Got some love regarding the potential F's available in our range in the McKeens draft mailbag (Free)
2018 NHL Draft Mailbag: Two days away from the best day of the year
Thought it was really cool of them to give the direct feedback from the reigional scouts, and wanted to share it here.
oxman44 @bnittel44
Kupari, Kravtsov, and Denisenko. Whos got the best tools and whose got the most top line upside?
Ryan - McKeens: I sent this question to our Russian and Finnish scouts, and I will allow them each to answer.
Alessandro Seren Rosso:
To me, both Kravtsov and Denisenko are a good pick. Both are very talented, and have the good intangibles needed to be a first-round pick. Denisenko has more raw talent, and probably also the higher upside, but a few question marks on his character and his style of play make Kravtsov a safer option, even if he probably has less upside. In my opinion, however, both have first-line upside. In particular Kravtsov is a safer option, albeit less talented. His combination of shot and size, though, is very good.
Viktor Fomich:
I think Kravtsov's ceiling is higher and there is some gap. Again, purely in terms of the ceiling.
Probably I should elaborate a bit: I think that despite being a half-year older, Kravtsov has actually more space under the ceiling to fill out comparing to Denisenko. Denisenko already posesses the raw tools and even some decent muscles and we just hope that all that will be polished, put in a toolbox and, if everything is going smoothly, would result in a 60+ point Top6 LW, who would just exhaust the opposing D guys with his energy and explosiveness even if he is not picking up those points. With Kravtsov it is a bit different: it's pretty hard to evaluate the ceiling as there are things that can be added that could and should notably amplify his game: for example, both lower and upper body strength is just not there at the moment and it is not that hard to add it when you're 6'3" (takes time and some work, of course). Adding some more intensity and maturity is harder, but again, it is about toolboxes, almost everyone has to get through that. So in the end I don't think it is too optimistic to consider his ceiling at around 70+ points and the "too optimistic" mode can get the evaluation even higher.
About the tools, I think they are pretty comparable. Both got good hands: Kravtsov's hands look softer, but Denisenko looks better at dangles. Shooting department's level is comparable, yet different in terms of details: Kravtsov's shot is a continuation of his soft hands, as he hot a great release and precision on his wrist shot, Denisenko is not that precise at least at this point, but his right-handed slapper is a serious weapon. Currently I'd give a slight edge to Denisenko in the skating department due to his explosiveness, but Kravtsov should be able to potentially gain it too. Both are creative, but I'd clearly rank Kravtsov higher here. At the overall hockey sense both got a lot of work in front of them, but again I'd give a slight, but confident edge to Kravtsov as he has shown that he can play more or less disciplined game in the KHL play-offs, while Denisenko wasn't too impressive here even in the juniors. Physicality here is mostly defined by the frame: Kravtsov's 6'3" Vs. Denisenko's 5'11" gives Kravtsov a clear advantage long-term, but he needs to fullfill that, as currently Denisenko looks even stronger than him despite the height disadvantage. In terms of two-way game, both have a lot to learn here, won't give anyone of them an advantage.
Marco Bombino:
Kupari has the tools to be a first-line center but I wouldn't bet my money on it as there are some question marks surrounding his game. The combination of speed and skill is intriguing, but as the past season progressed, I started to have questions about his offensive vision and ability to make plays under pressure. The tools to become a strong three-zone player are there, however, to me he seems more destined for a second-line role.
Ryan - McKeens: Back to me now. When doing our rankings, we try to focus on projection more than anything. So our overall rankings can sort of answer your questions. We have Kravtsov ranked 16, Kupari 21, and Denisenko 27.
Seems like they like Kravtsov as the safest pick.,and It's starting to feel less and less likely that hes there for us at 17. Like Steven's mock, prob to Philly at 14. Regardless, Im totally cool with Miller here. Or.......
Boqvist-Mcleod-Kupari anyone?