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

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Runner77

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Well that A/P is U/S.....on the MEL, gotta go full manual, no RVSM airspace for you my friend :)

I guess you missed the pilot announcement from the same post, which I added a few seconds after you replied to it.

I've emulated what you might do, if the draft were on while you were flying.
 

Runner77

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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.

All of this is an inexact science, to be sure. We'll only know if he was truly what some of us are projecting, a few years from now.

I never claimed we as a posting community, had consensus, either. However, those who have been touting him, have supported their arguments with more observations and analyses. It's all part of what makes the whole process fun -- part of it is guessing where they're going to fall and the other whether they actually meet the lofty expectations we place on some of them. Projecting teens is a major crapshoot.

Personally, I'd much rather allocate our resources so that we can take advantage of one or more of those plentiful top center candidates that will be available in the first round next year.

And, I wouldn't have an issue with Kotkaniemi getting picked this year by the Habs, so long as he is considered by them, to be the BPA at their slot.
 
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jaffy27

From Russia wth Pain
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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."
Brilliant......I sense there’s a captain hiding inside of you some somewhere :)

I used to play with the pax’s Quite a bit back at my old company. I was based out of Montreal, doing flights form Cuba or Dominican or Panama....anyways, during the playoffs, 2010 I think it was, I’d make an announcement of the progress of the habs game (receive them from dispatch through out ACARS system).....and I’d say Montreal 2.....Washington.........(silence)

:laugh:......I could hear through the door the pax’s screaming HEEEYYY....C’est quoi l’score TABARN....lol

Anyways, don’t want to get too much off topic here
 

Runner77

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Brilliant......I sense there’s a captain hiding inside of you some somewhere :)

I used to play with the pax’s Quite a bit back at my old company. I was based out of Montreal, doing flights form Cuba or Dominican or Panama....anyways, during the playoffs, 2010 I think it was, I’d make an announcement of the progress of the habs game (receive them from dispatch through out ACARS system).....and I’d say Montreal 2.....Washington.........(silence)

:laugh:......I could hear through the door the pax’s screaming HEEEYYY....C’est quoi l’score TABARN....lol

Anyways, don’t want to get too much off topic here

Love the good-natured banter in this thread -- kind of shows a human side. We can also be serious when we need to.

Thing is, we had more opportunities with our post-game threads and since we're on break from games -- we don't have an outlet anymore.

I hope the Mods can show a little flexibility, as it's all in good fun.

By the way, you could have taken your on board announcements one step further by doing an Elvis Gratton -- broadcast on your passengers's terminals, unedited NHL drafts from 20 years ago. :laugh:
 
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Edgy

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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.
That's what I said. If the BPA available at the draft position you hold isn't what you need, trade the pick for more picks/assets.

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.
What's the point of drafting a defenceman that can make the jump immediately if the team has no room for more defencemen? It's a wasted asset sitting in the minors. If they're not ready to make the jump now, then shore up a position you need now in case you're not unable to trade for one without sacrificing major assets or creating further holes as is the case with the Habs and the center position for the past 5 years.

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.
Again, if I trade 3rd overall for 5th overall this year and another 2nd round this year or first next year and draft the Center I need at 5th (who might be able to make the jump in a relatively short term) thus addressing an immediate need and gaining more assets that I can use as a bargaining chip to get players I need now or in the future, how is that a bad thing?

Let's say we draft Kotkaniemi at 5th and gain another 2nd round pick from moving down and we use a couple of those 2nd round picks to trade with Calgary, who's in desperate need of picks, and pick up a guy like TJ Brodie Or trade Pacioretty and one of those 2nds to Edmonton for RNH or something, how's that a bad thing? We'll still have 2-3 2nd round picks to address the other needs while filling up immediate needs. So I still stand by my original statement, picking BPA that doesn't address and immediate need or can address a position you lack depth in your team is bad asset management.
 
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TheBuriedHab

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My dream is becoming reality. Please pick Kotkaniemi. Build the team through the middle already.
 

WickedPegJets

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My dream is becoming reality. Please pick Kotkaniemi. Build the team through the middle already.
It's likely Bergy thought above moving down in the draft provided that true centerman Kotkaniemi is available. However, with his penchant for boring players who play with grit, he will pick Brady T at No. 3.
 

Scintillating10

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On his latest podcast, says that Habs needs may make a Center the BPA. Basically don't be suprised if we end up with a big Finnish center. Also mentions Hayton and moving down.

https://www.tsn.ca/radio/toronto-1050/the-tsn-hockey-bobcast-season-2-episode-20-1.1112948

edit : draft discussion starts at 21:45
Habs pick discussion at 29:30
Well, if Timmins has Kotkaniemi and Hayton rated close together might as well trade down and draft Hayton. Pick up a core asset in doing so. Still get player we want.
 
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PuckSeparator

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Does it matter who we draft anyways? If we take Zadina, we'll probably try to stick him at C and screw with his development. If we take Kotkaniemi, we'll probably insert him into the lineup too soon and expect him to contribute offensively AND be really solid defensively, and when he fails we'll probably move him to wing and mess with his confidence.

In both scenarios the lifespan of this player is going to be in the 4-5 year range until his confidence gets shattered and his trade value tanks, and that is exactly the moment when we'll ship the player out for another's team's problem child with even less upside.
 
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The Gr8 Dane

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Whoever we take won't be properly developed. Crazy . It's like we've went full circle. 6 years and back to square one with a third overall....cruel stuff man...
 
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