Tampa Bay Lightning 2015 NHL Draft Preview

[HF Article]

Photo: The Tampa Bay Ligthning’s 1st round pick in 2014 (19th overall) won the the OHL’s Defenseman of the Year award this season. (Courtesy of Mark LoMoglio/Icon Sportswire)


</p>A trip to the Stanley Cup Finals guaranteed the Tampa Bay Lightning‘s first round pick would be either 29th or 30th overall, but that pick was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers in the Braydon Coburn trade prior to the deadline. Fortunately, the Lightning also owned the New York Rangers’ first round pick, acquired in last year’s Martin St. Louis/Ryan Callahan swap.

The Lightning organization is one of the most stable in the NHL right now in terms of being set up for long-term success.… read more

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[HoseEmDown]

HF just keep ****ing on Koekkoek. Good to know he's only a strong adept skater. Please hire someone with actual intelligence to do your scouting, I can do a better job then these jamoke's.

 

[Yzlamic Preacher*]

HF just keep ****ing on Koekkoek. Good to know he's only a strong adept skater. Please hire someone with actual intelligence to do your scouting, I can do a better job then these jamoke's.

Also no mention of Wilcox

 

[Todd1a]

eklund is all over us trading to # 3 what are we after there a defenseman or Dylan Strome ?

 

[HoseEmDown]

eklund is all over us trading to # 3 what are we after there a defenseman or Dylan Strome ?

So you're saying we're not getting the 3rd.

 

[Todd1a]

So you're saying we're not getting the 3rd.

that's what i'm saying rumor is drouin for that 3rd pick

 

[Rschmitz]

Meh, not a particularly interesting write up.

Drouin for the #3 doesn't make sense. I'd deal him if Hanifin were a righty, but we are overloaded on the left hand side, Strome doesn't make sense long term, and Drouin is a better version of Marner.

 

[Todd1a]

Meh, not a particularly interesting write up.

Drouin for the #3 doesn't make sense. I'd deal him if Hanifin were a righty, but we are overloaded on the left hand side, Strome doesn't make sense long term, and Drouin is a better version of Marner.

ya makes no sense Hanifin plays the left side ? shoots left we have koekkoek and hedman so where would he fit ? strome only makes sense if we are not keeping stamkos. right now we have like six centers! stamkos, johnson, flipper, boyle, vladdy and ceddy # 13.

 

[Rschmitz]

ya makes no sense Hanifin plays the left side ? shoots left we have koekkoek and hedman so where would he fit ? strome only makes sense if we are not keeping stamkos. right now we have like six centers! stamkos, johnson, flipper, boyle, vladdy and ceddy # 13.

Would make more sense as a hockey trade if we gave them Koekkoek as well, the Coyotoes need young players ready to contribute immediately. That opens up a hole in the left side that can be filled by Hanifin....but why would Yzerman do that? I don't see the incentive really.

I've seen some mocks that have us taking Oliver Kylington. My God, if you pair him with DeAngelo that would be such a sick combo. Yzerman loves speed from the blue line and Kylington has that in bunches. Hope he's just patient and waits to see if somebody slips.

Several mocks have Meloche dropping to where we pick in the second, would hope Yzerman doesn't let him slip past #44

 

[Todd1a]

Would make more sense as a hockey trade if we gave them Koekkoek as well, the Coyotoes need young players ready to contribute immediately. That opens up a hole in the left side that can be filled by Hanifin....but why would Yzerman do that? I don't see the incentive really.

I've seen some mocks that have us taking Oliver Kylington. My God, if you pair him with DeAngelo that would be such a sick combo. Yzerman loves speed from the blue line and Kylington has that in bunches. Hope he's just patient and waits to see if somebody slips.

Several mocks have Meloche dropping to where we pick in the second, would hope Yzerman doesn't let him slip past #44

only thing I can see them wanting is drouin to get to # 3 I hope Jacob Larsson falls to us at # 28 but would not mind Oliver Kylington at all at # 28. maybe we don't want to pay stamkos and just draft strome ? or maybe we really want hanifin I know he shoots left but does he play both sides right and left ?

 

[MattM92]

HF just keep ****ing on Koekkoek. Good to know he's only a strong adept skater. Please hire someone with actual intelligence to do your scouting, I can do a better job then these jamoke's.

Dude is gonna shock so many people. He is an elite skater and he is going to be the anchor for our 2nd pair for a lot of years.

 

[These Are The Days]

Put down Drouin for draft pick on the one of the dumbest trades ever list.

No freaking way. Outside of McDavid and Eichel, Drouin would've been the next best player in this draft.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

I agree on the Koekkoek thing.

Aside from DeAngelo on the backend, the team has no standout defensive prospects...

Kind of a ridiculous statement. Also a somewhat surprising one since HF writers usually put too much stock into when a player was drafted, and Koekkoek went 10th overall.

Having MacLeod ranked above him is laughable.


Also one more thing

Two of the team’s five first pick round in the last four drafts have been Russians—Vasilevskiy and Namestnikov—and the team took a chance on Nikita Kucherov, a smaller but skilled Russian, in the second round of 2011.

Though the Lightning have shown a propensity to take chances on highly-skilled Russians in this slot in years past...

I don't like the way they make this sound. Us "taking a chance" on them is really no different from taking a chance drafting any other player. If your scouts do their job well, you get to know the player and their background, and you get all the information you need to make an educated decision, there's really no Russian-factor gamble involved. This whole notion is dumb because with our players, it never existed.

 

[Hictor Vedman*]

eklund is all over us trading to # 3 what are we after there a defenseman or Dylan Strome ?

Eklund eh? Hmm...

Stamkos
Carle
Sustr

for

OEL
3rd OA (Strome)

And then Stamkos signs with us in FA next summer. Mmm. Do it Stevey.

 

[DFC]

I hope we don't trade Drouin. But it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Picklepete]

I hope we don't trade Drouin. But it wouldn't surprise me.

Should have just taken freaking Seth Jones !

 

[DFC]

Should have just taken freaking Seth Jones !

I think Drouin will wind up the better player. But I'm not 100% sure the rumors of a rift between him and Cooper are false. Drouin's a passionate/fiery kid. We've seen evidence of that a million times. Maybe nothing went on behind the scenes, but there were points where Cooper's illogical decisions regarding Drouin would make a lot more sense if there were problems between the two of them.

 

[Glide5]

I think Drouin will wind up the better player. But I'm not 100% sure the rumors of a rift between him and Cooper are false. Drouin's a passionate/fiery kid. We've seen evidence of that a million times. Maybe nothing went on behind the scenes, but there were points where Cooper's illogical decisions regarding Drouin would make a lot more sense if there were problems between the two of them.

This is what scares me. Its a young and passionate kid potentially fighting with a young and passionate coach. Coopers going to win that fight every time. Hopefully Drouin remembers hes only 19, and that he has a long ways to go. Cooper played the kid riddiculously poorly, and if they told him hes starting in the AHL this year, he might try to pull something to get traded to a team that wants him now, like Arizona.

I'm still in the passing on Seth Jones was a mistake camp, and always will be. That was a big mistake for what this team needs. Imagine Jones on this team long term. Not as sexy as Drouin, but it would make us a better team long term.

 

[Iceman]

The thing with Drouin for 3OA is not about Drouin's skill level but Hanifin vs. Seth Jones.

 

[HoseEmDown]

I would want Provorov instead of Hanifin.

 

[chasespace]

This is what scares me. Its a young and passionate kid potentially fighting with a young and passionate coach. Coopers going to win that fight every time. Hopefully Drouin remembers hes only 19, and that he has a long ways to go. Cooper played the kid riddiculously poorly, and if they told him hes starting in the AHL this year, he might try to pull something to get traded to a team that wants him now, like Arizona.

I'm still in the passing on Seth Jones was a mistake camp, and always will be. That was a big mistake for what this team needs. Imagine Jones on this team long term. Not as sexy as Drouin, but it would make us a better team long term.

Cooper doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who gets into fights or shouting matches with his players. Everything we've seen of him says he oozes coolness when it comes to his players. He's never called out any of them, which is the sign of a coach who is fiery with his players.

 

[geoo9]

I hope we don't trade Drouin. But it wouldn't surprise me.

We need to rebuild 1st Line
Need completely different highlevel winger to Stammer and Dru
And sent off 1 st line killer and Callahan - they both are 3 d liners. If we have real 1 st line we will win Scs like Hawks

 

[gqmixmaster]

Do you think there is any interest in the potential return for Vasilevsky considering what Lehner magically brought back?

As an Oiler fan I would have no problem with the #16 + a 2nd rounder for him at least.

 

[Jacko95]

Do you think there is any interest in the potential return for Vasilevsky considering what Lehner magically brought back?

As an Oiler fan I would have no problem with the #16 + a 2nd rounder for him at least.

Just no. Unless a top2 pick comes back (yes I am serious) our team would not get better by trading Vasilevskiy for anything. He will likely be better than Bishop within 2 years. And having a top goalie goes a long way to make your life easier in the playoffs. Yes I know Bishop was good this season as well, but there is another step above that.

 

[gqmixmaster]

Just no. Unless a top2 pick comes back (yes I am serious) our team would not get better by trading Vasilevskiy for anything. He will likely be better than Bishop within 2 years. And having a top goalie goes a long way to make your life easier in the playoffs. Yes I know Bishop was good this season as well, but there is another step above that.

I like the other guy too gudslevekksdfkdkkis but we need someone more ready today to be the next puck bag in Edmonton.