HF Habs: Montreal's 2020 Draft Class (Immediate Thoughts?)

[sandviper]

Solid C from me.

Like the Ghoul and hope he develops into a solid second pairing bruiser.

Tuch I do like as I think he has better tools that he’s given credit for and while I don’t see him being a top-6 player, I do foresee him being a middle-6 guy. That said, there were others I would had preferred but I still like him.

Mysak I am over the moon for. Great pick here.

The rest, I’m rather meh about, so we’ll see what comes out of the 2020 draft in 3-5 years.

 

[Ozmodiar]

I was wondering if there's a second motive to trading picks this year for next year. A motive beyond contract numbers. We've already saw a number of teams cut scouting staff due to the pandemic. Perhaps the Habs don't intend on doing this and feel that they can beat the odds on next year's picks because the lack of scouting will let some players fall who may not have otherwise. This depends on draft eligible players getting to play of course.

Trade capital?

 

[Habs Icing]

McGuire's been talking about these American high school kids/USHL kids in this draft for a couple years now.

Says there will be a lot of Jake Evan's even Brayden point type of prospects take innthe 4th and 5th rounds that will play in the league in 4, 5 years.

Well we took 4 such prospects from that pool.

He has been saying that for as long as he has been on Melnik's show. It has yet to happen.

 

[TopC0rner]

This is my hot take based on the games I saw involving those players

16 - Guhle - Slightly better version of his brother. Becomes a 20-25 points bottom 3 dman.
47- Tuch - Physical bottom liner... Never lives up to the fans expectations.
48- Mysak - Energy player with upside, great on the PK. 3rd liner that can temporarily play on the 2nd line.
102- Jack Smith - Haven't seen him play so can't comment.
109- Blake Biondi - Skilled player that thinks the game too slow. AHL-NHL shuttle
124- Sean Farrell - Fan favorite small energy player... fun to watch but too small to be efficient on the bottom lines over a full season.
136- Jakub Dobes - Haven't seen him play so can't comment.
171- Alexander Gordin - Frustrating top 6 player that puts up points but lacks pace and takes shifts/games off.

 

[montreal]

this was supposed to be the best draft since God knows when

I don't think that's true, i heard mixed opinions on this draft, deep yes but not the best draft in years although that stuff is kind of hard to predict imo. '15 is looking insane and '12 looks like dogshit especially at forward.

Though I wonder if the Habs weren't too high on this draft as the trades they made seemed very odd. I still don't get how on earth MB thought it was a good idea to trade a early 4th for what likely ends up a late 3rd in a weaker draft. But MB does lots of things I don't understand. Maybe '21 will end up better then it's been projected as.

 

[calder candidate]

Didn't Habs have like 14 picks or something?

Yes, than MB started to throw them in every trade...

 

[Canadienna]

It hurts knowing Rossi dropped to 9 and we clearly had a lower tier of players to choose from at 16.

That being said putting the past behind us I think we did okay considering what we had. I'm not a prospect expert but Guhle seems well liked and I like taking a risk with Mysak.

But man... Rossi would have been a nice add to our young forward group.

 

[Mathletic]

Timmins with another of his patented boring drafts. What a terrible few days for the Habs. Going back to sleep until this management is fired from top to bottom.

 

[Whitesnake]

Timmins with another of his patented boring drafts. What a terrible few days for the Habs. Going back to sleep until this management is fired from top to bottom.

So....you didn't like it?

I gave it a B. I think that Guhle, Tuch and Mysak are good picks. I think that Biondi and Ferrell have good value. Now...good value means so much. Fonstad and McShane had great value too. I like Guhle. Quite a lot. Though I would not have went his way. I think Tuch is based on needs. But I had him at 53. So it's not that far off. And Mysak was a 1st rounder for me. So I can't say I hated it.

 

[SOLR]

Guhle: Good and safe pick (NHL'er)
Tuch: Another good and safe pick (I see him as a NHL'er also)
Mysak: Great pick at that rank. Skills.
Smith: 1st WTF pick (not saying it won't be good, but surprising nonetheless
Biondi: Great pick at that rank (though nothing is sure as far as NHL enough or not)
Ferrell; Great pick at that rank, great value (though nothing is sure as far as NHL enough or not)
Dobes: 2nd WTF pick
Gordin: 3rd WTF pick, another Khisatmudinov type of pick.

In the end, a B. Nothing great. I think we assured ourselves to get at least 2 NHL'ers. Not sure how great they will be. Too many WTF for me. But again, not judging the players themselves, I haven't seen them at all in Dobes and Gordin. And not enough in Smith.

Smith is a top 6 talent who fell to injuries.

 

[Et le But]

C+ draft, very conservative approach with some interesting wild cards later on that fit Timmins obsessions (Minnesota high schoolers and overage Euros) that we will probably forget about in a few years.

The Guhle pick is fine, doesn't move the needle but good odds of making the league even if it's with limited upside. Reminds me a lot of the Juulsen pick although he might have better physical tools.

Everything about Tuch screams low ceiling but everyone wants more big nasty grinders who aren't completely terrible and he can develop into a homegrown version. His brother is great though so if he's half the player his brother is I'll takee it.

Mysak was a good value pick especially after two safe guys. I dislike the Bergevin/Timmins team building where every skill player needs to be short and compensated with by stocking up on plugs, but Mysak plays a north-south game and has two way upside, maybe we should bring in Plekanec to mentor him or something.

The rest of the picks, whatever. Smith reminds me of too many Timmins misses, Biondi seeems good value though.

 

[lamp9post]

Forwards isn't Timmins strong suite.

But all we need is 1 forward to become top 6 and Guhle to pan out for it to be an excellent draft.

It takes Timmins a lot of picks to get 1 top six forward. Well he got 6 forwards today, including 2 in the 2nd round...

I remember having similar thoughts in 2013 (factoring previous drafts). All we need is one of McCarron, Hudon, DLR, Reway, Andrighetto, Colberg, Lehkonen, Vail, Bozon to become a top-6 forward and we're set!

Yeah...easier said than done.

At least Lehkonen became a regular.

 

[Skip Bayless]

I was a bit left on my appetite with the Guhle pick, but I understand the pick based on his projection. We didn't have that type of D in the system and Petry/Weber aren't eternal.

Love the Tuch pick, that type of player is needed if you want to go deep in the playoffs. If he pans out, he will be very useful.

Mysak is a pretty sexy pick at that spot, 17 years old crosses the atlantic and becomes one of the best PPGs in his junior team right away.

Biondi a swing for the fences, that's all I ask at that point in the draft. Just let it simmer and wake me up when he's producing a PPG in the A.

Ferrell a productive midget.

Dobes lol dgaf

Gordin most likely wont make it, but at least they picked a guy with some interesting ability.

 

[Seb]

I remember having similar thoughts in 2013 (factoring previous drafts). All we need is one of McCarron, Hudon, DLR, Reway, Andrighetto, Colberg, Vail, Bozon to become a top-6 forward and we're set!

Yeah...easier said than done.

Collberg hype was real, I was so ecstatic when we picked him, thought for sure he'd become a top 6 forward. Of all the Habs busts in the infamous decade I think he's the one I'm disappointed the most.

 

[VirginiaMtlExpat]

All I can say is

If I notice how negative the board is.. we are too damn negative.

Product of the regime being here for too long.

I mention this a lot. There is a lot of entitlement here, and for many, Canadiens hockey takes up way too much oxygen in their lives. It is utterly obsessive.

For me, it's a way to stay linked to Canada, through moves to Japan, Germany, North Carolina and Virginia, and these days disengage from an academic career that takes up a considerably long work week (I like to joke that it works out to minimum wage ). It's hard for me to get too worked up about hockey, though I feel a connection to the Habs team since my childhood.

To others, one gets the sense that it's life and death.

 

[Stive Morgan]

Collberg hype was real, I was so ecstatic when we picked him, thought for sure he'd become a top 6 forward. Of all the Habs busts in the infamous decade I think he's the one I'm disappointed the most.

I remember Trevor Timmins saying he couldn't sleep after the night of Day 1 knowing that Collberg was still on the board and us having the 3rd pick of Day 2.

 

[euhchepas]

from an enterteinment value F
for the prospects B-

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Can’t grade it til we see how we do in the 2021 draft

 

[lamp9post]

Collberg hype was real, I was so ecstatic when we picked him, thought for sure he'd become a top 6 forward. Of all the Habs busts in the infamous decade I think he's the one I'm disappointed the most.

Definitely...We had that early 2nd rounder in 2012 and Collberg was still on the board after the first round. There was much anticipation and I was pumped that we were able to draft him at 33.

 

[SOLR]

Can’t grade it til we see how we do in the 2021 draft

The 2021 what?

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

The 2021 what?

Sorry, should probably rename it the annual pick deferral program

 

[DiglettDangles]

I don't think I'm a pessimist or a Bergevin/Timmins hater.
After yesterday, I wasn't expecting to be happy with the outcome (and frankly, I'm not).
I give it a C- and that rating would be lower if it weren't for Mysak and Farrell, who were objectively great picks at their respective spots.
The players we drafted have their merits and I really hope they'll live up to the expectations! Prove me wrong, I beg you.

What turns me off is that this exercise felt like a general white flag on offensive talent.
It even felt like they tried to come up with the most elaborate scheme NOT to pick today.
Listening to Timmins' presser, it appears clear they were going for size and Americans so we'll lose their rights in 4 years instead of 3... maybe don't pick a guy if you think he'll need his D+4 year to convince you??

Imo we have filled up on bottom 6 forwards without elite traits, and we needed a homerun; it kills me to see that we didn't try for more difference makers despite all our darts. What's the point in trading a 4th liner for a pick if you're going to use it to pick... a potential 3rd or 4th liner in 5 years? If I have the chance of drafting a guy like Chromiak, Ovchinnikov or Dufour in the 5th round (btw epic league-wide snub, must suck at interviews!), I take him and worry about max contracts later. And you know what, my success rate will be low but I'll eventually get the guy that matters if I have the slightest confidence in my staff.

Also, don't move your picks to 2021 "for potential trades", they'll be asking for 2022 picks anyways because (1) 2021 appears underwhelming and (2) those kids might not even play.

COVID got me too emotionally involved in this draft and that's a mistake I do not intend to repeat next year

 

[admiralcadillac]

I find it weird how many pundits are using the term "lack of pace" as a criticism of Gordin as if that term was frequently used in hockey circles. Just goes to show they're all basically commenting off of one or two previous analyses that used keywords.

 

[26Mats]

I remember having similar thoughts in 2013 (factoring previous drafts). All we need is one of McCarron, Hudon, DLR, Reway, Andrighetto, Colberg, Lehkonen, Vail, Bozon to become a top-6 forward and we're set!

Yeah...easier said than done.

At least Lehkonen became a regular.

For sure, nothing has been achieved...

After 2013, it quickly became apparent all the big picks sucked. Only Lehkonen, Reway, and Andrighetto had top 6 potential. Ghetto didn't make it, Lehkonen's a 3rd liner and Reway was lost to injury.

Let's hope this year is better!

 

[Spearmint Rhino]

Next year I'm not touching that GD DraftSimulator site, nothing but a tease when your GM trades away half your picks and other teams take the players I wanted