2022 NHL Entry Draft - Kraken Edition

[Irie]

A guy moving up the draft boards is Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

If the team somehow keeps on winning and playing themselves out of a top eight pick(or somehow is able to add another one in the 12 - 18 range) this might be the guy to look into.

The National play-by-play broadcasters union would likely file a grievance on behalf of John Forslund for drafting a player with a five syllable last name in the first round....

 

[RainyCityHockey]

I think Lambert may be a another option as winger than Kemell. Another good option could be Yurov or Slafkvosky. If we are picking top-5 I would prefer one of:

Wright
Savoie
Cooley
Nemec
Kemell

5-10 range could be:

Lambert
Slafkvosky
Jiricek
Yurov
Nazar

While I do think the 5-10 range is very decent, picking in the top-5 is really what we need.

Looking at the standings, the teams around us and our recent play I have my doubts we'll be picking in the top five unless we move up.

- no one will out tank Montreal and Arizona
- Buffalo has fallen back to earth and has trouble fielding any goaltender
- New Jersey and Philly can't win games anymore
- and Philly + Chicago are already offering nearly everything to anyone who wants it
- Columbus has fallen off as well and I'd expect them to join Philly and Chicago in selling off assets

Only the Islanders and Sens are actively trying to win games but Ottawa's really young and in a tough division.

So I'd expect us to finish somewhere between 6th - 9th worst.

The National play-by-play broadcasters union would likely file a grievance on behalf of John Forslund for drafting a player with a five syllable last name in the first round....

As a german I'd have some fun with it.

Lekker(allthough spelled Lecker in german) means tasty and adding Mäki to it basically should give him McDonalds commercials for the rest of his life.

 

[Irie]

Looking at the standings, the teams around us and our recent play I have my doubts we'll be picking in the top five unless we move up.

- no one will out tank Montreal and Arizona
- Buffalo has fallen back to earth and has trouble fielding any goaltender
- New Jersey and Philly can't win games anymore
- and Philly + Chicago are already offering nearly everything to anyone who wants it
- Columbus has fallen off as well and I'd expect them to join Philly and Chicago in selling off assets

Only the Islanders and Sens are actively trying to win games but Ottawa's really young and in a tough division.

So I'd expect us to finish somewhere between 6th - 9th worst.



As a german I'd have some fun with it.

Lekker(allthough spelled Lecker in german) means tasty and adding Mäki to it basically should give him McDonalds commercials for the rest of his life.

Buffalo won't be a doormat. I watch all their games and they have a young core that has speed and skill and compete.

Krebs and Tuch have been really impressive since coming over in the Eichel deal as well, and both of their goalies are finally back again. They have two young rookie defensemen in Samuelsson a Fitzgerald playing outstanding, and with their emergence, Buffalo doesn't have to play Miller or Butcher, which makes them a ton tougher to play against defensively.

Unless they have another string of injuries and their goaltending falls off (which is possible), they will compete in most of their games and should climb out of the basement. I am figuring they finish around 8th from the bottom. (If Anderson stays healthy and plays like he has so far this season, they could find themselves catching teams and moving out of the bottom 10)

Philly has too many of their main pieces out for likely the season to turn it around now. I expect them to continue to fall into a bottom 5 finish.

The Devils may bounce back. They have had health issues as well like Buffalo, and their goaltending has been a complete disaster with covid, injuries, and performance. *If* they can stabilize their goaltending situation, I think they are much better than their record indicates, but if they can't find a solution, they will be fighting for a bottom 5 finish as well.

I had Columbus in a bottom 5 position in my pre-season predictions, so it wouldn't surprise me if they sink more, but they have played way above my expectations so far, so I would not bet against them.

All in all I think Seattle could slide up or down the standings, but it is going to be more on how they play than how the other teams play. This is still a team I could see go on 4 or 5 game losing streaks, but I think they are also a team that can win 4 of 5 if they get some puck luck. If they sell Jarnkrok and Blackwell, I think that hurts in the standings but helps with the tank.

 

[Miracle on Ice]

I think Lambert may be a another option as winger than Kemell. Another good option could be Yurov or Slafkvosky. If we are picking top-5 I would prefer one of:

Wright
Savoie
Cooley
Nemec
Kemell

5-10 range could be:

Lambert
Slafkvosky
Jiricek
Yurov
Nazar

While I do think the 5-10 range is very decent, picking in the top-5 is really what we need.

Actually i really like your ''order'' of selections. Lambert play 2 real great game at the WJC with 5 pts in 2 games. But the resultats is not the same in the Liiga. Remind me of a guy like Aatu Raty last year, that will probably be a steal in a few years!

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Actually i really like your ''order'' of selections. Lambert play 2 real great game at the WJC with 5 pts in 2 games. But the resultats is not the same in the Liiga. Remind me of a guy like Aatu Raty last year, that will probably be a steal in a few years!

I have only seen some highlight of Lambert but have read a lot of reports on him. Seems like he has all the tools and also the physical attributes. I am not too worried about his lack of scoring because he is playing against men already and may just need 1-2 more seasons to develop more. Not much different than Yurov or Slafkvosky. The thing that worries me about Lambert is the fact that he keeps changing teams.

 

[GrungeHockey]

I really like Jirichek. Probably not the best pick for the Kraken in terms of positional need, but right now my top 3 are Wright, Savoie, Jirichek.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I really like Jirichek. Probably not the best pick for the Kraken in terms of positional need, but right now my top 3 are Wright, Savoie, Jirichek.

He would be a good pick too but not in the top-5.

 

[GrungeHockey]

He would be a good pick too but not in the top-5.

Probably true. I like him better than Nemec though. Think he is a can't miss NHLer. Wouldn't rank him much lower than 5 or 6.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Probably true. I like him better than Nemec though. Think he is a can't miss NHLer. Wouldn't rank him much lower than 5 or 6.

I'm also torn on both.

I think Nemec is the safer pick while Jiricek just has the higher upside thanks to his offense.

Though, overall I wouldn't mind either of them because we certainly could need a potential top pairing RHD for the future.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Top 5 picks are rarely traded on draft day these days but would you guys consider trading the 3rd overall to Columbus for say the 7th and 10th? Pass on one of Cooley or Savoie for one of Nemec/Jirichek plus Lambert/Nazar/Yurov?

Pass on the potential elite 1C for a top pair RD + top line wing. Elite 1C are extremely coveted but adding 2 top tier players will improve the roster overall. Plus there's a chance you draft top 3 again next year and could get a 1C there.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Top 5 picks are rarely traded on draft day these days but would you guys consider trading the 3rd overall to Columbus for say the 7th and 10th? Pass on one of Cooley or Savoie for one of Nemec/Jirichek plus Lambert/Nazar/Yurov?

Pass on the potential elite 1C for a top pair RD + top line wing. Elite 1C are extremely coveted but adding 2 top tier players will improve the roster overall. Plus there's a chance you draft top 3 again next year and could get a 1C there.

If there's an actual #1 center available you draft him, especially with Beniers maybe not being that kind of a prospect, and figure things out later.

So if you could get Cooley or Wright at #2 you probably don't want to trade down to #7, even if you get #10 as well.
This draft also seems to be pretty deep with defensmen and even RHD.

So if you're the Kraken, who're in need of quality and not quantity, you probably shouldn't entertain that.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

If there's an actual #1 center available you draft him, especially with Beniers maybe not being that kind of a prospect, and figure things out later.

So if you could get Cooley or Wright at #2 you probably don't want to trade down to #7, even if you get #10 as well.
This draft also seems to be pretty deep with defensmen and even RHD.

So if you're the Kraken, who're in need of quality and not quantity, you probably shouldn't entertain that.

Absolutely. I think Beniers was a safe pick. Someone like Kent Johnson (same team) was not. But Johnson has a higher ceiling, more of a 1C than Beniers. Not that I would have picked Johnson over Beniers but just an observation.

That being said, I think a premier 1st line winger is someone who could totally change the way Beniers looks. A winger similar to the level of Panarin, Patrick Kane, etc. can make up for the lack of offense that Beniers contributes. And this is not to say that Beniers does not refine his skillset and turn into a true 1C. He is only 19, has not played a single game at the NHL level so no point in drawing conclusions quite yet ..

This draft does have a few C's available in the top-5 that could be higher upside than Beniers. Wright, Savoie, Cooley, etc. could all fit that bill. Then there is the likes of Kemell, Lambert, etc. who I think could end up being a very impactful wingers. Going BPA is easy for us because we need skilled players in all positions. The only thing I hope is that they are focused more on high-end skill and ceiling than floor and how quick they make it to the NHL.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Absolutely. I think Beniers was a safe pick. Someone like Kent Johnson (same team) was not. But Johnson has a higher ceiling, more of a 1C than Beniers. Not that I would have picked Johnson over Beniers but just an observation.

Not to pad my back too much(well, maybe just a little bit ) I actually mentioned Edvinsson and liked his upside and he now looks like an absolute beast.

Though, I think Beniers will be good for us.

That being said, I think a premier 1st line winger is someone who could totally change the way Beniers looks. A winger similar to the level of Panarin, Patrick Kane, etc. can make up for the lack of offense that Beniers contributes. And this is not to say that Beniers does not refine his skillset and turn into a true 1C. He is only 19, has not played a single game at the NHL level so no point in drawing conclusions quite yet ..

Well, a premier first line scoring winger makes guys look great all the time.

Overall I like Beniers and hope we can see him this season in Seattle, even if it's just for a couple of games.
Though, I don't like to have too high or unrealistic expectations of players and in case of Beniers I'd be really happy if he'd turned out to be a better offensive version of a guy like Bo Horvat.

And if he turns out to be even more than that I'd be ecstatic.

This draft does have a few C's available in the top-5 that could be higher upside than Beniers. Wright, Savoie, Cooley, etc. could all fit that bill. Then there is the likes of Kemell, Lambert, etc. who I think could end up being a very impactful wingers. Going BPA is easy for us because we need skilled players in all positions. The only thing I hope is that they are focused more on high-end skill and ceiling than floor and how quick they make it to the NHL.

Basically this.

I know you don't want to f*** up first round picks as a GM, especially a top 10 or even top 5 pick, but you need game changers and need to be willing to swing for the fences even if this might get you into trouble later on.

I mean GM's who don't hit on those are usually gone really fast as those are the ones everyone's pointing towards if things don't look great.

 

[Dawid In Chains]

Let's assume that Kraken get really lucky and draw the 1st pick, who do you take? IMO Cooley’s speed and how he can be so deceptive, combined with his playmaking and vision makes him in my opinion tied probably even better than Wright. Although Wright is that good defensive 200 foot center teams are looking for, I don’t have a single doubt in my mind Cooley puts up more points in the NHL than Wright and potentially becomes the better player.

 

[GrungeHockey]

Top 5 picks are rarely traded on draft day these days but would you guys consider trading the 3rd overall to Columbus for say the 7th and 10th? Pass on one of Cooley or Savoie for one of Nemec/Jirichek plus Lambert/Nazar/Yurov?

Pass on the potential elite 1C for a top pair RD + top line wing. Elite 1C are extremely coveted but adding 2 top tier players will improve the roster overall. Plus there's a chance you draft top 3 again next year and could get a 1C there.

My answer would be no. First off you're likely not getting Nemec or Jirichek at 7 and 10, and while Yurov intrigues me I'm not sold on Lambert. Too many inconsistencies. Risky pick imo. He could end up being more Alex Nylander than William Nylander (as an illustrative example).
Lastly, Columbus wouldn't make that trade imo.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Not to pad my back too much(well, maybe just a little bit ) I actually mentioned Edvinsson and liked his upside and he now looks like an absolute beast.

Though, I think Beniers will be good for us.

I will admit that I was low on Edvinsson but he has certainly proved me and a lot of other doubters wrong. Looks like a stud.

Well, a premier first line scoring winger makes guys look great all the time.

Overall I like Beniers and hope we can see him this season in Seattle, even if it's just for a couple of games.
Though, I don't like to have too high or unrealistic expectations of players and in case of Beniers I'd be really happy if he'd turned out to be a better offensive version of a guy like Bo Horvat.

And if he turns out to be even more than that I'd be ecstatic.

True about the premier 1st line scoring winger. Those guys can drive their own lines. Beniers may not need a premier scoring winger like that to make him click but maybe one level under. Thinking someone like Marleau (style). Can score goals but is defensively good enough to carry his own weight. Basically Eberle+.

Basically this.

I know you don't want to f*** up first round picks as a GM, especially a top 10 or even top 5 pick, but you need game changers and need to be willing to swing for the fences even if this might get you into trouble later on.

I mean GM's who don't hit on those are usually gone really fast as those are the ones everyone's pointing towards if things don't look great.

Agree whole heartedly about needing game changers on top-10 and top-5 picks.

Regarding the bolded, it is generally true but I think it depends from market to market. Some organizations are focused a lot on playoff revenue and winning 'now' than managing assets. They know if they don't win now .. they won't have the chance to really make much of the picks they make 2-3 years down the line.

Before the Kraken, the organization I used to follow was the Sharks. They had an issue till the last 2-3 seasons where they almost always went for the 'safe' picks. Then they ended up in the unenviable position where players like Jumbo and Patty hit their mid-late 30's and there was absolutely no one in the system to replace them. They were basically a perennial playoff team but at the tail end of Jumbo and Patty's careers they decided to go with trading their 1st round picks for Karlsson (pick ended up being Stutzle and they also got Norris), Evander Kane (we know how the story goes), Martin Jones, etc. The point is that at some point in time GM's need to start investing more in high-end picks and also making sure to keep an eye on the system than have more of a win-now attitude.

Then the attitude of the Sharks changed. Both with the nature of their picks and deciding to preserve the picks than just selling on them. Eklund, Weisblatt, Robins, Gushchin, Merkley, etc. are some of the high ceiling picks they have made in the last few years. Whether they pan out or not remains to be see but atleast they have the chance to turn into those much required game-changers that their team needs.

Ironically, Doug Wilson remained the GM of the Shark through those times. Never got fired. He has also said that they are not going to rebuild. 'Refresh' is the term he used. He may be an exception in the NHL (keeping his job for as long as he has) but even he needed to eventually change the strategy for building his team out. Another thing to keep in mind with being a perennial playoff team is that it is really hard to get high-end talent where you pick (17-32). Kind of emphasizes the important of hitting a home run when you pick top-10 or better. Meier was the last top-10 pick they had when I was a Sharks fan. A lot of us wanted Rantanen because of his ceiling but the Sharks went with Meier. It fit with the narrative since he was more well rounded and game ready than Rantanen. And while Meier is a solid forward, Rantanen is better in my opinion.

For me, the way the players from our 1st 2 drafts (maybe 3) pan out will largely be how I will view Francis down the road. That and how he manages our assets (TDL + off-season) to rebound from the poor season we have had so far.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

My answer would be no. First off you're likely not getting Nemec or Jirichek at 7 and 10, and while Yurov intrigues me I'm not sold on Lambert. Too many inconsistencies. Risky pick imo. He could end up being more Alex Nylander than William Nylander (as an illustrative example).
Lastly, Columbus wouldn't make that trade imo.

Definitely a risk because there is no guarantee this happens. I have my current top-3 as Wright, Savoie and Cooley. My 4-10, in no specific order is:

Nemec
Kemell
Lambert
Jiricek
Slafkvosky
Nazar

If I was guaranteed I would get one of Nemec/Jiricek and one of Lambert/Kemell/Slafkvosky I may make that move but there is absolutely no guarantee that happens. In the end though it really depends how high the organization is on that top-3. For example, if they think anyone behind Wright and Cooley is not worth and players below them are in similar tiers, they may be more than ok making that deal. But if they have, lets say, Cooley in their top-2 and he is available at 3, it may not be something they may want to do.

 

[Silkytentacles]

1.Wright/Cooley
2. lambert/Jiricek
3. Nemec
4. Savoie
5. Slafkovsky

One of these please

 

[HoseEmDown]

So one of my reasonings for bringing up the trade is because people keep talking about how Wright isn't looking like the stud 1st overall type. So it had me thinking about the 2011 draft, where Nugent-Hopkins was the clear cut #1 for awhile but by the time the draft came around there were some doubters. The draft seemed to also have a clear cut top 3, RNH, Larsson and Landeskog, and then 4 through 10 were almost interchangeable as if you look at mocks they are wildly different. Also the top 2 defenseman were RD just like this draft.

So at 3, which is the pick I think Seattle ends up with, would be Huberdeau who is looking the best player from that draft right now. So that wouldn't look good but he wasn't that way from day 1, he took some years to become what he is. At 7 was Scheifele and 10 Brodin. So you pass on an elite wing for a legit 1C and a very good 2/3 D. Seems like a good trade. Say you took Hamilton at 7 and then maybe Couturier is there at 10. 1/2D and a 1C, so again a good trade. I just see the depth in 4 through 10 being very good to where getting 2 of those, if they pan out, would be better than 1 really good player. There really isn't a bad pick in that top 10 either. Larsson didn't become the defensman he was expected but a very good top 4 guy and Strome took awhile to be a good top 6 forward.

Top 10 pick trades don't really happen at the draft so not expecting it. Just would like to see the Kraken add another top talent. Maybe they'll get 1st overall so the choice is a pretty easy one to make even if Wright isn't gonna be the next McDavid or Matthews. Seattle also could be playing themselves out of a top 3 pick if they keep up their form and the goaltending stays the course.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

@HoseEmDown

The problem with that is that the center prospects will most likeley be the ones who're gone after about pick five.

I do agree that Wright doesn't seem to quite fit the level of former players with exceptional status(I think he's more of the Lafreniere level of prospect) but you also have to keep in mind that he hadn't played hockey for at least a full season thanks to Covid and his injury.

That's something which might offset his development but could be regained later on.

I also think that if you got the chance to take him or Cooley, you probably do it but I just don't see us getting a top two pick anyways and I also don't think teams are going to trade two top ten picks for the #2 pick.

Overall I'd be fine with most of the guys currently listed in the top ten, besides maybe Geekie who I think is one of those guys who's there because of his size even though he doesn't really use it and is quite inconsistent overall.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

@HoseEmDown

The problem with that is that the center prospects will most likeley be the ones who're gone after about pick five.

I do agree that Wright doesn't seem to quite fit the level of former players with exceptional status(I think he's more of the Lafreniere level of prospect) but you also have to keep in mind that he hadn't played hockey for at least a full season thanks to Covid and his injury.

That's something which might offset his development but could be regained later on.

I also think that if you got the chance to take him or Cooley, you probably do it but I just don't see us getting a top two pick anyways and I also don't think teams are going to trade two top ten picks for the #2 pick.

Overall I'd be fine with most of the guys currently listed in the top ten, besides maybe Geekie who I think is one of those guys who's there because of his size even though he doesn't really use it and is quite inconsistent overall.

I am worried about Geekie too. Mainly because we have his brother and hope that does not impact our teams decision. I doubt that it does but it is certainly in the back of my mind. I have read about too many 'effort' issues with him and that concerns me. At the same time, it would not surprise me if he turns around with a Kent Johnson like season in his D+1 year.

Things can change very quickly but the based on recent play I expect us drafting 5 or 6. I expect the Sens to keep rising but there is a chance that 2 of the Sabres/Flyers/Devils fall below us. Maybe even all 3 which will have us picking at 6 (minus any lottery movement). I think if we pick beyond 5 then may be worth dropping a few spots (still stay within the top-10) to get whatever additional picks we can get. Moving up in the draft (specially top-10) is generally really costly so if someone makes it worth it, we should do it.

The trade would ofcourse only be made IF none of the players we wanted/ranked in the top-5 are available to us at 6. If anything, we have to trust the work Francis and our scouting team has done. Way early to tell but our first 3 picks in Beniers, Evans and Winterton certainly look good right now.

 

[gstommylee]

depends on where we end up in the first round draft order if Geekie is BPA and everyone else we would wait if off the board, we take him

 

[RainyCityHockey]

depends on where we end up in the first round draft order if Geekie is BPA and everyone else we would wait if off the board, we take him

Unless we fall out of the top ten I don't see Geekie being BPA.

I think a guy like Lekkerimäki might(and should) actually surpass him given how much he rises and how incosistant Geekie's been on the other hand.

But we'll see and there's a lot of time left for prospects to rise and fall in this upcoming draft.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Unless we fall out of the top ten I don't see Geekie being BPA.

I think a guy like Lekkerimäki might(and should) actually surpass him given how much he rises and how incosistant Geekie's been on the other hand.

But we'll see and there's a lot of time left for prospects to rise and fall in this upcoming draft.

So I am just thinking out loud here but:

- I think the team definitely focuses on work ethic when targeting players. Specially from NA. Geekie is definitely not such a player.
- I just get the feeling that a lot of our scouting is focused heavily on NA skaters. I hope that we don't overlook players like Kemell, Nemec, Lambert, etc. just because they are EU players.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Solid article by Ryan S. Clarke of the Athletic talking to Kraken head of amateur scouting Robert Kron.