2024 NHL Draft Thread (CBJ to pick 4th)

[koteka]

I agree in general with the principle of BPA or most valuable player available. You can always trade prospects if the roster is not adding up. Having said that, in the range that Columbus will probably be picking, it seems like it's very close between the different players. In that case, position can very well be a deciding factor beyond what you alluded to.

When have we traded prospects because of an over abundance of one position and a deficit at another? We have had too many wings for a few seasons and nobody that can play defense. We stood pat. Nobody wants to trade away a guy who will be a star elsewhere so the prospect trade market is largely reclamation projects. Rarely do you see a Jones - RyJo type trade, which is why it was such a big deal.

 

[majormajor]

I agree in general with the principle of BPA or most valuable player available. You can always trade prospects if the roster is not adding up. Having said that, in the range that Columbus will probably be picking, it seems like it's very close between the different players. In that case, position can very well be a deciding factor beyond what you alluded to.

I'm not averse to using position to break a tie, if there is one, but I genuinely don't think we have more of a center issue than D issue. It's not that clear to me which need is bigger.

And then you have Cayden Lindstrom who is a 6'5 power forward, also a very rare piece. It's not clear that he's going to be a center, but I don't think it matters because of how rare and important that type of player is. You shouldn't pass on him on the grounds that "we don't need wingers".

About the only thing I can conclude from team need discussions is that we don't really need more one dimensional type wingers like Cole Eiserman. But that's one player out of the top twelve.

What we really need on defense is a couple of Savard types. I am drafting center first then several defensemen. I’ll trade up if I need to. We have an early 2nd and two thirds, and that is before any trades. This is a defense oriented draft. Now if we fall out of the first five picks, I might grab defense. But we should be able to get a center like Lindstrom and then get a couple of defensemen like Emery and Gill.

I don't know anything about the D after the top 7 or 8 D on the board. I'll say though that the top group of Dickinson, Yakemchuk, Silayev, Parekh, Buium, and Levshunov are possibly the best top group of D I can recall in a draft. Really impressive. You won't get one of them later.

If you want an elite stopper then Silayev might be a good choice.

What do you do if we're picking 4-6 and Demidov and Lindstrom are off the board? I'd be itching to take one of those D.

 

[koteka]

What do you do if we're picking 4-6 and Demidov and Lindstrom are off the board? I'd be itching to take one of those D.

This is where I might be for the Jackets without a major shakeup:

Celebrini
Lindstrom
listen to trade offers
Catton
listen to trade offers
Silayev
Levshunov

As talented as he is we can’t come away with Demidov because we have too much invested in wings. I’d be trying to do something like Owen Power or Jake Sanderson for the pick to take Demidov.

People act like we have solved the center problem but I think it is way to early to assume that.

Demidov for Power would make Buffalo just crazy with talent, but it accelerates our back end rebuild by a few years.

eta - I need to know way more about Catton, Helenius, etc. so this is still kind of rough.

 

[majormajor]

This is where I might be for the Jackets without a major shakeup:

Celebrini
Lindstrom
listen to trade offers
Catton
listen to trade offers
Silayev
Levshunov

As talented as he is we can’t come away with Demidov because we have too much invested in wings. I’d be trying to do something like Owen Power or Jake Sanderson for the pick to take Demidov.

People act like we have solved the center problem but I think it is way to early to assume that.

Demidov for Power would make Buffalo just crazy with talent, but it accelerates our back end rebuild by a few years.

eta - I need to know way more about Catton, Helenius, etc. so this is still kind of rough.

We don't know if Demidov is a center or not. He could be a 1C.

It's too early to say center is solved (though it might be) but also too early to say that defense is solved. I still haven't heard why one is put before the other.

I think it just hurts drafting to overthink needs too much.

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

When have we traded prospects because of an over abundance of one position and a deficit at another? We have had too many wings for a few seasons and nobody that can play defense. We stood pat. Nobody wants to trade away a guy who will be a star elsewhere so the prospect trade market is largely reclamation projects. Rarely do you see a Jones - RyJo type trade, which is why it was such a big deal.

I never said anything about what the Jackets have done historically. I was talking about what you can do.

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

I'm not averse to using position to break a tie, if there is one, but I genuinely don't think we have more of a center issue than D issue. It's not that clear to me which need is bigger.

And then you have Cayden Lindstrom who is a 6'5 power forward, also a very rare piece. It's not clear that he's going to be a center, but I don't think it matters because of how rare and important that type of player is. You shouldn't pass on him on the grounds that "we don't need wingers".

About the only thing I can conclude from team need discussions is that we don't really need more one dimensional type wingers like Cole Eiserman. But that's one player out of the top twelve.

I agree with you. I didn't mean that. Maybe I lost track of my own point. Looking ahead, those are the holes in a future Cup-competing core as I see them. I believe they need to fill those holes sooner rather than later. They can't fill both with one draft pick. Since I think both those type of players are available in this draft and seem to be ranked similarly, consideration of what position they play comes in for me personally, it's something that makes a player more valuable to Columbus.

Your point is that I or Columbus could be wrong about their projection and should be aware of that. No arguments there.

For example, Buium is my favourite D this draft. I will not complain if they draft him at all. But then I do think trades will be needed to get them the last pieces of the puzzle. Similarly, I will not be upset if they don't draft him, because what the hell do I know, really?

 

[majormajor]

I agree with you. I didn't mean that. Maybe I lost track of my own point. Looking ahead, those are the holes in a future Cup-competing core as I see them. I believe they need to fill those holes sooner rather than later. They can't fill both with one draft pick. Since I think both those type of players are available in this draft and seem to be ranked similarly, consideration of what position they play comes in for me personally, it's something that makes a player more valuable to Columbus.

Your point is that I or Columbus could be wrong about their projection and should be aware of that. No arguments there.

For example, Buium is my favourite D this draft. I will not complain if they draft him at all. But then I do think trades will be needed to get them the last pieces of the puzzle.

Teams are obviously built a lot of different ways. Colorado and Vegas for example have only a few players that they drafted. What's the stat with the Panthers, it's only Barkov and Lundell that they drafted?

I say we take the most valuable player. If they think a winger is the next Pastrnak, take him.

 

[EspenK]

Teams are obviously built a lot of different ways. Colorado and Vegas for example have only a few players that they drafted. What's the stat with the Panthers, it's only Barkov and Lundell that they drafted?

I say we take the most valuable player. If they think a winger is the next Pastrnak, take him.

Hell, we didn't even think Pastrnak was the first Pastrnak...

 

[koteka]

If we draft an elite winger we need to trade out some wingers. If Johnny Hockey and Laine are untradeable, it means trading the Russians and/or KJ while they are on cheap contracts and have lots of value.

 

[Napoli]

I need to watch more of the D but I really hope they take Catton. This team still needs centers and he's going to be really good.

 

[CBJx614]

If we draft an elite winger we need to trade out some wingers. If Johnny Hockey and Laine are untradeable, it means trading the Russians and/or KJ while they are on cheap contracts and have lots of value.

If we draft a winger this draft, it's possible, even likely that Laine could be gone before said player even plays a NHL game. You don't trade away NHL players because you just drafted a new prospect, you make a trade when that player forces their way into the lineup.

 

[Cheddarcheese]

This is where I might be for the Jackets without a major shakeup:

Celebrini
Lindstrom
listen to trade offers
Catton
listen to trade offers
Silayev
Levshunov

As talented as he is we can’t come away with Demidov because we have too much invested in wings. I’d be trying to do something like Owen Power or Jake Sanderson for the pick to take Demidov.

People act like we have solved the center problem but I think it is way to early to assume that.

Demidov for Power would make Buffalo just crazy with talent, but it accelerates our back end rebuild by a few years.

eta - I need to know way more about Catton, Helenius, etc. so this is still kind of rough.

powers isn't good. buffalo made that trade last night because powers is a bust

 

[squashmaple]

powers isn't good. buffalo made that trade last night because powers is a bust

His name is Power. Like electricity. And you're 100% wrong about that assertion. It's time to stop screaming "bust" about any player who isn't instantly Connor McDavid after being drafted, especially a 6'6" defenseman whose body still isn't even finished growing. He's a month younger than KJ, are we labeling him a bust too? Not even to mention that Byram is a huge risk thanks to his concussion history. He's a bigger bust risk than Power by far--after all, he was a fourth overall who hasn't exactly lived up to that draft position.

 

[koteka]

powers isn't good. buffalo made that trade last night because powers is a bust

He is 21. He is averaging 23 minutes per night and is a career +15 on a team that hasn’t made the playoffs. He is on the second power play unit and the first penalty kill. He is 6’6” and 221 lbs. The people that complain about him are complaining because they want him to go all Matt Rempe on everyone given his size.

 

[stevo61]

This is the funny thing about wanting to draft defensemen for some in here. People are so impatient and defensemen take longer to develop giving fans more time to scream bust

 

[koteka]

If we draft a winger this draft, it's possible, even likely that Laine could be gone before said player even plays a NHL game. You don't trade away NHL players because you just drafted a new prospect, you make a trade when that player forces their way into the lineup.

You trade when you have an asset someone else wants and they have an asset you want and you both agree to make an exchange.

Our most valuable assets are the young guys under team control. We don’t need KJ, the Russians, numerous other guys like Brindley and Dumais, and another top 5 pick wing under team control when our defense has no defensive players, we don’t have a good goalie, and we don’t have our center situation settled. You put on your big boy pants and make your choices and trade out a couple of wings for non wings. You don’t wait three years while the wings battle each other for supremacy and continue sucking because you have no defense.

 

[squashmaple]

This is the funny thing about wanting to draft defensemen for some in here. People are so impatient and defensemen take longer to develop giving fans more time to scream bust

No defenseman we might draft this year is going to have a tangible NHL impact for at least three if not four or five years. Yes, even the tippy top guys, and especially anyone after the top 10. Draft the forward, trade for someone else's already developed defenseman later.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

I agree in general with the principle of BPA or most valuable player available. You can always trade prospects if the roster is not adding up. Having said that, in the range that Columbus will probably be picking, it seems like it's very close between the different players. In that case, position can very well be a deciding factor beyond what you alluded to.

there's some consideration to development environment/availability of ideal role in the medium-term, but generally speaking, current roster make-up for (bad) teams shouldn't impact draft strategy beyond being a tiebreaker.

for example, if the jackets top graded prospect is ivan demidov, and he's there when they're picking, they shouldn't pass on him because they have other wings/wing prospects. the assumption is that they would be projecting him to be better than all of them.

that doesn't mean "trade guys to make room" in a direct sense, but it does mean asset flexibility and ability to cut cap costs.

No defenseman we might draft this year is going to have a tangible NHL impact for at least three if not four or five years. Yes, even the tippy top guys, and especially anyone after the top 10. Draft the forward, trade for someone else's already developed defenseman later.

addendum to this: no one adds toughness through the draft. guys who play big/tough at 18 are more volatile with their development paths. add it via trade or free agency.

 

[Cowumbus]

Please Bucci please!

 

[Viqsi]

Please Bucci please!

And yet...

Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Who's the NHL's unluckiest lottery team?

Math experts crunched the numbers. The Blue Jackets are the unluckiest draft lottery team in the NHL.

theathletic.com

Worth noting: that was written (and the figures therein calculated) BEFORE the Bedard lottery.

 

[majormajor]

This is the funny thing about wanting to draft defensemen for some in here. People are so impatient and defensemen take longer to develop giving fans more time to scream bust

No defenseman we might draft this year is going to have a tangible NHL impact for at least three if not four or five years. Yes, even the tippy top guys, and especially anyone after the top 10. Draft the forward, trade for someone else's already developed defenseman later.

Celebrini aside, I think you can say that about forwards as well. Do people think Berkly Catton is going to be scoring 75 pts in the NHL anytime soon? Lindstrom and Demidov will both need a lot of time.

Who is the currently best NHL center who was drafted in the last 5 drafts? It's Stutzle and J Hughes, who are so bad at defense they might as well be wingers (same with Bedard at this point). Then there's Byfield who is breaking out on the wing, not at center. Cozens and Beniers seem solid at times but can't score. After some further thought I think Wyatt Johnston might be the best answer, drafted 23rd OA. These things take time.

From my viewings I think that Sam Dickinson and Zeev Buium would be closer to NHL action than any of the non-Celebrini forwards. Dickinson looks like he might be able to play in our lineup right now.

 

[koteka]

Every year we suck pushes my timeline out. We are not a playoff team next year. We are maybe a bubble team in 2 years. Ready for a Cup run - maybe in 28-29 if things work well. If you accept that, drafting Catton and D projects like EJ Emery make sense. Whether someon is NHL ready is not something I care about. Who will be the best guy in 29-30 and best fit the team we are trying to build is what I care about.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

 

[Jive Pawnbroker]

Please Bucci please!

Shut the f*** up, Buccigross.

 

[stevo61]

He apparently came back after that