Targets for our pick from Washington?

[Rzombo4 prez]

Now THAT is a guy I think/hope we take with our very first 2nd round pick. I was finally able to watch some of the WJC 18 replays and that guy seems like an Yzerman player as well. Great compete level, very solid defensively and he dominated his peers on faceoffs. He could very well be a surprise first round pick to a team that spends a lot of time scouting Finland.

I could totally get behind using that Washington pick on him. I thought he was really good in the U18s and his skating was actually better than a number of people had described earlier in the year.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I could totally get behind using that Washington pick on him. I thought he was really good in the U18s and his skating was actually better than a number of people had described earlier in the year.

It's by no stretch of the imagination bad. He doesn't look lumbering, but I could see that his acceleration really needs a lot of work. Plus for a big guy he is incredibly thin right now. He's listed at 190 but looks like a strong breeze would carry him away. Adding strength and getting a more explosive first step and this kid could be a top 15 pick.

 

[Go Wings]

theres not enough elite centers on earth to design your team around them , making your team strategy dependent on elite centers is putting yourself in a bad situation trying to gather them . so why not instead accumulate wingers thatcan skate the puck up and make good passes ? imo thats what yzerman saw in raymond . and vrana can no doubt haul the mail , and berggren . keep gathering these guys and forget about drafting 1 dimensional shooting wingers like laine . mean while hard working good sized ' mule centers ' like rasmountain , veleno , larko arent great scorers but theyre doing other very important work out there that leads to wins , ecspecially on the d side of puck . so im not worried about getting dream centers because theres wingers that can do the same job . but i am worried about dream 2 way dmen because those are the most important players in hockey . and if we can pick one off this draft im ectstatic

Literally every stanley cup contender except Vegas has a least 1 elite center. If you look back on the stanlet cup champions over the last 10 years you will find it similar.

Detroit is not going to be winning a stanley cup with Larkin as the number 1 guy. The team already has a glut of wingers.
I would much rather accumulate defensmen and then if we end up with too many we can trade them for a center.

 

[Go Wings]

If you want a number 1 center in this draft with the Washington pick, Raty is looking like the best pick for that if he's even available. Also its a little early to write off Veleno, he looks like a decent player and he just turned 21.

I don't so Raty as a number 1 guy at all and maybe not even a number 2 guy. The scouts agree which is why I can easily see him tumbling in the dratt.

I am not writing off Veleno but he looks like a solid 3rd line center right now, which is okay.
But we don't need to be drafting more bottom 6 centers.

 

[Go Wings]

You can never have too much center depth and if you can improve upon Ras and Veleno you absolutely should and bump them to the wing. We suck and literally need help everywhere.

I doubt we are going to find that guy where Detroit picks in this draft. This is a heavily defense draft. I would much rather Detroit take a defense or Cossa to try and solve huge holes in the lineup.

 

[simonedvinsson]

I don't even know if he's the best option from Finland. Samu Salminen is a very interesting kid for me.

I've really liked Samu Salminen in league games as well as the U18s. Will Scouching isn't a fan of the guy (wish he'd give explain that take better), but I think Salminen is an NHL player if you're willing to be patient with him.

I could totally get behind using that Washington pick on him. I thought he was really good in the U18s and his skating was actually better than a number of people had described earlier in the year.

It's really his first step that looks slow to me. He can get moving pretty good though. I think that you give him three seasons (1 USHL + 2 NCAA) before you consider signing him. If he can work on his skating and get stronger, I think he's got more upside than a lot of the forwards ranked ahead of him.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I've also really liked Samu Salminen in league games as well as the U18s. Will Scouching isn't a fan of the guy, but I think Salminen is an NHL player if you're willing to be patient with him.

That's exactly it. A player like Salminen isn't an NHLer in 2 seasons. Probably 4 or 5, and that's ok.

1 more junior season in Finland, and then probably 3-4 years in college unless he starts to blow the doors off in that league.

 

[19 for president]

Literally every stanley cup contender except Vegas has a least 1 elite center. If you look back on the stanlet cup champions over the last 10 years you will find it similar.

Detroit is not going to be winning a stanley cup with Larkin as the number 1 guy. The team already has a glut of wingers.
I would much rather accumulate defensmen and then if we end up with too many we can trade them for a center.

I don't know if I entirely agree with that statement. O'Rielly (50/60 pt average), Bergeron (50-70pt average), Toews (50-70 pt average), Kopitar (60-80pt average) are all solid two ways guys but I wouldn't really put them at the same level as a Crosby type center.

Larkin had a terrible year but he was still at about a 45 point pace. None of those guys really even remotely had supporting casts as bad as Detroit's these past couple of seasons. I mean Toews always had Keith/Kane/ Seabrook in his prime. Kopitar had guys like Carter/ Doughty, Bergeron had Pasta/ Marchand/ Kreijci/ Chara, O'Rielly had Tarasenko/ Pietrangelo.

Ideally we get someone better than Larkin to anchor the top line, but I do think you can win with him as your top center. You just can't also have him be the best player on the team. You also aren't going to out gun teams if he is your #1 but win via two way play. Its actually his defensive play that will need to be improved upon as all of the above group are Selke or borderline Selke level players. He is not there yet, but his speed and tenacity should allow him to get there if he wants it.

Once our defense improves again Larkins offensive numbers will go up. He is always going to be a guy that scores in transition more than on the cylce/ PP. The wings desperately need to find some to QB the PP and not run it through him, because that isn't his game.

 

[lidstromiscool]

I don't even know if he's the best option from Finland. Samu Salminen is a very interesting kid for me.

I wouldn't complain with Salminen either with the WSH pick, I was more sticking up for Raty as a decent prospect.

 

[TCNorthstars]

Literally every stanley cup contender except Vegas has a least 1 elite center. If you look back on the stanlet cup champions over the last 10 years you will find it similar.

Detroit is not going to be winning a stanley cup with Larkin as the number 1 guy. The team already has a glut of wingers.
I would much rather accumulate defensmen and then if we end up with too many we can trade them for a center.

You must have a very liberal definition of Elite. Or maybe your scope of contenders is quite narrow. I've got only 4 teams with Elite centers: Oilers, Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Penguins

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I doubt we are going to find that guy where Detroit picks in this draft. This is a heavily defense draft. I would much rather Detroit take a defense or Cossa to try and solve huge holes in the lineup.

With respect to our first pick, I agree the center isn't a super viable option. I think there are a couple solid options that could be available with the Washington pick though and I am not about to blow them off because we are "set at center." While I agree that we need to continue to draft defensemen (and there are a couple I like late in the first round), I would point out we have taken 10 defensemen in the last two drafts.

I really like Cossa but am not dying to spend a first round pick on a goalie. If you really feel compelled to take a goalie, just try to grab Gaudreau at the top of the 2nd round or continue to use the free agency market.

 

[Go Wings]

I don't know if I entirely agree with that statement. O'Rielly (50/60 pt average), Bergeron (50-70pt average), Toews (50-70 pt average), Kopitar (60-80pt average) are all solid two ways guys but I wouldn't really put them at the same level as a Crosby type center.

Larkin had a terrible year but he was still at about a 45 point pace. None of those guys really even remotely had supporting casts as bad as Detroit's these past couple of seasons. I mean Toews always had Keith/Kane/ Seabrook in his prime. Kopitar had guys like Carter/ Doughty, Bergeron had Pasta/ Marchand/ Kreijci/ Chara, O'Rielly had Tarasenko/ Pietrangelo.

Ideally we get someone better than Larkin to anchor the top line, but I do think you can win with him as your top center. You just can't also have him be the best player on the team. You also aren't going to out gun teams if he is your #1 but win via two way play. Its actually his defensive play that will need to be improved upon as all of the above group are Selke or borderline Selke level players. He is not there yet, but his speed and tenacity should allow him to get there if he wants it.

Once our defense improves again Larkins offensive numbers will go up. He is always going to be a guy that scores in transition more than on the cylce/ PP. The wings desperately need to find some to QB the PP and not run it through him, because that isn't his game.

All of those guys were strong centers and elite 2 way guys. Were they at Crosbys level, no but they all had amazing playoffs.

As for Larkin I am honestly sick of the excuses about supporting cast when it comes to him. Looking at Vrana did and Bert in a short timeframe this year is further proof of that.
Good players produce and overcome the others teams top pairing and shut down lines.
Larkin has 1 really good year that's it. Last sesson Bert was our best playee not Larkin. Larkim isn't a top line guy and he doesn't drive the offense.
Now if we get a Shane Wright or a Connot Bedard then Larkin can move into a 2nd line guy and will have alot more success there.

 

[GettingYourMoms]

All of those guys were strong centers and elite 2 way guys. Were they at Crosbys level, no but they all had amazing playoffs.

As for Larkin I am honestly sick of the excuses about supporting cast when it comes to him. Looking at Vrana did and Bert in a short timeframe this year is further proof of that.
Good players produce and overcome the others teams top pairing and shut down lines.
Larkin has 1 really good year that's it. Last sesson Bert was our best playee not Larkin. Larkim isn't a top line guy and he doesn't drive the offense.
Now if we get a Shane Wright or a Connot Bedard then Larkin can move into a 2nd line guy and will have alot more success there.

I can see larkin as good 2nd line winger nothing more.

 

[HoweFan]

If Carson Lambos and Sebastian Cossa were both available at Washington’s pick who would you take? Or would you hope for someone else?

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

If Carson Lambos and Sebastian Cossa were both available at Washington’s pick who would you take? Or would you hope for someone else?

Carson Lambos.

Before this season Lambos was ranked as a top 12 guy. I haven't seen a single good explanation for why he dropped. He should most definitely go in the top 12.

He played well enough in Finland and played pretty well in the WHL before a mystery injury ended his season. Very good wheels and overall mobility, great athleticism, and had a CHL rookie season that was on par offensively with Clarke and Drysdale. I don't know about #1 defenseman upside but I could see him being a PP2, PK1, 2nd pair anchor while playing a pretty physical brand of hockey. I'd say this kid could become something of a Brad Stuart on the low end to a Ryan McDonagh on the high end.

 

[lilidk]

Vrana , Zadina, Bergreen, Raymond, Fabbri , Mastersemone all good , but we need to get bigger and meaner. I could see as getting Chayka, L'Heureux , Helenius

 

[deca guard]

3 pix within the first 38 pix

 

[Zetterberg4Captain]

We need to draft as many centers, dmen and goalies that we can to increase our odds of unearthing that top end player.

Like last year, this draft and the two to come must follow that philosophy

 

[Probie]

I think a second will only move you up 5 or so spots

This is true, what about 2 seconds plus that WASH 1st and say jonathan berggren to move into the top 8 and nab another impact player? I know it wont happen, but would that get the job done? TBH, it might be in the teams best interest to do something like that, it almost guarantees a player that will be successful, that would help the team sooner rather then later. Pipe dream. Imagine if we walk out of the draft with two of Matthew Beniers, Luke Hughes, Kent Johnson or Dylan Guenther?

 

[lilidk]

This is true, what about 2 seconds plus that WASH 1st and say jonathan berggren to move into the top 8 and nab another impact player? I know it wont happen, but would that get the job done? TBH, it might be in the teams best interest to do something like that, it almost guarantees a player that will be successful, that would help the team sooner rather then later. Pipe dream. Imagine if we walk out of the draft with two of Matthew Beniers, Luke Hughes, Kent Johnson or Dylan Guenther?

This draft is very special, where second round pick could be as good or even better than first.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

This is true, what about 2 seconds plus that WASH 1st and say jonathan berggren to move into the top 8 and nab another impact player? I know it wont happen, but would that get the job done? TBH, it might be in the teams best interest to do something like that, it almost guarantees a player that will be successful, that would help the team sooner rather then later. Pipe dream. Imagine if we walk out of the draft with two of Matthew Beniers, Luke Hughes, Kent Johnson or Dylan Guenther?

Pipe dream and also way overpayment while undervaluing Berggren.

In 2018 Berggren was rated as a middle of the first player but somehow fell to the early 2nd. The kid looks like a steal at his draft slot and looks like he has a good deal of scoring potential at the NHL level.

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

If Carson Lambos and Sebastian Cossa were both available at Washington’s pick who would you take? Or would you hope for someone else?

I think I already posted my pick but, Logan Mailloux.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I think I already posted my pick but, Logan Mailloux.

He's probably available in the early to mid 2nd but I think he'd be a good pick for this team.

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

I think a lot of the players Detroit would like to draft will be taken by their pick(s).

This is a real test of the DRW's scouting staff in the 1st-3rd round.

 

[Voodoo Glow Skulls]

He's probably available in the early to mid 2nd but I think he'd be a good pick for this team.

With the way this draft might go, I can see a team jumping to take him in the low 20's.