power forward which is something we very much need.

Power forward that can score? Big bodied? Top 5? We have Niño Nie..... Oh wait..


Hopefully this season doesn't come down the draft again, but Ekblad is the. Guy we need. We are already so strong at center.

 

[MattMartin]

Power forward that can score? Big bodied? Top 5? We have Niño Nie..... Oh wait..


Hopefully this season doesn't come down the draft again, but Ekblad is the. Guy we need. We are already so strong at center.

Trade down and take Ritchie. Big power forward winger. Wingers/Goalies are the Islanders weak spot in the system.

 

[YearlyLottery]

Trade down and take Ritchie. Big power forward winger. Wingers/Goalies are the Islanders weak spot in the system.

I would be fine with a winger too, but I just feel IF Ekblad is stillon the board we should take him.

There is no way this team keeps the pick and trades down IMO. They are going to want as much help as they can going into the Mcdavid year. Hopefully it doesn't come down to it,but we are the Isles and you never know.

 

[frankieboy]

BPA. If all players are equal, we need a top-flight forward badly. While our D currently sucks, we have plenty of high-level prospects in the wings...Reinhart, Pulock, Pokka, Pelech, Pedan, Mayfield. Then, we have some secondary prospects...Russo, Burroughs, etc. We need someone who can put the puck in the net. Aside from Strome and to a lesser degree Nelson, the forward top-six cupboard is bare.

 

[Intangiblezz]

If the Isles are drafting 2nd overall, would trading doen make sense?

The consensus top 2 are Reinhart and Ekblad. Teams would give the moon for either one. I think centre and defense are set for the Isles and a winger is needed. I would stay in the top 10 but go for 1 of Dal Colle, Nylander, Ritchie or Draisaitl while getting another pick next year to make up for the Vanek trade.

 

[YearlyLottery]

If the Isles are drafting 2nd overall, would trading doen make sense?

The consensus top 2 are Reinhart and Ekblad. Teams would give the moon for either one. I think centre and defense are set for the Isles and a winger is needed. I would stay in the top 10 but go for 1 of Dal Colle, Nylander, Ritchie or Draisaitl while getting another pick next year to make up for the Vanek trade.

Trading down if we are two only makes sense if it helps the team for NEXT year. Other than that I'd be fine with Ekblad/Reinhart.

 

[ScaredStreit]

Here's what I think should be done:

-Give the 1st to Buffalo. Don't risk losing out on McDavid due to overrating the team-this lesson should have been learned this year.

-Trade Vanek and hopefully get a 1st back

-Call it a day. We traded MM+2nd to draft lower back in the 1st round this year. Not an ideal outcome,BUT it's a hell of a lot better than trading our opportunity to get McDavid.

-If the Isles give Buffalo their pick for next year and Buffalo gets McDavid with it-it will be by far the worst trade in Islander history. Nothing even Milbury did would even come close.

 

[scott99]

Scott, this is a very tough situation. I just don't know if next year will be better (to early to say of course) Have no faith that Wang-Snow can or will adrress some the problems which they did not do last summer. We both like a group of the prospects but how much can they do as rookies? Help is needed to suppiment them, so far this year some players on the Islanders have gone backwards. How high must this years pick be? Reinhart, Eckblad and Bennent, my top three are very good prospects but one really doesn't stand out from the other, you could probably add a Dal Colle for a top four. After that to me at least, hard to get any kind of consensus who is next (again early enough for some to emerge) . With the current management,their proven lack of success, I don't believe in anything they do and have no reason to think otherwise.

I have to agree with you Rex, but we are gluttons for punishment though aren't we. We love to keep up on out current prospects (you and ITM especially), and we love to scout possible prospects. I bet there isn't one of us who DOESN'T buy the Hockey News Prospects Issue, and the Draft Issue. We keep wanting to believe that our prospects will turn into stars and will help bring us back into Stanley Cup competition. We are all jealous of Chicago's and LA's ownership and leadership, and you can add St Louis, where JD did and Jarko did a fantastic job. My dream is that JD comes to LI and Laviolette is our coach, that alone would give us hope.

 

[scott99]

Here's what I think should be done:

-Give the 1st to Buffalo. Don't risk losing out on McDavid due to overrating the team-this lesson should have been learned this year.

-Trade Vanek and hopefully get a 1st back

-Call it a day. We traded MM+2nd to draft lower back in the 1st round this year. Not an ideal outcome,BUT it's a hell of a lot better than trading our opportunity to get McDavid.

-If the Isles give Buffalo their pick for next year and Buffalo gets McDavid with it-it will be by far the worst trade in Islander history. Nothing even Milbury did would even come close.

Please. Chara and Spezza for Yashin. Luongo and Jokinen for Parrish and Kvasha, some really awful trades.

 

[SI90]

I take this years first and give 2015 to BUF....I mean do we really expect to be in the lottery again and what if we don't end up winning and we had the chance at an Ekblad or a Reinhart that's a year closer than 2015 prospects....


Also what message does that send?


I have to believe Garth wont go into next year neglecting the defense and goaltending like he did this year....If he does then he is not doing his job....Nabby is old and not good anymore and Poulin/Nilsson are not ready....

Go get a Hiller or Halak Sign 2 legit vet defenseman and then go from there...

Also dare I say trade for an upgrade on the blue line...

In fact that is the only way I would say keep the 15' pick is if a team values it higher because its a deeper draft and would give up more for it....these 17 year olds are not going to help us make the playoffs next year or even the year after...

 

[Felix Unger]

I take this years first and give 2015 to BUF....I mean do we really expect to be in the lottery again and what if we don't end up winning and we had the chance at an Ekblad or a Reinhart that's a year closer than 2015 prospects....


Also what message does that send?


I have to believe Garth wont go into next year neglecting the defense and goaltending like he did this year....If he does then he is not doing his job....Nabby is old and not good anymore and Poulin/Nilsson are not ready....

Go get a Hiller or Halak Sign 2 legit vet defenseman and then go from there...

Also dare I say trade for an upgrade on the blue line...

In fact that is the only way I would say keep the 15' pick is if a team values it higher because its a deeper draft and would give up more for it....these 17 year olds are not going to help us make the playoffs next year or even the year after...

You nailed it. It'll just take some money. That's all.

 

[Levi Walking Bear]

We have been Islander fans for a long time and on this board longer than most so we have seen it all pretty much. Even though we get dumped on, laughed at and put through mental torture, the Islanders are a big part of us and that will never go away. So we hang in there waiting so see where our adventure takes us next no matter what. Despite all that has happened the last 20 years, the Islander did something special, very special that few teams in any sport have ever accomplished. We have that to hold onto, most fans of most team never experience what the Islander did. Too much emotional attachment to ever let go.

 

[Levi Walking Bear]

I have to agree with you Rex, but we are gluttons for punishment though aren't we. We love to keep up on out current prospects (you and ITM especially), and we love to scout possible prospects. I bet there isn't one of us who DOESN'T buy the Hockey News Prospects Issue, and the Draft Issue. We keep wanting to believe that our prospects will turn into stars and will help bring us back into Stanley Cup competition. We are all jealous of Chicago's and LA's ownership and leadership, and you can add St Louis, where JD did and Jarko did a fantastic job. My dream is that JD comes to LI and Laviolette is our coach, that alone would give us hope.

Scott, I replied to your post, it is the one above, my mistake that it wasn't direct.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

The one caution I'd make about Reinhart is, don't forget he's a year older (development-wise) than a lot of the forwards he's currently rated ahead of. He's a late 1995, while guys like Bennett, Dal Colle, and Nylander are all 1996s. Which means he's had a full extra season of development in the CHL.

For instance, Reinhart versus Sam Bennett is a bit tricky to compare directly because this is Reinhart's third season in the league, while Bennett is only in his second. So comparing their seasons this year wouldn't quite be fair to Bennett. And that goes beyond just numbers or stats. Just in terms of their skillsets and their overall game, Reinhart's had one extra season of junior hockey to hone his skills compared to a Bennett.

Obviously Reinhart's a fantastic prospect and that's not meant to take anything away from him. But it's always key to keep in mind just where on their development curve each player is when trying to determine which one will be better down the road based on where they are today.

 

[Intangiblezz]

I take this years first and give 2015 to BUF....I mean do we really expect to be in the lottery again and what if we don't end up winning and we had the chance at an Ekblad or a Reinhart that's a year closer than 2015 prospects....


Also what message does that send?


I have to believe Garth wont go into next year neglecting the defense and goaltending like he did this year....If he does then he is not doing his job....Nabby is old and not good anymore and Poulin/Nilsson are not ready....

Go get a Hiller or Halak Sign 2 legit vet defenseman and then go from there...

Also dare I say trade for an upgrade on the blue line...

In fact that is the only way I would say keep the 15' pick is if a team values it higher because its a deeper draft and would give up more for it....these 17 year olds are not going to help us make the playoffs next year or even the year after...

I dont think taking Ekblad would be wise. Obviously a great prospect but Hammer and Pulock are already RH D-men.

Reinhart would be a solid pick but that would almost surely make Strome and Nelson wingers.

Thomas Vanek - John Tavares - Ryan Strome
Brock Nelson - Sam Reinhart - Kyle Okposo
Anders Lee - Johan Sundstrom - Josh Bailey
Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Assuming Sundstrom and Reinhart develop well. But this team isnt far from what is possible right now.

Hamonic, Reinhart, Pulock, De Haan, Hickey, Pokka, Pelech and Mayfield will make up an extremely solid defense. Ekblad would actually cause problems for these developping prospects. And if they dont developthey also wouldnt have much trade value.

Nielsen, Grabner and Amac become tradeable.

 

[SI90]

I dont think taking Ekblad would be wise. Obviously a great prospect but Hammer and Pulock are already RH D-men.

Reinhart would be a solid pick but that would almost surely make Strome and Nelson wingers.

Thomas Vanek - John Tavares - Ryan Strome
Brock Nelson - Max Reinhart - Kyle Okposo
Anders Lee - Johan Sundstrom - Josh Bailey
Matt Martin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck

Assuming Sundstrom and Reinhart develop well. But this team isnt far from what is possible right now.

Hamonic, Reinhart, Pulock, De Haan, Hickey, Pokka, Pelech and Mayfield will make up an extremely solid defense. Ekblad would actually cause problems for these developping prospects. And if they dont developthey also wouldnt have much trade value.

Nielsen, Grabner and Amac become tradeable.

so we trade for max reinhart and draft Ekblad



so by your logic last year it would have been dumb to draft Jones because we have too many RHD? you go BPA and worry about the rest later

 

[Intangiblezz]

so we trade for max reinhart and draft Ekblad



so by your logic last year it would have been dumb to draft Jones because we have too many RHD? you go BPA and worry about the rest later

Brainfart. Changed it.

No thats not what im saying. There isnt that much of a difference between Reinhart and Ekblad. Why not get the one that would help the team more?

Just look at 3 teams passing on Jones last year.

 

[luki here]

The one caution I'd make about Reinhart is, don't forget he's a year older (development-wise) than a lot of the forwards he's currently rated ahead of. He's a late 1995, while guys like Bennett, Dal Colle, and Nylander are all 1996s. Which means he's had a full extra season of development in the CHL.

He will also be ready to contribute a year earlier.

 

[ScaredStreit]

Please. Chara and Spezza for Yashin. Luongo and Jokinen for Parrish and Kvasha, some really awful trades.

Trading McDavid (potential generational talent), a 2nd, Moulson for a rental player.

Compare this to the Yashin trade:

Yashin (at the time of the trade) > Vanek (now).
McDavid+2nd rounder > Spezza (2nd overall pick)

NOBODY predicted that Chara would end up the way he did. He was pretty bad as an Islander, and wasn't highly touted by anybody.

Obviously the Yashin trade was very bad in hindsight (not arguing that), but in foresight-it wasn't that bad at all. Remember all of the excitement when we got Yashin/Peca?

If we draft this year, and lose out on McDavid that will be bad in foresight.

 

[ScaredStreit]

I take this years first and give 2015 to BUF....I mean do we really expect to be in the lottery again and what if we don't end up winning and we had the chance at an Ekblad or a Reinhart that's a year closer than 2015 prospects....


Also what message does that send?


I have to believe Garth wont go into next year neglecting the defense and goaltending like he did this year....If he does then he is not doing his job....Nabby is old and not good anymore and Poulin/Nilsson are not ready....

Go get a Hiller or Halak Sign 2 legit vet defenseman and then go from there...

Also dare I say trade for an upgrade on the blue line...

In fact that is the only way I would say keep the 15' pick is if a team values it higher because its a deeper draft and would give up more for it....these 17 year olds are not going to help us make the playoffs next year or even the year after...

-Yes I honestly expect us to compete for a top-5 draft pick next year (thus lottery). By your logic people would have said the same exact thing heading into this season-and yet here we are in contention for yet another bottom-5 finish.

-Even if we lose the lottery-a top 5 pick in that year wont be that much different than this year (which is one of the weakest drafts in recent history).

-As I said if you trade Vanek and grab a 1st for this year-we can still draft in the 1st round (although late).

-Why do you think the Isles wont be in the lottery next year? Just wondering? Because unless they SEVERELY upgrade (2 top-4 minimum defensemen), a starting goaltending, more secondary scoring (our secondary scoring right now is PATHETIC).

Not trying to be a down, or a "chicken little"-I'm just stating the obvious. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

 

[scott99]

The one caution I'd make about Reinhart is, don't forget he's a year older (development-wise) than a lot of the forwards he's currently rated ahead of. He's a late 1995, while guys like Bennett, Dal Colle, and Nylander are all 1996s. Which means he's had a full extra season of development in the CHL.

For instance, Reinhart versus Sam Bennett is a bit tricky to compare directly because this is Reinhart's third season in the league, while Bennett is only in his second. So comparing their seasons this year wouldn't quite be fair to Bennett. And that goes beyond just numbers or stats. Just in terms of their skillsets and their overall game, Reinhart's had one extra season of junior hockey to hone his skills compared to a Bennett.

Obviously Reinhart's a fantastic prospect and that's not meant to take anything away from him. But it's always key to keep in mind just where on their development curve each player is when trying to determine which one will be better down the road based on where they are today.

To be honest, I really don't care about the birthday thing. People were saying the same thing about Pulock too. I really don't care, if you're a good player, and can help the team win, who cares. For Pete's sake, Jagr is 41, and he's helping the Devils, leads their team in goals, assists and points. I wish we signed Jagr and Ryder instead of PMB and Regin, whatever, that's a different story. My point is age doesn't matter, especially in the draft when if you have a late birthday, you might be 6 months older, who cares ?