Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Draft - Shall We Begin?

[Flyerfan13]

NHL Draft 2018: Quinn Hughes 'as valuable as anyone' playing a style his own

 

[Stizzle]

It's weird to talk about a player no one really knows about and who might end up a 2nd anyway, but I guess I'll more bluntly say: would you rather do a general trade down (for JBD or Lundkvist or whoever) than take Berggren or Kaut at #19? How much would you value a top 4 RHD?

It's just not a question I can answer. I need more information, and information on JBD is unfortunately very scarce.

I will say that Berggren is my favorite in our range that I've seen and players that dynamic are terribly difficult to pass on.

 

[Flyerfan13]

This draft is seriously unpredictable After the top 5 who knows what guys could drop as has been said it only takes 1 team to fall in love with a kid for him to go early. My gut feeling is we trade back at #19 because the guys we want r gone and whats left are pretty equal.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I wouldn't bet on it either. But I wouldn't totally outrule the possibility; we've seen people fall from Bob's rankings plenty, accurate as they are. A Russian falling is hardly new. 14 is close enough too. But even if Kravtsov, for example, fell out of that top 12, Dallas sure seems a possibility, unless they got gun shy after their last two Russian picks.

It only would take a couple teams is my point. But part of my issue is I'm not entirely sure who would sneak in. Mark Edwards basically threw cold water on people's Veleno fantasies. I think Farabee could sneak in, but that doesn't do us much good either probably. And even if he doesn't perhaps he goes #13. Smith? Kaut? Not impossible, but I'm uncertain who would bump someone out. There does seem to be a similar-ish herd of players after that "top 12," without too many standouts, at least in a consensus manner of speaking. A lot of players could go at a lot of spots.

Right. To be clear, I only meant given my general impression of his chances of being available at 14 are lower than they were before the podcast. It's always going to be volatile projecting a player like Kravtsov by nature, but I expected his spikes to be in the 7-10 range, not top 5. That opens up some possibilities I hadn't considered. I drew more from that than there being a top 12.

As for who would bump someone, Smith and Kaut do make sense. I would also look toward the Centers and Miller. If Hayton is going early and Veleno isn't thought of in that way, all hell could break loose.

 

[Chinatown88]

Farabee and Veleno would be my dream right now. Hoping for Farabee and Berggren.

 

[FlyTimmo]

Would absolutely trade up for Wahlstrom.

Depends on so many factors. Where does he fall? Who else is available? What is the price?

But I wouldn't be upset if Hextall traded up to #8-10, because someone has to slip.

Dahlin
Svechnikov

Zadina
Tkachuk
Hughes
Dobson
Bouchard
Kotkaniemi
Wahlstrom
Boqvist

At least one of these guys has to fall to #10. I think it will be Boqvist or Bouchard, but again, someone has to fall to #10, and the price to get to that position shouldn't be astronomical.

My opinion is definitely subject to change, but right now I think I want Hextall to just stay at #14 and #19.

 

[FlyTimmo]

NHL Draft 2018: Quinn Hughes 'as valuable as anyone' playing a style his own

Hughes is my dream pick.

If Hughes for some reason dropped to #9-10 and the price wasn't crazy, I'd take him in a heartbeat. Guy is a magician!

 

[Rebels57]

Depends on so many factors. Where does he fall? Who else is available? What is the price?

To be honest, I'm not Bouchard's biggest fan. But I wouldn't be upset if Hextall traded up to #8-10, because someone has to slip.

Dahlin
Svechnikov

Zadina
Tkachuk
Hughes
Dobson
Bouchard
Kotkaniemi
Wahlstrom
Boqvist

At least one of these guys has to fall to #10. I think it will be Boqvist or Bouchard, but again, someone has to fall to #10, and the price to get to that position shouldn't be astronomical.

My opinion is definitely subject to change, but right now I think I want Hextall to just stay at #14 and #19.

Well yeah that goes without saying!

 

[NicolasAubeKubel]

NHL Draft 2018: Quinn Hughes 'as valuable as anyone' playing a style his own

Ron pls

 

[FLYguy3911]

So I listened to this. I think he intimated Konecny had a promise from the Kings and would have gone 13, but they changed their minds and opted for immediate help in Lucic.

Also, I would not bet on Kravtsov being an option at 14.

He said the kid ended up going 30th so my first thought was Merkley who was grouped with Konecny. But Bob also said the trade happened on the draft floor and Lucic was traded prior to the draft.

Wow! Great video and thank you for sharing.

I hadn't watched a ton of Bouchard, since he is unlikely to fall to the Flyers' range, and most of what I had seen just focused on his offense, not his defense, which can be a problem in using video to scout defensemen.

He definitely has offensive skill and intelligence, but I absolutely HATE what I see in this video. I mean, utterly despise it, and I'm extremely glad I was able to watch it. Utterly lazy, lackadaisical defense, both technique-wise and effort-wise. And repeatedly so.

He reads the ice well offensively, but he sure doesn't have the same knack on the other side of the puck.

Forget the Flyers drafting him. And he's definitely getting knocked down on my list.

I mentioned this a couple months ago but he was literally playing 30+ minutes a night in the regular season which obviously helped his production but kids that play that much at that level will tend to take shortcuts to preserve energy and that often comes in the D zone.

 

[NicolasAubeKubel]

Hughes is my dream pick.

If Hughes for some reason dropped to #9-10 and the price wasn't crazy, I'd take him in a heartbeat. Guy is a magician!

Me too. Somehow pulling off Hughes+Farabee would make my head explode.

 

[FlyTimmo]

Me too. Somehow pulling off Hughes+Farabee would make my head explode.

Your head is safe.

 

[FlyTimmo]

Though if we traded up to #10 with #14+ something else that isn't 19. And grabbed Hughes, and got Berggren with #19...

 

[JojoTheWhale]

He said the kid ended up going 30th so my first thought was Merkley who was grouped with Konecny. But Bob also said the trade happened on the draft floor and Lucic was traded prior to the draft. .

Yeah, it could have been him too. The phrasing was a little vague and there’s no absolutely perfect fit. It also could have been Calgary with the promise at 15. He said something along the lines of, “around 13 or 14” and then “more like 30.”

I was assuming day of the draft counted as draft floor for those purposes because I couldn’t find any recent pick moved in that range for an established player while someone was on the clock.

 

[Curufinwe]

I was all set for Hexy to take Hayton at 14 and disappoint the board, and now I hear he’s going top 10 maybe top 5.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

I mentioned this a couple months ago but he was literally playing 30+ minutes a night in the regular season which obviously helped his production but kids that play that much at that level will tend to take shortcuts to preserve energy and that often comes in the D zone.

Could be, but that's a lot of defensive laziness, poor technique, and defensive daydreaming going on for a top 10 pick. I get a very bad vibe from it. And this was a playoff game, so you'd expect to see better intensity.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

I was all set fire Hexy to take Hayton at 14 and disappoint the board, and now I hear he’s going top 10 maybe top 5.

Fine with me. Let the hype train go out of control on Hayton.

 

[Prongo]

Hayton going higher increases our chances of getting someone who slides so I’m all for it.

 

[BigToe]

Hughes is my dream pick.

If Hughes for some reason dropped to #9-10 and the price wasn't crazy, I'd take him in a heartbeat. Guy is a magician!

Though if we traded up to #10 with #14+ something else that isn't 19. And grabbed Hughes, and got Berggren with #19...

 

[Magua]

Yeah, Bouchard played an obscene amount of minutes, like 30 minutes a night easy. No one I watched played more, even #1s like Smith and Dobson. Especially by that end of year footage linked, which seemed a low-lites compilation. I've been pretty consistent saying I'm not as high on Bouchard as most, but I watched half the video, and I've seen better from Bouchard. He's a smart player and usually in position. It definitely looks like he's conserving a little energy and being lazy. They need him to score anyway. That said, even at his best he's an incredibly safe, containment, passive defender. I don't like that about him. And even at his best he can be a little low urgency. Button compared him to John Carlson, and I just think that's a a real good comparison, flaws and strengths.

Also, I doubt the Flyers would take Quinn Hughes. He'd also be the toughest fit of any player. He'd be going to a team with a prime, long-term signed Quinn already.

Right. To be clear, I only meant given my general impression of his chances of being available at 14 are lower than they were before the podcast. It's always going to be volatile projecting a player like Kravtsov by nature, but I expected his spikes to be in the 7-10 range, not top 5. That opens up some possibilities I hadn't considered. I drew more from that than there being a top 12.

As for who would bump someone, Smith and Kaut do make sense. I would also look toward the Centers and Miller. If Hayton is going early and Veleno isn't thought of in that way, all hell could break loose.

Kravtsov suddenly emerging in the elite tier surprised me as well. I figured he might be gone if a certain team wanted him, given he was vaguely top 15, but now I'd be more surprised to see him not gone. It's not like they're wrong, as far as I see it. But it doesn't make things easier for the Flyers. We could definitely be setting up for some reach picks, our picks and others. Underrated players the Flyers really value. That doesn't bother me. Well, hopefully!

 

[Ghosts Beer]

Yeah, Bouchard played an obscene amount of minutes, like 30 minutes a night easy. No one I watched played more, even #1s like Smith and Dobson. Especially by that end of year footage linked, which seemed a low-lites compilation. I've been pretty consistent saying I'm not as high on Bouchard as most, but I watched half the video, and I've seen better from Bouchard. He's a smart player and usually in position. It definitely looks like he's conserving a little energy and being lazy. They need him to score anyway. That said, even at his best he's an incredibly safe, containment, passive defender. I don't like that about him. And even at his best he can be a little low urgency. Button compared him to John Carlson, and I just think that's a a real good comparison, flaws and strengths.

It's pretty scary that all those Bouchard shifts occurred in the same solitary playoff game. He played an absolute garbage game defensively. Maybe it's unfair to get so much of a bad feel out of one game in the playoffs, but it's not the physical errors that bother me, it's the sheer number of lazy, unthinking, zero-intensity defensive plays and reads that are scary as hell if you're going to spend a top 10 pick on this guy. He's their captain playing like that? In a playoff game? Looked like he had no interest in being there other than to get on the scoresheet. There's zero chance I'd draft this guy. If I'm being too harsh on him because of one game and end up wrong, so be it, but there's no way I'd risk a top 10 pick finding out.

 

[BigToe]

It's pretty scary that all those Bouchard shifts occurred in the same solitary playoff game. He played an absolute garbage game defensively. Maybe it's unfair to get so much of a bad feel out of one game in the playoffs, but it's not the physical errors that bother me, it's the sheer number of lazy, unthinking, zero-intensity defensive plays and reads that are scary as hell if you're going to spend a top 10 pick on this guy. He's their captain playing like that? In a playoff game? Looked like he had no interest in being there other than to get on the scoresheet. There's zero chance I'd draft this guy. If I'm being too harsh on him because of one game and end up wrong, so be it, but there's no way I'd risk a top 10 pick finding out.

Thats exactly my thinking. But if so many NHL scouts have him ranked that high I doubt this is a regular game for him.

 

[Ghosts Beer]

Thats exactly my thinking. But if so many NHL scouts have him ranked that high I doubt this is a regular game for him.

You wouldn't think so. And he has good size, eye popping stats, a RH shot, and is undoubtedly a very good passer from the previous videos I've seen. But maybe those things are blinding scouts to his weaknesses. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Rebels57]

That was an important game for London and he looked disinterested to put it kindly.

 

[Magua]

It's pretty scary that all those Bouchard shifts occurred in the same solitary playoff game. He played an absolute garbage game defensively. Maybe it's unfair to get so much of a bad feel out of one game in the playoffs, but it's not the physical errors that bother me, it's the sheer number of lazy, unthinking, zero-intensity defensive plays and reads that are scary as hell if you're going to spend a top 10 pick on this guy. He's their captain playing like that? In a playoff game? Looked like he had no interest in being there other than to get on the scoresheet. There's zero chance I'd draft this guy. If I'm being too harsh on him because of one game and end up wrong, so be it, but there's no way I'd risk a top 10 pick finding out.

I guess, man. I've never once had him in my top 10 and have written pretty veiled negative posts talking about similar issues pertaining to him being a top 10 pick and like 90% of this post from 4 months ago is in my final write-up (http://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/2018-nhl-draft-shall-we-begin.2379447/page-30#post-142390467).

He gets away with a lot of shit on London he wouldn't and won't elsewhere, but they also need to him to play like this, so I don't know who to blame. 18 year olds playing 30 minutes a night for 70 games is taxing. 5 minutes a night more than another top d-man adds up to 350 more minutes, or close to 15 games. It's not exactly surprising he glides around half the time. Unlike a forward, he can't take shifts off in his own end. He's never excited me like others; I wouldn't be keen on drafting him with a top pick and would greatly prefer others if I had the choice; but supposedly Detroit wants to get him at #6 to add to their collection with Rasmussen. Not our problem.