Per LeBrun, there's a vibe that teams in the top ten (in addition to Montreal) are going to reach for centers, to the point that Hayton could be drafted in the top ten.
Prospect Info: 2018 Devils-Centric Mock Draft 3.0
- Thread starter StevenToddIves
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Good. Let the d-men fall.
Devils Dominion
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Depends on who's still on the board.
If Smith falls it's hard to pass on him.
Denisenko, Bokk, Kaut , Kravtsov, Wilde, Kupari I'd be happy with, not in that order.
I'll post my pick when we get closer to Draft night.
OmNomNom
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according to @StevenToddIves , ryan mcleod is a watered down version of mikey, so it'd be a waste to get him. it'd be like making the bastian/anthony brodeur pick again - strictly for the feels
Billdo
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OmNomNom
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MichaelJ
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- May 20, 2013
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Don’t know what it would take and I’d rather not give up Severson just to move up in the draft, but if Wahlstrom dropped that far I’d love to see Shero abuse Edmonton again and grab the kid.
Better Call Sal
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Bastian wasn't picked strictly for the feels, he was ranked right around his draft selection by many people. I believe in listening to a podcast recently that's escaping me, might have been the most recent Devils All-Access one that had Dan McKinnon or the one before with Paul Castron, they said they had Bastian ranked in the 20s on their board so they felt they were getting a 1st round talent in the 2nd round.
I'm sure a lot of it potentially stemmed from scouting Mississauga but nonetheless, certainly not a sentimental pick.
I'm sure a lot of it potentially stemmed from scouting Mississauga but nonetheless, certainly not a sentimental pick.
OmNomNom
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not SOLELY a sentimental pick, but i'm sure they were more inclined to pick him, with Mikey pumping his tires + the friend connection
Billdo
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I agree with Button and favor Denisenko over Kravtsov
Scouts split over best Russian forwards ahead of NHL Draft
Scouts split over best Russian forwards ahead of NHL Draft
nugg
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I've been trying to find McKenzie's list. Could you post a link? Thanks!
Edit: Never mind this, I learned that he will release his list on Monday.
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It's a good list, but I'd still put K'Andre Miller over most, if not all, of it. The kid's upside is probably only trailing Dahlin in this draft class, which is stocked with defensemen. You just can't get players with that kind of upside at #17 too often.
I would agree that Wilde, Kravtsov and Kupari also have just tremendous upside.
Bokk and Kaut are "safer" picks, but I see them more as second-liners at the NHL level.
Denisenko is terrific in terms of skill, I agree with you, but with MoJo, Bratt, Boqvist in the system, do the Devils really need another skilled, perimeter LW whose biggest knock is a propensity to play soft?
Devils Dominion
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I haven't seen reports of Denisenko playing soft. Kravtsov even said that Denisenko plays more of a physical game than him .
Oh, one more thing if it's not too much to ask. It would be great if you could point out definitive breaks in quality you see, in other words "tiers".
From Ben Kerr at Last Word On Sports: "he could stand to add more upper body muscle and this would lead to more power on his shot. He has the soft hands to finish in tight to the net. He is not the type of player to find himself in front of the net without the puck, as one criticism is that his game is a bit too much of a perimeter style at this point."
Also from Kerr: "Denisenko’s defensive game is a work in progress. He does not get himself involved on the backcheck, often cheating up the ice and hoping for a turnover and offensive chance the other way. He is not much of a physical player. When he does come back, Denisenko also has a bad habit of puck watching and not keeping his feet moving. This allows the defenceman he is supposed to be covering to find open ice and set up for a point shot. Overall there will need to be some real improvements at the defensive end, or he will drive his coaches nuts."
From Viktor Fomich at McKeen's: "Physicality: This area of his game is hard to imagine ever being a strength for Denisenko - despite not being weak (he has enough athleticism for his size), he is still not big and not exactly fond of or good at using his body."
From TheRink.com: "Denisenko very much plays a perimeter-style of hockey, which he excels at. But, this could also be reason for concern, as he may not be willing to get down and dirty to be effective in crunch time. He does not enjoy finding himself in front of the net for too long, rather being a player who will dart in and out of the middle when needed for a high-quality scoring chance. Defensively, Denisenko has a long way to go. He is almost purely an offensively minded player, meaning he can be a liability in his own end. He does not backcheck well, as he likes to stay behind the play in the event of a turnover. His lack of defensive ability can also lead to ill-advised penalties, which will definitely need to be cleaned up before becoming an NHL player."
I could paste more, but it's not necessary. Denisenko is, in my eyes, the biggest boom/bust prospect of the first round after Merkley. Is he an absolute magician with the puck? Certainly -- in open ice he is almost magical to watch. Is he fast and skilled with high-end vision, a potential point-per-game top-liner in the NHL? Without a doubt. But he has a ton of issues to fix -- his defense, his penchant for bad/retaliatory penalties, his perimeter play.
In sum, if the Devils were going to go with a high-risk forward at #17, I simply do not see it being Denisenko, who plays a position and style the Devils already are strong at with MoJo and Bratt at LW and Boqvist on the way. Why not take Kupari or Kravtsov, who have the same incredible upside, slightly less risk, and both play positions of need in the organization?
Ultimately, I am not trying to slag Denisenko. Could he become the next Artemi Panarin? Absolutely, and I hope he does. But he just would be an extremely illogical pick for the Devils at #17.
I'm kind of uncomfortable with tiers. Would you be happy with: "Dahlin and Svechnikov, and then everybody else?"
Well, there tends to be steep drop-offs in different places in each draft, and I was wondering where you saw them at, but maybe just a silly request
Unrelated to the point of the question but do you really think zadina is that much below svechnikov? I think theyre pretty close tbh.
dahlin>svechnikov>zadina>>>>>>>>>>>everyone else.
Well, there tends to be steep drop-offs in different places in each draft, and I was wondering where you saw them at, but maybe just a silly request
How would one place someone like Merkley in a "tier"? In terms of talent he's top 5 but he has too many red flags.
To me the question of the top of the draft is: "Is Dahlin better than Svechnikov?" Svechnikov is just an unbelievable prospect -- elite in every facet of the game. He could one day be the best RW in the world.
This mock would be a tough pill to swallow. After recent heartbreaks like missing Marner and Hanafin by 1 slot in 15 (compounded by voluntarily passing on Werekski, Provorov for Zacha), and then watching in 16 as Sergachev and Jost go off right before 11 and get stuck with McLeod (compounded by voluntarily passing on the likes of McAvoy and Chychrun). This would be tough, to see Wilde and Miller go like this. Hopefully Steven is wrong, ha.
Well, Devils fans sure didn't have any heartbreak in the 2017 draft, that should be some consolation.
But seriously, there has to be preparation for the possibility that Smith, Wilde and Miller all go in the 5 picks before the Devils step up to the podium. I am not alone in thinking the Islanders take Ty Smith if they keep both picks -- he has been mocked there by multiple sources. As far as Wilde goes, Hextall has recently been quoted left and right saying how valuable right-shooting defensemen are and how he would love to draft one, and Wilde is certain to be the top one available when the Flyers pick at 14. And though speculation on Miller's draft position is all over the place, I fear that his stellar combine and limitless upside will make him very attractive to both Florida at 15 and (especially) Colorado at 16.
The consolation here is that the 2018 draft also features many high-upside forwards. The two which I have mainly focused on for the Devils are Kravtsov and Kupari, both of whom offer tremendous top-line talent. The Devils could also trade down, recoup a second or third round pick, and still have a shot at several very good D (McIsaac, Alexeyev, Woo, Sandin) or F (Bokk, Thomas, Noel, Kaut, Foudy).
BTW, dunno if you read it, but Cordell makes a convincing statistical argument against McIsaac: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=93373
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