Draft 2022 NHL Draft and Undrafted Free Agents Thread

[eco's bones]

If we have a season like last year we'll be picking around 25 and if we get to the conference final again or even beyond that somewhere between 29 and 32......and you kind of really want to see that. You don't want to regress.

....and if that's the case things are in play. IMO if there are issues with players taking the next step they are in play too particularly if we've had them for more than a couple years in the organization and they're not on the big team.

 

[Savant]

It’s not wrong on any level.

What if Brad Lambert turns into Sidney Crosby? The six games still worth it? Nonsense. You take the elite player.

So the only “level” on which this could possibly be wrong is if you are saying that the prospect isn’t good enough. I don’t agree.

You are doing hockey wrong.

 

[mas0764]

You are doing hockey wrong.

I’d say the Rangers have been doing hockey wrong for about 80 years now. This buying aging vets thing don’t work.

They should try stockpiling young talent like all the other teams who’ve won Cups the last 15 years.

Your philosophy is outdated 1990s thinking. Young talent wins in today’s league.

 

[Synergy27]

I don’t. It’s an extra 6 games. At the time I wasn’t rooting to lose but in retrospect we absolutely would be better served having a prospect like Lambert and 6 less games of playoff experience.

I think you are underrating the value of an ECF appearance.

I get where you’re coming from. The SC is the ultimate goal. But the thing is damn near impossible to win.

I don’t think you agree, but they really were very close to doing it. One Jacob Trouba penalty while up 2-0 in game 3 vs. TBL completely changed the momentum of that series.

There is absolutely zero guarantee that the young kids we already have are going to develop into the stars we need to win it all. There’s even less of a chance that a kid picked late in the first round becomes a key cog in a championship.

I think there’s a section of the fan base that feels like we have Laf and Kakko and all we need to do is keep stockpiling high picks to win. Making it back to the ECF is going to be a GRIND. It might not happen again for decades. I know it wasn’t winning the SC, but it was a big, rare, fun accomplishment that should be enjoyed on its own merit.

It is highly, highly unlikely that Brad Lambert in 2026 gives this team a better chance to win the Cup than they had last year. My opinion. And I’m a guy that has been praying that this team would tank and pick high for a very long time.

 

[Savant]

I’d say the Rangers have been doing hockey wrong for about 80 years now. This buying aging vets thing don’t work.

They should try stockpiling young talent like all the other teams who’ve won Cups the last 15 years.

Your philosophy is outdated 1990s thinking. Young talent wins in today’s league.

No shit. You are also omitting that the Rangers in fact do have one of the youngest teams in the league this year. Now they have to supplement it. There are teams much worse off than the Rangers.

 

[mas0764]

No shit. You are also omitting that the Rangers in fact do have one of the youngest teams in the league this year. Now they have to supplement it. There are teams much worse off than the Rangers.

I’m not omitting anything. The Rangers still need young high end center prospects. Landing one is more important than an extra six games of playoff experience when you already got 14 games.

 

[OriginalLimbo]

I’d say the Rangers have been doing hockey wrong for about 80 years now. This buying aging vets thing don’t work.

They should try stockpiling young talent like all the other teams who’ve won Cups the last 15 years.

Your philosophy is outdated 1990s thinking. Young talent wins in today’s league.

While that may be true, trading 1rd picks for a shot in playoffs is SOP in the NHL. On any given year, close to half of the top 8 or so teams do it. It’s not a NYR thing. Obviously, it usually doesn’t work, there is only one champion. But I’m sure the last 3 cups winners have no complaints.

 

[NickyFotiu]

While that may be true, trading 1rd picks for a shot in playoffs is SOP in the NHL. On any given year, close to half of the top 8 or so teams do it. It’s not a NYR thing. Obviously, it usually doesn’t work, there is only one champion. But I’m sure the last 3 cups winners have no complaints.

Think Tampa Bay regretted trading 1st round picks for their cup? Did Chicago? As you said it is normal for teams that are close to try to take the next step via trades and free agency. If all teams were suppossed to do is only build through the draft every team would be doing that. Problem is every team gets draft choices but only one can win. 5 of Colorado top 9 scorers were drafted by other teams as was their goalie. All teams try to build a foundation through the draft but winning teams also use trades and free agency to build their teams.

 

[Savant]

I’m not omitting anything. The Rangers still need young high end center prospects. Landing one is more important than an extra six games of playoff experience when you already got 14 games.

You don’t get high end center prospects at 30. The chances of that happening is extremely rare. The Rangers have picked wingers when they were in the position to get a high end center.

You can’t be mad about an “extra 6 games” that could be incredibly important from a team building perspective over the chance that you get a high end center at pick 30. That’s ridiculous.

 

[Mac n Gs]

You don’t get high end center prospects at 30. The chances of that happening is extremely rare. The Rangers have picked wingers when they were in the position to get a high end center.

You can’t be mad about an “extra 6 games” that could be incredibly important from a team building perspective over the chance that you get a high end center at pick 30. That’s ridiculous.

Besides, the Rangers almost certainly weren't going to pick Lambert at 30 and would have more likely taken Owen Beck or Ryan Greene. Plus, the list of players drafted at 30 is a mixed bag as you'd expect with some good players and a bunch of nothing. Even insinuating that there's potential to get a Crosby-like player at 30 is completely ridiculous and just more of the "grass is always greener" mentality when it comes to hoarding prospects. Here's the list of recent 30th overall players over the last 15 years:

Brad Lambert, Zach Dean, Mavrik Bourque, John Beecher, Joe Veleno, Eeli Tolvanen, Sam Steel, Nick Merkley, John Quenneville, Ryan Hartman, Tanner Pearson, Rickard Rakell, Brock Nelson, Simon Depres, and Tom McCollum. I stopped there because the list gets even worse going back further.

 

[Savant]

Besides, the Rangers almost certainly weren't going to pick Lambert at 30 and would have more likely taken Owen Beck or Ryan Greene. Plus, the list of players drafted at 30 is a mixed bag as you'd expect with some good players and a bunch of nothing. Even insinuating that there's potential to get a Crosby-like player at 30 is completely ridiculous and just more of the "grass is always greener" mentality when it comes to hoarding prospects. Here's the list of recent 30th overall players over the last 15 years:

Brad Lambert, Zach Dean, Mavrik Bourque, John Beecher, Joe Veleno, Eeli Tolvanen, Sam Steel, Nick Merkley, John Quenneville, Ryan Hartman, Tanner Pearson, Rickard Rakell, Brock Nelson, Simon Depres, and Tom McCollum. I stopped there because the list gets even worse going back further.

Zero “high end centers”

 

[Synergy27]

This obsession with Lambert is weird. He dropped for a reason. He might become a first liner but what are the odds right now? 50:1?

 

[Mac n Gs]

Zero “high end centers”

Nelson is a pretty good player, but it took him a lot of time to get there, and he has his own warts. It's definitely possible to get a top-6 player at that slot, but like Nelson, they simply take time and patience. You'd have to get ridiculously lucky for someone picked in that range to buck the trend and become high-impact player. The truth is that these picks just aren't as valuable as we think, which is why good, contending teams often have zero issues moving them. Now, when you're moving multiple picks year-after-year like Sather did, then it becomes a major issue, but that's not what we're doing.

The one time where I'd say it's an exception is for next year's draft where there's much more depth than in recent years and you'll have pretty good potential to get an impact player in the 20s. I don't want to move our 2023 first at all unless it's for an obvious upgrade that will be a longer-termed piece.

 

[Savant]

Nelson is a pretty good player, but it took him a lot of time to get there, and he has his own warts. It's definitely possible to get a top-6 player at that slot, but like Nelson, they simply take time and patience. You'd have to get ridiculously lucky for someone picked in that range to buck the trend and become high-impact player. The truth is that these picks just aren't as valuable as we think, which is why good, contending teams often have zero issues moving them. Now, when you're moving multiple picks year-after-year like Sather did, then it becomes a major issue, but that's not what we're doing.

The one time where I'd say it's an exception is for next year's draft where there's much more depth than in recent years and you'll have pretty good potential to get an impact player in the 20s. I don't want to move our 2023 first at all unless it's for an obvious upgrade that will be a longer-termed piece.

Sure. You can get pretty good But odds are low. “High end center” availab were specifically used words as so why the poster would rather have not made the final four. It’s a ridiculous premise.

 

[mas0764]

You don’t get high end center prospects at 30. The chances of that happening is extremely rare. The Rangers have picked wingers when they were in the position to get a high end center.

You can’t be mad about an “extra 6 games” that could be incredibly important from a team building perspective over the chance that you get a high end center at pick 30. That’s ridiculous.

Usually you don’t get a high impact player at 30 but this year I think one fell, hence why I’m upset about it. I would agree the normal 28th or 30th pick is not quite so much to get upset about but this year it was; hence, I would undue it if I could. And there’s nothing ridiculous about that.

What is ridiculous is the constant baseless implication that the extra 6 games of playoff experience we got, after already getting 14, are more important to winning a Cup than an overwhelming talent base.

Teams get experience organically. It doesn’t all have to be in one year and that Tampa series is no more important for their development than the next one they play. It’s better to land a top 6 center all day every day, if you believed one was available.

 

[jerseyjinx94]

The Rangers are going to need to keep their 1sts because all they can afford to do is trade them for rentals or guys who are cheap and signed for term and they need to replenish their prospect pool bc they will have 7 guys signed for like $60M

 

[Savant]

Usually you don’t get a high impact player at 30 but this year I think one fell, hence why I’m upset about it. I would agree the normal 28th or 30th pick is not quite so much to get upset about but this year it was; hence, I would undue it if I could. And there’s nothing ridiculous about that.

What is ridiculous is the constant baseless implication that the extra 6 games of playoff experience we got, after already getting 14, are more important to winning a Cup than an overwhelming talent base.

Teams get experience organically. It doesn’t all have to be in one year and that Tampa series is no more important for their development than the next one they play. It’s better to land a top 6 center all day every day, if you believed one was available.

You are crying over spilled milk and it’s ridiculous. You would need a time machine for this to be defensible. No one believes a top six center would be available at 30 because they generally are not. There was nothing wrong with the logic that the Rangers used. Last years draft was not even considered a good draft and if Lambert was such a slam dunk he would have gone earlier. He is a good player but he has warts. And that’s what you get at 30. A dice roll.

 

[djzbad]

This obsession with Lambert is weird. He dropped for a reason. He might become a first liner but what are the odds right now? 50:1?

A lot of times people just see a guy falling in the draft and romanticize the idea of them becoming a steal while ignoring why they fell in the first place

 

[surlysailor]

A lot of times people just see a guy falling in the draft and romanticize the idea of them becoming a steal while ignoring why they fell in the first place

To me, I think the bigger issue is for whatever reason Drury felt that Buch couldn't have been signed, when he could have. Even if he didn't want to go long term we basically gave up Buch for Blais who can walk next off season. We could've kept Buch for a 1 year deal and let him walk and either added Copp to an even more stacked team or kept the first and draft maybe a middle 6 C in Lambert or someone else they liked. But instead we traded Buch and then ended up having to replace him for a player who fit in well with this team but had less reg season pts and only had 3 more pts in the playoffs but had 8 more games. While also giving up more assets than we received for the better player(imo). It just seems like really bad asset management when you value adding bottom 6 guys over skilled guys. And everyone knew Blais while a good hard nose player always seems to have injury issues. I like what Dru has done in his shrewd moves like Vat, Motte, or Braun but he seems to really get played in trades and for the most part while he adds good players he go way too long on years, which is going to be an issue cap wise. Hell he had to pay a lot just to get rid of a guy he should've signs for 1 year at max, esp with the d prospects this team has that should be NHL ready.

 

[mas0764]

You are crying over spilled milk and it’s ridiculous. You would need a time machine for this to be defensible. No one believes a top six center would be available at 30 because they generally are not. There was nothing wrong with the logic that the Rangers used. Last years draft was not even considered a good draft and if Lambert was such a slam dunk he would have gone earlier. He is a good player but he has warts. And that’s what you get at 30. A dice roll.

The entire thing is obviously a hypothetical. If you don’t like the player that’s fine but I do.

But again, nothing ridiculous about trading 6 extra games of playoff experience if you were getting a top 6 center prospect, in fact, it’s smart.

 

[Savant]

The entire thing is obviously a hypothetical. If you don’t like the player that’s fine but I do.

But again, nothing ridiculous about trading 6 extra games of playoff experience if you were getting a top 6 center prospect, in fact, it’s smart.

I mean if it makes you feel better to keep telling yourself that don’t let me stop you, but let’s not pretend it is common/likely for there to be a top 6 center prospect (bit if a downgrade from “high end center” prospect) to be hanging around at 30. It’s absurd to be talking about that like it’s likely.

 

[UnSandvich]

I was a lot more confident in Raty last year than i was Lambert this year. Something's off about Lambert's game.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I’d say the Rangers have been doing hockey wrong for about 80 years now. This buying aging vets thing don’t work.

They should try stockpiling young talent like all the other teams who’ve won Cups the last 15 years.

Your philosophy is outdated 1990s thinking. Young talent wins in today’s league.

As someone who thoroughly enjoys the draft every year and really would have loved to see us pick in the first round this year, I disagree with your notion that playing 6 games in the ECF is not valuable experience.

Would have been cool to have a guy like Brad Lambert in the org, but are we so sure this team would have drafted him even? Focusing on the player picked is creating a false narrative anyway, and even then there's no guarantee Lambert turns into anything more than a 3rd liner. I will take ECF experience over a late 1st in this stage of the rebuild.

 

[mas0764]

As someone who thoroughly enjoys the draft every year and really would have loved to see us pick in the first round this year, I disagree with your notion that playing 6 games in the ECF is not valuable experience.

Would have been cool to have a guy like Brad Lambert in the org, but are we so sure this team would have drafted him even? Focusing on the player picked is creating a false narrative anyway, and even then there's no guarantee Lambert turns into anything more than a 3rd liner. I will take ECF experience over a late 1st in this stage of the rebuild.

Not that it’s not valuable at all, it’s just not as valuable as getting another high end talent that we happen to need pretty badly. I said earlier that if we are talking about your average 28th pick then this isn’t a big deal but I think Lambert is more like a top 15 who slid, which happens…. Teams get steals sometimes.

I’m highly skeptical of the value of playoff experience as it is presented on this board, usually by people who are favoring a win now at all costs approach. It’s not quantifiable. And given the 14 playoff games of experience we already had, how much more value is it exactly? We see other young teams win Cups without having to experience endless playoff losses first.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Not that it’s not valuable at all, it’s just not as valuable as getting another high end talent that we happen to need pretty badly. I said earlier that if we are talking about your average 28th pick then this isn’t a big deal but I think Lambert is more like a top 15 who slid, which happens…. Teams get steals sometimes.

I’m highly skeptical of the value of playoff experience as it is presented on this board, usually by people who are favoring a win now at all costs approach. It’s not quantifiable. And given the 14 playoff games of experience we already had, how much more value is it exactly? We see other young teams win Cups without having to experience endless playoff losses first.

In 2021, this team needed its 1st round pick. But in 2022, we are trying to transition into a new phase of the rebuild. I think the conditional pick was fine as it isn't a guatanteed 1st rounder going to Winnipeg.

Playoff experience matters, and this team already has high-end talent in the org comparable to what you get 30th overall. I still don't feel we are there yet where we give up guaranteed 1st rounders at the deadline in 2023, but these conditions are fine by me.