Prospect Info: Devils Centric 2019 Mock Draft 1.01g1

[JrFischer54]

At this point in their development Hughes is significantly higher regarded by the scouting community than Nico was in 2017. I would say that, in this draft, Nico would go #3 after Hughes and Kakko.

This is not an affront to Nico. Rasmus Dahlin also would likely be the #2 pick after Hughes in this draft, although that would be a far different debate due to the differences in their positions.

not that i'm complaining about nico but damn man this really hits it home what a "bad" year we had to win the lotto. you see studs mcdavid matthews laline eichel even dahlein.

but thank you for the explination of nico being 3rd if he was in this class. that really puts things into perspective

 

[Scooooooooooooot]

not that i'm complaining about nico but damn man this really hits it home what a "bad" year we had to win the lotto. you see studs mcdavid matthews laline eichel even dahlein.

but thank you for the explination of nico being 3rd if he was in this class. that really puts things into perspective

Nico is technically having a better year than Laine who is either very good or invisible in games.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Nico is technically having a better year than Laine who is either very good or invisible in games.

A 20ish game goal scoring drought is the reason for that. People were also very down on Taresenko because he was having a rough spell. Oh sure, I will take them off your hands.

 

[135ace]

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A 20ish game goal scoring drought is the reason for that. People were also very down on Taresenko because he was having a rough spell. Oh sure, I will take them off your hands.

I sure as hell would not trade Nico for Laine. No way, no how.

 

[Scooooooooooooot]

A 20ish game goal scoring drought is the reason for that. People were also very down on Taresenko because he was having a rough spell. Oh sure, I will take them off your hands.

That and the fact that his play outside of scoring goals has not been strong, 11 assists is super low for him i feel like. I don't watch a lot of Jets games, but apparently he has a lot of games where he is invisible. He's an electric goal scorer who hasn't developed much else besides that this year it seems. Take it with a grain of salt since he is young and can probably pop off for 15 more goals this year easily and hit 40 again, but as for this year Nico is having a better year due to his all around game. He'as also a -15, I'm not a big fan of using +/- in all scenarios, but the next worst is -6 on the team and they are a good team. It's not like he's a first pairing D man on a bad team.

 

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I sure as hell would not trade Nico for Laine. No way, no how.

That and the fact that his play outside of scoring goals has not been strong, 11 assists is super low for him i feel like. I don't watch a lot of Jets games, but apparently he has a lot of games where he is invisible. He's an electric goal scorer who hasn't developed much else besides that this year it seems. Take it with a grain of salt since he is young and can probably pop off for 15 more goals this year easily and hit 40 again, but as for this year Nico is having a better year due to his all around game. He'as also a -15, I'm not a big fan of using +/- in all scenarios, but the next worst is -6 on the team and they are a good team. It's not like he's a first pairing D man on a bad team.

Absolutely was not saying to trade Nico for either of these guys. Just stating that players go through bad spells or even down seasons. Young Nico is a keeper and in 5 years will be reveared and respected around the league.

 

[Scooooooooooooot]

Absolutely was not saying to trade Nico for either of these guys. Just stating that players go through bad spells or even down seasons. Young Nico is a keeper and in 5 years will be reveared and respected around the league.

I agree it's more of a bad season snowballing a bit on a young guy, but it also shows that Laine is pretty much one dimensional and thinking about that 2016 draft and the 3 fins that went top 5. I would rather have Luc Dubois or Tkachuk than Laine and the other two fins (Puljujarvi and Juolevi) are obviously not panning out to what they were supposed to.

 

[StevenToddIves]

not that i'm complaining about nico but damn man this really hits it home what a "bad" year we had to win the lotto. you see studs mcdavid matthews laline eichel even dahlein.

but thank you for the explination of nico being 3rd if he was in this class. that really puts things into perspective

Nico is an outstanding player, and he's getting better every game. Every Devils fan should be thrilled to have him in the organization. I'm thrilled to root him on for the next decade-plus.

 

[HobokenIrish]

It's really tough and there's a lot more film to watch, so these might change. But to give a few to the best of my abilities:

Hughes: hybrid of Patrick Kane, Clayton Keller and Denis Savard.
Kakko: tough one, but I'll go with a hybrid Sasha Barkov/Peter Forsberg, but on the wing instead of C
Byram: another tough one. Maybe PK Subban?
Podkolzin: his mix of two-way play and high-end skill and nastiness makes him a bit of a unicorn. I'm going to go with Iginla for now.
Turcotte: Dylan Larkin
Dylan Cozens: Leon Draisaitl meets Bernie Federko
Trevor Zegras: Barzal
Kirby Dach: Getzlaf
Peyton Krebs: Brayden Point comes to mind, I guess
Alex Newhook: MacKinnon-lite

That's my top 10. I tried.

Absolutely love your mock drafts. Thank you. Hoping any trades of remaining UFA's somehow work us back up towards another first rounder, or second at the very least

 

[Lindys Lazy Eye]

So, I think we all know the hype behind Jack Hughes and how great he is projected to be. However, the take away I'm getting is, should we draft 2 or 3 we should be damned happy with Kakko or Byram because they seem to be projected stud prospects as well.

 

[Emperoreddy]

So, I think we all know the hype behind Jack Hughes and how great he is projected to be. However, the take away I'm getting is, should we draft 2 or 3 we should be damned happy with Kakko or Byram because they seem to be projected stud prospects as well.

My take away is if we get pushed to 4 or back, it won’t be nearly as great.

 

[StevenToddIves]

So, I think we all know the hype behind Jack Hughes and how great he is projected to be. However, the take away I'm getting is, should we draft 2 or 3 we should be damned happy with Kakko or Byram because they seem to be projected stud prospects as well.

I will say that this year's top 8 is really quite terrific. If the Devils pick in the top 8, I am certain they will come away with another franchise cornerstone.

It's tough to completely focus upon one player or a few players this far ahead of the draft. Naturally, I would be over the moon with Hughes/Kakko, and as I keep saying I would be absolutely thrilled with Byram. But if the Devils drafted 6th or 7th and came away with Turcotte or Zegras? I wouldn't lament missing out on my top three; rather I'd be ecstatic to get an electrifying young talent at center.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

My take away is if we get pushed to 4 or back, it won’t be nearly as great.

Agreed. Basicsally, we need to win one of those lotto picks.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Absolutely love your mock drafts. Thank you. Hoping any trades of remaining UFA's somehow work us back up towards another first rounder, or second at the very least

I feel very hopeful that Johansson will get the Devils a first round pick. Unfortunately, we have to wait until the big fish (Panarin, Duchene, Stone) get dealt before the teams who miss out coming calling about the second tier of scoring Fs (Johansson, Nyqvist, Zuccarello et al).

My big hope is that Florida lands Panarin in a sign-and-trade (they want him baaaad) and/or Duchene re-signs in Ottawa. Those happenstances would seriously up the value of a versatile F who could offer secondary score, such as Johansson.

Also, it is not impossible for Lovejoy to get a 3rd/4th rounder, while Kinkaid, Noesen and Stafford could net 6th/7th round picks.

An interesting possibility which has not really been mentioned is: what do the Devils do if teams come calling about help on the blueline, specifically Greene and Mueller? With Ty Smith ready to make the big club next year, the Devils would still go into 2019-20 with a blueline of Vatanen/Severson/Butcher/Santini/Yakovlev/Smith and a metric ton of cap room to fill it out. It's an interesting debate, but I'd certainly give up Greene if someone offered a 2nd rounder, or Mueller if someone offered a 3rd rounder.

 

[StevenToddIves]

Agreed. Basicsally, we need to win one of those lotto picks.

Don't sleep on Turcotte/Cozens/Zegras, my friends. Those three centers are just tremendous talents, and all three fit in perfectly with the Shero/Castron organizational philosophy. Turcotte is very comparable to Larkin at the same age, while Zegras evokes Barzal. Cozens is a big, fast, physical power F/sniper who can dominate at C or RW and is widely lauded for his leadership skills. I think any of these kids would bring great joy to Devils fans for several seasons into the future.

 

[Ripshot 43]

I feel very hopeful that Johansson will get the Devils a first round pick. Unfortunately, we have to wait until the big fish (Panarin, Duchene, Stone) get dealt before the teams who miss out coming calling about the second tier of scoring Fs (Johansson, Nyqvist, Zuccarello et al).

My big hope is that Florida lands Panarin in a sign-and-trade (they want him baaaad) and/or Duchene re-signs in Ottawa. Those happenstances would seriously up the value of a versatile F who could offer secondary score, such as Johansson.

Also, it is not impossible for Lovejoy to get a 3rd/4th rounder, while Kinkaid, Noesen and Stafford could net 6th/7th round picks.

An interesting possibility which has not really been mentioned is: what do the Devils do if teams come calling about help on the blueline, specifically Greene and Mueller? With Ty Smith ready to make the big club next year, the Devils would still go into 2019-20 with a blueline of Vatanen/Severson/Butcher/Santini/Yakovlev/Smith and a metric ton of cap room to fill it out. It's an interesting debate, but I'd certainly give up Greene if someone offered a 2nd rounder, or Mueller if someone offered a 3rd rounder.

It’s been touched on a little bit most around here don’t think anyone would want Greene with the extra year left on his contract. I think Mueller would be a good 3rd pairing D on most teams and would be willing to part ways with him just for the fact that I feel like our organization isn’t giving him a legitimate shot at being a regular in our top 6. Greene I agree with you on the return for the fact that I want to accumulate as much draft capital as possible and I would love to move our leadership ahead one year and figure out a new Captain.

 

[StevenToddIves]

It’s been touched on a little bit most around here don’t think anyone would want Greene with the extra year left on his contract. I think Mueller would be a good 3rd pairing D on most teams and would be willing to part ways with him just for the fact that I feel like our organization isn’t giving him a legitimate shot at being a regular in our top 6. Greene I agree with you on the return for the fact that I want to accumulate as much draft capital as possible and I would love to move our leadership ahead one year and figure out a new Captain.

Anointing Taylor Hall with the captaincy would be, in my mind, a good idea.

I think Greene's experience/leadership qualities/smarts will be very attractive to several teams come deadline day. Did anyone think Shero would get a second-rounder for Boyle? These so-called "intangibles" become very tangible to NHL GMs, most of whom have played in the NHL, going into the post-season. I could certainly envision a contending team seeking playoff experience/defensive depth for the playoffs (Winnipeg? Montreal? San Jose?) offering a late second-rounder to get Andy on their team.

As far as Mueller: in my estimation, the Devils blueline has been stronger with Santini or Yakovlev in the line-up than with Mueller. I would say Santini and Yakovlev are the kids that need more ice time for the remainder of 2019.

 

[Ripshot 43]

Anointing Taylor Hall with the captaincy would be, in my mind, a good idea.

I think Greene's experience/leadership qualities/smarts will be very attractive to several teams come deadline day. Did anyone think Shero would get a second-rounder for Boyle? These so-called "intangibles" become very tangible to NHL GMs, most of whom have played in the NHL, going into the post-season. I could certainly envision a contending team seeking playoff experience/defensive depth for the playoffs (Winnipeg? Montreal? San Jose?) offering a late second-rounder to get Andy on their team.

As far as Mueller: in my estimation, the Devils blueline has been stronger with Santini or Yakovlev in the line-up than with Mueller. I would say Santini and Yakovlev are the kids that need more ice time for the remainder of 2019.

I agree about Greene but the majority have said they feel like the extra year on Greene’s contract would scare away contenders. Greene on a bottom pairing playoff team would be a great addition for any team.

Hall can have the captaincy as soon as he signs on the dotted line... not a moment before.

I do like Santini and Yak as well.

 

[Stephen Gionta]

Anointing Taylor Hall with the captaincy would be, in my mind, a good idea.

I think Greene's experience/leadership qualities/smarts will be very attractive to several teams come deadline day. Did anyone think Shero would get a second-rounder for Boyle? These so-called "intangibles" become very tangible to NHL GMs, most of whom have played in the NHL, going into the post-season. I could certainly envision a contending team seeking playoff experience/defensive depth for the playoffs (Winnipeg? Montreal? San Jose?) offering a late second-rounder to get Andy on their team.

As far as Mueller: in my estimation, the Devils blueline has been stronger with Santini or Yakovlev in the line-up than with Mueller. I would say Santini and Yakovlev are the kids that need more ice time for the remainder of 2019.

This defense would be in shambles if Greene was traded. I don't think any of us realize how important Greene is to the defense. However if we want to have a good defense core, he should be 3rd pairing and PK1. Not first pairing. However, Greene @ 50% retained salary would be a very valuable addition for any playoff team.

Agreed on Santini and Yaklovev over Mueller.

I agree about Greene but the majority have said they feel like the extra year on Greene’s contract would scare away contenders. Greene on a bottom pairing playoff team would be a great addition for any team.

Hall can have the captaincy as soon as he signs on the dotted line... not a moment before.

I do like Santini and Yak as well.

Agreed on bolded.

 

[MichaelJ]

I agree about Greene but the majority have said they feel like the extra year on Greene’s contract would scare away contenders. Greene on a bottom pairing playoff team would be a great addition for any team.

I don’t see them trading him and I don’t see them retaining much, but the Devils easily have the cap space to make Greene’s last year a non-issue for an acquiring team

 

[Ripshot 43]

I don’t see them trading him and I don’t see them retaining much, but the Devils easily have the cap space to make Greene’s last year a non-issue for an acquiring team

I would be down if it ment acquiring draft capital.

 

[MartyOwns]

we could easily retain salary on a greene trade, but unless the return is significant i wouldn’t do it

 

[MichaelJ]

I would be down if it ment acquiring draft capital.

I absolutely would too

 

[Ripshot 43]

we could easily retain salary on a greene trade, but unless the return is significant i wouldn’t do it

What would you consider a significant return for Greene?

 

[MartyOwns]

What would you consider a significant return for Greene?

for greene? if we’re retaining 50% (which i’m cool with) i’d want back a first round pick and either a 2nd or a mid level prospect