GDT: 2021 NHL Draft Thread - Part II

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

I mean, I hope you're right, but saying he's 150 is misleading. He's the 150th NA skater, that counts zero European players. Even if you assume that there are only half as many Euros in front of him, that puts him in the 7th round (actually top of the 8th round). It's not really fair to judge where a player is drafted on a metric like that entirely, but he's an eyebrow raiser, especially with the personal connection.

Hockey News had him outside the rankings, but with a special mention at the end under boom or bust.

For that matter, Draft Pro had Wyatt Johnson in their Boom or Bust category as well. At least they are doing what most of seem to implore them to do - swing for the fences, mostly on talent.

So, some experts think we will get 2, 3, or maybe even 4 prospects out of this draft, but none will be top end. Not a bad draft, I guess, but we need more 2017 types where we get 3 impact players, not more middle six forwards. On average, we are lucky if we get two decent players per draft, and while fans get all excited, in the end, I don't see much there that will raise the average a lot.

 

[David Castillo]

I assume that's just a style comparison and not a talent one for Lucius. I would think, considering how weak this draft is for high end players, that if anyone thought Lucius turning into Corey Perry was likely, he'd go top 3 guaranteed.

For sure. That's why I hate comparables. How many players can you list who can fit into a top 9/top four role that are 'exactly' alike? To the extent that there are similarities, you can fit them into archetypes I guess. In that sense, I think the Perry comparison is apt. Lucuis has elite hands, deceptive and creative puck movement, and a great shot. It's funny to talk about Perry like this since he went 28th overall. I feel like this is actually kind of pattern: elite scorers that go later than expected based on perceived flaws - Pastrnak/Robertson/Perry's skating, Hoglander/DeBrincat/Caufield's size, etc. I still think Dallas will regret taking Johnston in a vacuum, but the overall value can't be denied. Johnston, Stankoven, Grushnikov, and Martino will absolutely be regulars IMO.