TSN: McKenzie :If Habs take a center it's no longer an off the board pick

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habergeon

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Apr 15, 2015
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Except Zadina is not the undisputed BPA at 3rd. That's what your missing here. He is the popular 3rd guy cause it was like that most of the year. The rankings from the first half don't measure up to the rankings that are coming out lately.

From what I understand (not going to back this up with anything :D), the concerns with Zadina are that he faded after Christmas, then he had a less than stellar combine scoring very low in some areas. The thinking being he either he has a pre-existing injury of some kind or he doesn't train / eat properly for performance.

Teams will due their due diligence and find out the cause. If it's the way he takes care of his body and trains, then that's something that can be managed but it raises concerns for some teams. Take a guy like Timmins or Bergy....they are gym rats....when they scout, you can usually find them in a local gym. They expect their players to be the same.

I can't imagine a player with potential issues like those mentioned scores highly on their radars, as it's something that can be prevented. There are just so many kids coming to the draft ripped, in shape and eating like Gary Roberts that if you don't you will stick out.

Having said that, skills wise and hockey sense wise, Zadina is an elite talent who will be a really good NHL player once he figures everything out. I don't think he's strong enough yet to play regularly in the NHL, but really with some good advice and hard work I can see him making it in a year.

But I don't for the life of me think it will be in a Montreal uniform.
 

waffledave

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Aug 22, 2004
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What if Kotaniemi is this years Kopitar. In 2005 Crosby like Dahlen was the best player by a mile. The consensus best players available after him on any pre draft list were some combination Bobby Ryan, Benoit Poulliot Jack Johnson and Gilbert Brule. In hindsight the slighlty undervalued European centre (Kopitar) who went 11th overall was the best player available at no 2, 3,4, Zadina's draft year numbers look a lot like Bobby Ryans.

Anything can happen. But funny you mention 2005... Because Pouliot was nowhere near #4 OV until the last half of the season leading up to that draft. Late risers always have a certain risk attached to them, you need to keep that in mind.
 
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Runner77

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If you're drafting 3rd overall and your most pressing need is a center but the best center in the draft is ranked no better than 7th you do not draft the center. Either you draft the BPA at 3rd or you trade down.

Since very few drafted players are ready to contribute immediately there's little point in drafting for immediate need. By the time the guy you draft today is ready to take his place on the everyday roster, the need you had when you took him could be already filled.

You address short-term needs in later rounds or deeper in the first round. But if you're picking 3rd you take the best player regardless of position every single time. Good players are good players. They have value, whether on your team or someone else's via trade. You don't waste a 3rd overall pick on a lesser player simply because he plays a certain position.

If you read the last 30 pages or of the Prospects Thread, there is a persistent majority opinion that the BPA is Kotkaniemi. This is from our guys here who have watched tons of hours of video. And they have been ahead of the curve as only now or very recently are we seeing him receiving consideration as a potential top 3 draft candidate. If they're all as adamant about him, then it won't be a surprise if the Habs follow suit.

I'll be very happy so long as MB doesn't get into any dumb trades and makes the right picks, especially in the 2nd round.
 

HabsTown

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Jun 5, 2014
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Just for the fact that Jesperi is 8-9 months younger than others and competes for #3 OVR is enough for me.

That being said, I’d be fine with Zadina or Dobson even if Jesperi is #1
 

Laurentide

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Mar 24, 2018
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What if Kotaniemi is this years Kopitar. In 2005 Crosby like Dahlen was the best player by a mile. The consensus best players available after him on any pre draft list were some combination Bobby Ryan, Benoit Poulliot Jack Johnson and Gilbert Brule. In hindsight the slighlty undervalued European centre (Kopitar) who went 11th overall was the best player available at no 2, 3,4, Zadina's draft year numbers look a lot like Bobby Ryans.
Everyone knows that the 2005 BPA after Crosby was Price.
:sarcasm:
 

Laurentide

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Mar 24, 2018
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Just for the fact that Jesperi is 8-9 months younger than others and competes for #3 OVR is enough for me.

That being said, I’d be fine with Zadina or Dobson even if Jesperi is #1
In the end it probably doesn't matter. Whoever we select will be a bust. It's just that "Bustina" rolls off the tongue a lot easier than "Bustkaniemi" does.
 

Runner77

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:laugh:

Sounds more like a Ukranian stage name at the old Supersex lol

Give it up for......Kotkaaaaaaniiiiibustyyyyyy

And with the above ... cue in another legendary Jaffy story -- yes, about the time he ugh ... inadvertently stumbled into the aforesaid location.

And stared down the bouncer. No ballz. :laugh:
 
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Runner77

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TAK- Germany
ANO-Spain
DA- Russia
YES- England
OUI- France

Guess the country lol

Yes?

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain Jaffy speaking. We're at cruising altitude, and the winds are light from the northwest. Please be advised that all of the programming on your screens, has been pre-empted in favor of the NHL draft. Thank-you."
 
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Gainesvillain

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Apr 9, 2013
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If you read the last 30 pages or of the Prospects Thread, there is a persistent majority opinion that the BPA is Kotkaniemi. This is from our guys here who have watched tons of hours of video. And they have been ahead of the curve as only now or very recently are we seeing him receiving consideration as a potential top 3 draft candidate.
The problem with the “our guys here” argument is that many regulars here are fixated on the need to draft a C. And while they’re not wrong in terms of assessing the Habs' biggest need, the problem is just that this year's draft is weak for high-end Cs. Quite a few pro scouts are on record as projecting Kotkaniemi as a likely 2c. Yes, he's the best of a mediocre bunch (of potential 1Cs)...but it’s still a mediocre bunch.

So yeah, it’s great that Kotkaniemi performed wonderfully at U18s. But Zadina and even Tkachuk (who most of us don’t want, including me) both had great U20s. Drafting is not all about who had the best performance at the most recent tournament. I know that many of us worry that with Kotkaniemi there’s a tendency to project and to see a lot more than what's really there.

It's not for lack of watching YouTube videos, either. I've watched everything I can find on Kotkaniemi. I still see him as more likely to have the upside of a Lars Eller than Anze Kopitar. That ain’t bad...but not what I want from 3OA.
 
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