2016 Draft Thread (Lottery: April 30th, 7PM EST)

[EspenK]

From November 2014:

Starting a draft thread about this time last year seemed to help turn the tide. So short of sacrificing a virgin to the hockey gods or trading the Jackets for the Penguins here goes.

While ultimately it turned the tide, it wasn't enough to make the playoffs but it did turn enough for the Jackets to fall to 8th in the draft. Maybe it will turn it sooner and more effectively this year.

In the meantime:

Lose for Matthews
Hari-kari for Puljujarvi
Jones for Jones
No fun for Chychrun
(fill in the blank) for Tkachuk

Enough already.

Here are some links to get you started

http://www.hockeyprospect.com/2016-nhl-draft-rankings-hockeyprospect-com-october-top-50/

http://www.isshockey.com/iss-top-30/

http://www.tsn.ca/draftcentre

New lottery rules:

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=728795

Click to read more...

 

[Cash for Nash]

Yep. Looking like another year of not sucking enough to be great. We'll probably be good enough for the 7th overall pick. Hopefully torts have some epic rants to bring up the entertainment value

 

[major major]

Jackets have enough talent already on the roster, so the draft is just not something I look forward to anymore. Come June, I will of course. But not during the season when this team should be focused on winning now. Heck, trade the draft pick. It'll make this thread go away.

 

[Eikka]

Lay an egg for Laine?

 

[EspenK]

Jackets have enough talent already on the roster, so the draft is just not something I look forward to anymore. Come June, I will of course. But not during the season when this team should be focused on winning now. Heck, trade the draft pick. It'll make this thread go away.

You don't think we could use Auston Matthews or Chychrun. We have some talent; we don't have enough.

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

Yeah...team is going to go on a meaningless win streak at the end of they year and get a mid-round pick and then do nothing in the off-season.

Rinse, wash, and repeat.

 

[We Want Ten]

[fill in the blank) for Tkachuk

Suck for Tkachuk

 

[We Want Ten]

Yeah...team is going to go on a meaningless win streak at the end of they year and get a mid-round pick and then do nothing in the off-season.

Rinse, wash, and repeat.

Yes but that success will carryover for next year and give them something to build off of.

 

[major major]

You don't think we could use Auston Matthews or Chychrun. We have some talent; we don't have enough.

Of course those players would be great. But we should be able to build a winning team with the value that's already part of the organization. And in some ways losing is costly to the org over the long run. You have to build a winning culture, and having two lost years in a row several years into the jd/jarmo era is a big setback to that.

 

[Cash for Nash]

Of course those players would be great. But we should be able to build a winning team with the value that's already part of the organization. And in some ways losing is costly to the org over the long run. You have to build a winning culture, and having two lost years in a row several years into the jd/jarmo era is a big setback to that.

Hey!! We'll build that winning culture in the 2nd half of the season dammit!! They'll show the hockey world what we're all about then!

 

[EspenK]

Of course those players would be great. But we should be able to build a winning team with the value that's already part of the organization. And in some ways losing is costly to the org over the long run. You have to build a winning culture, and having two lost years in a row several years into the jd/jarmo era is a big setback to that.

I still think this concept is a bunch of malarkey. Anaheim has/had a winning culture. They are sucking big time this year; Detroit had a winning culture for 20 + years; Philly;Boston; the list can go on and on.
And supposedly our great run at the end of last year established such a culture here.

In today's salary cap era and guys wanting max dollars teams turn over all the time. Guys get old; they get hurt, they inexplicably start to suck. When these things happen winning culture has little or no impact on current results. I'll give you that it is important in the sense that an organization and a team should never accept losing but in most cases it isn't gong to be the savior for a team that loses a key player or two.

And how will the D corps of the Jackets turn into a successful unit without adding some talent? Where is the talent going to come from?
I believe primarily from the draft. Adding a guy like Chychrun, who is being favorably compared to Aaron Ekblad, to a guy like Werenski would help a heck of a lot more than waiting for Prout and Connauton to catch the winning atmosphere.

I don't disagree that the organization has lots of pieces to be successful I just think they need more.

 

[major major]

I still think this concept is a bunch of malarkey. Anaheim has/had a winning culture. They are sucking big time this year; Detroit had a winning culture for 20 + years; Philly;Boston; the list can go on and on.
And supposedly our great run at the end of last year established such a culture here.

In today's salary cap era and guys wanting max dollars teams turn over all the time. Guys get old; they get hurt, they inexplicably start to suck. When these things happen winning culture has little or no impact on current results. I'll give you that it is important in the sense that an organization and a team should never accept losing but in most cases it isn't gong to be the savior for a team that loses a key player or two.

Those are all good examples of why "winning culture" isn't as important as talent. But I hope you're not trying to argue that "winning culture" doesn't matter at all.

And how will the D corps of the Jackets turn into a successful unit without adding some talent? Where is the talent going to come from?
I believe primarily from the draft. Adding a guy like Chychrun, who is being favorably compared to Aaron Ekblad, to a guy like Werenski would help a heck of a lot more than waiting for Prout and Connauton to catch the winning atmosphere.

I don't disagree that the organization has lots of pieces to be successful I just think they need more.

The problem with relying on the draft to build the D is that you never know if you're going to strike gold or not. So many of the best aren't even drafted at the top, and it often takes upwards of a decade before the players really find their form. It's just such a shame to have an excellent group of young forwards and have to tell them "nice offense you have there, you might win something someday if your team gets lucky and drafts the right D". I'm sure you can find plenty of model orgs where they drafted great D and built winners, but this is something almost every team is trying to do and plenty fail at it. Of course you try, but don't count on it. That's why I'm a big proponent of looking for trades to help the D over the long run.

 

[EspenK]

Those are all good examples of why "winning culture" isn't as important as talent. But I hope you're not trying to argue that "winning culture" doesn't matter at all.

No, not at all. Just saying its a piece of the puzzle and the draft can help build it.

 

[blahblah]

Ugh. Who cares. Man I hate it when Draft talk comes up in October. Let's leave the "We are the biggest losers" mottos to the professionals.. Those silly hockey reporters.

We really shouldn't be talking about this until the final rankings.

 

[We Want Ten]

Ugh. Who cares. Man I hate it when Draft talk comes up in October. Let's leave the "We are the biggest losers" mottos to the professionals.. Those silly hockey reporters.

We really shouldn't be talking about this until the final rankings.

This is like preheating an oven, we're just getting it warmed up for later.

 

[blahblah]

This is like preheating an oven, we're just getting it warmed up for later.

Sure... A couple of months before you're going to cook anything.

 

[NotWendell]

Yay! We already have a Draft thread before the first month of the season is over. Good times!

 

[WannabeFinn]

Do we go for Chychrun/Day or Puljujarvi/Jones/Tkachuk/Laine?

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Isn't the top 3 lottery decided now? Or is it top 5?

If its top 3, who do we get with the 4th pick?

If its top 5, who do we get with the 6th pick?

 

[ndd17]

Yay! We already have a Draft thread before the first month of the season is over. Good times!

Unfortunately, i think after California trip this thread will become the most popular here.

 

[EspenK]

Isn't the top 3 lottery decided now? Or is it top 5?

If its top 3, who do we get with the 4th pick?

If its top 5, who do we get with the 6th pick?

I like your realism.

It's top 3. Odds are in a link in the first post herein.

 

[We Want Ten]

Sure... A couple of months before you're going to cook anything.

We might want a baked potato.

I do think this thread is silly, but being the jackets...

 

[JacketsDavid]

Isn't the top 3 lottery decided now? Or is it top 5?

If its top 3, who do we get with the 4th pick?

If its top 5, who do we get with the 6th pick?

THis will be the year we finish dead last in the league - and pick third in the draft

 

[Light the Lamp]

March for Matthews

Could be a great promo in March

 

[Johansen2Foligno]

I hope the team is picked to be bad next year. Just so painful to go to home games now.

Only 35+ left I guess