Pre-Game Talk: The 2019 Pre-Draft Discussion Thread

[Frank JT]

BPA

So you understand that my previous question was the need, not what you want the organisation to do.

 

[Bandit Keith]

So you understand that my previous question was the need, not what you want the organisation to do.

I'd argue aside from maybe LD we simply need elite talent at every position.

 

[ccman68]

Realistic choices I would be happy with in no order:

Forwards:
Poulin
Pelletier
Rees
Hoglander
Brink

Defensemen:
Robertson
Heinola
Kolyachonok
Vlasic

Wouldn’t draft Bjornfot since I don’t see anything special there. None of the Russian forwards interest me much either, if we had to pick one Afanasyev would be the one but would rather not.

Foote could be interesting since he played the entire season with an injury so who knows how good he actually is.

If we were to trade up a bit Tomasino is the forward I would want and Harley and Seider would be good choices if we drafted a D.

 

[HoseEmDown]

So you understand that my previous question was the need, not what you want the organisation to do.

Our biggest need is a goalie. We have nothing in the pipe. I know we have a couple of goalies in the NCAA and one headed there next year but the two in the NCAA hardly play and aren't very good. The one coming over to play next year we have no idea if he'll play much. So if Spencer Knight is there at 27 I would hope we take him. But I can't seeing us actually doing that.

So what we need after that would be center prospects. Not guys who play center but will most likely be moved to the wing. We need guys who are legit centers who project to stay there. If they were 6'1 or better would be a plus too because we could use some size down the middle. Right hand shot wingers too, we have a few but they're still a bit boom or bust in Guttman, Walker and Raddysh. Raddysh showed a bit more to his game this year where he could be a middle 6 guy as well. A offensive minded right shot D would also be high on my list.

I could see us be in line to go for a overager or kid from Europe who plans on coming over next year on defense. Especially a RD as we could use one more in Syracuse to challenge Spencer for a spot and cover for Foote if he gets called up.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Realistic choices I would be happy with in no order:

Forwards:
Poulin
Pelletier
Rees
Hoglander
Brink

Defensemen:
Robertson
Heinola
Kolyachonok
Vlasic

Wouldn’t draft Bjornfot since I don’t see anything special there. None of the Russian forwards interest me much either, if we had to pick one Afanasyev would be the one but would rather not.

Foote could be interesting since he played the entire season with an injury so who knows how good he actually is.

If we were to trade up a bit Tomasino is the forward I would want and Harley and Seider would be good choices if we drafted a D.

For forwards I would add Suzuki, Robertson, Beecher, McMicheal and Tracey. On D add Johnson and Thomson. We don't draft Swedes so I didn't list any who might be there.

Afanasayev wouldn't be a bad pick. He's a goal scorer and has size. He has holes in his game for sure and would be better to take a chance later but we have no 2nd so might need to go for the home run. We have been doing the conservative two way guys for awhile now.

 

[Cmac66]

Our biggest need is a goalie. We have nothing in the pipe. I know we have a couple of goalies in the NCAA and one headed there next year but the two in the NCAA hardly play and aren't very good. The one coming over to play next year we have no idea if he'll play much. So if Spencer Knight is there at 27 I would hope we take him. But I can't seeing us actually doing that.

So what we need after that would be center prospects. Not guys who play center but will most likely be moved to the wing. We need guys who are legit centers who project to stay there. If they were 6'1 or better would be a plus too because we could use some size down the middle. Right hand shot wingers too, we have a few but they're still a bit boom or bust in Guttman, Walker and Raddysh. Raddysh showed a bit more to his game this year where he could be a middle 6 guy as well. A offensive minded right shot D would also be high on my list.

I could see us be in line to go for a overager or kid from Europe who plans on coming over next year on defense. Especially a RD as we could use one more in Syracuse to challenge Spencer for a spot and cover for Foote if he gets called up.

Made a good point about us choosing Knight at 27. Just feel that we would look for a goalie in the later rounds. Would the organisation think picking Knight at 27 would be a good choice considering we have Vasy for the long haul, who knows but wouldn’t be against us picking Knight at 27 if he is still there.

 

[HoseEmDown]

Made a good point about us choosing Knight at 27. Just feel that we would look for a goalie in the later rounds. Would the organisation think picking Knight at 27 would be a good choice considering we have Vasy for the long haul, who knows but wouldn’t be against us picking Knight at 27 if he is still there.

Vasilevskiy will be 25 when the season starts. He's not old nor is he 20 either. Knight will take 3-4 years before he's probably thinking about being an NHL backup. So by the time he's ready to start around 23-24 Vasilevskiy will be in the 30's and probably only have 3 years left on his contract. If he's there at 27 he is the BPA so you take him and figure out the rest down the line. As for the later rounds the top 5 will all be gone before we pick late in the 3rd most likely, so anyone we get is a longshot just like the other ones we have.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Podkolzin said he patterns his game after some of the top Russia-born forwards in the NHL, among them Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Artemi Panarin of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Evgeny Kuznetsov of the Washington Capitals. They were three of the top four Russia-born scorers in the NHL this season, but Podkolzin also understands how important it is to play in his end.

 

[Rschmitz]

So you understand that my previous question was the need, not what you want the organisation to do.

I think the organization will select the best player available, but I think they would prefer that the best player available is a G, C, or D in that order.

Ingram leaves a hole at G and we haven't had a large imposing scoring line center since Lecavalier. D cupboard will look a little bare after Foote and Masin graduate as well.

Original thought still stands, no one is making the team for three or four years so I don't think position and player type will factor in.

 

[LightningStrikes]

So you understand that my previous question was the need, not what you want the organisation to do.

The draft, and especially in our draft position, is not the way to fix needs on the NHL level right now.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

This is not a mock draft. There’s no effort made here to match up prospects with specific NHL clubs based on the order of draft selection. TSN’s ranking has no connection to any individual club or the order of selection.

It is determined by surveying a panel of 10 NHL scouts on how each would numerically rank the available prospects. Those 10 individual sets of rankings are amalgamated to create a consensus ranking that forecasts a number or range where each prospect can reasonably be expected to be chosen.

- The biggest draft wild card is Kaliyev, the 6-foot-2 winger who scored 51 goals this season. Next to 72-goal scorer Cole Caufield, Kaliyev is quite likely best goal scorer in the draft. He has underrated playmaking ability, too, not to mention size and strength — but inconsistency of effort has created a polarizing effect among scouts. In the TSN survey of 10 scouts, one had the Kaliyev in the top 10 and another had him outside the top 40. The others had him spread out in between, totaling six votes in the first round and four in the second. No other prospect ranked in the first round has such a wide variance.

Bob's rankings with Craig Button's analysis between players ranked 25-30

• 25. Matthew Robertson

"Skates well, makes good plays with the puck, reads the play well defensively and is highly competitive."
Projection: Top Three Territorial Defenceman
Comparable: Esa Lindell
Skating: 4/5 | Hockey Sense: 4/5 | Competitiveness: 4/5 | Puck Skills: 2.5/5 | Defensive Play 3.5/5

• 26. Bobby Brink

"Finds ways to contribute offensively. Has great poise with puck and can make a play as well as finish a play. Plays with a purposeful determination."
Projection: Top Six Offensive Winger
Comparable: Justin Williams
Skating: 3/5 | Hockey Sense: 4.5/5 | Competitiveness: 4.5/5 | Puck Skills: 4/5 | Scoring 4/5

• 27. Tobias Bjornfot

"Very good skater and uses this to close defensively, to beat pressure, jump into transition and combines it with a great competitive spirit."
Projection: Top Three Competitive Defenceman
Comparable: Ryan McDonagh
Skating: 4/5 | Hockey Sense: 4/5 | Competitiveness: 5/5 | Puck Skills: 2/5 | Defensive Play 3.5/5

• 28. Connor McMichael

"Versatile in his ability to play multiple positions and excel in various situations. Has that 'Swiss Army Knife' adaptability."
Projection: Fast No. 2 Centre/Winger
Comparable: William Karlsson
Skating: 4/5 | Hockey Sense: 3.5/5 | Competitiveness: 4/5 | Puck Skills: 3.5/5 | Scoring 3.5/5

• 29. Alex Vlasic

"Tall - and long with the ability to be a nightmare to try and gain space against him. Smart, effective player with solid positioning and understanding."
Projection: No. 3/4 Rangy Defensive Defenceman
Comparable: Braydon Coburn
Skating: 3.5/5 | Hockey Sense: 4/5 | Competitiveness: 4/5 | Puck Skills: 2/5 | Defensive Play 3/5

• 30. Lassi Thomson

"Puck moves effectively out of defensive zone and he has the ability to be an offensive contributor in the offensive zone. Steady, effective puck play."
Projection: Top 4 Puck Moving Defenceman
Comparable: Colin Miller
Skating: 3/5 | Hockey Sense: 3.5/5 | Competitiveness: 3.5/5 | Puck Skills: 3/5 | Defensive Play 3/5

 

[These Are The Days]

Not gonna happen after his deal unless this dude is gonna do an AHL stint first otherwise we basically wasted our time with Gusev and will repeat the same here

 

[VinikToWinIt]

Seems that we have gone with the safe first pick more often than not since the DeAngelo draft. Despite that, our first round track record is pretty mediocre compared to other rounds.

I wonder what our philosophy will be for the first this year. Go for the home run? Play it safe? Restock the goalie cupboard?

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Top priority: Defense
First pick: No. 27
The situation: Under the leadership of assistant general manager/director of amateur scouting Al Murray, the Lightning have an impressive group of prospects but are a bit thin at defenseman. Since 2010, the Lightning have selected three defensemen in the first round and only one of them, Callan Foote (2017, No. 14), remains with the organization. The only defensemen signed beyond the 2020-21 season are Victor Hedman, 28, and Ryan McDonagh, 30. Adding defensemen now will allow them to have all the development time they'll need.

Possible fits: Ville Heinola, D, Lukko (FIN); Tobias Bjornfot, D, Djurgarden Jr. (SWE-JR); Alex Vlasic, D, USA U-18 (NTDP)

TSN Mock Draft 4.0 with Craig Button:

At 27, Tampa Bay - "Jamieson Rees. We have an annual tradition of comparing one player to a swiss-army knife in recognition of his utility and versatility. Sarnia's Jamieson Rees is this years player."

Craig Button also had us taking Rees in his past mock draft versions.

 

[VinikToWinIt]

Wow. Button has Knight going 13th to the Panthers. Seems awful high for a goalie given recent history.

 

[HoseEmDown]

I like Rees, he plays the game hard and does everything he can to win. He makes your team hard to play against and goes all out every shift. I just don't like his injury history, it makes me cautious picking him when we don't have a 2nd cause if the injuries remain a thing your draft is ruined. But he also has a lot of boom potential as he has really good potential that if he stays healthy you have a hell of a player.

As for Knight I don't think him going 13th is bad at all. He has high end starter ability. He's the clear #1 goalie in this draft and only guy worth taking in the 1st. A team like Florida has no future starter in the system and Luongo is all but done. So Knight could be the starter in 2-3 years. It's not that different then when we took Vasilevskiy. We had no goalies worth a damn in the system nor a #1 a capable NHL starter. He's solidified our team and made us a threat every year, it's the one thing Florida is missing.

 

[ccman68]

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

27. TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Samuel Poulin, RW, Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL): A tireless worker who may not possess the high-end offensive ability to play on a top line, but will play a pro-style game with a big engine. A great post-season run with Sherbrooke helped him to maintain his position as a first-round pick.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Would be our 3rd Moose Jaw Warrior in 6 drafts. 4th if you count Sosunov who got picked up by them in the import draft.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Reading up on later picks, Ludvig Hedstrom and Martin Hugo Has sound like interesting picks for what we need. Anyone with some know how on them have any insight? @JoVel @Brie ?

 

[DFC]

Would be our 3rd Moose Jaw Warrior in 6 drafts. 4th if you count Sosunov who got picked up by them in the import draft.

Moosejaw has been good to us. They seem to develop good prospects.

 

[ccman68]

Who do you guys predict we draft? I’ll go with Pelletier since he just sounds like ”a bolt”.

 

[Byrddog]

Alexander Nikishin would be my choice need to put some higher end defense in the pipeline. While we have Foote his 31 points in Syracuse does not impress me. It takes so much longer for a defenseman to develop the time is now to fill the bucket.

 

[Cmac66]

I think we will draft Brayden Tracey. However, I think we need someone else on Defence so Vlasic or Björnfot would be some good choices.