Very nice, what was Kaliyev up to tonight?
I don't mind Kaliyev as a prospect. He'll certainly score a lot of goals at the pro level - maybe even in the NHL. I'm really glad the Sens didn't pick him though. It will be hard for him to do more good than harm for his NHL team. Not impossible though - I could foresee a situation if he ends up on a really good team, where he could be sheltered on a good second or third line and feast on average competition. And then of course he's one of the most dangerous powerplay players from the 2019 draft. But at even strength you have to be able to get out of your own zone and make plays through the neutral zone in order to score at the NHL level. Kaliyev will be a significant negative corsi influencer if he makes it to the Show, and will have to be used very smartly by his coach. Again, I don't hate the prospect, and think he could very well end up a useful NHL player if developed and used properly, but I'm happy the Sens didn't pick him at 32.
On the flip side, Pinto wasn't exactly my first choice for the 32nd pick either. Personally I was hoping for Kochetkov, Höglander, Korzcak, or maybe even Bobby Brink. But I wasn't disappointed with the pick. Pinto was a monster on the boards and in front of the net at the USHL level, which is a good sign for NHL translatability. Good skater, excellent shot. Really smart, hard-working and versatile. Much more likely than Kaliyev to be a valuable NHL player - ceilling is a guy who can play center or wing, anywhere throughout the top nine (second or third line on a good team), and be a regular on the PK. Maybe he could play the net-front on the PP, but probably only on a second unit, or a top unit on a bad team.
Maybe Kaliyev turns into Mike Hoffman and I eat my words, but I think a more likely best-case scenario is Bobby Ryan. A player who's really good on the powerplay, and can be effective 5on5, but spends too much time in his own zone and is best suited on a secondary scoring line. And I think even more likely than that, he will be a really good player in Europe or the AHL.