2021 NHL Draft Thread (All draft, lottery, and prospect talk)

[Long Live Lyle]

Edvinsson's just too much of a risk for me. I mean, I'd maybe get it if we were in a situation like Ottawa, where we had two top-5 picks last year and have a really deep pool overall, maybe you take a chance and go for the potentially really big star, but I think we need to hit on this (as best as we can.... obviously all of these prospects, including Power, are a bit of a crapshoot).

 

[Long Live Lyle]

I think (not including Power) my preferred 5 would be (in order):

1. Beniers
2. Eklund
3. Hughes
4. Guenther
5. Clarke

 

[Toe Pick]

Eklund then Johnson for me. I want the highest skill guy we can get who can transport the puck at the top of this draft.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

Why Edvinson

Good puck mover. Has pretty good potential. I think a solid 2nd pairing guy

 

[KJ Dangler]

Why Edvinson

I would go Edvinson simply from fact that Ed is huge , has better agility , better Foote speed , and is already a really good defender . His weakspot is passing the puck, and seemingly panicksa bit . Game will slow down from him .

 

[DarkandStormy]

I’ll be happy with anyone at #5 outside of Edvinsson or Clarke. If it’s Beniers or somehow Eklund I’ll be ecstatic.

It's funny watching these mocks and then hearing people say, "I'd be surprised if ______ is available at #5." Well, only four guys are getting selected before the Jackets pick. One of Beniers/Eklund/Hughes/Clarke/Guenther will be available (if, along with Power, that's your top 6...to say nothing of McTavish or if you're really feeling a center, Kent Johnson). The consensus (or, fairly close to a consensus) is Power and Beniers going 1 /2. After that, every mock draft has 3-5 going in different directions. But two of those top 6 guys will be there at #5 (if I can do math).

 

[majormajor]

Why Edvinson

He might have the highest upside in the whole draft.

Edvinsson's just too much of a risk for me. I mean, I'd maybe get it if we were in a situation like Ottawa, where we had two top-5 picks last year and have a really deep pool overall, maybe you take a chance and go for the potentially really big star, but I think we need to hit on this (as best as we can.... obviously all of these prospects, including Power, are a bit of a crapshoot).

I suppose it depends - if that safe guy you take at #5OA yields you a topliner or a plus 2C or a top pair D-man, then sure. But we don't need to land a second liner or second pair guy with this pick. You can get them elsewhere - later in the draft or via trade or UFA.

And this draft I really don't see that much guaranteed quality. A lot of the safe guys near the top are possibly second line second pair types. Is Eklund going to have a better career than Gus Nyquist? Is Matty Beniers going to be better than David Legwand? Is McTavish a poor man's Horvat? For the record I have all four in my top 5.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

It's funny watching these mocks and then hearing people say, "I'd be surprised if ______ is available at #5." Well, only four guys are getting selected before the Jackets pick. One of Beniers/Eklund/Hughes/Clarke/Guenther will be available (if, along with Power, that's your top 6...to say nothing of McTavish or if you're really feeling a center, Kent Johnson). The consensus (or, fairly close to a consensus) is Power and Beniers going 1 /2. After that, every mock draft has 3-5 going in different directions. But two of those top 6 guys will be there at #5 (if I can do math).

That's why the following was such a brilliant post:

It sort of feels like there’s no way that one of Power, Beniers, Clarke, Hughes, Edvinsson, Guenther or Eklund is still available when we pick at five.

 

[GoJackets1]

1. Beniers
2. Power

3. Eklund
4. Hughes

5. Clarke/McTavish

6. Guenther

Is my order of want.

At this point I assume my top 4 will be the top 4, in whatever order, so we'll be choosing between Clarke, Edvinsson, McTavish and Guenther.

 

[Hello Johnny]

Really started to warm up to Luke Hughes. I think he’s my #1 now from potentially likely candidates.

1. Hughes
2. Clarke
3. Edvinson
4. McTavish

(I’m counting Power, Eklund, and Beniers as unlikely to fall to us.)

I’m also really starting to like Hughes. Excellent skater who seems in control of his game.

I'm starting to sour on Clarke though. Puck skills are through the roof but can he keep pace at the NHL level? I see a guy who might put up good numbers but could need sheltering.

I know I talked some shit on him, but I think Edvinsson has a high ceiling, maybe the highest ceiling of any defenseman in the draft. I'm just not sold that his will translate. High risk high reward.

My top 4 includes Eklund, Power, Beniers, and Hughes. I think it's possible, maybe even likely that Hughes is a better NHLer than Power.

After that I have McTavish at 5, and after that it's going to be a little different from other lists. I'm high on Coronato and Lambos, I have them both in my top 10.

My top 15 in some order:
Eklund
Beniers
Power
Hughes

McTavish

Coronato
Johnson
Sillinger
Lambos
Guenther

Clarke
Edvinsson

Bourgault
Lucius
Pinelli

Really think Coronato is a downright steal after 10. He doesn't have top-end speed or the most size, but I love every other part of his game.

 

[EspenK]

I think picking Edvinsson would be big mistake. I've read enough criticism about him regarding decision making and passing that I just don't think he is worth the risk at 5. The Jackets can't afford to miss on this pick. I want McTavish. I think there is a very good chance it will be Ecklund.

 

[EspenK]

He might have the highest upside in the whole draft.



I suppose it depends - if that safe guy you take at #5OA yields you a topliner or a plus 2C or a top pair D-man, then sure. But we don't need to land a second liner or second pair guy with this pick. You can get them elsewhere - later in the draft or via trade or UFA.

And this draft I really don't see that much guaranteed quality. A lot of the safe guys near the top are possibly second line second pair types. Is Eklund going to have a better career than Gus Nyquist? Is Matty Beniers going to be better than David Legwand? Is McTavish a poor man's Horvat? For the record I have all four in my top 5.

Re Pt 1 He could also be the biggest flop, especially if taken at 5.

Re Pt 2: We need to get a guy who will be one of the guys you say we don't need to get. We haven't drafted this high in years. We can't afford to blow it by swinging for the fences.

 

[LJ7]

I'm just hoping one of Beniers, Eklund or Hughes falls to us.

Power, Edvinsson, and Clarke all concern me. Their weaknesses are too glaring. It very well could be a "defensemen take longer" thing though and I'm missing the point on them.

I also don't really know hockey well enough to grasp what skills can/will improve for players. I basically just order it based on who I think is best right now which is all I'm really capable of as a hockey "analyst". For example I take Clarke's skating problems, Edvinsson's decision making problems, and Power's overall unremarkableness just for what they are rather than things they'll improve on and overcome. An exception is Hughes because when I watch him the potential is too obvious.

Having played basketball and tennis I feel much more confident in my declarations about players I watch in those sports. I can skate but I've never skated with a hockey stick in my hand let alone ever play. I just flat out don't know the process of a hockey players development well enough to project anything so I just double down on what I think of their level of play in the present tense.

 

[Crede777]

I think you have to go with the player you judge to be the best in 3-4 years and then rely on your development/coaching to actually get that out of them.

So in that event, you don't err on the side of caution by picking someone who is NHL-ready now or in a year but has question marks about his upside.

If you recognize the upside in a player but have concerns about your ability to coax that upside out of them, that speaks more to problems with how your coaching and development system is built.

 

[EspenK]

I think you have to go with the player you judge to be the best in 3-4 years and then rely on your development/coaching to actually get that out of them.

So in that event, you don't err on the side of caution by picking someone who is NHL-ready now or in a year but has question marks about his upside.

If you recognize the upside in a player but have concerns about your ability to coax that upside out of them, that speaks more to problems with how your coaching and development system is built.

Historically I'm not sure that is a strong point for the CBJ?

 

[Monk]

Historically I'm not sure that is a strong point for the CBJ?

How much weight do we put on history with the new coaching staff in place now?

 

[LJ7]

This is cool

 

[EDM]

They did the the last time they had 3 first rounders.

 

[LetsGOJackets!!]

How much weight do we put on history with the new coaching staff in place now?

I really hope JD & Jarmo have been pulling the right strings. I can see what they did in St Louis & I see what JD did with the Rangers - not that he gets all the credit but he should get some. The CBJ went down hill as soon as he was gone.. partly due to him taking Bread with him. Look at Tampa: Vas.. Hedman, Sergachov, Stamkos, Kucherov, Point & very good support pieces. Then it takes about 7 years to come together. We have Bjork, Elvis, Zach, Laine.. missing a (Bread, Kucherov, Kane, Point) that can stick handle and create/ missing a Hedman. Does that make Jarmo thirsty for Edvinsson?

 

[Youngguns80]

The reason this has been perceived as a weak draft is majority of the prospects have skating concerns. The only picks with high skating abilities is

1. Owen Power
2. William Eklund
3. Matt Beniers
4. Luke Hughes
5. Simon Edvinson

1. Clark - very average
2. McTavish - average

Of these prospects only Luke Hughes, William Eklund and Simon Edvinson are perceived as elite skaters

I have spent waaayyyy too much time reading, listening and analytics for most of the drafts for the past 20 years but especially this draft. By no means am saying that I know talent or how to judge it.
Just so called experts and their thoughts

 

[majormajor]

Re Pt 1 He could also be the biggest flop, especially if taken at 5.

Re Pt 2: We need to get a guy who will be one of the guys you say we don't need to get. We haven't drafted this high in years. We can't afford to blow it by swinging for the fences.

"We haven't drafted this high in years" would to me point in the opposite direction.

I think if anything the formulation would be "we need to land a player with this rare pick that we can't land through other means". What is a player type that you can't get anywhere else?

Yeah I hope we don't draft a bust, but it's not that satisfying to acquire a second line winger at #5 when we can fill that hole 5 other ways. That to me is almost like blowing the opportunity.

Here's another way to put it: Jarmo's got a pretty good on base percentage throughout the batting order. But he hasn't had a big slugger in a long time. So you better not content yourself with a single when that slugger comes up.

 

[majormajor]

I'm just hoping one of Beniers, Eklund or Hughes falls to us.

Power, Edvinsson, and Clarke all concern me. Their weaknesses are too glaring. It very well could be a "defensemen take longer" thing though and I'm missing the point on them.

I also don't really know hockey well enough to grasp what skills can/will improve for players. I basically just order it based on who I think is best right now which is all I'm really capable of as a hockey "analyst". For example I take Clarke's skating problems, Edvinsson's decision making problems, and Power's overall unremarkableness just for what they are rather than things they'll improve on and overcome. An exception is Hughes because when I watch him the potential is too obvious.

Having played basketball and tennis I feel much more confident in my declarations about players I watch in those sports. I can skate but I've never skated with a hockey stick in my hand let alone ever play. I just flat out don't know the process of a hockey players development well enough to project anything so I just double down on what I think of their level of play in the present tense.

For me, having played isn't that pivotal to how I project player development. Especially when you're looking at awkward 6'5 D-men, that's not something I have any personal experience of. But you do see how they have developed in the NHL in the past and how valuable they are if they finally pop. Hedman was better at 18 than Edvinsson or Power but he wasn't that good. If you had compared Hedman to Tavares in their actual ability at the time of the draft it would have been Tavares >>> Hedman. You have to look at raw tools and make a projection to how they'll look at the NHL level five years from now.

And personally I'll say that Edvinsson has just had a few real stinker games this year that people have perhaps unfairly glommed on to. His overall season has been pretty strong. You watch a different game and his decision making is superb and he looks like the next Hedman. Passing is also one of those skills that is in between in terms of how fixable it is. Poor vision and poor processing is a different matter, I think Edvinsson is fine in those respects, and if he fixes his passing execution then he'll look a lot smarter.

 

[majormajor]

I'll try to get a viewing on a dozen more guys so I can put out a fuller draft list next week. This is my current top 43.

Owen Power

Simon Edvinsson

Matty Beniers

Mason McTavish

William Eklund .

Zach Dean

Brandt Clarke

Dylan Guenther

Luke Hughes

Cole Sillinger .

Fedor Svechkov

Carson Lambos

Scott Morrow

Jesper Wallstedt

Corson Ceulemans .

Simon Robertsson

Logan Stankoven

Brennan Othmann

Matthew Coronato

Sebastian Cossa .

Kent Johnson

Francesco Pinelli

Isak Rosen

Fabian Lysell

Ville Koivunen .

Aleksi Heimosalmi

Colton Dach

Sean Tschigerl

Bryce Montgomery

Cole Huckins .

Tyler Boucher

Danila Klimovich

Andre Gasseau

Zach Ostapchuk

Chaz Lucius .

Zachary L’Heureux

Xavier Bourgault

Aidan Hreschuk

Nikita Chibrikov

Sasha Pastujov .

Zachary Bolduc

M. Samoskevich

William Stromgren

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Crede777]

Historically I'm not sure that is a strong point for the CBJ?

Doesn't change the drafting philosophy. Instead, it should change the coaching and development personnel/philosophy.

 

[koteka]

I'll try to get a viewing on a dozen more guys so I can put out a fuller draft list next week. This is my current top 43.

Some omissions I am curious about. Olausson, Raty, Tuomaala. Haven’t watched enough or watched enough and decided against?