ESPN writer projects Kessel to go 7th

[nuck]

I think any player in this draft can slip to 5th. There is no consensus number one and every scouting director figures he is a genius who will pull a rabbit out of the hat. Zero chance that Kessel is drafted later than 5th though. Boston dropped the ball with Thornton and Kessel's profile might ease the pressure on management.
I see him going 3rd and still with the potential to be the star of this draft.

 

[Jackets16]

that writer is giving Stan Fischler a run for most idiotic hockey writer around

give him some credit, he was only off by 1g, had a right, in his prediction for crosby before the season

 

[Hunter Gathers]

give him some credit, he was only off by 1g, had a right, in his prediction for crosby before the season

Hey, I predicted Jagr would hit 55 goals before the season.

Does that make me an expert?

 

[Transported Upstater]

give him some credit, he was only off by 1g, had a right, in his prediction for crosby before the season

Even a drunk can piss straight once in a while...


EDIT: That's not blocked by the profanity filter?

 

[hossua34]

As a Blue Jackets fan, my head would explode if Kessel somehow slipped to us at 6th and we passed.

 

[Winston Wolf]

ESPN is garbage when it comes to the NHL. So why would you even read what they say about players in junior leagues? I'll bet you Buccigross has seen a couple of the college players once or twice and that's it, it's highly doubtful that he's ever seen Jordan Staal actually play.

 

[Surfer Dude]

The list was a mockery of a mock draft, perhaps he did it intentionally...

 

[Hockey-Freak]

Wasn't kessel once projected to be as dominant as Crosby once he reached the pros?? My, how the mighty have fallen.

Yeah, and I can remember a thread "Esposito vs. Crosby", too.

I think that´s the problem this year for Kessel. He had no 2.5 PPG season and that´s exactly what people are looking for to judge the upcoming potential No.1 picks for the next 3-4 years until Crosby´s last Rimouski season won´t be remembered as good as now.

Compared to the other top offensive guys and the league he plays in, I would still say he outscored them all.

I would be happy if Kessel falls to #3 - Chicago deserves it...and need it

 

[Hockey-Freak]

Toews is better offensively than Kessel, there is no way that Kessel would have scored the same amount of points last year as Toews did this year. Toews is a year younger than Kessel, Toews being an '88 and Kessel being an '87. and like the poster above stated, Toews scored more goals than Kessel did. Alot of people are underestimating Toews' offensive ability. I would be VERY !!!! suprised if Kessel produced better offense than Toews.

I like Toews, but better offensively??? His defense is better I would say.

Toews is NOT a year younger! You have 12 month in a year so if someone is born in ´87 and the other in ´88 it doesn´t mean he´s a year younger! They are seperated by nearly 6 month...

So 3 more goals (and 13 less points) in the first NCAA season makes him the better scorer over his NHL career?

I would be surprised if Toews can outscore Kessel ONCE in their NHL careers...

 

[Ban Hammered]

I like Toews, but better offensively??? His defense is better I would say.

Toews is NOT a year younger! You have 12 month in a year so if someone is born in ´87 and the other in ´88 it doesn´t mean he´s a year younger! They are seperated by nearly 6 month...

So 3 more goals (and 13 less points) in the first NCAA season makes him the better scorer over his NHL career?

I would be surprised if Toews can outscore Kessel ONCE in their NHL careers...

honestly, then start preparing to be surprised.
I got to see both of them play several times this year and most games, Kessel did not impress me all that much.
He had a hard time creating anything on his own without using anything except his speed which will not work all the time in the pros, Toews meanwhile was able to create scoring oppotunities using his stickhandling and smarts.
That to me is what will make Toews a better pro...he's already learned that he can't just rely on talent to score and to win...Kessel hasn't done that yet, he still thinks he has so much talent, he doesn't have to adapt his game to score...he'll learn quickly that in the NHL, you'd better be able to change how you play from time to time in order to be successful

And Toews outscored Kessel by 4 goals not 3 and he had only 12 less points
22-18=4 51-39=12

 

[petrklima85]

I find it funny, and a little frustrating, that in alot of camps, Kessel is being viewed as a bust before he is even drafted. My God, let the guy get into the NHL for a few years, let him play with professionals for a bit before you determine if he is a piece of crap.

The media, including and specifically TSN make this guy out to be a wunderkid one year, only to be able to tear him down the next year. After putting him on the pedestal they start sniping at him (the American) by saying how he doesn't project as well as Staal or Toews (Canadians).

 

[Ban Hammered]

I find it funny, and a little frustrating, that in alot of camps, Kessel is being viewed as a bust before he is even drafted. My God, let the guy get into the NHL for a few years, let him play with professionals for a bit before you determine if he is a piece of crap.

The media, including and specifically TSN make this guy out to be a wunderkid one year, only to be able to tear him down the next year. After putting him on the pedestal they start sniping at him (the American) by saying how he doesn't project as well as Staal or Toews (Canadians).

I don't think people are saying Kessel will be a bust, just that its not much of stretch to say Toews will be a better pro.

 

[BigE]

Shock? Robbie Schremp was predicted to go in the top 4 just a few years ago and wound up at #25. Anything can happen when a player's attitude stinks as much as Kessel's does.

He may or may not fall to #7 but at this point I don't think you can say anything would be a surprise short of him falling out of the first round.

 

[BigE]

I think any player in this draft can slip to 5th. There is no consensus number one and every scouting director figures he is a genius who will pull a rabbit out of the hat. Zero chance that Kessel is drafted later than 5th though. Boston dropped the ball with Thornton and Kessel's profile might ease the pressure on management.
I see him going 3rd and still with the potential to be the star of this draft.

Erik Johnson seems to be the only one guaranteed of going top 2. The rest, I'd agree could go anywhere between 1-5 depending on team needs.

At this point Pittsburgh doesn't let EJ go if he's still available.

This, of course, is assuming the picks stay the same and Pitts does not trade down (although why would they...).

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Shock? Robbie Schremp was predicted to go in the top 4 just a few years ago and wound up at #25. Anything can happen when a player's attitude stinks as much as Kessel's does.

He may or may not fall to #7 but at this point I don't think you can say anything would be a surprise short of him falling out of the first round.

Please share ONE link that indicates Kessel's attitude "stinks."

 

[Nich]

funny, he feel to 7 in my EHM game.

 

[topshelf331]

2 writers in ST. Louis 1 on the payroll, Thinks they will pick Kessel.

 

[Wisent]

Bäckström at 6? No way.

 

[Wisent]

Also, there is no logic in this. If st. louis wanted staal so bad, they'd trade down a slot or two.

Good grief, if Boston wants Saguinetti or Stewart over Kessell, Backstrom then they'd better trade down or else be ready to face even more wrath.

Hard to know. Remember the Setoguchi thing? Somebody on the Sharks prob knew that he would go high else they wouldn`t trade up. Perhaps someone knows something this time as well.

 

[Techbert]

My theory, which is mine, is he just loosely manipulated possible outcomes until he found one that sent Kessel to a New York team. This, in the eyes of an ESPN employee, is a virtue and the only way to make the NHL draft remotely interesting to them.

 

[PhoPhan]

Why would ESPN care anymore? They are based in Bristol, Connecticut, and they don't carry professional hockey on any of their networks. What possible vested interest would they have in the Islanders getting a decent prospect?

I feel like I'm turning into an ESPN apologist in this thread, but I'm getting sick of everyone just unfairly assuming the worst about every single thing they do.

 

[hawksfan50]

Kessel would enjoy the most success with a superstar already on line #1 --eg. with the pressure off and the load being carried by a Crosby in Pitt or an Ovechkin in WASH as his linemates..In Chicago he'd be a disaster---no lines even fixed yet--Ruutu not yet a proven count on (oft-injured) "go to" consistent scorer--and the Hawks play a 1-2-2--not Phil The Thrill's game at all...THEREFORE the irony would be if PITT passes on PHIL because of the red flags--even though he'd get 40 goals playing with Crosby NEXT SEASON (he an play right away --he won't get any better with another year in Minnesota) and takes Toews instead (maybe 1 more year at north Dakota) --in that case,if STL took Johnson at #1 --the Hawks are forced into a Staal-Backstrom-Kessel decsion....can the Hawks wait till Staal is ready at 21 (He will need 3 more years to develop= NHL ready by '09/'10 season and STILL a risk he may not be a scorer like brother Eric)? Backstrom already plays a mtaure game vs. men in the SEL and may just need 1 more year in Sweden before coming over....OR do the Hawks just trade the pick if Toews is off the board
(he may rquire just 1 more year at North Dakota before he's NHL ready)? Or do they ignore the red flags on Kessel and take him anyway just because he can come in for the '06/'07 season (if they take him the'd want him right away) ?

These are issues Dale Tallon faces with the #3 pick should the Hawks not get their target (Toews)....It is very unlikely--but if STL takes Staal at #1 (going long-term
build and a designed plan to suck again next year inthe Esposito sweepstakes),and PITT then surprises and takes Toews at #2--do the Hawks take Johnson as the BPA (despite their strength in young d-men),take Backstrom or Kessel?,or trade the pick (either down --WASH at #4 may want Johnson),or trade the pick for a current star player being forced to move on by a team for CAP reasons -eg. to Ottawa for Halvlat --or for financial reasons =eg. if PITT is not willing to pay a high transfer fee
just to get Malkin out of Russia a year earlier (maybe they would trade him for the #3 and take Johnson + get more from the Hawks-this also assumes the Hawks would fork over the ransom money to Magnetogorsk to get him over this September)
--all of these considerations are swirling depending on who is taken at #1 and #2 --then what the Hawks will do at #3 if their target is off the board....

 

[helicecopter]

I can definitely see Kessel falling to 5th, it's a fairly weak draft, and anyone could go off the board.

I thought that would make it harder for him to fall.

I see it looking like:

St.Louis - Erik Johnson (to good to pass up, the clear #1 this draft, St.Louis would be stupid to pass on him

Pittsburgh - Jonathan Toews (Winger for a future Crosby - Malkin - Toews line.)

Here we go once again. Why should Pittsburgh waste on the wing one of two great centers they have? And to make it worse, place yet another center on the same line (Kessel looks to me like a better fit on the wing).

Washington Capitals - Phil Kessel (Washington will choose Kessel and will convert either him or Semin to the wing, Ovechkin - Semin - Kessel sounds pretty good.

Semin is a winger already as far as i know.. and i rather see Kessel as a left winger (thus on a different line, very probably on a different team as well).

Atlanta - I see Atlanta trading down to grab Ty Wishart later on in the draft, they MUST concentrate on getting d-men.

Typical crappy thinking of drafting by needs, abounding in mock drafts (but for a reason, i know while compiling them the author must be desperate for reasons.. )
They need to upgrade their defense? It is not a MUST to do it through the draft! Not that it is not necessarily going to happen..teams sometimes indeed do crappy decisions, like drafting by positions instead of players' value.

 

[Le Golie]

Pens fans are so funny. They threaten riots if they get Toews, who is actually a perfect player for their team. Toews is really, really underrated by all those people who read the word 'safe' and think he's David Legwand. He's not. He'll score a ton, win games for your team and carry people deep into the playoffs. He's going to be a tremendous pro. I'd be doing cartwheels if my team ended up with him.

 

[clay]

Kessel is still #2. Mark my words.