Speculation: best available center at #6 nhl draft

[lilidk]

u18 is over . Who do you think we should draft if available among centers

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[Christien]

Turcotte, but he probably won't be there when we pick

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

Dach

 

[ricky0034]

this is pretty clearly Dach for me

after that at this point i'm torn between Turcotte and Krebs

less and less high on Cozens as time goes on but still wouldn't mind taking him that much

don't want Zegras for a variety of reasons but honestly i'm not convinced he'll be a Center anyways

 

[Frk It]

Very tough call, I don't see much separation at all between this group of players.

Currently I have them as Turcotte, Cozens, Dach, Krebs, Zegras,

But if you wanted to just go for best upside, I could see the case for Dach and Zegras. I think Cozens and Turcotte are safer while also having a really nice upside.

Krebs is the guy I am consistently torn with.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

Turcotte notwithstanding his ho-hum U18s. I admit that I have a strong preference for high-motor players.

 

[raymond23]

Wish you had an idk answer because idk. Kind of annoying how close they all are.

 

[JustJokinenAround]

tough to say because i don't know much about cozens or dach but i would say turcotte. he would more than likely a bonafide top 5 pick if he was healthy all year, dach and cozens are also right hand shots and we never take right hand shots.

 

[TCNorthstars]

Wish you had an idk answer because idk. Kind of annoying how close they all are.

Great. With your analysis paralysis you've doomed us to a winger!

 

[SirloinUB]

We really can't go wrong with anyone on this list imo

 

[SuperScript29]

I chose Turcotte, but I would not be upset if we got Dach or Zegras either. I'm a big fan of all 3 for different reasons. Krebs and Cozens however I do not want, specially the latter.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Decided to be the first to vote Krebs. This weekend was a big opportunity for him to display what his game is all about, and I think he falls in the middle of everyone as being the among the best of all worlds.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Going with Krebs. I think he's in some ways the anti-Dach; where Dach is criticized for skating and pace at times, Krebs is outstanding at those things. Dach is probably more purely skilled, but Krebs is just so well-rounded and always affecting the game. He's the closest I've seen in this draft to a Larkin type player, and I just don't think you can go wrong with that.

I can't help but feel that if the #19s (Krebs and Turcotte) played on opposite teams, it would be Krebs getting all the hype instead.

 

[rawraw]

I believe we will get one of Turcotte, Dach or Zegras. I don't think Turcotte will fall to us as I think he will go top 5, so it's going to be between Dach and Zegras. I'd prefer Dach, but I'd love either one really.
Dach has that Getzlaf/Thornton iq level and Zegras has that Marner-esque vision/play making ability.
Can't go wrong with either one.

 

[Frk It]

I can't help but feel that if the #19s (Krebs and Turcotte) played on opposite teams, it would be Krebs getting all the hype instead.

Why?

 

[HisNoodliness]

I voted Turcotte, but as others have said its really tight with all of them. Krebs and Zegras lagged behind for me for most of the year but the U18s have addressed my worries somewhat and I'd be just as happy with them now as the others. If I had to rank them, it probably goes: Turcotte, Dach, Krebs, Cozens, Zegras. As I said though, its really tight and I'll trust Stevie Y's judgement here. Normally I'm more opinionated, but this year I haven't been able to watch actual play nearly as much as I like to. Stat watching, shift-to-shifts and highlight packages just aren't enough to form real strong opinions.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Going with Krebs. I think he's in some ways the anti-Dach; where Dach is criticized for skating and pace at times, Krebs is outstanding at those things. Dach is probably more purely skilled, but Krebs is just so well-rounded and always affecting the game. He's the closest I've seen in this draft to a Larkin type player, and I just don't think you can go wrong with that.

I can't help but feel that if the #19s (Krebs and Turcotte) played on opposite teams, it would be Krebs getting all the hype instead.

There is no denying they are very similar players; so I tend to agree with your assessment. This may catch some flak, but I think there is some serious American bias that exists in favor of Turcotte (and it comes in the form of ignoring situational performance), because I don't see how he is a drastically better player than Krebs. The trend I've noticed the most is recent rankings have Turcotte climbing into the 4-7 range, but Krebs is generally around the 8-12 range. I don't see that much disparity in their game. Especially if you consider what they are working with around them. Turcotte generally plays with at least one of the following: Hughes, Zegras, Boldy, Caufield. I mean, FFS, their PP1 unit is Zegras, Hughes, Turcotte, Caufield, and York...that entire unit is set to go top 15 of the draft. Now look at Kootenay's roster; there's a decent chance that Krebs is the only NHL player on that entire roster. We saw what he is capable of in U18s with talent around him.

We all had a great deal of admiration for the play Larkin displayed in 2017-18 when he was dragging around this franchise's dead weight, knowing that he was an even better player than the circumstances allowed him to display. I think a similar sentiment exists for me when I watch Krebs play; all the way down to when he was screaming at the refs in the semi-final against Sweden when Canada was getting royally screwed.

 

[Hen Kolland]

Why?

If I had to guess, it's because he's American, playing in Plymouth, MI, surrounded by first round talent; whereas Krebs is a Canadian, playing in Western Canada, on a team devoid of talent.

This is an interesting practice, specifically just to pick your brain. Can you make a list of things you like about Turcotte's game, and compare those traits to Krebs? Tell me where Krebs doesn't meet the bill; I am curious if there is any glaring differences in your eyes that I may be ignoring.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

There is no denying they are very similar players; so I tend to agree with your assessment. This may catch some flak, but I think there is some serious American bias that exists in favor of Turcotte (and it comes in the form of ignoring situational performance), because I don't see how he is a drastically better player than Krebs. The trend I've noticed the most is recent rankings have Turcotte climbing into the 4-7 range, but Krebs is generally around the 8-12 range. I don't see that much disparity in their game. Especially if you consider what they are working with around them. Turcotte generally plays with at least one of the following: Hughes, Zegras, Boldy, Caufield. I mean, FFS, their PP1 unit is Zegras, Hughes, Turcotte, Caufield, and York...that entire unit is set to go top 15 of the draft. Now look at Kootenay's roster; there's a decent chance that Krebs is the only NHL player on that entire roster. We saw what he is capable of in U18s with talent around him.

That is the whole story of 3-9 this year. They are all super, super close at this point. By asking people to pick, you are asking them to base decisions on very marginal differences. I personally think that Turcotte has a bit more natural skill. I also like his physical frame at this point a bit better. Now is that going to translate to a drastically better NHL player? I honestly have no idea.

 

[lilidk]

Going with Krebs. I think he's in some ways the anti-Dach; where Dach is criticized for skating and pace at times, Krebs is outstanding at those things. Dach is probably more purely skilled, but Krebs is just so well-rounded and always affecting the game. He's the closest I've seen in this draft to a Larkin type player, and I just don't think you can go wrong with that.

I can't help but feel that if the #19s (Krebs and Turcotte) played on opposite teams, it would be Krebs getting all the hype instead.

I also think that Krebs will fit Detroit needs the most

 

[plymouthmi]

I voted Dach but maybe shouldn't have voted at all since I don't think I've seen as much of Cozens and Krebs as I have Dach and the American players.

There is no denying they are very similar players; so I tend to agree with your assessment. This may catch some flak, but I think there is some serious American bias that exists in favor of Turcotte (and it comes in the form of ignoring situational performance), because I don't see how he is a drastically better player than Krebs. The trend I've noticed the most is recent rankings have Turcotte climbing into the 4-7 range, but Krebs is generally around the 8-12 range. I don't see that much disparity in their game. Especially if you consider what they are working with around them. Turcotte generally plays with at least one of the following: Hughes, Zegras, Boldy, Caufield. I mean, FFS, their PP1 unit is Zegras, Hughes, Turcotte, Caufield, and York...that entire unit is set to go top 15 of the draft. Now look at Kootenay's roster; there's a decent chance that Krebs is the only NHL player on that entire roster. We saw what he is capable of in U18s with talent around him.

I don't think you should get flak for this as I've wondered the same myself. This year also seems unusual in that there's this big batch of American players all together on the USNTDP team in their pre-draft year, instead of some being in the NCAA or OHL as often happened in past years. I wonder if that gives them a bit of a leg up over the Canadian players in the rankings.

 

[Hen Kolland]

That is the whole story of 3-9 this year. They are all super, super close at this point. By asking people to pick, you are asking them to base decisions on very marginal differences. I personally think that Turcotte has a bit more natural skill. I also like his physical frame at this point a bit better. Now is that going to translate to a drastically better NHL player? I honestly have no idea.

Well I get the overall premise, but those people who are very high on Turcotte should also be very high on Krebs by default. If you are looking for a strong skating, high effort, accountable player with skill, Krebs fits that mold. I think Turcotte's game is very north-south when it comes to generating offense, and Krebs may be a little more finesse, but that's just the sense I get in my viewings. The only area I can really concede to Turcotte at this point would be his goal scoring (specifically his shot) seems to be more advanced.

Edit: And I think that's why I view Larkin as a better comparison for Turcotte. Larkin does a good job at taking the obvious play in front of him and making the most out of it. I don't think I would characterize Krebs as a player to take the obvious play in front of him, but he's certainly not as much of a wild card as Zegras. Somewhere in between.

 

[Frk It]

If I had to guess, it's because he's American, playing in Plymouth, MI, surrounded by first round talent; whereas Krebs is a Canadian, playing in Western Canada, on a team devoid of talent.

This is an interesting practice, specifically just to pick your brain. Can you make a list of things you like about Turcotte's game, and compare those traits to Krebs? Tell me where Krebs doesn't meet the bill; I am curious if there is any glaring differences in your eyes that I may be ignoring.

I think they have some similar strengths.

Ultimately I think the difference is Turcotte has a higher floor and is more likely to stay at the center position. Turcotte is harder on the puck and is able to win more battles defensively. Maybe Krebs gets stronger and makes the difference negligible, but maybe not. I've learned to not just assume that as a given. Turcotte has the least question marks for me of any player after the top 2 guys with the minor exception of maybe his durability.

 

[Hen Kolland]

I think they have some similar strengths.

Ultimately I think the difference is Turcotte has a higher floor and is more likely to stay at the center position. Turcotte is harder on the puck and is able to win more battles defensively. Maybe Krebs gets stronger and makes the difference negligible, but maybe not. I've learned to not just assume that as a given. Turcotte has the least question marks for me of any player after the top 2 guys with the minor exception of maybe his durability.

I would point to my last response, not to discredit Turcotte's pros, but to kind of force the debate of Krebs. The things you like about Turcotte are also exemplified in Krebs, even if not to the same extent. Wouldn't that force him up the ranks when compared to Cozens or Dach? Obviously the RH center aspect carries some weight, but they both have noteworthy questions about their games.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Why?

I'm talking about their situations. It's a lot easier to play a supporting role on an insanely stacked team than to play the only lead role on one of the worst teams possible. I think Turcotte's situation made it extremely easy to see his upside, whereas Krebs' situation made it pretty difficult. Until the U-18s, anyway, where I thought Krebs outshined (outshone?) Turcotte.