GDT: 2023 Caps NHL Draft Thread

[pman25]

I also think Danielson at 12 is very Caps

 

[Hivemind]

There's a ton of WHL guys between 5-20 in the rankings. So the Caps will pick one of them

 

[trick9]

I feel like we will continue to push for a Playoff spot and eventually land in the no-man's land and pick somewhere ~11-13.

If i have to pick who we are picking at that range i'd propably say Andrew Cristall. I would prefer one of the centers but the ones i'd want are most likely gone when we hit the podium.

 

[Langway]

Saw some rumblings from a few guys in the know on Twitter that they’re hearing Michkov could go around 9th or later, reason being a few ownership and management teams are still relunctant to draft Russians in the current geopolitical environment and more pressingly, concern about his contract status with the KHL. 2025-26 is a long way to wait for some of those teams who need help sooner rather than later and some of them think they won’t be employed by the time he comes over if they can’t turn things around.

Do you mean the EliteProspects guy? It's an interesting theory. I've thought MTL would be the floor given that they have another mid-first via FLA. Or DET. But we'll see. The Caps would need to move up most likely and that may be a smart play. At 8/9 the cost to move up from 11 may not be prohibitive.

MIroshnichenko and Michkov joining the team in Ovechkin's final couple years could prove pretty helpful.

 

[Kuz]

Tankwise 1 point vs CBJ was good as 2 points where very close. Ottawa loosing a close one vs Boston. They are looking pretty good and will most likely finish ahead of Caps. The question are Buffalo and Detroit who have looked bad lately. Chicago next and after that the schedule looks hard. 4 games vs Pens, Panthers and Isles who will play hard for the Wild Card spots. Then you have Boston, Jersey, NYR and Tampa. Only team under Caps in the standings after Chicago are Montreal.

Blues have: Detroit, Chicago, Vancouver, Anaheim and Flyers
Sens have: Flyers, CBJ and Buffalo
Detroit have: Blues, Flyers, Montreal and Buffalo
Buffalo have: Detroit, Sens, Montreal, Flyers and CBJ
Vancouver have: Sharks, Chicago*2, Blues, Anaheim and Arizona

All have a lot of the weaker teams left compared to Caps.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Tankwise 1 point vs CBJ was good as 2 points where very close. Ottawa loosing a close one vs Boston. They are looking pretty good and will most likely finish ahead of Caps. The question are Buffalo and Detroit who have looked bad lately. Chicago next and after that the schedule looks hard. 4 games vs Pens, Panthers and Isles who will play hard for the Wild Card spots. Then you have Boston, Jersey, NYR and Tampa. Only team under Caps in the standings after Chicago are Montreal.

Blues have: Detroit, Chicago, Vancouver, Anaheim and Flyers
Sens have: Flyers, CBJ and Buffalo
Detroit have: Blues, Flyers, Montreal and Buffalo
Buffalo have: Detroit, Sens, Montreal, Flyers and CBJ
Vancouver have: Sharks, Chicago*2, Blues, Anaheim and Arizona

All have a lot of the weaker teams left compared to Caps.

They're going to win just enough to pick 13th or 14th. I suspect the pick will be traded anyway for a roster piece unless they can jump into the top three or four, and maybe even then they trade it because the value of that pick becomes pretty high.

 

[Kuz]

They're going to win just enough to pick 13th or 14th. I suspect the pick will be traded anyway for a roster piece unless they can jump into the top three or four, and maybe even then they trade it because the value of that pick becomes pretty high.

Would be a massive return if they traded a top 4 pick. Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson and Michkov are all looking like players that could go 1st in a lot of draft years.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Would be a massive return if they traded a top 4 pick. Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson and Michkov are all looking like players that could go 1st in a lot of draft years.

If they moved from 13 to 3 or 14 to 4 it’s certainly an interesting conversation. Do you shop the pick for a haul that helps the team now or do you keep the pick and look to try and bridge the gap between this current core and the next core? A group of Miro, Carlsson/Fantilli/Michkov, McMike, Lapierre, Suzdalev, Iorio, Chesley, Protas, Fehervary, and maybe Alexeyev and Snively is a decent crop of young guys. You’ve got potentially, a high end 1C in Fantilli or Carlsson, a high end winger in Miro, solid middle six centers in McMike and Lapierre, decent defensive depth on both sides. Outside of this year’s pick and Miro (and maybe Suzdalev) you don’t have a lot of high end talent but they could be worse off.

I think they’ve got to be looking at things in two windows: the next two years with Ovi, Carlson, Backstrom and then the end of Ovi + the new generation. There are different strategies with that pick depending on what you want to optimize. Personally I think if they’re lucky enough to get Fantilli or Carlsson then you keep the pick and are happy knowing you have your future 1C in your back pocket. If the team falters again next year keep stripping it down.

 

[Corby78]

Tankwise 1 point vs CBJ was good as 2 points where very close. Ottawa loosing a close one vs Boston. They are looking pretty good and will most likely finish ahead of Caps. The question are Buffalo and Detroit who have looked bad lately. Chicago next and after that the schedule looks hard. 4 games vs Pens, Panthers and Isles who will play hard for the Wild Card spots. Then you have Boston, Jersey, NYR and Tampa. Only team under Caps in the standings after Chicago are Montreal.

Blues have: Detroit, Chicago, Vancouver, Anaheim and Flyers
Sens have: Flyers, CBJ and Buffalo
Detroit have: Blues, Flyers, Montreal and Buffalo
Buffalo have: Detroit, Sens, Montreal, Flyers and CBJ
Vancouver have: Sharks, Chicago*2, Blues, Anaheim and Arizona

All have a lot of the weaker teams left compared to Caps.

So yer saying there’s a chance

 

[Corby78]

As of mid March, I would need to see a huge hall to trade a top 4 pick. All those guys look like very probable top line guys in the near future, and in the lineup in some manner today. Don’t pass up those guys on the cheap entry contract.

 

[pman25]

We are right there with Buffalo and Ottawa. Kinda bummed if we drop out of the Bedard lotto and pick 13th or whatever. All those tankathon simulations for nothin!

 

[EroCaps]

We are right there with Buffalo and Ottawa. Kinda bummed if we drop out of the Bedard lotto and pick 13th or whatever. All those tankathon simulations for nothin!

I’ve got the Caps jumping up to #1 or #2 in a disproportionate amount of these sims from the 10-11 spot.

They just need to do their part and play the kids.

The draft is due for some shenanigans.

 

[Ridley Simon]

Caps are due for some shenanigans going IN their direction with the draft.

 

[pman25]

Or we could stay put and luck ourselves into a faller like we did Filip Forsberg. Maybe Michkov or a guy like Benson if he for some reason inexplicably falls.

 

[Random schmoe]

I thought this article was interesting. Combining, comparing, top draft prospect lists by Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler, and Bob McKenzie. It's heavier on numbers than analysis, but still worth a read I think for any draftniks.

$$paywall

NHL Draft consensus ranking: Most divisive players, top defensemen and goalies, more

How do the draft lists of Corey Pronman, Scott Wheeler and Bob McKenzie stack up — and what can be learned from the differences?

theathletic.com

 

[usiel]

Chesley needs a stylist this is not working.

 

[Random schmoe]

Kinda reminds me of

 

[Langway]

Western Hockey League

whl.ca

Good stuff from Cristall & Honzek going head-to-head last night.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Kinda reminds me of

View attachment 675049

Not from behind it wouldn’t!

Love you Al! Lol…

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Fantilli scores to send them to OT against Penn St. (ESPN2)

 

[Corby78]

Fantilli scores to send them to OT against Penn St. (ESPN2)

That OT winner was such a filthy wrister.

 

[trick9]

Craig's List: Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson jostle for 2nd behind Connor Bedard in NHL Draft ranking | TSN

Craig Button's list is an interesting one. Once again.

 

[YippieKaey]

Craig's List: Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson jostle for 2nd behind Connor Bedard in NHL Draft ranking | TSN

Craig Button's list is an interesting one. Once again.

View attachment 678428

This makes Leo Carlsson look really good. 35 points in 44 games in a pretty low-scoring SHL is pretty good for a young player and usually scoring a bunch in the SHL as a youngster in the SHL is a good predictor of being a good scorer in the NHL aswell.

 

[AlexBrovechkin8]

Craig's List: Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson jostle for 2nd behind Connor Bedard in NHL Draft ranking | TSN

Craig Button's list is an interesting one. Once again.

View attachment 678428

Reinbacher way too low. And he’s really sticking his neck out for Sale. I guess that’s how it goes, guys like Button have to go against consensus on a few players in order to maintain the illusion of relevance.

 

[pman25]

That Button list doesn’t seem that too far out of consensus. Benson a little low, Sale a little high, but really it’s a matter of like 4 or 5 spots maybe. I really think picks 7 - 25 or so are a crapshoot. Like I could see Honzek, Reinbacher, and Danielson fly up boards.