St. Louis wins the lottery -- pick speculation

[Tinordi24*]

P_B and I will be more than happy to pick for St. Louis in any mock draft.

And while I can't speak on his behalf, I would listen to offers for the #1 pick. I have no idea whether the Blues organization will be doing the same.

Caps desparately need a #1 dman.

How bout:

Caps 1st round (4th overall)
Nashville 1st round (23rd overall???)
Pick of Boyd Gordon, Jakub Klepis

OR

Caps 1st round
Caps 2nd round
Pick of Jeff Shultz, Sasha Pokuluk

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

Caps desparately need a #1 dman.

How bout:

Caps 1st round (4th overall)
Nashville 1st round (23rd overall???)
Pick of Boyd Gordon, Jakub Klepis

OR

Caps 1st round
Caps 2nd round
Pick of Jeff Shultz, Sasha Pokuluk

For a jump of 3 spots, your giving up an awful lot.

 

[heygarebear]

For a jump of 3 spots, your giving up an awful lot.

I'd do the 1st deal definitely! the Blues would then have 3, 1st round drafts picks.. including 1 in the top 5, in which I'd hope they'd take Backstrom

 

[illogic]

Caps desparately need a #1 dman.

How bout:

Caps 1st round (4th overall)
Nashville 1st round (23rd overall???)
Pick of Boyd Gordon, Jakub Klepis

I would totally do that if I were St. Louis.

 

[Brooklyndevil]

Caps desparately need a #1 dman.

How bout:

Caps 1st round (4th overall)
Nashville 1st round (23rd overall???)
Pick of Boyd Gordon, Jakub Klepis

OR

Caps 1st round
Caps 2nd round
Pick of Jeff Shultz, Sasha Pokuluk

If I'm a Caps fan and my GM makes this deal, I wan't him fired.

 

[Tinordi24*]

For a jump of 3 spots, your giving up an awful lot.

At first you would think so, HOWEVA':

Caps have a ton of young forwards who are slotted for 3rd line duties so the loss of Gordon would not impact us. We have Fleischman and Fehr ahead of Klepis so if we lose him it would not hurt. We have 3 2nd round picks so losing Nashville's 1st (a 23rd pick in a top 15 heavy draft) doesnt kill us.

We have a glut of prospects and will get even more with 5 picks in the top 2 rounds of this draft. We need quality over quantity at this point ..if that makes a bit of sense.

The Caps have NO potential #1 dman in our system or on current team. That is a HUGE need that McPhee has not filled since the departure of Tinordi (who poile basically replaced Stevens with a couple years later after he figured out we needed a #1dman)..

Now is the time to do this since we have so many prospects/picks to trade up with.

 

[EYEuhFRAYtee]

Tinordi take your meds!

Even Makfi isn't that dumb/crazy.

How bout we keep our pick and get a center with some talent? We may not have a blue chip a D but we have a lot of youngins coming up through the ranks.

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

At first you would think so, HOWEVA':

Caps have a ton of young forwards who are slotted for 3rd line duties so the loss of Gordon would not impact us. We have Fleischman and Fehr ahead of Klepis so if we lose him it would not hurt. We have 3 2nd round picks so losing Nashville's 1st (a 23rd pick in a top 15 heavy draft) doesnt kill us.

We have a glut of prospects and will get even more with 5 picks in the top 2 rounds of this draft. We need quality over quantity at this point ..if that makes a bit of sense.

The Caps have NO potential #1 dman in our system or on current team. That is a HUGE need that McPhee has not filled since the departure of Tinordi (who poile basically replaced Stevens with a couple years later after he figured out we needed a #1dman)..

Now is the time to do this since we have so many prospects/picks to trade up with.

You have the depth do this trade, but still it heavily favours the Blues. If you want to jump 3 spots a good prospect + the caps 1st pick would be around the mark. You wont have to give up two first rounders and a solid prospect for 3 spots.

 

[hfboardsuser]

1. St. Louis Blues- Phil Kessel

Holes everywhere in the pipline, but Kessel is a star and an American-born one at that. A key to the team's rebuild.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins- Erik Johnson

Only thing missing is a stud blueliner, and this team gets it at 2nd overall.

3. Chicago Blackhawks- Jonathan Toews

Grit and physicality are calling cards of the Blackhawks, and their prospects are no different. Ruutu and Toews give the team a solid 1-2 punch at centre for years to come.

4. Washington Capitals- Nicklas Backstrom

It's just not fair. First AO, and now a dynamic playmaking centre who has the potential to be the best centre selected in the draft.

5. Boston Bruins- Jordan Staal

He might not be there now, but the latest product of the revered hockey family has all the tools to make the Beantown faithful forget Jumbo Joe. Great all-around ability to go along with a never-say-die attitude.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets- Peter Mueller

Brule, Fritsche, Platt. Which one of those three doesn't belong? Mueller isn't just a depth pick; he has the talent to compete for the #1 pivot job down the line.

7. New York Islanders- Nigel Williams

Despite Milbury, the team has managed to stock up on skilled players at every position. Now is the time to take gambles. Williams is a true risk pick in every sense of the word, but if he pays off, Johnson may have company down the road as the best defender from this draft.

8. Phoenix Coyotes- Jiri Tlusty

Gretzky isn't afraid to swing for the fences, but he won't be hanging onto just a wing and a prayer with Tlusty. Datsyuk-esque puck skill and pure playmaking ability could be the perfect match for finishers Nagy and Doan.

9. Minnesota Wild- Kyle Okposo

Really a no-brainer. Minnesota native, good two-way game, great effort. Okposo may be a relative steal at 9th overall.

10. Florida Panthers- Derick Brassard

With no real organizational holes, the Panthers can go and should go BPA. Brassard fits in extremely well with a young forward core of Stewart, Olesz, Jokinen, Weiss and McArdle.

11. Los Angeles Kings- Michael Frolik

Another year, another highly-touted European forward falling to the LA Kings. Maybe the Jagr comparisons were a bit much, but nobody can deny Frolik's combination of skill and strength. Look out for him next season.

12. Atlanta Thrashers- Bryan Little

Twenty bajillion defensemen and Kari Lehtonen. Hard not to look to available forward prospects at 12th overall, and Little is one of the most criminally underrated. Able to finish or make plays, he adds a bit more grit and a whole lot of playmaking ability in a top-six dominated by offense-first snipers.

13. Toronto Maple Leafs- Chris Stewart

Power wingers have always been a love of the Toronto braintrust, and it's an easy decision when the best one left hails from Ontario. Add in that he's also perhaps the closest forward outside the top 5 to make it to the NHL in the next two years, and case closed.

14. Vancouver Canucks- James Sheppard

The Ron Jeremy of the hockey world, the Canucks are extremely blessed down south, but beyond the blueline, they're just, well, ugly. Alex Burrows, try as he might, isn't the long-term answer. Sheppard goes a long way towards improving a lackluster group of forward prospects that are mostly projects.

15-20: Bob Sanguinetti, Ty Wishart, Jonathan Bernier, Alexander vasyunov, Mike Forney, Yuri Alexandrov

Rising: Riku Helenius, Oskar Osala, Jamie McGinn
Falling: Jesse Joensuu, David Ruzicka, Tyson Dowzak

 

[Tinordi24*]

Tinordi take your meds!

Even Makfi isn't that dumb/crazy.

How bout we keep our pick and get a center with some talent? We may not have a blue chip a D but we have a lot of youngins coming up through the ranks.

Typical Caps fan that just doesnt understand the main reason why we have struggled is b/c of the lack of a true #1dman in nearly a decade.

A center would be nice but great teams are built from the D on out. This is our chance to get an all around hard nosed dman and I would not mind giving up the center along with a soft player and a mid-late round first in a weak draft.

It doesnt matter how many #3-6 dmen you have in your system b/c if you dont have a #1 then you might as well pack it up. And dont tell me that Ted will find one via Free agency like Chara!

 

[God Bless Canada]

Kessel's the right man at the right time for St. Louis. He has the flair, the pinnache and the offensive skills for St. Louis to build around. They need someone who they can build around to sell tickets, and he's the type of player that the new owners would love to have. I don't think Kessel is the best player in the draft, that honour belongs to Erik Johnson, and there are a few other players who could prove to be better than Kessel. St. Louis also has some very capable defencemen who are relatively young and have fairly bright futures - Brewer, Jackman, Backman and Woywitka. Doug Lynch could be a solid bottom-pairing defenceman.

Pittsburgh needs a top young defenceman (sorry, Ryan Whitney is not the answer). Johnson is their solution. If Boston thinks they can be competitive within the next two years, it would not surprise me to see them trade up and acquire Toews. He's very mature, an excellent leader, and the type who could be a solid contributor to the third line by the time 2007-08 rolls around. Chicago does need a good young centre. It would not surprise me to see Washington or Columbus trade down.

 

[illogic]

Not a bad mock by Mr Bugg. I like the Pens and Canucks choices.

 

[Jackets16]

best fits?

kessel - st. louis or chicago
staal - columbus

who else

 

[Tinordi24*]

You have the depth do this trade, but still it heavily favours the Blues. If you want to jump 3 spots a good prospect + the caps 1st pick would be around the mark. You wont have to give up two first rounders and a solid prospect for 3 spots.

Ofcourse if the Caps could negotiate something like you say I'd be all over it!

But I'd be PREPARED to part with the above.

And make no mistake:

EJ>>>everyone else in draft ESPECIALLY if have glaring need for a dman

 

[Jaded-Fan]

best fits?

kessel - st. louis or chicago
staal - columbus

who else

Add Pittsburgh to the Kessel list. In best fit for him even more than best fit for the club. He would not have to be the man in Pittsburgh. The pressure would be far greater to 'save' those other two clubs.

 

[Jackets16]

Add Pittsburgh to the Kessel list. In best fit for him even more than best fit for the club. He would not have to be the man in Pittsburgh. The pressure would be far greater to 'save' those other two clubs.

im talking about for the club though. i think hes much more needed in chicago and st louis. i agree he would fit there, but i think you look at st. l and they need a off forward with flare bad

pitt doesnt.

 

[May Day 10]

If only there were hockey fans there.

Hopefully they'll get an arena built. The fans dont deserve to lose that team. It would be a shame...

But it looks like Winnipeg, KC, Hartford, Houston, or Portland could recieve a pretty good team (ALA Colorado)

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

Ofcourse if the Caps could negotiate something like you say I'd be all over it!

But I'd be PREPARED to part with the above.

And make no mistake:

EJ>>>everyone else in draft ESPECIALLY if have glaring need for a dman

If you can afford to do it, then do it. But you could do it for less, i mean i hate to see the Blues make out like bandits .

Brassard, i'd love that pick. If Williams if off the board, then Brassard/Sheppard are two guys who would be awesome.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

im talking about for the club though. i think hes much more needed in chicago and st louis. i agree he would fit there, but i think you look at st. l and they need a off forward with flare bad

pitt doesnt.

If Kessel (or one of the other forwards) lands here in Pittsburgh it will be to convert to wing. We desperately need wings who can score, unless you consider Andy Hilbert to be the solution. We are just fine on defense.

 

[EYEuhFRAYtee]

Typical Caps fan that just doesnt understand the main reason why we have struggled is b/c of the lack of a true #1dman in nearly a decade.

A center would be nice but great teams are built from the D on out. This is our chance to get an all around hard nosed dman and I would not mind giving up the center along with a soft player and a mid-late round first in a weak draft.

It doesnt matter how many #3-6 dmen you have in your system b/c if you dont have a #1 then you might as well pack it up. And dont tell me that Ted will find one via Free agency like Chara!

Oh really? Who was our blue chipper in the last decade? You do realize that the Caps were known for D for many many years, and how did we do it? We had 4 or 5 quality guys instead of a stud.

 

[Souffle]

At first you would think so, HOWEVA':

Caps have a ton of young forwards who are slotted for 3rd line duties so the loss of Gordon would not impact us. We have Fleischman and Fehr ahead of Klepis so if we lose him it would not hurt. We have 3 2nd round picks so losing Nashville's 1st (a 23rd pick in a top 15 heavy draft) doesnt kill us.

We have a glut of prospects and will get even more with 5 picks in the top 2 rounds of this draft. We need quality over quantity at this point ..if that makes a bit of sense.

The Caps have NO potential #1 dman in our system or on current team. That is a HUGE need that McPhee has not filled since the departure of Tinordi (who poile basically replaced Stevens with a couple years later after he figured out we needed a #1dman)..

Now is the time to do this since we have so many prospects/picks to trade up with.

It's not so bad if the Caps rank EJ as that much better than anyone else potentially available at 4th. Also, if I'm St. Louis, it would take that kind of package to give up the 1st overall. On a sidenote, I remember reading that St. Louis was extremely high on Okposo. They might trade down for extra assets to get they guy they really want (supposedly) anyway.

I suppose another question to ask is: what current NHLer or prospect could that package land?

 

[HFNHL Canadiens]

1. St. Louis Blues- Phil Kessel

Holes everywhere in the pipline, but Kessel is a star and an American-born one at that. A key to the team's rebuild.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins- Erik Johnson

Only thing missing is a stud blueliner, and this team gets it at 2nd overall.

3. Chicago Blackhawks- Jonathan Toews

Grit and physicality are calling cards of the Blackhawks, and their prospects are no different. Ruutu and Toews give the team a solid 1-2 punch at centre for years to come.

4. Washington Capitals- Nicklas Backstrom

It's just not fair. First AO, and now a dynamic playmaking centre who has the potential to be the best centre selected in the draft.

5. Boston Bruins- Jordan Staal

He might not be there now, but the latest product of the revered hockey family has all the tools to make the Beantown faithful forget Jumbo Joe. Great all-around ability to go along with a never-say-die attitude.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets- Peter Mueller

Brule, Fritsche, Platt. Which one of those three doesn't belong? Mueller isn't just a depth pick; he has the talent to compete for the #1 pivot job down the line.

7. New York Islanders- Nigel Williams

Despite Milbury, the team has managed to stock up on skilled players at every position. Now is the time to take gambles. Williams is a true risk pick in every sense of the word, but if he pays off, Johnson may have company down the road as the best defender from this draft.

8. Phoenix Coyotes- Jiri Tlusty

Gretzky isn't afraid to swing for the fences, but he won't be hanging onto just a wing and a prayer with Tlusty. Datsyuk-esque puck skill and pure playmaking ability could be the perfect match for finishers Nagy and Doan.

9. Minnesota Wild- Kyle Okposo

Really a no-brainer. Minnesota native, good two-way game, great effort. Okposo may be a relative steal at 9th overall.

10. Florida Panthers- Derick Brassard

With no real organizational holes, the Panthers can go and should go BPA. Brassard fits in extremely well with a young forward core of Stewart, Olesz, Jokinen, Weiss and McArdle.

11. Los Angeles Kings- Michael Frolik

Another year, another highly-touted European forward falling to the LA Kings. Maybe the Jagr comparisons were a bit much, but nobody can deny Frolik's combination of skill and strength. Look out for him next season.

12. Atlanta Thrashers- Bryan Little

Twenty bajillion defensemen and Kari Lehtonen. Hard not to look to available forward prospects at 12th overall, and Little is one of the most criminally underrated. Able to finish or make plays, he adds a bit more grit and a whole lot of playmaking ability in a top-six dominated by offense-first snipers.

13. Toronto Maple Leafs- Chris Stewart

Power wingers have always been a love of the Toronto braintrust, and it's an easy decision when the best one left hails from Ontario. Add in that he's also perhaps the closest forward outside the top 5 to make it to the NHL in the next two years, and case closed.

14. Vancouver Canucks- James Sheppard

The Ron Jeremy of the hockey world, the Canucks are extremely blessed down south, but beyond the blueline, they're just, well, ugly. Alex Burrows, try as he might, isn't the long-term answer. Sheppard goes a long way towards improving a lackluster group of forward prospects that are mostly projects.

15-20: Bob Sanguinetti, Ty Wishart, Jonathan Bernier, Alexander vasyunov, Mike Forney, Yuri Alexandrov

Rising: Riku Helenius, Oskar Osala, Jamie McGinn
Falling: Jesse Joensuu, David Ruzicka, Tyson Dowzak

there is 0 chance that Tlusty gets picked ahead of Frolik, also I am pretty sure Staal gets picked ahead of Backstrom. I doubt Williams goes that high either

 

[dinoflint]

Tinordi take your meds!

Even Makfi isn't that dumb/crazy.

How bout we keep our pick and get a center with some talent? We may not have a blue chip a D but we have a lot of youngins coming up through the ranks.

I was on the Staal/center bandwagon for some time this year.

But with the addition of Semin, the Caps now have three left wings (AO, Petty, Semin) who like to enter the zone with the puck. The need for a playmaking center is not there - although it wouldn't hurt - because either the wing enters the zone or the center dumps it in. At least that's what I saw this year. Is this the strategy for the future or simply because the Caps had no other way of generating offense?

The Caps need defensemen that can play solid defense and contribute on the special teams, both the PK and PP. Adding Johnson to a solid core of Morisson, Eminger, Green, and one or two of our offensviely challenged trees (Yonkman, Schultz, Finley, Pokulok) is what will take us to the playoffs in the coming years...

Giving up energy guys and/or a latter pick in this year's draft doesn't hurt us - we have the luxury of having too many of each...

We need a blue chip "8.5B" prospect on defense. Not five more "6.0B - 7.0C prospects" in all positions.

 

[Tinordi24*]

Oh really? Who was our blue chipper in the last decade? You do realize that the Caps were known for D for many many years, and how did we do it? We had 4 or 5 quality guys instead of a stud.

We have had no blue chipper in the last decade!

The Caps were known for D because the played an Ultra conservative clutch and grab style of D where all their forwards would be thinking D first outside of Bondra.

Our truly great teams had the likes of Stevens and Langway on them.

Look what Langway did for the Caps as SOON AS HE ARRIVED. Look at what Stevens did for the Blues and Devils as soon as he set foot on those teams.

If we assume EJ has Phaneuf or Pronger like talent then would you make this trade? I would be all over it if I was the Caps! And most seem to think that he indeed does have that kind of talent.

Now if I were another team that needed to replenish the farm well then I would not do it.

 

[Tinordi24*]

I was on the Staal/center bandwagon for some time this year.

But with the addition of Semin, the Caps now have three left wings (AO, Petty, Semin) who like to enter the zone with the puck. The need for a playmaking center is not there - although it wouldn't hurt - because either the wing enters the zone or the center dumps it in. At least that's what I saw this year. Is this the strategy for the future or simply because the Caps had no other way of generating offense?

The Caps need defensemen that can play solid defense and contribute on the special teams, both the PK and PP. Adding Johnson to a solid core of Morisson, Eminger, Green, and one or two of our offensviely challenged trees (Yonkman, Schultz, Finley, Pokulok) is what will take us to the playoffs in the coming years...

Giving up energy guys and/or a latter pick in this year's draft doesn't hurt us - we have the luxury of having too many of each...

We need a blue chip "8.5B" prospect on defense. Not five more "6.0B - 7.0C prospects" in all positions.

Exactly. I hope GMGM has the foresight to do this.