Prospect Info: 2018 NHL Entry Draft - Hawks picking 8 and 27

[wladyslaw]

I have lurked on these boards for a long time and just wanted to say I am extremely impressed with Fiddy on this one. He called Kotkaniemi (seemingly) months ago and now he very well may go #3 overall on Friday when most had him pegged in the 12-20 range just a few weeks ago.

Actually- I might have posted here 1st about Kotkaniemi...

as possible sleeper/Hawk pick

not here to argue the point... just sayin

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Can see the Laine comparison a bit with this kid. The goal around 11:20 is Laine esque.

 

[Section88]

I would love wahlstrom at 8 and Sandin at 27. However, what are the probabilities Sandin is gone at 27, and are there any other LD who you would love to take at 27 should Sandin not be there?

 

[BK]

I would love wahlstrom at 8 and Sandin at 27. However, what are the probabilities Sandin is gone at 27, and are there any other LD who you would love to take at 27 should Sandin not be there?

BPA

 

[TLEH]

I have guys from Montreal come into my work and they were screaming about Kotkaniemi for a while as well.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

I don't like Hughes at all, because despite his skating prowess, and all of his offensive ability I don't think you can be an effective NHL defenseman at 5-9. If he was a forward, I'd be ok with his size but a defenseman's main job is playing defense and think when a player is that undersized that they will get absolutely manhandled in their own end. He'd have to be a hell of a stick checker to get away with it. I personally don't believe in 4th forward type defensemen.

 

[CallMeShaft]

I don't like Hughes at all, because despite his skating prowess, and all of his offensive ability I don't think you can be an effective NHL defenseman at 5-9. If he was a forward, I'd be ok with his size but a defenseman's main job is playing defense and think when a player is that undersized that they will get absolutely manhandled in their own end. He'd have to be a hell of a stick checker to get away with it. I personally don't believe in 4th forward type defensemen.

Hughes showed well playing against bigger and older guys during this past season in the NCAA, as well as in the Worlds.

He's an incredibly smart and fast player. He uses his speed to get to loose pucks first, and uses smart positioning and stick position to keep forwards to the outside.

He doesn't clear the crease. But we're all Hawks fans here (or at least most of us). We've been able to watch an elite, future HOF defensemen play without clearing the crease or blocking shots like he's a goaltender (or Hjalmarsson) for a decade now. Hughes could be very, very successful playing a similar style to Keith.

 

[ClydeLee]

Sam Girard just had a mighty rookie season as a D for a 5'9" guy. Abd Torrey Krug, Jared Spurgeon, etc. Its not new grounds anymore. And Spurgeon is a good defensive player, not just some offensive force at that height. I think Hughes ready has more bulk than what Girard has. That shouldn't be the worry

 

[Enyaw]

another mock

2018 NHL Mock Draft - NHL - DraftSite.com

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Would you move 8th overall for Ryan O'Reilly?

With some speculation he is available in Buffalo and the fact he is signed longterm at 7.5M x 5 yrs while only 27 would you be open to moving this pick in a deal for him if it presented itself?

Trade 8th overall+ for ROR and then move Anisimov and his cap hit

Schmaltz-Toews-Debrincat
Saad-ROR-Kane

I always liked ROR and think his career is going to waste in Buffalo

 

[Toews2Bickell]

another mock

2018 NHL Mock Draft - NHL - DraftSite.com

I can’t see Chayka taking Bouchard over Tkachuk/Wahlstrom, but I hope so.

 

[u2wojo]

Would you move 8th overall for Ryan O'Reilly?

With some speculation he is available in Buffalo and the fact he is signed longterm at 7.5M x 5 yrs while only 27 would you be open to moving this pick in a deal for him if it presented itself?

Trade 8th overall+ for ROR and then move Anisimov and his cap hit

Schmaltz-Toews-Debrincat
Saad-ROR-Kane

I always liked ROR and think his career is going to waste in Buffalo

No...my hope in this draft at #8 is we end up with a top 6 forward/top 3 D and maybe get lucky and have that guy end up a top line/top pairing player. ROR is the first scenario toward the top of market price with acquisition costs (if you do a "+" on top of the #8). I think we end up with an equivalent player in a year or two on an entry level deal and a decent chance we end up with more.

If you want ROR, call Statsny's agent and offer him ROR's 7.5 a year for 3 or 4 years and you have ROR without the acquisition cost cause I am pretty sure his agent wouldn't let Stunley hang up the phone without a deal being done if you offered that rate. You could also offer Riley Nash a million a year less then Anisimov and add him. Statsny could probably be had for 6.5 (and I think that is outbidding a few teams and maybe even yourself) and Statsny + #8 >>>>>>> ROR at 7.5

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Sure you hope

Or we end up with another Kyle Beach and in a few years look back and say "Man wish we would have traded that for a piece to get a final run out of our aging core"

ROR at only 27 and signed for 5 years would certainly be very nice lnogterm part of team

 

[Hawkaholic]

Would you move 8th overall for Ryan O'Reilly?

With some speculation he is available in Buffalo and the fact he is signed longterm at 7.5M x 5 yrs while only 27 would you be open to moving this pick in a deal for him if it presented itself?

Trade 8th overall+ for ROR and then move Anisimov and his cap hit

Schmaltz-Toews-Debrincat
Saad-ROR-Kane

I always liked ROR and think his career is going to waste in Buffalo

I would think long and hard about it. Probably depends who is still there at #8.

 

[u2wojo]

Sure you hope

Or we end up with another Kyle Beach and in a few years look back and say "Man wish we would have traded that for a piece to get a final run out of our aging core"

ROR at only 27 and signed for 5 years would certainly be very nice lnogterm part of team

And had we scouted a little better, how many Cups would we have had we taken John Carlson or Erik Karlsson instead of Beach and had them on the ELC's as we were winning our first Cup and having to cap purge good players.

Kyle Beach was a reach at the time and our drafting record since that point has produced a steady stream of NHL players out of the first round, almost always picking in the last 10 and not the first 10. The only misses on first round picks since that point were Dylan Olson the next year and then McNeal (in a year we got Danault who turned out a solid NHL'er). We've landed Hayes, Tuevo, Hartman, Schmaltz, Jokiharju, and 2nd rounders DeBrincat and Saad otherwise which is a really good track record of success....again bottom 10 of the first round (or worse).

 

[Blue Liner]

As stated above, Beach was a significant reach where he was selected even at the time it happened. No one being selected at 8 on Friday is going to be a reach. That's not to say they're a sure-thing guarantee, but you're extremely unlikely to have anything close to resembling a Beach situation.

I don't think the ROR is a bad proposal or idea, just speaking to the Beach part of this specifically.

 

[Teemu]

Kyle Beach was a reach at the time and our drafting record since that point has produced a steady stream of NHL players out of the first round, almost always picking in the last 10 and not the first 10. The only misses on first round picks since that point were Dylan Olson the next year and then McNeal (in a year we got Danault who turned out a solid NHL'er). We've landed Hayes, Tuevo, Hartman, Schmaltz, Jokiharju, and 2nd rounders DeBrincat and Saad otherwise which is a really good track record of success....again bottom 10 of the first round (or worse).

Beach was a consensus pick at the time.

The Hockey News 2008 Mock Draft | The Hockey News
Joyce: ESPN.com's 2008 NHL mock draft

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Yeah the spot Beach went in was not considered a reach at time

Only when Beach faltered as a prospect did narrative change to "It was reach"

Beach was considered a boom or bust prospect who would be drafted some point in the 7-13 range

 

[HawksFan37]

Would you move 8th overall for Ryan O'Reilly?

With some speculation he is available in Buffalo and the fact he is signed longterm at 7.5M x 5 yrs while only 27 would you be open to moving this pick in a deal for him if it presented itself?

Trade 8th overall+ for ROR and then move Anisimov and his cap hit

Schmaltz-Toews-Debrincat
Saad-ROR-Kane

I always liked ROR and think his career is going to waste in Buffalo

Not opposed to it. Only thing that gives me pause is that you'd have that #8 pick on an ELC for 3 years and then you can spend the difference in cap hits (approximately $6.5M) elsewhere on the squad. I realize that if you get rid of Anisimov you can mitigate some of that.

I'd love to get ROR as I think he would fit well on this team, but I think I'd try to work out a trade with other assets plus #27 if possible.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I remember most on this board wanted Beach.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Everyone thought he would bring a nice element lacking in team and be good protection for Kane/Toews on LW

Then he turned into Ty Jones 2.0

 

[Blue Liner]

Beach was a consensus pick at the time.

The Hockey News 2008 Mock Draft | The Hockey News
Joyce: ESPN.com's 2008 NHL mock draft

Appreciate the correction. That was before my time when I really paid attention to prospects at all and had always thought he was a reach at the time. Maybe I'm thinking of Skille.

 

[u2wojo]

Beach was a consensus pick at the time.

The Hockey News 2008 Mock Draft | The Hockey News
Joyce: ESPN.com's 2008 NHL mock draft

Those capsules explain exactly why the Hawks should have stayed far far away from Kyle Beach. He was a reach based on gigantic red flags surrounding him not to mention a craptacular season on the ice leading into the draft. While no matter who you draft will always be subject to a portion of the fan base being unhappy (50 beat the should have taken Kopitar over Skille and Turris over Kane war drum before during and after those picks (well....after for a while on Kane)), Beach was the one I remember the fanbase being not overly thrilled over probably the most of any first rounder.

Regardless of consensus or my revisionists memory failing me, there is no way in this draft where we will have a choice of 2 if not 3 of Wahlstrom/Hughes/Boqvist/Tkachuk/Kotkaniemi/Dobson/Bouchard would I give that up for ROR much less add to the #8. You can have ROR (are poor man's top line center or anther man's good second line center) for just money in Statsny. Maybe I am completely misreading the UFA market and what the increase in the cap will do, but I don't see anyone offering Statsny 7.5 (ROR's #) (nor would I advocate the Hawks do that). Pretty sure if you offered 6.5 for 3 or 4 years (and a chance to play between Kane and Schmaltz), that would be Statsny's most compelling offer this Summer. With Toews here as a center for a long time and Schmaltz being more then fine as Kane's center, trading for a center is the least of our needs. If you want to trade #8 for a good young mostly proven D....I'll listen...but who and what their contract status looks like would be major factors.

 

[Teemu]

Powers mentions in his new column that the Hawks expect a run on defenseman leading up to their pick. Probably safe to rule out Hughes and Dobson, and presumably Bouchard.

 

[u2wojo]

Powers mentions in his new column that the Hawks expect a run on defenseman leading up to their pick. Probably safe to rule out Hughes and Dobson, and presumably Bouchard.

Great draft Wahlstrom at 8, sign Moore, DeHann, Cole, or Hickey to give you some LD depth (or trade for Murphy is the rumors of Columbus wanting to keep Cole are true), draft BPA at 27 (center or D if it is close as Wahlstrom, DCat, and maybe Schmaltz (if he ends up pushed to wing by adding a center at some point) give you great young wing depth with Kane not going anywhere soon either). We are pretty stacked at RD in the pipeline which seems to be what the top end of the draft D mostly is (besides Hughes).

I want Wahlstrom or Dobson out of this draft as my 1A and 1B somewhat (hopefully) realistic guys at 8. If they are both gone, Hughes or Tkachuk or Kotaniemi will be a more then adequate consolation prize (at least for me and my preferences).