Seven Round Snake Draft

[Skk82]

Here's my pitch for Crosby:

To Pittsburgh:

Bowmeester, Jokinen, Weiss, Horton, Krajicek, Florida's 1st round picks in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

To Florida:

Rights to the First Overall Pick and Sidney Crosby.

That's a LOT of young talent, but that's what it is going to take for Pittsburgh's GM to even pick up the phone. Too bad the Pens don't need a goalie or Luongo would be added and Bowmeester and/or Jokinen substracted.

a tempting offer for sure, one i almost bit on. it'll likely take a forsberg-esque offer just for the lucky GM with the #1 pick to consider, and you've provided it.

the penguins have a ton of 'quantity' and even though horton, weiss and bouwmeester are great prospects, the pens already have their share of guys like whitney, salmonsson, stone and that malkin guy. it's still really hard NOT to add all that talent, but in my opinion i just couldn't pass up adding the most hyped player since lemieux. plus it's a great dream to think of crosby centering a line with lemieux and recchi. that would be a real treat.

 

[Larry Fisher]

Considering my pitch for Crosby was a 5 for 1 trade in terms of roster players and the fact Florida wasn't in the top 10 total salaries under the old CBA, I would still have roughly $15 million available to spend on the open market via Free Agency.

This is a Jacques Martin/Mike Keenan team now and they look to fill four important holes; top line sniper, top line flash, top 2 d-man with offensive skill, and top 4 d-man.

Top line sniper:

1) Bill Geurin - If Dallas buys Geurin out, we try to sign him for 3 years @ 4 million/year.
2) Glen Murray - Only if Geurin is not bought out or we are outbid in the Geurin sweepstakes. In that event, we try to sign Murray for 2 years @ 2.8 million/year.
3) Paul Kariya - Kariya can still put the puck in the net and would be dynamite alongside Crosby. If Geurin's gone and Murray wants more $$$, we sign Kariya for 3 years @ 2.6 million/year.

Top line flash:

1) Marcus Naslund - Probably Anahiem bound, but we make a solid offer of 4.5 million/year for 3 years.
2) Zigmund Palffy - Our second choice after Naslund, we offer 3.6 million/year for 3 years.
3) Pavol Demitra - Option #3, we try to sign Demitra for 2 years @ 2.8 million/year.

Top 2 D-man with skill:

1) Scott Neidermayer - Replaces Bowmeester easily and works with our remaining young d-core, offer $5 million/year for 3 years.
2) Chris Pronger - Option 2, offer $4.8 million/year for 3 years.
3) Sergei Gonchar - Option 3, offer $3.5 million/year for 3 years.

Top 4 D-man:

1) Mike Rathje - Quality guy, offer $2.2 million/year for 2 years.
2) Roman Hamrlik - Option 2, offer $2 million/year for 2 years.
3) Alexei Zhitnik - Option 3, offer $2 million/year for 2 years.

If I was to sign my 4 top choices = Geurin, Naslund, Neidermayer and Rathje = at the $$$ I suggested then the four additions would only add up to an extra $15.7 million per year and the remainder of my roster is young and cheap outside of Luongo so we would still probably be in the $35 million/year total range.
That is of course as HIGH as it would be and presuming I go with Option 2 or 3 to fill one or more of my four holes then that total salary would be even lower, so YES I can afford to sign four of the aforementioned guys.

Florida's roster if Pittsburgh accepted the Crosby offer and I added four quality Free Agents:

Forwards

(Geurin/Murray/Kariya) Crosby (Naslund/Palffy/Demitra)
Hagman Stewart Olesz
Huselius Taticek Kolnik
Campbell Nedorost Globke

PB = Two of Hordichuk/Shvidki/Berglund

*Dany Roussin is in the system and may be used as Option 4 on the Top Line if signing two first line wingers is not feasible or if five of my six targeted names sign elsewhere. If I can bring in two of those premier players to play with Crosby, Roussin continues to develop in Rimouski.

Defense

(Neidermayer/Pronger/Gonchar) Novak
Van Ryan (Rathje/Hamrlik/Zhitnik)
Biron Mezei

Goal

Luongo
(Cheap veteran free agent backup to ride pine and play start about 10 games)

What does everyone think of Florida's *depleted* roster?
If you were the Pittsburgh GM would have you accepted that package? I could break down the Pens roster with all those additions, and trust me it is stacked for the future, but this post is plenty long enough as is.
Is Florida one of the teams in the right position to take a serious run at Crosby come draft day and still have enough talented young depth and money to build/throw around?

 

[Prussian_Blue]

Top 2 D-man with skill:

1) Scott Neidermayer - Replaces Bowmeester easily and works with our remaining young d-core, offer $5 million/year for 3 years.
2) Chris Pronger - Option 2, offer $4.8 million/year for 3 years.
3) Sergei Gonchar - Option 3, offer $3.5 million/year for 3 years.

Based on the info I have, Pronger's an RFA. Is it too much to suggest that I be awarded your next five first rounders for tampering?

With the second overall pick in this draft, the St. Louis Blues are pleased to select...

...from the Owen Sound Attack, RW Bobby Ryan.

 

[CH Wizard]

Keep this thing going guys......

 

[Alain Racette]

With the third overall pick, the Calgary Flames are pleased to select...

...from the Sudbury Wolves, LW Benoit Pouliot.

 

[Skk82]

Tampa (Boltprospects) is on the clock for #4....brule and johnson are still on the board.

should the poster that makes a pick send a PM to the next GM in line? that might serve as a good reminder and help keep this thing rolling.

 

[Shane]

Tampa (Boltprospects) is on the clock for #4....brule and johnson are still on the board.

should the poster that makes a pick send a PM to the next GM in line? that might serve as a good reminder and help keep this thing rolling.

Yes, always try to PM the person after you. It helps keep things rolling.

 

[Larry Fisher]

Florida puts an offer on the table to acquire the Buffalo Sabres' 5th overall selection.
The offer is:

To Buffalo = Stephen Weiss, Christian Berglund/Gregory Campbell, Filip Novak, 30th overall in 2005 and Florida's 2nd rounder in 2006.

To Florida = Rights to 5th overall pick in 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Wonder Boy and the Buffalo Sabres are you interested in that package? Feel free to make a counter offer if the pick is indeed being dangled.

P.S. = I would haved offered the same package to Tampa Bay for pick 4 or Atlanta for pick 6, but the possibility of division rivals dealing on draft day is slim to none and I want to keep this as realistic as possible.

 

[Larry Fisher]

Tampa getting a franchise defenseman like Jack Johnson at #4 in this year's draft would be amazing for them...coming off a Stanley Cup Championship year where their only question mark was really on the blueline!!!

I expect they were looking to trade down into the middle of the first round to draft one of the top two goaltenders available (Price and Rask) with the prospect of them losing their starter in Khabibulin and not having a sure fire NHL starter in their prospect pool.

However, Johnson is just too good to pass on at this point. Not only is he the BPA he fills an immediate and long-term need for the Lightning. If they really like Price or Rask and feel one of them is the goaltender of the future for their club, they still have a number of assets that could be moved for a mid-first round pick.

 

[Alain Racette]

You have no idea how hard it was for me to select a player at #3. I was hoping STL would select one of my three choices - Pouliot, Brule or Johnson - to narrow it down but STL didn't and I was racking my brain who to pick. With Phaneuf coming up, I did not want to use a first-rounder on a need Calgary has filled for a long time. I was stuck between Pouliot and Brule and since Calgary needed a winger (weak on the left side), I chose Pouliot.

(I also wanted Pouliot for sentimental value - he plays for my hometown Wolves and I have seen play a lot over the past year; he is the real deal!)

But yes, if Tampa selects Johnson, good for them. I was so tempted to have him AND Phaneuf. But I felt the scoring on the wing was bigger need to address.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Ill take Philly if no one else will. I kinda want to partipate in this

 

[petec1978*]

I am still accepting offers to move down a couple of picks. I don't know how much time frame I have left to make a pick... but if someone behind me in the 5-8 spots wants to talk, I'm listening.

 

[Shane]

I am still accepting offers to move down a couple of picks. I don't know how much time frame I have left to make a pick... but if someone behind me in the 5-8 spots wants to talk, I'm listening.

You have a little less than five hours.

 

[Larry Fisher]

I would expect the Rangers (#7) and Sharks (#8) to both make an offer on draft day if this situation was shaping up. If I was drafting for Nashville, Columbus, Edmonton or Phoenix I would definitely be sweetening the pot to pick 4th, 5th or 6th overall with Johnson, Brule and Kopitar still on the board.

There is a pretty big drop off after #6 IMO. Buffalo might throw you a bone, basically a swap of picks adding a mid-rounder, if they have a hard on for Johnson which wouldn't surprise me.

But it's just too risky for Tampa to trade down a spot to draft a quality forward/center which they are already deep in at the sacrifice of a potential franchise blueliner which they currently don't have.

Don Waddell and the Thrashers wouldn't make an offer in real life because at #6 they are still getting a quality player and it wouldn't make sense to give your future rivals anything you don't have to. Then again this is NOT real life.

I am starting to wonder if Boltprospects doesn't have his eyes and mind set on the draft's second best blueliner in Marc Staal, who's stock has been rising by the day partially because of his proven bloodlines. He is now a projected Top 10 pick and with Price and Rask's stock very close one will surely fall to #12 or so.

That's why it wouldn't make sense for Tampa to drop down a couple and pick someone they could have had in the middle of the first round thus luring in a more attractive package for pick #4. The fact they are asking to deal with someone slotted to pick 5-8 it makes me think they aren't looking at a goalie but rather someone else ranked in the Top 10.

I doubt it's O'Marra or Zagrapan because if they wanted a forward/center they would just take Brule or Kopitar without hesitation. It has to be one of Staal or Luc Bourdon and Staal seems to be ranked higher by most GMs and scouts.

Time will tell...the clock continues to count down on pick #4. I am just pumped to be actually talking hockey these days and knowing these names are actually going to be called in the not-so-distant future

 

[Transplanted Caper]

The Flyers have an interest in trading up to the Top 15. PM with any offers

 

[Shane]

Trade Announcement:

To CAR: Josh Hennessy, SJ 2005 1st round pick (8th overall), SJ 2005 2nd round pick (68th overall).

To SJ: Eric Staal, CAR 2005 1st round pick (28th overall).

---

Who got the better deal? Vote on it!

 

[Larry Fisher]

WOW. San Jose's GM must have bought Carolina's GM a REALLY good bottle

Seriously there won't be a player at #8 even close to the Staal's caliber. The best player at 8 will likely be Eric's little brother Marc Staal (d-man) who the Hurricanes would definitely need.

Hennessey is a second tier prospect, and a second rounder is a 2nd rounder = basically a toss in. I wouldn't have traded Eric Staal alone for that package, then Carolina's GM decides to throw in their first round pick...just brutal.

The deal should have went down like this:

To San Jose

Erik Cole, Josef Vasicek and 28th overall pick

To Carolina

Rights to #8 overall (Marc Staal, reunite the brothers) and Alex Korolyuk

Of course we don't know if the younger Staal will still be there at #8 so I wouldn't have pulled the trigger until that was for sure. If he is a package like this, if he isn't a wait it out and pick 28th unless I see someone else I like sliding.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

having the 29th pick is not an ideal situation

 

[CH Wizard]

Trade Announcement:

To CAR: Josh Hennessy, SJ 2005 1st round pick (8th overall), SJ 2005 2nd round pick (68th overall).

To SJ: Eric Staal, CAR 2005 1st round pick (28th overall).

Confirmed.

Salo, you're right,it wasn't a really good trade for me.I agree but I'm gonna maybe select a forward for my next two picks, to add some depth.

 

[Larry Fisher]

The Great One : The thing is you can draft two forwards for depth but you're still stuck with quantity not quality. You gave up your team's top prospect who was already showing signs of being special for basically nothing.

A forward at #8 unless Kopitar miraculously falls will be O'Marra or Zagrapan neither of whom are comparable to Eric Staal's hype on draft day and production since.

Bad trade...perhaps rookie mistake. No way Jim Rutherford (pretty sure he's still Carolina's GM) even considers the deal you made and if he does, he's FIRED.

My advice to you would be keep trading and try to take advantage of another GM. You traded your future #1 center, hell that's where he probably would have been playing this year, you owe it to your fans to grab another future #1 center. Dangle that #8 overall pick you got from San Jose, Erik Cole, Joseph Vasicek, Justin Williams, Radim Vrbata, Mike Zigomanis, Kevin Nastiuk, 1st rounder in 2006...the list goes on...package some of this and make a blockbuster deal to redeem yourself!!!

 

[Larry Fisher]

I do believe Tampa's five hours have past so if Shane wants to make their pick (Johnson) and keep this moving that would be great. That is unless there's another trade to announce.

Let's keep this moving guys at least through the first round. It would be great to finish this by August 30 when the actual draft is set to go. Seven rounds is going to take awhile though and it's going to take dedication on every poster/GM's behalf.

 

[petec1978*]

Its six hours actually... which don't expire until 8:23.

 

[Shane]

I do believe Tampa's five hours have past so if Shane wants to make their pick (Johnson) and keep this moving that would be great. That is unless there's another trade to announce.

Actually, at the moment, the time limit is six hours, so TB still has just over an hour to make his pick.

With this time limit, the first round will seem to be a bit slow-going, but as the draft progresses, I'll be lowering the time limit as people become less concerned about making a trade to snag that "can't miss"-prospect.

 

[petec1978*]

Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 GMs behind me have not been online since this morning. That is what is slowing this process down.

 

[Larry Fisher]

Fair enough on the extended time for the first round or first two rounds to ensure enough time to hear trade offers.

So far the BIG winner is Pittsburgh because they got Sid the Kid. The other BIG winner is San Jose because they added Eric Staal (Top 3 pick in deep 2003 draft, candidate for Calder trophy last year) and a late first rounder for next to nothing.

I haven't heard any replies or offers from any GMs yet as to what I (Florida) is dangling. Is something missing or does everyone just want to use their picks where there at? Or am I the only hardcore about this mock draft?