Speculation: NHL Entry Draft 2021

[Scoresberg]

Soo, figured we should get this one going as well. Round 1 is 23rd of July, rounds 2-7 the 24th.

Preds have the 18th pick in the draft. We should be able to get someone decent. Below I will list some of the prospects I would like to see us target:

Fedor Svechkov (C) - Lada Togliatti 6'0" 179 lbs

Reliable two-way center with high hockey IQ. While I think you shouldn't ever draft by need, in this case where the prospects from say 10-20/25 are close to even, you can afford to look at the position a bit more.

If Tomasino doesn't pan out as a center, Pärssinen is basically our only decent center prospect. Time is running thin on Johansen and Duchene. We have a strong prospect pool on the wings and on defense. Unfortunately, this year is light on centers.

Svechkov at 18th is a good pick, he projects to be 2nd line center in the NHL.

Matthew Coronato (LW) - Chicago Steel 5'10'' 183 lbs

This year's DeBrincat or Caufield. Pure goal scorer. Scored 48 goals in 51 games in the USHL and added 9 goals in 8 games in the playoffs. Has some bite in his game as well.

Small winger that I know we have an abundance over but pure goal scorer's like Coronato don't walk by every day. If he's there at 18th (doubtful) you take him and figure out the rest later. Projects as a top-six winger in the NHL. In many ways, he's like Jack Quinn who we missed out on last year.

Nikita Chibrikov (LW) - SKA St. Petesburg 5'10'' 172 lbs

Highly-skilled winger who plays with an edge. Captained the U-18 Russian team, so has some leadership skills.

I know, another under-sized winger but going BPA here. Fast, skilled and determined sounds like a good package to me at least. Projects as a top-six winger in the NHL.

Those are the three I would target at first, although Coronato might not be there when we pick. Other names I wouldn't mind us going for: Fabian Lysell (W), Chaz Lucius (C), Francesco Pinelli (C).

Click to read more...

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Thank-you for starting this thread, it is overdue! As with the last few of this type, I really have no idea who I want. I listed Chibrikov and Coronato in my other post here too, but that is all just from a cursory scan of a rankings list, so I will really appreciate people digging in a little more and sharing their thoughts before I really settle on somebody.

Last year I preferred Seth Jarvis, but expected Askarov, and in the end I'm satisfied with Askarov. It's interesting that the draft order really turned out such that these two were both right there at our spot in the draft. IIRC some people talked about wanting Quinn too, but Jarvis was my pick throughout and turned out he went #13 so we had the chance to take him. Lundell may be the one we regret more in hindsight.

I voted Coronato... but count that very much as a "for now"... I am only just starting to read about these guys, and I am pretty sure I'll change that vote. I find it slightly suspicious that he had Farrell centering him and that he made a somewhat unconventional NCAA choice in Harvard. I'm not sure anybody has him ranked as high as #18. What I really wanted to find was a big smooth-skating RD. But I couldn't convince myself that one of those would fit anywhere near #18. So these forwards do indeed seem to be where our attention will focus. I feel like I'll switch to one of the Europeans once I've had a chance to read more.

 

[Scoresberg]

Thank-you for starting this thread, it is overdue! As with the last few of this type, I really have no idea who I want. I listed Chibrikov and Coronato in my other post here too, but that is all just from a cursory scan of a rankings list, so I will really appreciate people digging in a little more and sharing their thoughts before I really settle on somebody.

Last year I preferred Seth Jarvis, but expected Askarov, and in the end I'm satisfied with Askarov. It's interesting that the draft order really turned out such that these two were both right there at our spot in the draft. IIRC some people talked about wanting Quinn too, but Jarvis was my pick throughout and turned out he went #13 so we had the chance to take him. Lundell may be the one we regret more in hindsight.

I voted Coronato... but count that very much as a "for now"... I am only just starting to read about these guys, and I am pretty sure I'll change that vote. I find it slightly suspicious that he had Farrell centering him and that he made a somewhat unconventional NCAA choice in Harvard. I'm not sure anybody has him ranked as high as #18. What I really wanted to find was a big smooth-skating RD. But I couldn't convince myself that one of those would fit anywhere near #18. So these forwards do indeed seem to be where our attention will focus. I feel like I'll switch to one of the Europeans once I've had a chance to read more.

Yeah, I was all aboard in the Askarov pick last year and still think he will be great.. but man Lundell is looking LEGIT right now. On top of that, he's a center. He would've been a nice top-six center for us for years.

As for this draft, the Central scouting actually had Coronato 9th in their ranking, so I'd say it's quite possible he doesn't end up to us. If Jarvis/Quinn is what people wanted last year, Coronato might be the closest one of those two.

If you're looking for a big RD in our spot, you take a look at Corson Ceulemans. Smooth skater, good offensive insticts, good size but scouts have mixed reviews about him as he's a questionable defensively and didn't play much this year. But I don't see him being there either when we pick, a team will always take a flyer on that type of a guy who's coming up the same route Makar did.

 

[Kat Predator]

Isak Rosen (SHL) is ranked in the 18th pick area by some.

He's listed at 5'10" and 156 lbs. but apparently has the frame to add some real size and strength. Adding serious strength should improve his already impressive shot to "a laughable degree". What really stood out though is scouts gushing over his versatility and being tough to play against. He's got speed to burn, a wicked one timer, kills penalties, is tenacious on the puck, and the hockey IQ and vision to set up teammates and make plays (quoting quotes on him).

Almost reads like he was custom built for the Hynes system reading these comments.

 

[Armourboy]

Whoever is good enough to be an NHL player

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Player types I don't really want at #18, all else being equal, would be:
- undersized PMD-style defensemen
- gritty/intangibles-oriented players who don't project top having top line upside
- a goalie

Key: "all else being equal".... of course if you rank somebody with these traits in the top-10 and they've fallen to #18 you can pick them as BPA anyway. But if you've got a mix of different player types available and no clear BPA, I would be focusing on the higher upside players: in terms of pure talent for forwards, and more towards size+skating on D.

The goalie argument is a fair one to have though: suppose you have either of the 1st-round candidate goalies available to you at #18. If you take one, them + Askarov really provides insurance at the position. One can fail and you still have the other. Or if you luck out and both make it, well, Saros will be a small over-30 goalie by the time that happens, so it's still not a problem. But to me that's more like a "luxury"... you can also get goalies other places. Having 2 elite prospect goalies is maybe what you do if you have multiple 1st rounders. We have too many other needs to address, we can't afford that luxury just yet.

Now what would be really nice is to trade Ellis to Philly and get their #13 pick back too. If we picked #13 and #18 in this draft... that'd be pretty nice.

 

[herzausstein]

Really want a pure goal scorer this year. We have a lot of 2 way players and pmd.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

Really want a pure goal scorer this year. We have a lot of 2 way players and pmd.

I agree

You hear people say things like so and so "has a higher floor", and maybe that is true but I just think focusing on swinging for the fences in the draft is always going to be my preferred approach. Find things that you can't find on the street or as an overager undrafted player.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Agree with those saying go high risk. I feel like we do well enough getting competent middle sixers out of the later rounds that I'd rather go boom/bust in the first.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Absolutely. Don't draft Austin Watson in the 1st round, basically.

Although I think it's fair to say that in the last... well quite a long time really... that hasn't been too much of a problem for us. Askarov, Tomasino, Tolvanen, Fabbro, Fiala, Jones, Watson, Ellis, Wilson, Pickard, Parent, Radulov, Suter, Upshall, Hamhuis are two decades worth of 1st rounders for us.

Most of them were pretty high upside picks. Watson and Parent perhaps not. Others may have not turned out to succeed, but at the time I think there were reasonable hopes for higher upside.

The bigger problem is that's only 15 players picked in the 1st round in 20 drafts. Not having 1st rounders at all in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018 hurt us more. Especially compared to the paltry returns we got on those picks in trades. And there are some drafts we traded away our 2nds too. Without dissecting how "close" we were to contending some of those years, and also how important just making the playoffs and getting some playoff gates might have been in some of those years... it's an awful lot better to have your picks so that you even get a chance at bat to swing for those fences.

Picking #13 and #18 this year would be a huge boon to us. Pick TWO scorers with upside. Pick Svechkov and Chibrikov. Then maybe you don't get stuck making trades and handing out big contracts to players like Turris and Duchene. Get them when they are young and hungry and cheaper instead of trying desperately to slap band-aids on later.

 

[Tysonson3]

Absolutely. Don't draft Austin Watson in the 1st round, basically.

Although I think it's fair to say that in the last... well quite a long time really... that hasn't been too much of a problem for us. Askarov, Tomasino, Tolvanen, Fabbro, Fiala, Jones, Watson, Ellis, Wilson, Pickard, Parent, Radulov, Suter, Upshall, Hamhuis are two decades worth of 1st rounders for us.

Most of them were pretty high upside picks. Watson and Parent perhaps not. Others may have not turned out to succeed, but at the time I think there were reasonable hopes for higher upside.

The bigger problem is that's only 15 players picked in the 1st round in 20 drafts. Not having 1st rounders at all in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018 hurt us more. Especially compared to the paltry returns we got on those picks in trades. And there are some drafts we traded away our 2nds too. Without dissecting how "close" we were to contending some of those years, and also how important just making the playoffs and getting some playoff gates might have been in some of those years... it's an awful lot better to have your picks so that you even get a chance at bat to swing for those fences.

Picking #13 and #18 this year would be a huge boon to us. Pick TWO scorers with upside. Pick Svechkov and Chibrikov. Then maybe you don't get stuck making trades and handing out big contracts to players like Turris and Duchene. Get them when they are young and hungry and cheaper instead of trying desperately to slap band-aids on later.

Definitely wish we could take back the franson/santorelli trade. 2015 was a great year to be picking in the first round. With how far certain players may rise or fall this draft we could easily get a player that may turn out to be top of this class. Or a complete whiff. Certainly wouldn’t mind having a few extra shots at finally drafting a forward better than legwand

 

[BigFatCat999]

Best player available!

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Best player available!

I say this every year, but you almost never really know who the "Best Player Available" is... so it's just a cliche to say that. More nuance is ultimately necessary.

Last year, for example, I thought Seth Jarvis was Best Player Available. The Preds thought Askarov was. It might have been Lundell. It'll probably turn out to be somebody completely different. At most points in the draft it's like that. Whoever came up with "Best Player Available" talking about drafts needs to be taken out by timecops. Go back in time and eliminate that MFer, please.

 

[Kat Predator]

Askarov may have the BPA stamp of approval on his forehead, but organizationally the Predators really needed to backfill the goalie pipeline as well. Saros steadily improved this season, but that progress was anything but guaranteed, nor are continued heroics. Organizationally, we needed to improve the talent in the pipeline and did so.

 

[BigFatCat999]

I say this every year, but you almost never really know who the "Best Player Available" is... so it's just a cliche to say that. More nuance is ultimately necessary.

Last year, for example, I thought Seth Jarvis was Best Player Available. The Preds thought Askarov was. It might have been Lundell. It'll probably turn out to be somebody completely different. At most points in the draft it's like that. Whoever came up with "Best Player Available" talking about drafts needs to be taken out by timecops. Go back in time and eliminate that MFer, please.

Oh Ports, Ports, Ports, Ports.

You see, this is a social engineering trap where YOU MUST HAVE AN OPINION!

I don't. I have not looked at the film and I won't have the knowledge for an opinion.

This is step 2 of said trap, you don't have an opinion SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY, DON'T SAY IT!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm coming back with, I'm going to trust Poile and Co. with the pick. If they say player X is BPA, cool.

My expertise is roster math and numbers. I look at the cap and say if there is room or players have to go. I look at roster spots and say, 'This player fits!'

I'm going on vacation for a week because losing 303 and another friend have got me. Warn and/or ban me. I. DON'T. CARE.

Nashville has an excess of players for 23 spots, Milwaukee is stacked with AHL level players. Preds' pipeline needs forwards and RHD.

If you want to scream at me, ask PattyPred or Hunter for my cell. You have full permission to text. I'll be in FLA remembering to smile.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Oh Ports, Ports, Ports, Ports.

You see, this is a social engineering trap where YOU MUST HAVE AN OPINION!

I don't. I have not looked at the film and I won't have the knowledge for an opinion.

This is step 2 of said trap, you don't have an opinion SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!! IF YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY, DON'T SAY IT!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm coming back with, I'm going to trust Poile and Co. with the pick. If they say player X is BPA, cool.

My expertise is roster math and numbers. I look at the cap and say if there is room or players have to go. I look at roster spots and say, 'This player fits!'

I'm going on vacation for a week because losing 303 and another friend have got me. Warn and/or ban me. I. DON'T. CARE.

Nashville has an excess of players for 23 spots, Milwaukee is stacked with AHL level players. Preds' pipeline needs forwards and RHD.

If you want to scream at me, ask PattyPred or Hunter for my cell. You have full permission to text. I'll be in FLA remembering to smile.

I don't think we get warnings or bans for that.

Have a good trip.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Somebody set me straight... the more I read in draft previews, the more I like this draft. It continues to be a Weird Year for me, since I didn't watch these players like I have in many past decades. I was just too busy to monitor televised games or tournaments outside the Preds and running around with my kids. But I can definitely see several players in the top-40 or so I'd love to see in the Preds system.

This is a little different from my prior feeling that this draft was a bit of a writeoff. Is it just The Usual Draft Hype, where you get excited about writeups that do somewhat shameless sell jobs on some of these guys? Or is it secretly not really that bad a draft afterall? Covid threw a wrench in some of the player evaluations to be sure. But outside of a potentially weaker top-5, is this draft actually sort of Par For The Course later on? Any thoughts?

I would still love to trade Ellis for another top-20 draft pick. If we could pick 2 guys in that range in this draft, I feel like that would be awesome for our future.

 

[Scoresberg]

Somebody set me straight... the more I read in draft previews, the more I like this draft. It continues to be a Weird Year for me, since I didn't watch these players like I have in many past decades. I was just too busy to monitor televised games or tournaments outside the Preds and running around with my kids. But I can definitely see several players in the top-40 or so I'd love to see in the Preds system.

This is a little different from my prior feeling that this draft was a bit of a writeoff. Is it just The Usual Draft Hype, where you get excited about writeups that do somewhat shameless sell jobs on some of these guys? Or is it secretly not really that bad a draft afterall? Covid threw a wrench in some of the player evaluations to be sure. But outside of a potentially weaker top-5, is this draft actually sort of Par For The Course later on? Any thoughts?

I would still love to trade Ellis for another top-20 draft pick. If we could pick 2 guys in that range in this draft, I feel like that would be awesome for our future.

It’s certainly On Par. It doesn’t have the elite talent at the top like McDavid, Matthews etc. It’s actually good to draft in position we have, as there is not as clear differences between the players.

 

[Soundgarden]

Yeah, great year to draft in the middle of the pack IMO.

 

[Scoresberg]

Well, just by looking at other team's projected picks: Chicago's after Coronato. Rangers are going for a center: Svechkov or Räty.

Could Carson Lambos be this year's Jacob Chychrun?

 

[Flgatorguy87]

The way I have read this draft by the scouting services, and why it was kind of shit on was not much guaranteed elite talent that is franchise altering for the early picks. There seems to be plenty of high end potential players in the 1st round still, so from our perspective this draft is just on par with other "normal" drafts.

I still like the idea that we might see more players that pan out from later rounds due to COVID.

 

[101st_fan]

Across the past two drafts the Preds snagged Askaraov (solid goalie prospect), Tomasino (solid at the AHL this season), Evangalista and Afanaseyev (point per game players in their last season in juniors with the need to step up to the pro levels), and Parsinnen who looked good in Finland. There is also Prokop, a 221 lb RHD from the WHL who as a 3rd rounder has a shot of making it from his 3rd round pick position ... he's one of the few defenders with size we've added to the pipeline via draft in the past few years.

We need more d-men with some size and skill in the pipeline. We always need more skilled forwards ... for the complaints about Watson as a 1st rounder, remember he was a better than point per game player in his final three seasons in juniors ... 54 points in 52 games of his draft season. The goalie pipeline isn't looking bad for the next 3ish years with Askarov, Ingram, Cooley, Vomacka, and Haider.

 

[Scoresberg]

Pronman just released his latest draft rankings on Athletic. He has his opinions, but he's usually pretty much in line with Central Scouting and has a clue sometimes on what player certain teams are targeting.

In terms of us, he has Coronato and Chibrikov both in the Top-15. Sillinger could fall to us, as could Lysell. Pronman's not very high on Svechkov, as he's just 24th.

The more I think about it, the more I like Carson Lambos. Good, steady two-way defenseman with good size. Has a mean streak, defends physically but has some offensive skill as well. Before this year, he was regarded as one of the top prospects but had a fairly weak/injury-riddled year and fell off.

I know we have a decent prospect pool defense-wise and would prefer a forward. But this organization sure knows how to develop defenseman, and if we could just somehow find that hidden talent in Lambos, we could have a real gem in our hands.

 

[PredsV82]

Is Sillinger the son of "Suitcase Sillinger"?

 

[Scoresberg]

Is Sillinger the son of "Suitcase Sillinger"?

Yup