GDT: 2020 NHL Draft Round 1 - 7 PM - NBCSN

[Cheddabombs]

I really like our first round, really like it. Holtz is fantastic, fills a need by being a goal scoring winger but is also so much more than that - his playmaking is really underrated and he thinks the game well. I can't say enough how much I like the Holtz pick.

Mercer isn't a sexy pick but he's the type of guy you need in your lineup and that you can plug in various roles. And with Holtz, Foote, Bratt, Goose, and Palmieri we don't really need Mercer to be that top 6 guy, he can flourish in the middle 6 while chipping in offensively here and there, providing solid all around game.

Big Muk is a high risk, high reward guy. I'll admit I want to read and watch more of him first but from everything I have seen so far, he's a classic case of a guy having a lot of tools but will need to put them together. Good skater, great size, booming shot. Sounds like Gelinas but of course I'd hope he can be better defensively - or at least not look so helpless. I can see the notion of "we should've traded back and we still could've got him!" but also... could we really? There were a few "reaches" around that 20 spot, who's to say another team didn't have him high on their list too? If we did trade back, how far would've been okay to still be fine taking this guy and would those teams even want to trade up? It's a lot of ifs that people like to put on the table as if they're facts but it's impossible for us to know and baseless speculation. If they liked him enough to take him there and not risk missing out on him by trading back then so be it.

 

[Guttersniped]

Stop sticking up for a bad pick. It was a terrible pick given the talent on the board still. Christ on a cross.

There were better defensive prospects in the board still and we go all the way off it for a guy with questionable hockey iq and foot speed

Yes, because if history has taught us anything it’s that the defensemen of each draft class succeed in the order of their selection and/or pre-draft ranking.

 

[Oneiro]

LOL...but it is Jarmo. I remember when he got dragged for reaching for Dubois over Pujiarvi (sp), he certainly got proven right on that one.

With his track record, he doesn't need to explain himself to anyone. I don't know if there is another GM with that level of draft success on his resume.

 

[JrFischer54]

Man the lack of trades does suck.

be prepared for that all “off season”. There isn’t going to be these cap deals people on here love to fantasize over

 

[Blackjack]

Yes, because if history has taught us anything it’s that the defensemen of each draft class succeed in the order of their selection and/or pre-draft ranking.

Yeah, agree with this. Without checking, I feel like defenders that are reaches tend to do much better than forwards who are reaches. Even mid to late 1st round defensemen that aren't reaches miss all the time. Between Muk and Bahl I hope one of them pops and we'll have a really good defender with size to play next to Smith.

 

[Xirik]

Six picks tomorrow:

1-7 Alexander Holtz
1-18 Dawson Mercer
1-20 Shakir Mukhamadullin
3-84
4-99
4-120
5-130
6-161
7-192

at the 84 pick I am hoping that Luke Evangelista, Alexander Nikishin, Yegor Solokov, Martin Chromiak, or Alexander Pashin are there for us and perhaps one of them at the 99th pick.

 

[NJDevs26]

With his track record, he doesn't need to explain himself to anyone. I don't know if there is another GM with that level of draft success on his resume.

There's at least a handful of teams that have a similar rep as a brand name over a long period - Nashville, Tampa, maybe Carolina at this point, you could argue a few others that you know aren't likely to screw up picks. Jarmo probably has as much success going off the board than anyone though, he's like a bad-ball hitter in baseball.

 

[JrFischer54]

Holy shit

its not a bad theory. Say the devils wanted schinder but Rangers snaked them. So the Russian is their next choice but figure ok let’s move down 5 spots and get him. Next thing you know someone takes him in between those spots and now at best your settling for your third choice d man and for what? An extra third round pick? No thanks.

 

[JrFischer54]

Doesn't he know that this was a terrible pick as there were much better players available there by consensus.

didnt everyone bash him for taking dubios ahead of the consensus 3rd pick pujjjjilv however you spell it

 

[ScottyK]

 

[JrFischer54]

This is a fair point, but you can always trade from a position of strength to address a weakness. A first line forward prospect is going to have more value than a second pair D prospect.

That’s true but finding the right trading partner that’s willing to take what you have and give you what you want if they even have what you want is definitely harder then just drafting the guy you want when you can.

 

[RememberTheName]

its not a bad theory. Say the devils wanted schinder but Rangers snaked them. So the Russian is their next choice but figure ok let’s move down 5 spots and get him. Next thing you know someone takes him in between those spots and now at best your settling for your third choice d man and for what? An extra third round pick? No thanks.

I completely agree. I 100% support the philosophy that if the guy you want is there, you do not trade back and risk him getting snagged, you take him with the pick. Like, if you think he deserves to be picked there, then god damn it you better pick him there!!

 

[Blackjack]

its not a bad theory. Say the devils wanted schinder but Rangers snaked them. So the Russian is their next choice but figure ok let’s move down 5 spots and get him. Next thing you know someone takes him in between those spots and now at best your settling for your third choice d man and for what? An extra third round pick? No thanks.

Yeah, I agree. Trading down makes sense when the guy you want disappears before your pick, and you're left with several guys that you don't have a strong preference between. Not if you want a guy but hope you can get him later. If the Devils really wanted Muk, and I think they did (rather than a panic pick after Schneider disappeared), then I have no problem with them taking him here.

 

[Guttersniped]

be prepared for that all “off season”. There isn’t going to be these cap deals people on here love to fantasize over

I disagree and I typically expect nothing. Teams need those deals, they’re scrambling to make them happen. I assume Fitz and others are demanding a big payment simply because they have limited room for a that kind of deal.

It was clear Montreal didn’t want to pay Domi and had to move him, just like DeAngelo and the Rangers. If teams can’t move salary then more buyouts are coming. (The return for Domi was comedy gold, btw.)

People also might also be waiting to see which RFAs don’t get qualifying offers and to see how the opening days of free agency shake out.

 

[Guttersniped]

There's at least a handful of teams that have a similar rep as a brand name over a long period - Nashville, Tampa, maybe Carolina at this point, you could argue a few others that you know aren't likely to screw up picks. Jarmo probably has as much success going off the board than anyone though, he's like a bad-ball hitter in baseball.

The Vladimir Guerrero of NHL drafting, if you will.

 

[devilsblood]

It's not even that the pick was dumb, it's horrendous value management. You like a guy that's basically a borderline second round guy you don't pick him without at least trading back for something else.

What were we trading back for? A third? We've had 7 of those in the last 4 years. I'd rather be sure we get the guy they like.

 

[Blender]

 

[Lou is God]

Keep in mind about the time frame of trading back, if say the Rangers did cock block us and caught us off guard, we have less than 5 minutes to pull a deal off. Not exactly a lot of time though I did see Bettman ask a team if they want to use their timeout.

 

[Emperoreddy]

There just doesn't seem to be enough evidence in how this scouting staff as drafted to suggest they panicked for the Russian.

I think he was just a kid high on their board.

 

[Emperoreddy]

Keep in mind about the time frame of trading back, if say the Rangers did cock block us and caught us off guard, we have less than 5 minutes to pull a deal off. Not exactly a lot of time though I did see Bettman ask a team if they want to use their timeout.

He asked Toronto that. He would have made us forfeit our pick.

 

[Guttersniped]

There’s no Around the League thread open so I don’t know where the wake is for Brenden Dillon resigning with the Capitals.

 

[Blender]

He asked Toronto that. He would have made us forfeit our pick.

We wouldn't have even got bumped to the next pick like you are supposed to, we would have just lost it.

 

[devilsblood]

There just doesn't seem to be enough evidence in how this scouting staff as drafted to suggest they panicked for the Russian.

I think he was just a kid high on their board.

A kid with a good resume, good size, and is off to a hot start.

 

[Emperoreddy]

A kid with a good resume, good size, and is off to a hot start.

In a top men's league. Its not some small feat a teenager is getting good shifts in the KHL.

 

[Tretyak 20]

Seems the Devils miss Pickles more than they let on.

Well, that answers my question of whether or not they can fit "Mukhamadullin" on a jersey...Barely.