Rabid Ranger's joke of a mock

[Rabid Ranger]

I'm not very good at calling these things, but I took a hard look at each team's draft position, long and short term needs, drafting style, and quality of the draft to come up with this list. I believe there will be at least two trades made involving teams moving up to pick defensemen. The second one is more unlikely, but IMO possible. I should preface this mock by saying that I feel this will be a banner year for U.S. prospects, especially from the USNTDP. Grip it and rip it!

1. Pittsburgh (Erik Johnson) Pittsburgh trades "x" with St. Louis (likely a player/prospect/or pick and the 2nd) to get their stud d-man.

2. St. Louis (Jordan Staal) In Blues circles it's no secret the team loves Staal. I think either he or Backstrom is the guy here. A stud center who projects well.

3. Chicago (Phil Kessel) This could be where Toews/Backstrom goes, but I go with the flashy Kessel who in some ways could remind the Hawks faithful of a young JR.

4. Washington (Nicklas Backstrom) The smooth Swedish pivot will be called upon to set up Ovechkin for years.

5. Boston (Kyle Okposo) In the first "shocker" of the draft, Boston goes for the exceptionally well rounded Okposo.

6. Columbus (Jonathan Toews) Toews falls a bit, but ends up setting the Jackets up with two stud centers for the future (he and Brule).

7. NYI (Peter Mueller) The Isles go for the BPA in Mueller. A crafty pivot with size, deceptive speed, and good leadership qualities.

8. Phoenix (Derrick Brassard) Phoenix goes with the dynamic Brassard who the Yotes hope can anchor a scoring line for the years to come.

9. Minnesota (Mike Forney) I'm going with a bit of a shocker here. Forney is unknown to many outside the scouting community, but is a hometown player blessed with excellent size and skill and will be heading to top notch school this fall (ND).

10. Florida (Chris Stewart) Frankly, I think the temptation to take Anthony's brother will be too much. Chris is a great player in his own right and brings size along with a good work ethic.

11. NJ (Bob Sanguinetti) Here's my other trade. Sanguinetti is a NJ native who is a tremendous offensive presence from the blueline. Rafalski's replacement in a few years.

12. Atlanta (Jiri Tlusty) The Thrashers look to add the well-rounded Tlusty to an already impressive group of forwards.

13. Toronto (Bryan Little) The Leafs look to address a thin prospect group at forward by adding the dynamic Little.

14. Vancouver (Michael Frolik) Frolik's stock has dropped in the last year or so, but he's talented enough for the Canucks to snatch him up.

15. Tampa Bay (Jonathan Bernier) I struggled this one, especially with the BPA angle so prevelant, but because of the lack of quality goaltending prospects in the system, I went with who I believe is the top keeper in the draft.

16. Montreal (Nigel Williams) Montreal goes with the well regarded Williams, who while still has a lot of maturing to do, has tremendous upside on the blueline.

17. Minnesota (David Fischer) Minnesota goes for another hometowner, this time a defenseman who will ply his trade at Michigan next season.

18. Colorado (James Sheppard) I acknowledge that Sheppard is unlikely to drop this far, but if he does Colorado will snatch him up to fill a scoring line role in the future.

19. Anaheim (Ty Wishart) IMO Anaheim has one of the best talent pools in the league, but could use another defenseman to anchor the blueline. They go for the very steady Wishart who would be a nice compliment for a player like Smid.

20. San Jose (Michael Grabner) Another team that looks good overall, but will go with the German speaking, but not German Grabner. Nice skill level and upside.

21. NYR (Brian Strait) Another team with a good mix of quality prospects, the Rangers address a long term need with Brian Strait, a very steady defensman with the USNTDP.

22. Philadelphia (Nick Foligno) I'm going with a hunch here. The team goes with another skilled pest in the Bobby Clarke image, I'm envisioning a Foligno/Downie tandem in the future....YIKES!

23. Washington (Riku Helenius) Washington addresses their need for a top goaltending prospect by going with the impressive Helenius.

24. Buffalo (Mark Mitera) Buffalo's lack of blueline depth in the playoffs and in the organization impels the team to take the steady Mitera.

25. LA (Chris Summers) No doubt New Jersey sweetened the pot for the Kings to fall this low in the draft, but LA still gets a quality prospect in the fleet footed Chris Summers.

26. Calgary (Ryan White) I keep hoping Darryl Sutter has a change of philosophy when it comes to drafting, but alas he doesn't, so he goes with the solid but unspectacular White.

27. St. Louis (Ondrej Fiala) The Blues go for the skilled and hard working Czech native.

28. Dallas (Ivan Vishnevsky) No Finns this time! The Stars look for Zubov's replacement and find their man in Vishnevsky.

29. Ottawa (Joey Ryan) The Sens look to compliment the offensive Brian Lee with the more physical Joey Ryan. He skates well enough to fit in with the Sens team philosophy and brings toughness.

30. Detroit (Codey Burki) Detroit seems to find the diamonds in the rough, so they go with ther mercurial but very talented Burki.

Click to read more...

 

[Burke's Evil Spirit]

Nashville's first rounder is owned by Washington, dude.

Overall, I liked it. If Vancouver takes Frolik I'll be very angry (especially with Sheppard there!), but it wouldn't particularly surprise me.

Edit - Interesting you have Vasyunov going to the 2nd round. I think that's a real possibility, too.

 

[Kaizer]

18. Colorado (James Sheppard) I acknowledge that Sheppard is unlikely to drop this far, but if he does Colorado will snatch him up to fill a scoring line role in the future.

QFT

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Nashville's first rounder is owned by Washington, dude.

Overall, I liked it. If Vancouver takes Frolik I'll be very angry (especially with Sheppard there!), but it wouldn't particularly surprise me.

Edit - Interesting you have Vasyunov going to the 2nd round. I think that's a real possibility, too.

I knew I was missing something. Thanks. I changed the pick to Helenius.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Nashville's first rounder is owned by Washington, dude.

Overall, I liked it. If Vancouver takes Frolik I'll be very angry (especially with Sheppard there!), but it wouldn't particularly surprise me.

Edit - Interesting you have Vasyunov going to the 2nd round. I think that's a real possibility, too.

As for Vasyunov, like I said, I'm not very good at projecting these things. He's an excellent candidate for the 1st round and wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him picked there.

 

[IkeaMonkey*]

I'd do a backflip for both Backstrom and Helinus.

 

[Prussian_Blue]

1. Pittsburgh (Erik Johnson) Pittsburgh trades "x" with St. Louis (likely a player/prospect/or pick and the 2nd) to get their stud d-man.

2. St. Louis (Jared Staal) In Blues circles it's no secret the team loves Staal. I think either he or Backstrom is the guy here. A stud center who projects well.

<snip>

27. St. Louis (Ondrej Fiala) The Blues go for the skilled and hard working Czech native.

Not too shabby.

The only thing I'd add is this: The Blues will probably take a d-man (and probably not Vishnevsky or Ryan; think Persson, Sneep, Weber, or Corrente) with that later first-round pick... unless the prospect from Pittsburgh happens to be someone like Noah Welch ( [P_B crosses fingers] ) or Andy Schneider.

If the Blues get Welch (or even Schneider) from Pittsburgh, along with the Pens' second-round pick, as enticement to pass on Erik Johnson, they can come out of this draft in great, great shape... Staal, Welch/Schneider, and three consecutive picks at #30, #31, and #32. They could probably get Fiala with one of those picks, and add Trevor Lewis and Tomas Kana too... or one of the defensemen I mentioned above.



Lord, I can't wait for the 24th... I love draft season anyway, but I haven't ever been more fired-up about a draft for the Blues than I am about this one.

P_B

 

[PhoPhan]

Good work, sir.

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

No! Chris Stewart wont be drafted by Florida. I'll bank my parents house on it. Keenan has stated he will pick BPA in the first round, and Stewart did not do well in the fitness tests.

Once Jared is drafted, the only one left is Jordan .

Solid mock though.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Not too shabby.

The only thing I'd add is this: The Blues will probably take a d-man (and probably not Vishnevsky or Ryan; think Persson, Sneep, Weber, or Corrente) with that later first-round pick... unless the prospect from Pittsburgh happens to be someone like Noah Welch ( [P_B crosses fingers] ) or Andy Schneider.

If the Blues get Welch (or even Schneider) from Pittsburgh, along with the Pens' second-round pick, as enticement to pass on Erik Johnson, they can come out of this draft in great, great shape... Staal, Welch/Schneider, and three consecutive picks at #30, #31, and #32. They could probably get Fiala with one of those picks, and add Trevor Lewis and Tomas Kana too... or one of the defensemen I mentioned above.



Lord, I can't wait for the 24th... I love draft season anyway, but I haven't ever been more fired-up about a draft for the Blues than I am about this one.

P_B

Thanks for the comments. The reason I had the Blues pick Fiala in this mock is because if the Pens do swap picks, they will likely give up a good defensive prospect to do so.

 

[Prussian_Blue]

I'd do a backflip for both Backstrom and Helinus.

You should... if the Blues came out of the first round with those two players, I'd do a backflip.

P_B

 

[Rabid Ranger]

No! Chris Stewart wont be drafted by Florida. I'll bank my parents house on it. Keenan has stated he will pick BPA in the first round, and Stewart did not do well in the fitness tests.

Once Jared is drafted, the only one left is Jordan .

Solid mock though.

I guess I was thinking of Jared for some reason. Thanks for pointing that out. As for Stewart, I think much of this draft is a crap shoot, so saying who the BPA is can be a nightmare. I just went with a hunch.

 

[Zeus6754]

St. Louis is not going to get Welch from the Pens. He was a 2nd round pick who looks to be quite good. It is more likely that the Pens trade #2 overall for either Patrice Bergeron or Jack Johnson than give you the #2 overall + Welch + anything else just for Erik Johnson.

 

[Reaper45]

It'd take a lot to get the Kings to drop down from 11 to 25 I'd think.

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

I guess I was thinking of Jared for some reason. Thanks for pointing that out. As for Stewart, I think much of this draft is a crap shoot, so saying who the BPA is can be a nightmare. I just went with a hunch.

True. I agree that in the range we pick there is alot of guys who would be just as good a pick as another. Also Anthony actually saved Chris's hockey career altogther. However, doesn't make sense for us to draft Stewart. I don't think he is worthy of a #10 selection IMO, and i'd much rather go with a guy with more upsides.
I have no idea who we might pick, i wouldn't mind trading up a few spots. Due to where we pick we either get whats left over or go off the board abit.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

It'd take a lot to get the Kings to drop down from 11 to 25 I'd think.

I recognize that. IMO, that's where Sanguinetti will go and I think the Devils really want him.

 

[X0ssbar]

I can definitely live w/ Toews. Regardless, good overall mock! After EJ we might as well shuffle the deck and pull a card out for the following top 6 or 7 picks. I doubt any team has the same board for the top end of this draft.

 

[Prussian_Blue]

St. Louis is not going to get Welch from the Pens. He was a 2nd round pick who looks to be quite good. It is more likely that the Pens trade #2 overall for either Patrice Bergeron or Jack Johnson than give you the #2 overall + Welch + anything else just for Erik Johnson.

I guess that depends on how badly the Penguins want Erik Johnson, doesn't it?

If the Penguins want Johnson as much as they have been rumored to, then they will have to overpay for the first overall pick.

As I said, it doesn't have to be Noah Welch... Schenider and the Penguins' second-round pick will be fine as an enticement to swap first-round picks with the Penguins.

And how badly do you think the Bruins want to give up Bergeron, or the 'Canes want to give up Jack Johnson? Put yourself in their shoes for a minute... would you trade either of those players for just the second-overall pick in this draft?

I wouldn't. There'd have to be more for me to give up either of those players.

P_B

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Not too shabby.

The only thing I'd add is this: The Blues will probably take a d-man (and probably not Vishnevsky or Ryan; think Persson, Sneep, Weber, or Corrente) with that later first-round pick... unless the prospect from Pittsburgh happens to be someone like Noah Welch ( [P_B crosses fingers] ) or Andy Schneider.

If the Blues get Welch (or even Schneider) from Pittsburgh, along with the Pens' second-round pick, as enticement to pass on Erik Johnson, they can come out of this draft in great, great shape... Staal, Welch/Schneider, and three consecutive picks at #30, #31, and #32. They could probably get Fiala with one of those picks, and add Trevor Lewis and Tomas Kana too... or one of the defensemen I mentioned above.



Lord, I can't wait for the 24th... I love draft season anyway, but I haven't ever been more fired-up about a draft for the Blues than I am about this one.

P_B

Here's an interesting link on who the Blues brought into town for their own private meeting: http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=363942&sid=5a904326bea38657256384685d4b3c94

I think it's obvious that Johnson and Staal are the likely top two options, but they did bring in Kessel, which is a smokescreen I guess since their is no way he's the guy. It looks like guys like Foligno and Lapointe are being looked at with the Blues 2nd pick.

 

[Prussian_Blue]

Here's an interesting link on who the Blues brought into town for their own private meeting: http://www.stltoday.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=363942&sid=5a904326bea38657256384685d4b3c94

I think it's obvious that Johnson and Staal are the likely top two options, but they did bring in Kessel, which is a smokescreen I guess since there is no way he's the guy. It looks like guys like Foligno and Lapointe are being looked at with the Blues 2nd pick.

I saw that too... it also looks like Ryan White is a consideration for the Blues' second pick in the frst round, which I could definitely live with.

I also thought it was interesting that Jordan Staal went to the Cardinals' game instead of watching his brother in the Finals on the tube.

I'd be very interested to know who were the other players -- besides Johnson -- that were invited but couldn't make it.

P_B

 

[Zeus6754]

I guess that depends on how badly the Penguins want Erik Johnson, doesn't it?

If the Penguins want Johnson as much as they have been rumored to, then they will have to overpay for the first overall pick.

As I said, it doesn't have to be Noah Welch... Schenider and the Penguins' second-round pick will be fine as an enticement to swap first-round picks with the Penguins.

And how badly do you think the Bruins want to give up Bergeron, or the 'Canes want to give up Jack Johnson? Put yourself in their shoes for a minute... would you trade either of those players for just the second-overall pick in this draft?

I wouldn't. There'd have to be more for me to give up either of those players.

P_B

The Pens shouldn't want Erik Johnson that badly. They are in a perfect spot at #2 overall. They need a #1 D-man AND #1 Wingers. The Bruins and Canes would be crazy to make those trades... but stranger trades have happened. The Pens would almost certainly be willing to give up picks and prospects for JJ or Bergeron in addition to #2 overall. JJ is better than EJ. Backstrom or Kessel could be just as good, if not better than EJ. The Pens don't need to make any trade for EJ. Let St. Louis do what they want. Then pick BPA after that. Simple. There is no can't miss player in this draft. There is no definitive #1 player in this draft. That's why there is talk about St. Louis and the Pens trading at all. The Pens will fill 1 out of 2 needs with #2 overall just like they would if they traded for #1 overall. The Pens don't improve that much by trading for #1 overall. They can improve just as much by not trading.

 

[Captain Conservative]

I'm not very good at calling these things, but I took a hard look at each team's draft position, long and short term needs, drafting style, and quality of the draft to come up with this list. I believe there will be at least two trades made involving teams moving up to pick defensemen. The second one is more unlikely, but IMO possible. I should preface this mock by saying that I feel this will be a banner year for U.S. prospects, especially from the USNTDP. Grip it and rip it!

Great read man! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on the draft with us.


Would love a combination of Backstrom and Helenius for the caps 1st round, especially with Helenius clearly being the BPA at 23.

No! Chris Stewart wont be drafted by Florida. Stewart did not do well in the fitness tests.

Worst rationale for an argument ever. The fitness tests are so less important than what a player has done in his draft year and Stewart had a great draft year. That said, I agree that Florida is unlikely to pick Stewart, I think Frolik, Little and Tlusty would all be better picks at 10 there for Florida. The original rational RR had for Florida drafting Chris is a close second though I don't think a team would draft a less prospect just because his brother also played for the organization.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Forney is too high for Minnesota to pick. I think Little could go there.

 

[Corona-12]

Nashville's first rounder is owned by Washington, dude.

Overall, I liked it. If Vancouver takes Frolik I'll be very angry (especially with Sheppard there!), but it wouldn't particularly surprise me.

Edit - Interesting you have Vasyunov going to the 2nd round. I think that's a real possibility, too.

You shouldn't be. Talent wise, Frolik is way higher then Sheppard. Frolik has good size and strength as well. Sheppard only has like 10-15 more pounds on him. You don't go from being a considered number 1 pick to 5 months later being considered a possible bust.

 

[Transported Upstater]

Not a bad draft. A decent mix of expected and unexpected scenarios, which is what always happens in the draft.

I would like to see the Leafs take Sheppard or Frolik, but I won't too
disappointed with Little.



And Prussian Blue, I HIGHLY doubt the Pens give you Noah Welch just to move up one draft spot