Give this draft a grade!

[Monctonscout]

Really disappointed we drafted McCarron at 25.. B- but this could easily turn into an A type draft down the road when the prospects start developping.

Timmins slipped out on RDS that they wanted to move up to grab another player but "could not find another dance partner." Maybe they were trying to get someone like Rychel who plays with Brady Vail (one of our prospects).

MB confirmed it was Morin.

 

[Teufelsdreck]

Those of you who favored size over BPA got your wish, although there were a few skilled players in the mix. Notably, I'm surprised the Habs got Fucale. I'm particularly interested in how McCrimmon develops. One thing I might have done differently would have been to draft J. Subban. As for a possible major upgrade, I have a hunch MB intends to make a big play for Lecavalier on July 5. There'd be enough time to lop a few heads to get under the cap.

 

[Mrb1p]

B+

The idea is not about what did we address...but were the picks where they should have been, do we like the players chosen etc...

McCarron: Could pay off for sure. Do answer a need. Though people expecting a great fighter will be dissapointed. Still, I will believe that #25 was a little too soon. But potential a very good and much needed player for us.

De La Rose: This is where the draft score takes a blow. I don't see the offensive upside in this kid. And there was, and will be better players chosen after as I named already. Yet...if the guy DO improve his offensive skills...you cannot hate a 6'2'' near to be 200lbs guy that works hard, is great defensively and could score. Yet, I am not convinced.

Fucale: Well at 36, I'm fine with that. We could have waited to see if Desrosiers and Jarry could have been added later on but both guys would have been gone before we talk. So going with Fucale at 36 was pretty good and wise.

Lehkonen: All skills. Great numbers in a tough league. Rookie of the year and all. No problem with any of that. But his concussion problems has to be a big concern. Kid hasn't even started to play in the toughest league yet. Of course, some will say he THEN have time to know how to protect himself but still....Yet, I had Lehkonen on my list so he's a fine pick.

Crisp: Probaby the strangest Timmins pick since Missiaen. Wow, didn't see that one coming. As far as us amateurs, you just wonder why the heck so soon. They had to LOVE him and had to really be certain that others were loving him to. Somehow, you see him and you think of the ex-Bruisn pick that was traded for Jagr in Cody Payne...but Payne was just a 5th rounder. So really really strange pick and despite the need...as of now, makes no sense to me. Especially not with the guys still available at that rank. Hayden, Buchnevich, Duclair, Verhaeghe, Lodge, Cehlarik.....Wow, just a bad pick on my end. But we will closely look his progression. If he starts racking the points next year...we will revised our opinion...

Andrighetto: Well mixed feelings. CLEARLY a favorite of mine. Loved the guy. But again....THAT soon? Would have been neat to add Downing or Labbé, another tough d-man in the ranks would have been great. But I like the kid.....So it's not, in that case, a question of we'll see if he's talented...he is. It's a question of was there really some takers before at least pick 4?

Reway: Some other mixed feeling. Liked the kid when I saw him. TONS of potential and talent. I would put him in the "needs a toolbox" category. You see Reway and you can totally think of our ex-Habs prospect in Juraj Mikus. Type of kid that will look great next week in the development camp. But we'll see in game situations. Can't wait to see his progression. But geez...Vincent Dunn was so much more in the cards for me......and to see him going to Ottawa makes me cringe a little more....

Grégoire: Just an awesome value at that rank. Nothing else to say. Great pick.

But what doesn't make me want to give an A to that draft is that some players seems to be chosen way too soon for the sake of needs. I believed we missed in a couple of great picks. Really do. I thought we would have done better with the numerous picks we had. But it's not an awful draft, far from it. But no Dauphin and Carrier will hurt amongst a whole lot of others.

Note to bashers: This is just a fun exercice. IN NO WAY does that represent how it will play out in the end. If Button has the right to have his scorecard, so do we. Let's hope it pans out as an A in the end. McCarron and De La Rose have in them to change the face of this draft. Let's hope they do.

Really good analysis WS. I'm with you all the way... I feel like we missed big time on Dauphin, Carrier and Zykov.

The De La Rose pick doesn't do it for me either.

The two picks that makes this draft great though are Fucale and Lekhonen. I'd say they are one of the best value pick with Petan and Shinkaruk so far.

 

[Dharvey33]

Like this draft got bigger got a franchise goalie a got great character guys. Prust must be happy.

MCcarron is huge a looks to have decent skills. De larose looks like a swede type with a lot of heart and grit. Lekhonen have 1st round skills set probably top 10 but his health and size is a question mark.

Fucale will light a fire under price so its a good thing.

 

[Laboeuf]

McCarron - If he can develop into Bickell or Lucic, it'll be a great pick.

DLR - Solid pick, competitive, will play in the NHL, Dwight King comparison.

Fucale - could be a franchise goalie, a top 10 pick, has been compared to Cam Ward.

Lehkonen - Not sure about him, very competitive, small reminds me of Saku Koivu.

Crisp - probably a bust, maybe he can punch his way to the league.

Andrighetto - small, but skilled, probably a bust.

Reway - probably bust.

Gregoire - could be a career ahler'

 

[Monctonscout]

You're right about these draft picks probably not becoming top-six players, but really, top-six was never in the cards in this year's draft. Montreal didn't have a top-pick and probably never had a chance to trade for one. I'm sure Bergevin tried to trade up, just like every other GM probably did, but nobody was trading their best picks, except NJ. This one was all about depth, and with four picks in the first 55 -- all before Boston had their first pick -- Montreal may have advanced further than most teams.

Our top-six will have to be improved organically as our best prospects develop, and added to with a trade or two plus a possible UFA.

The obvious bottom line: Absolutely no way to predict a damn thing right now. And no way to assign a grade to it.

People are too quick to associate value with "top 6" and "bottom 6". Sometimes a guy people see mostly as "bottom 6" like Bickell can be a big asset at a key time, Prust is a guy like that. Sometimes a guy like De la Rose or McCarron ends up on the top 6 because they bring other elements but pure offensive skill to a minute eating line. Dupuis is like that.

 

[Habs Icing]

B+

The idea is not about what did we address...but were the picks where they should have been, do we like the players chosen etc...

Sorry but that's completely wrong. That's why we wait 4-5 years to evaluate a draft.

The idea is what sort of NHLers did we harvest not what sort of junior players did we get. The operating idea is in the future. So it really doesn't matter if the picks are where they should have been. We are not selecting junior players to remain junior players. We are selecting from the juniors for NHL players.

To illustrate my point on draft day Bergeron & Subban were picked where they should have been. Most people wouldn't have argued the placing. 5 years later we realize those NHK players were not picked were they should have been.

Same applies for this and every other draft.

 

[ForeverHabs97]

MB confirmed it was Morin.

In that case I'm pretty sure no one wanted to trade down.

 

[Whitesnake]

Sorry but that's completely wrong. That's why we wait 4-5 years to evaluate a draft.

The idea is what sort of NHLers did we harvest not what sort of junior players did we get. The operating idea is in the future. So it really doesn't matter if the picks are where they should have been. We are not selecting junior players to remain junior players. We are selecting from the juniors for NHL players.

To illustrate my point on draft day Bergeron & Subban were picked where they should have been. Most people wouldn't have argued the placing. 5 years later we realize those NHK players were not picked were they should have been.

But THIS exercise, to determine a winner IMMEDIATELY after a draft is NOT about waiting 4-5 years. We are not dumb. We all know that you know the real value of draft in 3, 5 geez 7 years from now when the players are established. But NOW this is the exercice for fun that we are doing. People who makes their lists, who make mock drafts, are actually basing themselves on stuff they see and players they like. Based on that exercice, they have the right to like or dislike picks. But then, it will be later one if they'll know if they were right or wrong. But again, are entitled to like or dislike a selection when it happens. A person who makes his top 100 and see the guy he put 21 leave at 67, will just not agree. It doesn't mean he's right....he's just going, for this kinda of exercice, disagree based on his opinion.

Don't you know that let say our Q scouts wanted Dauphin instead of De La Rose that they would not have been pissed off about it? They are pulling for their guys just like us here are pulling for ours. In the end, we will know in 5 years who was right or not.

 

[Dichow Stopper]

McCaron B
DLR B+
Fucale A+
Lehkonen A+
Crisp don't know enough about him but not thrilled with the pick right now
Andrighetto B-
Reway B-
Grégoire A

Overall : B+

 

[LeMAD]

It's all good fun, but let's remember that we have no idea what we're talking about.

We all said that last year was the greatest draft ever for us, but a year later, not counting Galchenyuk, it seems it will be pretty average after all.

Sexy picks aren't necessarily better.

 

[Whitesnake]

It's all good fun, but let's remember that we have no idea what we're talking about.

We all said that last year was the greatest draft ever for us, but a year later, not counting Galchenyuk, it seems it will be pretty average after all.

Sexy picks aren't necessarily better.

Totally. All in good fun. Sometimes we will be right. Sometimes we won't. Just like the majority of scouts though....

 

[SherbrookeW]

TOo Soon To Tell, and all that-- past the top five picks, as has been shown again and again, the next hundred are essentially a crap shoot. But -- truth can't be avoided, this first round pick is exactly the kind of first round pick the Habs have been making for nigh on thirty years -- tough strong character kid, needs to "fill out" , work on his skating -- with disastrous results.

 

[hogtownhabsfan*]

Gave it a B-.

We clearly drafted for need, and that is a terrible mistake IMO. Fucale was great value though, and raises the grade from a C.

 

[jedimyrmidon]

I think Fucale could become the wild card of this draft. No one expected the Habs to pick him. If he becomes great, then that adds immediate and tremendous value to the Habs' draft.

I think most of us tend to rank the draft based on our expectations of what the Habs were supposed to draft: big, physical defensemen or powerforwards (LWs).

 

[Habs Icing]

But THIS exercise, to determine a winner IMMEDIATELY after a draft is NOT about waiting 4-5 years. We are not dumb. We all know that you know the real value of draft in 3, 5 geez 7 years from now when the players are established. But NOW this is the exercice for fun that we are doing. People who makes their lists, who make mock drafts, are actually basing themselves on stuff they see and players they like. Based on that exercice, they have the right to like or dislike picks. But then, it will be later one if they'll know if they were right or wrong. But again, are entitled to like or dislike a selection when it happens. A person who makes his top 100 and see the guy he put 21 leave at 67, will just not agree. It doesn't mean he's right....he's just going, for this kinda of exercice, disagree based on his opinion.

Don't you know that let say our Q scouts wanted Dauphin instead of De La Rose that they would not have been pissed off about it? They are pulling for their guys just like us here are pulling for ours. In the end, we will know in 5 years who was right or not.

So basically this is an exercise like deciding which daycare child will be a doctor, engineer, a serial killer. I don't understand the exercise. What does it prove? What does anyone learn from it?

 

[HabsSlappy]

I gave it an A-

McCarron may have been a bit early but that is what you have to do if you want to get a beast who actually has some skill

De La Rose is a solid pick in my opinion. I have liked him for quite a while and he has some good size and good work ethic. I might have liked Zykov or Bailey instead but I can't be mad at this pick.

Fucale is a crazy good pick at 36. He gives us options in 3 to 5 years to work from a position of strength and to push Carey. I really like this pick at this spot.

Lehkonen is a boom bust pick at 55 and I love it

crisp I know nothing about except reading his hockeydb page after we picked him. But a 22 goal scorer on a poor OHL team while being 6'4" 225 gets me intrigued. We could have two towering forwards in the future if he pans out.

Andrighetto is a nice pick but I think it could have waited. Would have liked some other names here

reway seems to be tt's annual Q scorer "pet" pick. Wait and see...

gregoire is a solid pick in the 6th.

All in all a good draft I think. We got much bigger, added 3 guys with size, and a potential franchise goalie with some high upside guys. I would have liked one or two defensemen, but there is always next year.

 

[Et le But]

C+

Now, first of all, some of the worst draft on papers can end up surprising. For all we know this draft class will be more successful than next year. But the extreme variation between picking for need over BPA and swinging for the fences with undersized forwards, and nothing in between makes me think pretty much everyone selected has high bust potential. For all the hype this draft class got, it's clear after a very good first two rounds there was less leftovers than last year. I mean they couldn't even find a personal pet project like Nystrom in the 7th round? The top-heavy nature of the draft makes the McCarron reach look stranger. Amazed we passed on Zykov twice, and once for De La Rose. Feels too much like 90's Habs drafting for need to me.

Also, I don't see any of these guys making the Habs for at least 3 years. Maybe De La Rose.

McCarron: I think it was a reach. I also don't want to hear "next Lucic", McCarron is a better hockey player and a worse fighter than Lucic was at the same age. I like this pick more than my initial gut feeling, he fits a need even if he doesn't put it all together, and if he does he can end up a legitimate 2nd line power forward, the real kind. Even if he ends up a Bickell clone...well, needs right?

De La Rose: I'm a big DLR fan, I think he's the closest thing to a "safe" pick and will fit this team nicely. But...as what? I'm very concerned about his offensive upside. He's tough, smart and unrelenting, if he can compensate for his mediocre hands we could end up with 2 power forwards from this draft. I'd have liked this pick better at 55.

Fucale: Well, I don't believe you draft goalies in the first two rounds when it's not a pressing need. But we needed a good goalie in the system, and he's as good as this draft class gets. But you never know with goalies. Say what you want about Price, but Price was drafted as a more "special" prospect than Fucale is. But I completely understand it.

Lehkonen: Great pick. This year's Collberg, but higher risk and higher reward. Needs to bulk up of course, but he's fearless. The concussion talk is very worrying though.

Crisp: I don't get it. Timmins/Bergevin/Dudley, whoever was running this draft, must have absolutely loved this kid, so maybe there's more to him than we think. Seems to have a great mindset though, and even if he can end up a cheap goon he still fills a need. But still..in the third round?

Andrighetto: Overage AND undersized? Something for everyone! That said...talent is talent.

Reway: Solid pick. Very unlikely to make the NHL, but I like him a lot as a player, and will be rooting for him considering how few Slovakian prospects there are right now. Great hands. Gambling on both Andrighetto AND Reway baffles me, but we missed out on Subban and it's clear they didn't love many players left at this point. At this point, can't complain.

Grégoire: Easy choice, surprised he made it that far down. Nice to grab another Quebecois player, probably only has bottom 6 upside but the fact that he has NHL upside at this point in the draft makes him a steal.

 

[Mrb1p]

So basically this is an exercise like deciding which daycare child will be a doctor, engineer, a serial killer. I don't understand the exercise. What does it prove? What does anyone learn from it?

It's exactly what it is. Because message board.


Now if you want to be an angry nancy just click the red X at the top.

 

[1UP]

B - it's k.

McCarron, DLR, Crisp are meaty mofos. McCarron and Crisp have shown a mean side, a desire to destroy Hulk style that the Habs desperately need in their lineup - White's giving it a good go, but it's not really working.

Fucale is godlike pick at 36, and give us something awesome - a good goalie in the farm. Goalies are weird, some year they stop everything, then they completely fall, and then they come back to top form 5 years later. Gotta be careful with them, and having a few around that have the skill to take over is really worth it. I mean, Price is crazy good, but so was Theodore. In fact, Theo achieved more with a significantly worse team. Goalies are weird like that.

Grégoire and Lehkonen are good gambles that can pay off. I loved to see Grégoire's ré.action to being drafted by the Habs. Literally crying. Desire and hard work can do a lot for a Hockey Career.

Thought the picks were taken in weird rounds. Crisp wasn't that high priority, and I think drafting Subban would have been better. Also, not much as far as high profile prospects go, but when you draft that late, that's what you gotta expect.

So I'd say 1 steal, Fucale, one meh?, Crisp, rest made sense and I'm okay with them.

Fine draft.

 

[Habs Icing]

It's all good fun, but let's remember that we have no idea what we're talking about.

We all said that last year was the greatest draft ever for us, but a year later, not counting Galchenyuk, it seems it will be pretty average after all.

Sexy picks aren't necessarily better.

Huh? Where did you read that?

Chuckie is living up to expectations.

Bozon & Hudon exceeded all expectations.

Vail & Nystrom are on track.

So far it looks like 5 of the 7 picks are doing fine, thank you very much. I won't even argue Thrower & Colberg, So how is that an average draft?

 

[Whitesnake]

So basically this is an exercise like deciding which daycare child will be a doctor, engineer, a serial killer. I don't understand the exercise. What does it prove? What does anyone learn from it?

Okay so are you telling me that EVERYTIME there's a trade, you don't have an opinion on it? 'Cause you know, you ALSO don't know the value of a trade immediately when it happens. If the idea would be to always mention "We'll talk about it in 4 years"....well maybe we should not make that thread....and start making a thread about the 2009 draft. I guess now we have the right to talk about it.....

Just a fun exercise based on what we think now. Nothing earth shattering. A fun exercice on a fun board.

 

[Et le But]

Of course any grade right now is just speculation. You never know.

 

[wedge]

I really like this draft. At first, when I saw McCarron's pick, I was really WTF!!! But then... how can we pass a guy who plays like Lucic and can score goals? He's a raw player but he's exactly what this team needs. A reach at 25? Maybe.. But who's to say he would have still been there at 34?

I'm not sure about De La Rose (sorry.. I know many people really like him but I'm not sold about him) and Reway. Andrighetto? Maybe he won't make the NHL, but he's an awesome player. Sooo talented. But sooo small.

 

[couris]

good draft bplus