Positives from the 2023-24 Season Thread

[Guadana]

Meh, I think with the way Fitz drafts that if it wasn't Holtz that it was going to be Perfetti

This is the reason why I'm The King and Savior of The Devils Draft and you guys are my minions at best. Or little annoying kids I need to teach.

Fitz is drafting for needs and he is doing it very hard mostly. In the moment we have small need in playmaking center with bad skating who is left handed(yeah, I know Perfetti was scorer too, but his scoring upside was limited in projection because of his skating and speed). We were good in the moment with centers and our hard need was right handed wingers. I remember in the moment Holtz was projected as a player with average or even little better than average skating. Yeah I don't know why. But mostly Jack, Nico, Bratt, McLeod and Zacha couldn't score a lot in projection and scoring winger, especially the right winger was huge need.

And Quinn and Jarvis were right wingers too.

So I think if it would not be Holtz he would draft... may be Rossi, may be Perfetti, may be Quinn, may be even Guhle. We don't know. Fitz is drafting for needs in the context of BPA often, but the biggest mark of his draft is his desire to draft his guy no matter how high or low this player ranked. Nemec was great pick but still little bit higher than expected(consensus was about Wright, Slaf and Cooley), he was hard need, but Fitz absolutely loved him, he was his guy.
Same with Stillman - he could trade back and draft him in the middle or in the end of the second round with some other really talented player or draft two other talented players if Stillman wouldn't there because Stillman was 2-3-4th rounder in mock, but Fitz didn't care, he was his guy.
Mukhamadullin was second rounder in mocks, no trades back. Great pick as a choice for a player, meh management of the pick.
There were players like Hurtig or Cheslock who could be drafted by 7th round picks. But some if his scouts loved them.

So overall we don't know. Because Fitz would draft "his guy". As I remember we had a lot of attention from the group to Sanderson, Holtz, Rossi and Quinn. From needs perspective, from how Fitz drafting and from perspective of our media focus I think he would draft Quinn. But its fortune telling on coffee grounds.

 

[ZachaFlockaFlame]

This is the reason why I'm The King and Savior of The Devils Draft and you guys are my minions at best. Or little annoying kids I need to teach.

Fitz is drafting for needs and he is doing it very hard mostly. In the moment we have small need in playmaking center with bad skating who is left handed(yeah, I know Perfetti was scorer too, but his scoring upside was limited in projection because of his skating and speed). We were good in the moment with centers and our hard need was right handed wingers. I remember in the moment Holtz was projected as a player with average or even little better than average skating. Yeah I don't know why. But mostly Jack, Nico, Bratt, McLeod and Zacha couldn't score a lot in projection and scoring winger, especially the right winger was huge need.

And Quinn and Jarvis were right wingers too.

So I think if it would not be Holtz he would draft... may be Rossi, may be Perfetti, may be Quinn, may be even Guhle. We don't know. Fitz is drafting for needs in the context of BPA often, but the biggest mark of his draft is his desire to draft his guy no matter how high or low this player ranked. Nemec was great pick but still little bit higher than expected(consensus was about Wright, Slaf and Cooley), he was hard need, but Fitz absolutely loved him, he was his guy.
Same with Stillman - he could trade back and draft him in the middle or in the end of the second round with some other really talented player or draft two other talented players if Stillman wouldn't there because Stillman was 2-3-4th rounder in mock, but Fitz didn't care, he was his guy.
Mukhamadullin was second rounder in mocks, no trades back. Great pick as a choice for a player, meh management of the pick.
There were players like Hurtig or Cheslock who could be drafted by 7th round picks. But some if his scouts loved them.

So overall we don't know. Because Fitz would draft "his guy". As I remember we had a lot of attention from the group to Sanderson, Holtz, Rossi and Quinn. From needs perspective, from how Fitz drafting and from perspective of our media focus I think he would draft Quinn. But its fortune telling on coffee grounds.

Rossi is a shout too, I think that's another guy that they looked at as well. Building through the center ice was probably super alluring to Fitz at the time. I agree with all your points too btw, I think the reason I think they would've went Perfetti was that goal scorer allure that the Devils were looking for and we know how much of a size king Fitz is with his players for the most part. Jarvis and Quinn stylistically would be great for Jack but the worry he probably had was that line getting manhandled.

 

[Guadana]

Rossi is a shout too, I think that's another guy that they looked at as well. Building through the center ice was probably super alluring to Fitz at the time. I agree with all your points too btw, I think the reason I think they would've went Perfetti was that goal scorer allure that the Devils were looking for and we know how much of a size king Fitz is with his players for the most part. Jarvis and Quinn stylistically would be great for Jack but the worry he probably had was that line getting manhandled.

Perfetti was 5.10 5.11 on the draft with bad skating. His transition to NHL should be more focus on his playmaking game. Quinn and Jarvis were scoring winger (right wingers) with solid puck protection, skating(especially Jarvis) and all around game. Both played PK for their teams. So I think between those three it wasnt about Perfetti. Devils had more interviews with Quinn too(2-3 interviews, 6.01 on the draft), Hoelsher played with him and before the draft they didnt sign Hoelsher after pretty solid season, they definitely knows why Hoelsher had good season. So i would not be surprised that Fitz would draft Quinn over Drysdale and Rossi if Holtz would not be available. They were interested in Rossi too as I remember but after the draft Fitz told that Rossi should develop and he is at his best in center position. So I believe this argument works well for Perfetti too.

2020 draft was in october, there were so much time and so little to be excited about(covid time), so I learned a lot of info from that period)

 

[Mr Bojanglez]

Jack was gangbusters to start the season, before his first couple games missed. 20 points in 9 games. And the powerplay was silly good.

Timo was gangbusters once his injuries settled.

Bratt was fairly consistent (Except January) the whole year.

Nico was pretty close to a PPG, dealing with injuries and a slump.

Now - everything happen all at once and stay healthy!

 

[glenwo2]

Bratt.

I don't have the energy to care to say anything else right now.

Just get these playoffs over with (and hope someone knocks off the Rags) and get the offseason started.

 

[forceten]

Meh, I think with the way Fitz drafts that if it wasn't Holtz that it was going to be Perfetti

Probably, but Jarvis would have been great at 7 if it wasn't Askarov. I'd prefer Askarov, then Jarvis. Holtz was drafted for one reason - his shot. The idea was to feed him and let him shoot. Now he's supposed to be Patrice f'ing Bergeron. If that was the ask, you don't draft a guy who has below-average skating and has to learn all other elements of the game other than his shot. He's done a lot of learning and has improved on several but not all things.

Other than that, drafting has been kind to us - lottery wins gave us Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Simon Nemec. Luke Hughes we lucked into at #4. We did really well with Mercer and Mukhamadullin late in the 2020 first round, one is a regular (albeit on a step-back season) and one was the centerpiece netting us Timo Meier, a 30-40 goal scorer. There's 5 main pieces from the last 7 drafts right there. That does not include some of the deeper round good fortune that added us tradeable assets as well as stars like Jesper Bratt (Round 6 2016!).

But man it would be nice to have Askarov or Jarvis on this roster too. I know you can't hit every pick... but picking someone for a particular reason and then doing your best to not use it is weird.

 

[FinnishDevil]

Bratt proved to be worthy of his contract and more. I didnt think anything less but its nice to see.

Got rid of Vitek contract.

Some rookies (mainly Luke and Nemec) got their feet wet and are more proven for next year.

 

[Its Always Sundstrom]