Pre-Game Talk: 2020 NHL Draft

[Fig]

No I don't think Craig is bad. He's overzealous on some prospects and cares far too much about international play but there are much worse scouts out there. I was just pointing out that usually we draft closely to how he has his rankings set. I don't look too much into it though, with how high Button was on Poehling I was sure we were going to take him in 2017. Ended up super relieved it was Valimaki.

I remember celebrating Liljegren, then pure confusion as to who Valimaki was, then feeling good again when I heard them compare him to Gio.

I don't count my eggs before they hatched

Blame all the GMs if you want but he is the only one that's been here and we are still the same bad team with a bare system. Craig is horrific, Tod is slightly better, not much.

Bad team is quite the exaggeration. Flawed, sure. But on paper, this team is a thousand miles ahead of what we had in 2015 and ownership literally had a playoff mandate. That 2015 team is inferior to the current Ottawa Senators on paper and that team had a playoff mandate from ownership. His rebuild was much more like a retool on the fly. Think about that.

Treliving started his career at a major disadvantage and has done respectably.

We can agree to disagree. I get where you're coming from for the current performance comments, but IMO, the guy should get credit for not being given an easy scenario to navigate.

Its a nice thought but also a huge risk in that if its not "your lap" that a desired piece falls to, with a couple to a few teams picking ahead of and around you, your chosen targets could easily get swooped up before and around you. If those teams, or one of them, are a direct competitor, you could be eating crow and paying for it game in/game out against a rival. I digress though, because drafts can be hit & miss and dissapppointing yo dome more than others do "how the picks fall".

There's risks and rewards either way for trading up or down. This draft is already super weird. I don't envy the scouting staff having to navigate these crazy waters. Trying to just follow it is a headache and a half let alone actually navigating it in a few days with tons of other considerations we probably don't even think of evaluating.

 

[JPeeper]

One more day foo's before Draft Day.

I think with the cap being stagnant, free agency in a week, etc. we see some moves tomorrow unlike last year where we saw dick all.

 

[Body Checker]

Did a mock draft and ended up with Zary and Torgersson with Flames top 2 picks. Not saying that’s who I want them to pick however. May as well do the rest of the picks:

4 - FW Colby Ambrosio
5 - D Lucas Ramberg
6 - D Ryker Evans
7 - D Christian Jimenez

 

[Ace Rimmer]

One more day foo's before Draft Day.

I think with the cap being stagnant, free agency in a week, etc. we see some moves tomorrow unlike last year where we saw dick all.

Tomorrow? What the hell isn't it usually on a Friday?

No sir, I don't like this.

 

[JPeeper]

Tomorrow? What the hell isn't it usually on a Friday?

No sir, I don't like this.

You're going to watch it on Tuesday and you're going to like it.

 

[Flamesfan62]

Oh I agree, and that was my thinking as well (Really wanted Guhle). But Dack & TNorris sold me on the need for a quality top 6 F. And it is true that there will still be a bunch of promising DMen in the 2nd rnd.

Whatever happens I don't want to see a 1 trick pony (skilled, but lazy/big but no skills). Which is why I'm not big on Gunler/Perreault/Peterka/Poirier, or a small offensive Dman. No more passengers, time to build a team that is tough to play against again.
At F I think Mercer/Jarvis/Zary are gone, so I'd like Holloway/Lapierre/Amirov
At D maybe Guhle is there, but if not I'd like Schneider/Wallinder/Barron/Grans

Peterka is very skilled and one of the hardest working players in this draft, his motor never stops. I’m not sure why you put him in the same category as guys who actually fit.

 

[FLAMESFAN]

Peterka is very skilled and one of the hardest working players in this draft, his motor never stops. I’m not sure why you put him in the same category as guys who actually fit.

I'm no scout, and would have paid little attention to him in the couple of games of his televised (WJC). But there were quite a bit of reports of him lacking consistency/having poor compete. Looking today at a few of his most recent write ups it seems he's improved in this area. But I haven't heard anyone say what you just said.

 

[Flamesfan62]

I'm no scout, and would have paid little attention to him in the couple of games of his televised (WJC). But there were quite a bit of reports of him lacking consistency/having poor compete. Looking today at a few of his most recent write ups it seems he's improved in this area. But I haven't heard anyone say what you just said.

It’s literally his write up on Elite Prospects...

 

[FLAMESFAN]

It’s literally his write up on Elite Prospects...

I was surprised to see the motor part on EP, but I still haven't seen anyone say he is one of the hardest working guys in this draft. Read a few other reports on him.
Maybe he doesn't belong with the others mentioned, but there are still defensive flags for sure.

 

[DCDM]

Just doing a bit of reading the last few days and I think that if the Flames do end up using the pick to take a player, I'd be happy with any of the following:

C Hendrix Lapierre
C Connor Zary
C Mavrik Bourque
RW Jacob Perreault

If Jack Quinn were available at 19 (he won't be), I'd take him over all those guys.

No interest in taking a D in the first round. I think this draft is flush with high-end forwards, and plenty of good defenders will be available in the second round and on.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Lapierre is the guy I am hoping for, but I also think he will be gone before then. I think the guy we will end up with is Seth Jarvis.

 

[DCDM]

Lapierre is the guy I am hoping for, but I also think he will be gone before then. I think the guy we will end up with is Seth Jarvis.

I keep reading that Jarvis is more likely to be in the 10-15 range. Do you think he drops to us at 19?

 

[crackdown44]

Wake me up when round 5 is over

 

[InfinityIggy]

I keep reading that Jarvis is more likely to be in the 10-15 range. Do you think he drops to us at 19?

He has a bust name so I feel like the odds are high.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

Lapierre is the guy I am hoping for, but I also think he will be gone before then. I think the guy we will end up with is Seth Jarvis.

I would be SO happy with Jarvis. Don't think he makes it to us though.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

We can’t pick Jarvis. The only thing of value in our prospect pool is undersized wingers.
I think we go with a two way center in Lapierre, Zary or Holloway. Or a D. W is just not a need and I don’t see how people can say Jarvis is clear BPA over those other guys.

 

[Fig]

I like Just A Really Intelligent Systems jokes or Pierre because my bladder is empty jokes.

I have no actual clue who is a better choice to draft if they are both available. I'm actually more curious about UFA and trades than the draft right now.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

We can’t pick Jarvis. The only thing of value in our prospect pool is undersized wingers.
I think we go with a two way center in Lapierre, Zary or Holloway. Or a D. W is just not a need and I don’t see how people can say Jarvis is clear BPA over those other guys.

Matter of your opinion I suppose. We need young offensive players period. Jarvis has the highest offensive ceiling out of those guys except maybe Lapierre, and there's a huge asterisk on that one.

While 5'10" isn't perfect, it's not terrible either, and he still could grow slightly. He's a C/RW, RHS, has insane speed, plays gritty, and top notch offensive toolkit. Nearly all those things we need.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Matter of your opinion I suppose. We need young offensive players period. Jarvis has the highest offensive ceiling out of those guys except maybe Lapierre, and there's a huge asterisk on that one.

I just watched a playoffs where small wingers across the league were pretty much useless.
It’s one thing if you reach for someone who isn’t skilled (Nemisz) but it’s another thing when you pick a Two-way 90 point C

 

[Fig]

I just watched a playoffs where small wingers across the league were pretty much useless.
It’s one thing if you reach for someone who isn’t skilled (Nemisz) but it’s another thing when you pick a Two-way 90 point C

Dube and Mangiapane looked pretty good to me. Wasn't Point good as well?

One of the weird effed up things that's also going on, is that if Janko, Backlund and Bennett must play C to be pretty good and are awful at wing, we need wingers more than C at this point unless it's a bonafide 100% 1C who is superior to Monahan which we likely won't obtain unless we're in the top 10, right?

BPA is the way to go.

If Lapierre and Jarvis is close enough, we can factor in the positional need, size etc. But if there's a big enough gap in skill, BPA, slightly develop, then trade for positional need later on.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

I just watched a playoffs where small wingers across the league were pretty much useless.
It’s one thing if you reach for someone who isn’t skilled (Nemisz) but it’s another thing when you pick a Two-way 90 point C

Brayden Point is 5'10 and was the best player not named Hedman in the playoffs.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Brayden Point is 5'10 and was the best player not named Hedman in the playoffs.

so we use the one example of an undersized forward having success in the playoffs as a justification to add skill to the one place we have skill? Doesn’t make sense to me. Can’t win with a team of smurfs

 

[InfinityIggy]

Maybe it bears reconsidering what we define as an 'undersized' forward. I'd rather have the 5' 10" guy who plays with an edge than the 6' 04" guy who is invisible without the puck...looking at you mark.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

so we use the one example of an undersized forward having success in the playoffs as a justification to add skill to the one place we have skill? Doesn’t make sense to me. Can’t win with a team of smurfs

He's a Center primarily who can also play RW. With a RHS. With elite offensive ability.

Remind me how many of those we have?

 

[Flames Fanatic]

Maybe it bears reconsidering what we define as an 'undersized' forward. I'd rather have the 5' 10" guy who plays with an edge than the 6' 04" guy who is invisible without the puck...looking at you mark.

Or Joe Colborne.

There's adding size and then there is adding ability. If we draft well enough the BPA's, then we have trade chips to move for what we need.