Alex Kovalev's Mock Draft

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Alex Kovalev

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Apr 28, 2002
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1. Washington Capitals - Alexander Ovechkin - The Capitals win the lottery and end up selecting the highly coveted Ovechkin. Ovechkin is a rare package of skill, physical presense, and character. There are no visible holes in his game. He's a game breaker that is now desperately needed in Washington.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins - Evgeni Malkin - The Penguins get a nice consolation prize for losing the lottery. Malkin brings everything to the table and should fill out to be 6'4 - 215 lbs. With elite offensive skill and vision he should be a key contributer for the Pens for many years to come.

3. Chicago Blackhawks - Lauri Tukonen - May surprise a few, but the Blackhawks chose to pass on Barker and take Tukonen. Tukonen is a big time player and is solid at both ends of the ice. Tukonen is physically dominant in the corners and in front of the net and should be a nice playmate for Tuomo Ruutu - a fellow Finn.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets - Cam Barker - The BJ's get the player they were after. After taking offensive sniper Nikolai Zherdev and 2003/2004 co-Marice Richard winner Rick Nash in the past two drafts - The BJ's decide to focus on defense. They get by far the best defensemen available in the draft. Barker is excellent at both ends of the ice and has a quick transition game. Hes got great vision of the ice, and can set up plays as well as do it himself.

5. Phoenix Coyotes - Alvaro Montoya - The Yotes decide to improve their goaltending by adding the athletic Montoya to their prospect pool. With Boucher, LeNeveu and Montoya - the Yotes should have no problems in net for many years to come. Montoya is at least 3-4 years away but he is worth the wait.

6. New York Rangers - Andrew Ladd - The Rags decide to pick arguably the most NHL ready prospect in this draft. Ladd is great at both ends of the ice and plays the NA style of hockey. Ladd is excellent at reading the ice and getting open and creating offensive pressure. The BPA at this point.

7. Florida Panthers - A.J. Thelen - After taking Horton and Stewart last year the Panthers are solid up front as well as in net with Luongo. After Bouwmeester and Krajicek the Panthers are rather weak defensively. The addition of Thelen strengthens their defense considerably. Thelen dominated college at only the age of 17. Hes a big strong 2-way defensemen with a cannon of a shot.

8. Carolina Hurricanes - Rostislav Olesz - :eek: Surprise! I guess some of you may bock at this, probably Rag's or Yotes fans, but I think Olesz is perfect where he is. Olesz plays a great 2-way game and is very slick with the puck. He has a great first step and can take checks as well as dish them out. After taking nasty hit from Phaneuf at the WJC, Olesz never really bounced back from a concussion that he obtained from the hit. Not to mention he did not have a homerun season this year - which is part of the reason why he fell to 8. Great pick at 8.

9. Anaheim Mighty Ducks - Andrej Meszaros - Making some great strides late in the year. Meszaros is the next best defensemen available. The Ducks are extremely solid up front with Getzlaf and Perry on their way, not to mention Chistov and Lupul already playing in the bigs. Meszaros is an extremely talented rear-guard with a great transition game and elite vision of the ice as he reads the play very well. Meszaros could be a future Ozolinsh, which only means good news for the Ducks.

10. Atlanta Thrashers - Alexander Radulov - The Thrashers take Radulov after watching both Thelen and Meszaros picked ahead of them. Though there real hole is defense, they couldnt help but go out and grab one of the most talented players in the draft. Radulov is a sniper with mindboggling puckhandling skills and vision. Radulov will make a nice trio with Heatley and Kovalchuk.

11. Los Angeles Kings - Marek Schwarz - Kings fill a hole by taking Schwarz. Schwarz is a big time goaltender and a real competitor. He is great at covering the botton half of the net and should be an excellent goaltender if he works with a good goaltending coach.

12. Minnesota Wild - Ladislav Smid - With Koivu, Bouchard, O'Sullivan, and Burns the Wild are more than solid up front. The wild take the crafty rear-guard at 12. Smid has great offensive upside for a defensemen and should man the PP for the Wild in the future.

13. Buffalo Sabres - Robbie Schremp - The Sabres take one of the most entertaining players in the draft. Schremp falls out of the top ten and the Sabres pick take him at 13. Schremp is a puckhandling wizard and an excellent passer. Schremp is more a high risk/high reward type prospect. For all of you wondering why he fell it was because of three reasons - 1) lack of physical presence - mainly battling through traffic to score goals. 2) Attitude - say whatever you want. 3) Size - hes not the biggest guy available. No knocks against Schremp, he could turn out to be the best player in this draft offensively.

14. Edmonton Oilers - Drew Stafford - The Oilers take the BPA. Stafford is a great 2-way player who does it all. Scores-hits-defends and is a great leader. Solid pick at this point.

15. Nashville Predators - Lauri Korpikoski - One of my favourite players in this draft. Korpikoski is a winner. The total package and a coachs dream. He can dangle like no tomorrow and has really turned heads late in the season. The Preds take a chance on him, and I think its an excellent pick at this point.

16. New York Islanders - Wojtek Wolski - Mad Mike gets his hands on yet another highly offensive forward. Wolski is great upfront, but is very soft and seems like he lacks some desire out there. Hes a bit of a project, though his offensive skill is definitely there. He's another high risk/high reward type guy.

17. St. Louis Blues - Alexandre Picard - A bit of a drop then expected. The Blues take the BPA in Picard. Picard is goalscorer and will help the Blues considerably. Hes a good pick at this point.

18. Montreal Canadiens - Kyle Chipchura - The Canadiens take a safe pick and adds a 2-way grinder that has been needed for years. Chipchura isnt the most offensively gifted forward but is solid in every situation and an excellent leader.

19. Calgary Flames -Enver Lisin - Fast, Fast, Fast. Sounds like a fit in Calgary. Lisin is a threat everytime he steps on the ice. He has great goalscoring ability and is the fastest player in the draft. Great pick for the Flames as they could use some scoring.

20. Dallas Stars - Boris Valabik - Big Boris gets taken at 20 by the Stars. After moving Sydor and letting go of Hatcher the Stars try to fill a hole on defense. Valabik is a big, strong defensive rear-guard. He is known for dropping the gloves and gives the Stars and real defensive punch so to speak.

21. Colorado Avalanche - Jakub Sindel - The Avalanche take a chance on Sindel thinking he could one day be a dominant offensive force in the NHL. Some question his size and character, though his skills are amazing.

22. New Jersey Devils - David Bolland - Bolland is a solid player who brings everything to the table. A good pick at this point.

23. Ottawa Senators - Mike Green - A heart-and-soul player who brings everything to the table. Was on a terrible team this year (Saskatoon) and was one of the few bright spots on the team. Probably would have been top ten bound if he would have been on a stronger team. Hes great at both ends of the ice and should help the Senators one day.

24. New York Rangers (from Toronto) - Roman Voloshenko - The Rag's decide to add more offense by grabbing Voloshenko. Though hes not overly fast, he has a great set of hands and is a great playmaker. Could be a homerun pick if he bulks up and works on his skating.

25. Edmonton Oilers (from Philadelphia) - Devan Dubynk - A big goalie who hates to lose. Has a great a ton of raw skill and should be a good keeper one day.

26. Vancouver Canucks - Petteri Nokelainen - A excellent 2-way forward who crash's and bangs to score goals. He has a good skill set and is capable of playing any gametime situation whether its the PP, PK or ES.

27. Washington Capitals (from Boston) - Wes O'Neill - O'Neill is a big defensemen with good potential. Very underrated offensively and is great defensively. He can also be a physical presence which the Caps need.

28. San Jose Sharks - Johan Fransson - After taking Michalek last year, the Sharks decide to turn their forcus towards defense. Fransson is a puckmoving rearguard with excellent offensive potential. Hes a year older than everyone else and has played like a veteran in the Swedish Elite League.

29. Washington Capitals (from Detroit) - Kirill Lyamin - A big solid, hardhitting defensemen who is a great fit in Washington.

30. Tampa Bay Lightning - Cory Schneider - Khabibulin is not going to be around forever. Scheider is at least 4 or 5 years away from NHL action, but has great potential and should fill in nicely when Khabibulin retires.

Let me know what you guys think. And take it easy, I cant fill everyones needs/wants. ;)

PS - if the grammer is wrong I apologize, this took me quite a while and I didnt feel like going over it again.
 
Jul 29, 2003
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IMO, Florida won't take Thelen. As talented as he is, he plays just like Jay Bouwmeester. They don't need a J-Bo clone, rather a big, strong, defensive defenseman to play alongside him. Boris Valabik, perhaps.

Other than that, good mock.

Also, if that happened for Washington, which is very, very possible, I think they'll come out of the draft, well, the first round at least with the best picks.

OT, but speaking of coming out of a draft with the best picks, how about the Preds last year? They not only host the draft, but they pick 4, yes 4, players through 3 rounds that THN pegged to go in the first round(Suter, Glazachev, Klein, Stehlik). While some may not pan out, looks pretty good so far. It's also a bit ironic, that Stehlik declined to enter a weaker 2002 draft to improve his chances to go in the 1st round, and ended up being a third round pick.
 

DJ Spinoza

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I was going to say great mock, because I thought you had Korpikoski falling to the Pens. ;)

Good read, some pretty gutsy picks, especially Olesz. The major thing I agree with is that Tukonen will go 3. I think that will surprise some people.
 

thestonedkoala

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Ummm...

First off we don't have Burns playing forward anymore, Bouchard isn't really making an impact, Koivu hasn't even hit the NHL.

We have 3 left wingers, 3 right wingers (maybe 2), 8 centers but more than half are projected to be AHLers...

We are not set at forward by far.
 

Safir*

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Alex Kovalev said:
1. Washington Capitals - Alexander Ovechkin - The Capitals win the lottery and end up selecting the highly coveted Ovechkin. Ovechkin is a rare package of skill, physical presense, and character. There are no visible holes in his game. He's a game breaker that is now desperately needed in Washington.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins - Evgeni Malkin - The Penguins get a nice consolation prize for losing the lottery. Malkin brings everything to the table and should fill out to be 6'4 - 215 lbs. With elite offensive skill and vision he should be a key contributer for the Pens for many years to come.

3. Chicago Blackhawks - Lauri Tukonen - May surprise a few, but the Blackhawks chose to pass on Barker and take Tukonen. Tukonen is a big time player and is solid at both ends of the ice. Tukonen is physically dominant in the corners and in front of the net and should be a nice playmate for Tuomo Ruutu - a fellow Finn.

4. Columbus Blue Jackets - Cam Barker - The BJ's get the player they were after. After taking offensive sniper Nikolai Zherdev and 2003/2004 co-Marice Richard winner Rick Nash in the past two drafts - The BJ's decide to focus on defense. They get by far the best defensemen available in the draft. Barker is excellent at both ends of the ice and has a quick transition game. Hes got great vision of the ice, and can set up plays as well as do it himself.

5. Phoenix Coyotes - Alvaro Montoya - The Yotes decide to improve their goaltending by adding the athletic Montoya to their prospect pool. With Boucher, LeNeveu and Montoya - the Yotes should have no problems in net for many years to come. Montoya is at least 3-4 years away but he is worth the wait.

6. New York Rangers - Andrew Ladd - The Rags decide to pick arguably the most NHL ready prospect in this draft. Ladd is great at both ends of the ice and plays the NA style of hockey. Ladd is excellent at reading the ice and getting open and creating offensive pressure. The BPA at this point.

7. Florida Panthers - A.J. Thelen - After taking Horton and Stewart last year the Panthers are solid up front as well as in net with Luongo. After Bouwmeester and Krajicek the Panthers are rather weak defensively. The addition of Thelen strengthens their defense considerably. Thelen dominated college at only the age of 17. Hes a big strong 2-way defensemen with a cannon of a shot.

8. Carolina Hurricanes - Rostislav Olesz - :eek: Surprise! I guess some of you may bock at this, probably Rag's or Yotes fans, but I think Olesz is perfect where he is. Olesz plays a great 2-way game and is very slick with the puck. He has a great first step and can take checks as well as dish them out. After taking nasty hit from Phaneuf at the WJC, Olesz never really bounced back from a concussion that he obtained from the hit. Not to mention he did not have a homerun season this year - which is part of the reason why he fell to 8. Great pick at 8.

9. Anaheim Mighty Ducks - Andrej Meszaros - Making some great strides late in the year. Meszaros is the next best defensemen available. The Ducks are extremely solid up front with Getzlaf and Perry on their way, not to mention Chistov and Lupul already playing in the bigs. Meszaros is an extremely talented rear-guard with a great transition game and elite vision of the ice as he reads the play very well. Meszaros could be a future Ozolinsh, which only means good news for the Ducks.

10. Atlanta Thrashers - Alexander Radulov - The Thrashers take Radulov after watching both Thelen and Meszaros picked ahead of them. Though there real hole is defense, they couldnt help but go out and grab one of the most talented players in the draft. Radulov is a sniper with mindboggling puckhandling skills and vision. Radulov will make a nice trio with Heatley and Kovalchuk.

11. Los Angeles Kings - Marek Schwarz - Kings fill a hole by taking Schwarz. Schwarz is a big time goaltender and a real competitor. He is great at covering the botton half of the net and should be an excellent goaltender if he works with a good goaltending coach.

12. Minnesota Wild - Ladislav Smid - With Koivu, Bouchard, O'Sullivan, and Burns the Wild are more than solid up front. The wild take the crafty rear-guard at 12. Smid has great offensive upside for a defensemen and should man the PP for the Wild in the future.

13. Buffalo Sabres - Robbie Schremp - The Sabres take one of the most entertaining players in the draft. Schremp falls out of the top ten and the Sabres pick take him at 13. Schremp is a puckhandling wizard and an excellent passer. Schremp is more a high risk/high reward type prospect. For all of you wondering why he fell it was because of three reasons - 1) lack of physical presence - mainly battling through traffic to score goals. 2) Attitude - say whatever you want. 3) Size - hes not the biggest guy available. No knocks against Schremp, he could turn out to be the best player in this draft offensively.

14. Edmonton Oilers - Drew Stafford - The Oilers take the BPA. Stafford is a great 2-way player who does it all. Scores-hits-defends and is a great leader. Solid pick at this point.

15. Nashville Predators - Lauri Korpikoski - One of my favourite players in this draft. Korpikoski is a winner. The total package and a coachs dream. He can dangle like no tomorrow and has really turned heads late in the season. The Preds take a chance on him, and I think its an excellent pick at this point.

16. New York Islanders - Wojtek Wolski - Mad Mike gets his hands on yet another highly offensive forward. Wolski is great upfront, but is very soft and seems like he lacks some desire out there. Hes a bit of a project, though his offensive skill is definitely there. He's another high risk/high reward type guy.

17. St. Louis Blues - Alexandre Picard - A bit of a drop then expected. The Blues take the BPA in Picard. Picard is goalscorer and will help the Blues considerably. Hes a good pick at this point.

18. Montreal Canadiens - Kyle Chipchura - The Canadiens take a safe pick and adds a 2-way grinder that has been needed for years. Chipchura isnt the most offensively gifted forward but is solid in every situation and an excellent leader.

19. Calgary Flames -Enver Lisin - Fast, Fast, Fast. Sounds like a fit in Calgary. Lisin is a threat everytime he steps on the ice. He has great goalscoring ability and is the fastest player in the draft. Great pick for the Flames as they could use some scoring.

20. Dallas Stars - Boris Valabik - Big Boris gets taken at 20 by the Stars. After moving Sydor and letting go of Hatcher the Stars try to fill a hole on defense. Valabik is a big, strong defensive rear-guard. He is known for dropping the gloves and gives the Stars and real defensive punch so to speak.

21. Colorado Avalanche - Jakub Sindel - The Avalanche take a chance on Sindel thinking he could one day be a dominant offensive force in the NHL. Some question his size and character, though his skills are amazing.

22. New Jersey Devils - David Bolland - Bolland is a solid player who brings everything to the table. A good pick at this point.

23. Ottawa Senators - Mike Green - A heart-and-soul player who brings everything to the table. Was on a terrible team this year (Saskatoon) and was one of the few bright spots on the team. Probably would have been top ten bound if he would have been on a stronger team. Hes great at both ends of the ice and should help the Senators one day.

24. New York Rangers (from Toronto) - Roman Voloshenko - The Rag's decide to add more offense by grabbing Voloshenko. Though hes not overly fast, he has a great set of hands and is a great playmaker. Could be a homerun pick if he bulks up and works on his skating.

25. Edmonton Oilers (from Philadelphia) - Devan Dubynk - A big goalie who hates to lose. Has a great a ton of raw skill and should be a good keeper one day.

26. Vancouver Canucks - Petteri Nokelainen - A excellent 2-way forward who crash's and bangs to score goals. He has a good skill set and is capable of playing any gametime situation whether its the PP, PK or ES.

27. Washington Capitals (from Boston) - Wes O'Neill - O'Neill is a big defensemen with good potential. Very underrated offensively and is great defensively. He can also be a physical presence which the Caps need.

28. San Jose Sharks - Johan Fransson - After taking Michalek last year, the Sharks decide to turn their forcus towards defense. Fransson is a puckmoving rearguard with excellent offensive potential. Hes a year older than everyone else and has played like a veteran in the Swedish Elite League.

29. Washington Capitals (from Detroit) - Kirill Lyamin - A big solid, hardhitting defensemen who is a great fit in Washington.

30. Tampa Bay Lightning - Cory Schneider - Khabibulin is not going to be around forever. Scheider is at least 4 or 5 years away from NHL action, but has great potential and should fill in nicely when Khabibulin retires.

Let me know what you guys think. And take it easy, I cant fill everyones needs/wants. ;)

PS - if the grammer is wrong I apologize, this took me quite a while and I didnt feel like going over it again.

Good job AK. :thumbu:
 

kovalchuk17atl

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Good mock, but I hope that if Schremp falls to Atlanta that they take him. A future line of Schremp centering Heater and Kovy is too good to think about, as far as raw talent goes.
 

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Lisin does not sound like a Flames player. He has been desribe as extremely lazy and selfish. I'd say no chance Sutter takes a skilled Russian with that kind of description in the 1st round.

More probable Flames picks IMO would be guys like Dave Bolland and Mike Green. They have the requisite amount of heart and determination to be a Sutter pick. Valabik and Nokelainen probably wouldn't be bad guesses either but Bolland and Green really strike me as Sutter types.
 

Alex Kovalev

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Flames Draft Watcher said:
Lisin does not sound like a Flames player. He has been desribe as extremely lazy and selfish. I'd say no chance Sutter takes a skilled Russian with that kind of description in the 1st round.

More probable Flames picks IMO would be guys like Dave Bolland and Mike Green. They have the requisite amount of heart and determination to be a Sutter pick. Valabik and Nokelainen probably wouldn't be bad guesses either but Bolland and Green really strike me as Sutter types.

Lisin can be selfish and lazy, but the guy can score and the guy can skate. Honestly the Flames arent the most offensive team out there. Bolland is a good player, but hes not going to produce like Lisin could - depending how they develop obviously. And with Phaneuf, I dont think they really need Green. They already have Lydman, Reghr, Leopold, Ference, Gauthier, and Phaneuf in there future.
 

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Alex Kovalev said:
Lisin can be selfish and lazy, but the guy can score and the guy can skate. Honestly the Flames arent the most offensive team out there. Bolland is a good player, but hes not going to produce like Lisin could - depending how they develop obviously. And with Phaneuf, I dont think they really need Green. They already have Lydman, Reghr, Leopold, Ference, Gauthier, and Phaneuf in there future.

How many selfish and lazy players do you see on the Flames?

That should give you an idea of the chances of Darryl Sutter selecting one in the first round. Flames would love offense and skill but only if the kid has some heart and determination, I think those are some qualities that our GM and our scouting staff really rate highly. Bolland sounds like he combines determination with some skill, that's why I think he's a much, much more likely type of guy to be selected.

I don't think the Flames would shy away from a defensemen just because we're deep there. You can always trade those assests later and in a couple years we may not have half the guys you listed there (in fact I think Gauthier or Lydman may move this summer.)

The Flames will likely take the best player available and I think it's safe to assume that player will have some grit and heart because those are key attributes for a Sutter player. Picard, Korpikoski, Bolland, Green, Chipchura, Valabik, Nokelainen are the types of players I could see the Flames selecting. I'd pretty much bet money they won't take a Sindel, Kaspar, Lisin, Voloshenko type of player. Obviously you're free to believe what you will but Sutter will have a huge say in our first rounder and you only have to look at the guys he's acquired so far in his tenure (Warrener, Nieminen, Simon, Nilson, Reinprecht) to see what type of players he favours.

Sutter is not going to have skill as the number one attribute he's looking for and guys that excel in skill and lack in other areas just aren't likely Flames picks IMO. I mean I'm sure the Flames would be all over Ovechkin, Malkin, Ladd, Tukonen, etc don't get me wrong. He'd love to add skill. But only if that player competes, works hard, is willing to pay the price, etc.

You note that the Flames aren't the most offensive team out there and yet they made it to the cup finals and were within one goal of winning the cup despite having some of their most skilled forwards injured (Reinprecht, McAmmond, Lombardi.) So perhaps offense and skill aren't everything? Perhaps Sutter knew that along? Perhaps he has a good idea of what makes a player a winner and a contributor on a winning team?

Lisin does not sound like a Sutter player.
 
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kovalchuk17atl

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Flames Draft Watcher said:
You note that the Flames aren't the most offensive team out there and yet they made it to the cup finals and were within one goal of winning the cup despite having some of their most skilled forwards injured (Reinprecht, McAmmond, Lombardi.) So perhaps offense and skill aren't everything? Perhaps Sutter knew that along? Perhaps he has a good idea of what makes a player a winner and a contributor on a winning team?

Exactly. Within one goal. Lisin could score that all-important one goal for his team. The Flames would not have passed on a guy like Kovalchuk if they could have him because he's selfish.

Who won the cup? Tampa. How? By scoring. The Flames can't score with the same regularity as Tampa, heck probably Nashville or Atlanta have more scoring ability, and they won't be able to any time soon since there isn't an Iginla every draft.

Maybe skill, maybe offensive does mean something. And it's something the Flames will lack for a long time based on your logic.
 

thestonedkoala

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AK please tell me the impact forwards the Wild have...or the ones that are on the team? I can name only two...
 
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kovalchuk17atl said:
Maybe skill, maybe offensive does mean something. And it's something the Flames will lack for a long time based on your logic.

No. If you read what I wrote then you would know I'm fine with offense. But the Flames aren't going to draft offensive players that don't have a certain amount of character, heart and determination. That's all I was saying.

Certainly skill and offense means something but not everything as the Flames demonstrated this year. Sometimes the most skilled player isn't the best choice if you want to win.

I'm not sure why this is such an ridiculous suggestion to you.
 

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kovalchuk17atl said:
Who won the cup? Tampa. How? By scoring.

I think you think Tampa won the cup strictly by scoring then you didn't watch the playoffs very closely. Tampa is a very, very good defensive team that also had clutch goaltending.

Funny how you seem to insinuate Tampa was so much better at scoring and yet they didn't really edge the Flames out in that area did they now?
 

ZombieMatt

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I think you think Tampa won the cup strictly by scoring then you didn't watch the playoffs very closely. Tampa is a very, very good defensive team that also had clutch goaltending.

Funny how you seem to insinuate Tampa was so much better at scoring and yet they didn't really edge the Flames out in that area did they now?


245-200.

Not a huge difference no, but substantial nonetheless.

And yes, typically scoring is measured by the regular season.

The Flames need offence, its nothing to be ashamed of. The Flames could have been successful had they had more than one guy to rely on offensively consistently.

Even those Devils teams of the past everyone likes to talk about as defensive teams that won the Cup had more than one offensive guy on them.
 

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Mountie said:
245-200.

Not a huge difference no, but substantial nonetheless.

And yes, typically scoring is measured by the regular season.

The Flames need offence, its nothing to be ashamed of. The Flames could have been successful had they had more than one guy to rely on offensively consistently.

Even those Devils teams of the past everyone likes to talk about as defensive teams that won the Cup had more than one offensive guy on them.

People seem to be forgetting that this team was without Lombardi, Reinprecht and McAmmond due to injury. Take 3 equivalent forwards off the Lightning for the cup finals and they wouldn't look so offensive or skilled either.

Sure we'd love more offense, wouldn't every team?

That's not really the point of what we were talking about thought. The point is that Lisin does not sound like a Sutter player at all and thus is not a likely choice for the Flames at #19. And as I've said several times now, Sutter is certainly not anti-skill or anti-offense but he is anti-floater and anti-underachiever. A guy who combines skill with heart is a likely Sutter pick. A guy who has questions about intensity, willingness to take a hit to make a play, character, etc probably isn't going to be a Flames first rounder. I think that's just reality with Darryl Sutter calling the shots but some seem to think the Flames should take who THEY would look for if they were in charge of the Flames. That's just not how it's going to happen.

If someone is trying to accurately predict the draft then they should take into account the type of player that Sutter would go for. We can likely rule out Lisin, Sindel, Kaspar, etc right now.
 

CH Wizard

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GOOD MOCK DRAFT ALEXEI KOVALEV !! but as like you said it will be very suprising to see Olesz fall to the 7th overall pick he is top 5 material and I agree with you I know that the rangers has Ladd on the top of their list.
 

Alex Kovalev

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thestonedkoala said:
AK please tell me the impact forwards the Wild have...or the ones that are on the team? I can name only two...

Well you might not have many impact forwards, yet, but how many impact defensemen do you have?

Kuba is pretty good and Zyuzin is not bad, but unproven.

Bouchard, Koivu, Foy, O'Sullivan, Veillieux, and Wanvig who could all potentially become impact wingers. Not to mention Gaborik, Dupuis, and Brunette who are all solid.

Looking at your defense - now you have Burns - usually a forward - Heid and Michalek who have some potential, but I doubt any of them become impact defensemen. Schultz and Henry arent bad.

Honestly you can improve both positions, but I think a defensmen would help. But obivously we share different opinions.
 

thestonedkoala

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Bouchard, Koivu aren't goal scorers, they set up the plays.

O'Sullivan is the only impact player in the system.

Veilleux is a younger and maybe a better version of Laaksonen, a dime a dozen, but still okay. Wanvig isn't really impact.

Brunette is a bit older, again more of a set up then a goalscorer.

Dupuis isn't really, he'll be a good 50-60 point guy once he hits his stride, if he ever.

Gaborik is the other impact forward.

Burns is not usually a forward, he is usually a defenseman converted to forward.

Heid, Michalek, Stokes, Bolduc, Misharin all have good, solid potential, and out of them, Stokes, Bolduc, and Misharin might become impact.

Schultz is a top 4, Henry is solid.

We need to improve goal scoring more than defense. We had one of the best defense in the league but our scoring needs to improve drastically.
 
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