2020 Entry Draft Thread

[DramaticGloveSave]

Man, I’m pretty tempted to tank for Laf this year. He’d just be an absolute dream.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Man, I’m pretty tempted to tank for Laf this year. He’d just be an absolute dream.

There's also literally no draw back to this plan. Who f***ing cares if we end up drafting 5th. I can think of more than 5 guys I would endure a shit season for already.

 

[DramaticGloveSave]

There's also literally no draw back to this plan. Who ****ing cares if we end up drafting 5th. I can think of more than 5 guys I would endure a **** season for already.

Considering the draft is in Montreal... and that we swung and missed at Duchene and Aho, I think it could be the plan. You can “rest” Price and Weber heavily down the stretch too without raising any eyebrows.

Laf to me would just be the absolute cherry on top of an amazing prospect pool- but agree it looks like a great draft.

This is the last year of it though. If we do tank this season, next year better enter win now mode.

 

[NotProkofievian]

Considering the draft is in Montreal... and that we swung and missed at Duchene and Aho, I think it could be the plan. You can “rest” Price and Weber heavily down the stretch too without raising any eyebrows.

Laf to me would just be the absolute cherry on top of an amazing prospect pool- but agree it looks like a great draft.

This is the last year of it though. If we do tank this season, next year better enter win now mode.

If we get Laf, everything changes. Arguably Raymond, too. Holtz, Lundell, Byfield all have the potential to be this kind of a game changer for us as well, but we'll see how their seasons develop. But for now those are my top two guys.

 

[montreal]

Probably not. When’s the last time a 1st overall was traded?

Might not have to be 1st OA, depending on the seasons Holloway, Lundell, Byfield, etc.. have.

It seems to me it’s more likely if we’re not making the playoffs we’ll probably slide to the bottom of the standings. The two years we drafted 3rd overall we were way worse then any rational evaluation of the Habs would lead us to believe. I choose to have faith that if we aren’t doing well the boys will coast big time. I don’t think the fans will want or expect the guys to bring it every might if we are certain to miss the playoffs.

I would bet everything I own that wouldn't happen, don't see Price, Weber, Domi, Gallagher, etc.. taking it easy. Now key injuries could happen to anyone of course, but it would likely take some really bad ones to end up anywhere near as bad as the sens, kings, wings, etc...

Outside of the lotto I'd be very surprised if we were in the bottom 7 or 8.

 

[Frozenice]

Might not have to be 1st OA, depending on the seasons Holloway, Lundell, Byfield, etc.. have.



I would bet everything I own that wouldn't happen, don't see Price, Weber, Domi, Gallagher, etc.. taking it easy. Now key injuries could happen to anyone of course, but it would likely take some really bad ones to end up anywhere near as bad as the sens, kings, wings, etc...

Outside of the lotto I'd be very surprised if we were in the bottom 7 or 8.

I could see us being in 5th - 8th range with a couple of injuries (maybe 1 star player and a couple of middle of team players). I could see us end up being in the 11th - 12th range even if we are being relatively healthy and playing well.

Look at the standings last year, each place from the 20th team, the Blackhawks to the 26th team, the Rangers were separated by a single point. Finishing in the bottom 3 or 4 places will be hard for us to accomplish but the other spots are easily doable.

 

[WeThreeKings]

I can see the Kings being better than us.. Quick, Kopitar, Doughty is still better than anything we can roll out as a top 3. Now, there is depth issues there, for sure.. but it doesn't take much to swing a game when the top talent is firing.

Obviously, we'll never be as bad as the Sens or Wings.. but realistically, on paper, we should finish bottom 3 in our division so long as Buffalo and Florida don't find a way to suck when they are better on paper... again.

 

[Fozz]

Not happening kids. Stop dreaming.

 

[S Bah]

If we get Laf, everything changes. Arguably Raymond, too. Holtz, Lundell, Byfield all have the potential to be this kind of a game changer for us as well, but we'll see how their seasons develop. But for now those are my top two guys.

Habs haven't had a #1 OV pick since 1980 when they selected Doug Wickenheiser, before that it was 1970-71 Entry Draft & Guy Lafleur as the #1 OV & French Canadian. The fans in Montreal will explode if Bergevin somehow trades up to draft Alex Lafreniere, finally getting the best Francophone.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I can see the Kings being better than us.. Quick, Kopitar, Doughty is still better than anything we can roll out as a top 3. Now, there is depth issues there, for sure.. but it doesn't take much to swing a game when the top talent is firing.

Obviously, we'll never be as bad as the Sens or Wings.. but realistically, on paper, we should finish bottom 3 in our division so long as Buffalo and Florida don't find a way to suck when they are better on paper... again.

yeah i'll never put it past Buff and FLA to just straight up suck. amazing how these two teams have consistently missed the playoffs and somehow can't draft themselves a winner or even a mediocre team.

I'll put my tin foil hat on and say that MB's going to get Lafreniere one way or another. He's more or less standed pat, the draft's in MTL the year where the most highly touted French prospect in a very long time just happens to be available.

Lafreniere needs to be the goal. But even a top 5-6 pick looks like a solid consolation prize.

 

[montreal]

I could see us being in 5th - 8th range with a couple of injuries (maybe 1 star player and a couple of middle of team players). I could see us end up being in the 11th - 12th range even if we are being relatively healthy and playing well.

Look at the standings last year, each place from the 20th team, the Blackhawks to the 26th team, the Rangers were separated by a single point. Finishing in the bottom 3 or 4 places will be hard for us to accomplish but the other spots are easily doable.

and if the Habs had a half way decent backup last year they are easily in the playoffs, so to think they will fall far in the standings seems crazy to me. Granted you just never know from one season to the next what teams will click, which ones will get the injury bug where it stings the most, what teams surprise out of left field. I don't see the Habs making the playoffs, could happen but I wouldn't bet on it and I don't see them getting a top 5 pick outside the lotto, could happen but I wouldn't bet on it either. Last year I had us coming in between 9 and 12 so I'll just go with that again. Of course another Price injury and all bets are off as we have seen that story play out already.

I can see the Kings being better than us.. Quick, Kopitar, Doughty is still better than anything we can roll out as a top 3. Now, there is depth issues there, for sure.. but it doesn't take much to swing a game when the top talent is firing.

Obviously, we'll never be as bad as the Sens or Wings.. but realistically, on paper, we should finish bottom 3 in our division so long as Buffalo and Florida don't find a way to suck when they are better on paper... again.

I don't follow the kings but one look at that blueline and how they struggled so badly to produce offense, I don't see them beating us out. I don't think Quick, Doughty, Kopitar is all that much better then Price, Domi, Weber, but look at the rest of their lineup, they have old man Brown and that's about it. The rest of them were 30ish pt players. That's terrible. If Shaw played a few more games and Petry had 4 more pts they would of had 7 players with 50 or more pts. The Kings had 2 unless Doughty gets 5 more pts.

Now you have a full season of Weber, Domi, Gallagher, Tatar should all be around the same, maybe Tatar falls off a little. I suspect Petry's numbers will dip back to more normal levels maybe in the mid 30's. We don't know what Kotka will do in year 2. Drouin has to know if he wants to stay here he's got to be better so we'll see what he does. Can Leks go without a long slump this year? Do any rookies step up like Poehling, Brook, Suzuki?

I would be shocked if LA is better then us, or pre lotto we are sitting top 5 or so, just sounds like a pipe dream.

 

[Frozenice]

and if the Habs had a half way decent backup last year they are easily in the playoffs, so to think they will fall far in the standings seems crazy to me. Granted you just never know from one season to the next what teams will click, which ones will get the injury bug where it stings the most, what teams surprise out of left field. I don't see the Habs making the playoffs, could happen but I wouldn't bet on it and I don't see them getting a top 5 pick outside the lotto, could happen but I wouldn't bet on it either. Last year I had us coming in between 9 and 12 so I'll just go with that again. Of course another Price injury and all bets are off as we have seen that story play out already.



I don't follow the kings but one look at that blueline and how they struggled so badly to produce offense, I don't see them beating us out. I don't think Quick, Doughty, Kopitar is all that much better then Price, Domi, Weber, but look at the rest of their lineup, they have old man Brown and that's about it. The rest of them were 30ish pt players. That's terrible. If Shaw played a few more games and Petry had 4 more pts they would of had 7 players with 50 or more pts. The Kings had 2 unless Doughty gets 5 more pts.

Now you have a full season of Weber, Domi, Gallagher, Tatar should all be around the same, maybe Tatar falls off a little. I suspect Petry's numbers will dip back to more normal levels maybe in the mid 30's. We don't know what Kotka will do in year 2. Drouin has to know if he wants to stay here he's got to be better so we'll see what he does. Can Leks go without a long slump this year? Do any rookies step up like Poehling, Brook, Suzuki?

I would be shocked if LA is better then us, or pre lotto we are sitting top 5 or so, just sounds like a pipe dream.

I have a similar mindset to you in regards to the Habs last year and this year. Where I disagree with you is the effect of other teams doing well in our division and conference. I think other teams are going to push us out if the playoffs and then we’ll slide a bit further down the standings from there.

Maybe I should rephrase my thinking on the Habs. I think the Habs get a boost from having passionate and knowledgeable fans in the stands and in the city and this helps them be a better team then they actually are, relative to other teams. When the team is out of the playoff race this benefit disappears and they become a more ordinary team and this will be the process that lets them slide down the standings.

 

[montreal]

I have a similar mindset to you in regards to the Habs last year and this year. Where I disagree with you is the effect of other teams doing well in our division and conference. I think other teams are going to push us out if the playoffs and then we’ll slide a bit further down the standings from there.

Maybe I should rephrase my thinking on the Habs. I think the Habs get a boost from having passionate and knowledgeable fans in the stands and in the city and this helps them be a better team then they actually are, relative to other teams. When the team is out of the playoff race this benefit disappears and they become a more ordinary team and this will be the process that lets them slide down the standings.

I don't buy that at all, talent, hard work, luck, not having key injuries, coaching, etc.. these are why you win games, not passionate fans that if they aren't as passionate they will slide down the standings.

 

[Frozenice]

I don't buy that at all, talent, hard work, luck, not having key injuries, coaching, etc.. these are why you win games, not passionate fans that if they aren't as passionate they will slide down the standings.

I do. It might not make a huge difference but over the course of a season it adds up to a few places in the standings.

As an example, there’s no way Hab fans would tolerate the garbage that went on for the last decade in places like Carolina, Florida or even Buffalo. There’s an accountability that happens game in and game out and even play by play. It’s a tough market to play in, a lot of players leave because they’re done, emotionally, mentally and physically.

 

[The Great Weal]

Byfield-Kotkaniemi-Poehling-Olofsson

 

[LastWordArmy]

Our Early Look at the Top 15

2020 NHL Draft - An Early Look and Rankings - Last Word on Hockey

 

[NotProkofievian]

Byfield-Kotkaniemi-Poehling-Olofsson

Lafrenière - Kotkaniemi - Caufield

 

[Yoshidas Island]

Lafrenière - Kotkaniemi - Caufield

That's the 2nd line.
Tatar-Danault-Gallagher should be the first

 

[Intangir]

Laf would be awesome but we're not getting him as we won't suck enough to qualify. Ottawa as a franchise will soldier on and tank through all obstacles to eventually stumble their way into a game-changing player.

 

[NotProkofievian]

That's the 2nd line.
Tatar-Danault-Gallagher should be the first

Lol.

 

[Andrei79]

Our Early Look at the Top 15

2020 NHL Draft - An Early Look and Rankings - Last Word on Hockey

What a stacked class again. Lundell at 5 lol, we dont even need to a actually win the lottery this year.

 

[NotProkofievian]

What a stacked class again. Lundell at 5 lol, we dont even need to a actually win the lottery this year.

Yep, let's tank. No regretti we can always draft Cole Perfetti.

 

[Andrei79]

Yep, let's tank. No regretti we can always draft Cole Perfetti.

En derniere pour Lafreniere.
Jouons comme des cons pour Raymond.
Play like a doltz for Holtz (a variation from #2).
Yield for Byfield
Chies-en une belle pour Lundell.

I like this draft.

 

[montreal]

I do. It might not make a huge difference but over the course of a season it adds up to a few places in the standings.

As an example, there’s no way Hab fans would tolerate the garbage that went on for the last decade in places like Carolina, Florida or even Buffalo. There’s an accountability that happens game in and game out and even play by play. It’s a tough market to play in, a lot of players leave because they’re done, emotionally, mentally and physically.

don't really agree but I'd need to see the attendance records in the late '90's. Seems like the bell center sells no matter what, we just had in the previous season where we failed to win at least 30 games. That's only happened 1 other time since the '60's and in was during those dark years of the late '90's/early '00's. You really think if they didn't rebound this year that the fans wouldn't be there, buying tickets, overpriced crappy beer, etc..

Look at how long it's been since this team was a cup contender, let alone actually in the finals, yet in all that time what's changed? The owners a couple times, 5 or 6 GM's, 5 head coaches hired since '97 with 2 repeats. Yet the results are the same, miss the playoffs, make the playoffs and out in round 1 or 2 90% of the time. Have they ever had attendance problems over that span? I'm asking cause I don't feel like looking it up and it's not something I ever pay attention to but it just seems like they always sell well over the last 30 years despite very little results.

Where I do agree is that it's a very tough market but not for that reason, but because the media are nuts and the fan base is so bi-polar.

 

[Yoshidas Island]

En derniere pour Lafreniere.
Jouons comme des cons pour Raymond.
Play like a doltz for Holtz (a variation from #2).
Yield for Byfield
Chies-en une belle pour Lundell.

I like this draft.

1C McCarron for Justin Barron