Prospect Info: The Premature 2020 Draft Thread

How Many Seasons Until Yaroslav Askarov is an NHL Starter?

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LTIR

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Nov 8, 2013
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McDavid couldn't even get to 120 points playing with possibly the best all around offensive player in the league so now he could get 150 points playing with Lafreniere? Talk about vastly overrating a prospect, or vastly underrating Draisaitl.



I never disputed that. I disputed your usual off the mark Draisaitl remark.
Also, the Oilers don't need another star player up front. They need a star player on the blueline.

I'd be happy with Lafraniere but it's not an absolute necessity to add another star player up front. If Lafraniere is as good as you guys say he'll be, they won't be able to afford him after his ELC unless they dump RNH and/ or Yamamoto and maintain a cheap defensive core.
BTW, Yamamoto has the potential to be a star player if he can consistently score PPG along with his other intangibles
So basically you are admitting that you tried to derail the discussion by making it about Draisaitl. All I said was that Laf has the potential to be top 3 core player if not top2.

Why can't the Oilers use a star player on W? It is necessary to get McDavid legit talent on his wing. If AA can't cut it then Holland will have to go out shopping. If Lafreniere falls into our lap it will be a jackpot.

3 yrs down the road we can worry about fitting everyone into cap.

By your logic we should start looking at trading Yamamoto because he has the potential to become a star!
 

Canovin

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Remember when Stamkos said McDavid might already be better than him before McDavid even play a single NHL games and we all thought he was just joking. Turns out rookie McDavid was better than him. I wouldn't be surprise if Lafreniere is better than current Hall right out of the gate. Both plays a similar type of game. Skating is not as good as Hall but Lafreniere has him beat everywhere else. His vision and hockey sense is just too good.
 

Canovin

1% is the new 11.5%
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Assuming that McDavid could score 150 points with Lafraniere when he couldn't get even remotely close to that with, lets be honest, a guy who will in all likelihood be better than Lafraniere ever will be offensively is outlandish.

Who are you comparing?
Lafraniere (elite)-McDavid (generational)
vs.
RNH (good)-Draisaitl (elite)-Yamamoto (good)

Again, I'd be happy with Lafraniere but it's going to cause complications when they need to re-sign RNH and Yamamoto and ice a good defense.
At one point in the season Drai and McDavid was on pace for 160 points. Was it sustainable? No because we weren't getting any secondary scoring. So eventually they had to be split. I don't see why McDavid can't hit 150 points at some point if he had Lafreniere as his winger full time and another potent line up in RNH-Drai-Yamo taking some heat off the first line up
 
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CupofOil

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Aug 20, 2009
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So basically you are admitting that you tried to derail the discussion by making it about Draisaitl. All I said was that Laf has the potential to be top 3 core player if not top2.

Why can't the Oilers use a star player on W? It is necessary to get McDavid legit talent on his wing. If AA can't cut it then Holland will have to go out shopping. If Lafreniere falls into our lap it will be a jackpot.

3 yrs down the road we can worry about fitting everyone into cap.

By your logic we should start looking at trading Yamamoto because he has the potential to become a star!

Hopefully Drai becomes a consistent 100pt player but I am not banking on it. More than happy with PPG production from him.

This is what you said in response to the poster who said it's silly to just assume that Drai will really cool off and you then said you'd be happy if he was a PPG player from here on out. Yeah ok. I remember your posts on Draisaitl, I know what you're all about when it comes to him but anyway, we'll move on for the sake of the thread.

Again, I'd be happy if they landed Lafraniere and it'll be great for 3 years but be prepared for a shallow forward group and mediocre D if he turns out as good as some people expect him to be (as good as or better than Drai according to some) and lands the monster contract. It's just something to wonder about when you add another elite forward to an already top heavy forward team. Balance will be hard to come by.
Actually, they might have a hard time fitting in his ELC in the 1st year as is. Might have to force him to sit out a year to become cap compliant.
 

Draiskull

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Oct 26, 2005
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Hopefully Drai becomes a consistent 100pt player but I am not banking on it. More than happy with PPG production from him.

This is what you said in response to the poster who said it's silly to just assume that Drai will really cool off and you then said you'd be happy if he was a PPG player from here on out. Yeah ok. I remember your posts on Draisaitl, I know what you're all about when it comes to him but anyway, we'll move on for the sake of the thread.

Again, I'd be happy if they landed Lafraniere and it'll be great for 3 years but be prepared for a shallow forward group and mediocre D if he turns out as good as some people expect him to be (as good as or better than Drai according to some) and lands the monster contract. It's just something to wonder about when you add another elite forward to an already top heavy forward team. Balance will be hard to come by.
Actually, they might have a hard time fitting in his ELC in the 1st year as is. Might have to force him to sit out a year to become cap compliant.
So we are worried that we will get another elite player on the team and in 3 yrs would be forced to make tough decisions?
IMO a team managed right ie without Neal\Lucuc\Russells of the world need all the stars it can fit to win the cup. I would buy it if Lafrenneir(sp) was a C. This is however a team with shitty wing depth.

As for Draisaitl bashing, no one including LTIR compares to me. Mr huff n puff has shut me up for now but you just wait til the next GDT ;)

No way Holland sits Lafrennier out even if it means walking away from Athanasiou for nothing.
 

ConnorMcMullet

#12 Colby Cave
Jun 10, 2017
10,290
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Scouching just released his report on Jacob Perreault. He gave him a 1F and in my opinion, he hit the nail on the head. Perreault has tons and tons of offensive potential but can be equally frustrating and inconsistent.

He reminds me of Alex Galchenyuk, right down to their skating strides.

 
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McTonyBrar

Registered User
Apr 2, 2018
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83-83 Oilers team was the most talented team to not win a SC.

What talent are you seeing other than McDrai? There is no #1 G, there is no #1 star Dman. We have Ennis and Kassian on top line wing.
No elite player in bottom 6.

2 or 3 elite players don't make a team.
There are these two guys named Yamamoto and RNH. Not sure if you've heard of them..
 

LTIR

Registered User
Nov 8, 2013
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There are these two guys named Yamamoto and RNH. Not sure if you've heard of them..
Sweet so we have 4 top 6 players in the team one of which is a pending UFA in a year and the other a rookie. Who needs more talent.
 

LTIR

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Nov 8, 2013
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Seems like a crapshoot between 10-25 this draft.
Gunler can drop out of top 20 and Askarov can go top 10 this year.
Good list though.

I'm sold on Foerster's shot so hoping that is who we get at worst picking late in the round.
 
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McTonyBrar

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Apr 2, 2018
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Sweet so we have 4 top 6 players in the team one of which is a pending UFA in a year and the other a rookie. Who needs more talent.
I'm pretty sure we will resign Nuge and Yamamoto has proven himself as a top six forward. Plus, we have a chance to pick another decent offensive player this draft. Not to mention we have Benson waiting in the AHL and Lavoie
 

Zaddy

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Feb 8, 2013
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Slowly starting to watch some more footage on this draft and get an idea about the top prospects. After having just watched a bit of Byfield I have to say I'm a bit surprised that he is pretty much a slam-dunk top3 pick, is this draft class that weak? Don't get me wrong, he's a great prospect but there are definitely some things about his game that I don't like and it seems to me that people are overrating him based off his size. He looks pretty one-dimensional and a guy that mostly scores off the rush. I don't really see a guy who can pick a defense apart with his brain and find openings that the truly gifted players do. He's not a super-creative player either and from what I saw doesn't really use his size to his advantage. He's more of a skill guy in a big man's body. To be honest I see a lot of Taylor Hall in his game, which isn't a negative per se but I prefer guys with more dimensions to their game and who are more cerebral. I don't really see that from Byfield. I'm really curious to see where I'll put him on my list after I've watched some more footage on guys like Stützle, Perfetti, Drysdale and Raymond. I have a feeling I'll at least have Stützle and Raymond ahead of him.

I also watched some footage on Sanderson. Definitely a lot to like there, I love big guys who can skate and defend, but does he really have enough offense to be ranked as high as he is? I'm not so sure. Depends how highly you value a top-notch modern-day shutdown defenseman I guess. Not sure where I'll end up ranking him either.

Finally I watched Jack Quinn too. Can see why some people are so high on him. Great shot and great hands with above-average skating, good IQ and solid defensive play. I'll echo what Draft Dynasty said about him in his video, definitely a guy who could surprise and make the NHL right out of the gate. He plays a pro-style game already. Seems like a pretty safe bet to be a solid top6 forward in the future. The difficult part for me is to project his potential, which makes it hard to rank him, but he's a guy that you should at least get 20-25 goals a year from and probably a couple of 30 goal seasons too.
 

ConnorMcMullet

#12 Colby Cave
Jun 10, 2017
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Slowly starting to watch some more footage on this draft and get an idea about the top prospects. After having just watched a bit of Byfield I have to say I'm a bit surprised that he is pretty much a slam-dunk top3 pick, is this draft class that weak? Don't get me wrong, he's a great prospect but there are definitely some things about his game that I don't like and it seems to me that people are overrating him based off his size. He looks pretty one-dimensional and a guy that mostly scores off the rush. I don't really see a guy who can pick a defense apart with his brain and find openings that the truly gifted players do. He's not a super-creative player either and from what I saw doesn't really use his size to his advantage. He's more of a skill guy in a big man's body. To be honest I see a lot of Taylor Hall in his game, which isn't a negative per se but I prefer guys with more dimensions to their game and who are more cerebral. I don't really see that from Byfield. I'm really curious to see where I'll put him on my list after I've watched some more footage on guys like Stützle, Perfetti, Drysdale and Raymond. I have a feeling I'll at least have Stützle and Raymond ahead of him.

I also watched some footage on Sanderson. Definitely a lot to like there, I love big guys who can skate and defend, but does he really have enough offense to be ranked as high as he is? I'm not so sure. Depends how highly you value a top-notch modern-day shutdown defenseman I guess. Not sure where I'll end up ranking him either.

Finally I watched Jack Quinn too. Can see why some people are so high on him. Great shot and great hands with above-average skating, good IQ and solid defensive play. I'll echo what Draft Dynasty said about him in his video, definitely a guy who could surprise and make the NHL right out of the gate. He plays a pro-style game already. Seems like a pretty safe bet to be a solid top6 forward in the future. The difficult part for me is to project his potential, which makes it hard to rank him, but he's a guy that you should at least get 20-25 goals a year from and probably a couple of 30 goal seasons too.
Good post. I agree about Byfield, but you're drafting him for what he can become. He's an August birthdate and his skill+size+skating+shot package is incredibly rare. With the right development he could become a star. I do have Stutzle ahead of him though, and Raymond is at 4.

Sanderson I think is getting overrated because this draft is weak on defensemen. Good bet to become a #2/3, but he's someone I take in the teens, not at 5. Something I found interesting is that 2 out of the 10 scouts McKenzie interviewed had Sanderson ranked 3rd. What they're seeing in him I have no idea.

Yay, love for Jack Quinn. Like you said, safe bet to be a top-6 guy. He'd be a perfect fit for us but no way he falls.

I'm curious, what are your thoughts on Marco Rossi? And does anyone stick out to you as a good option for our pick?
 

Llamamoto

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Sep 5, 2018
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Slowly starting to watch some more footage on this draft and get an idea about the top prospects. After having just watched a bit of Byfield I have to say I'm a bit surprised that he is pretty much a slam-dunk top3 pick, is this draft class that weak? Don't get me wrong, he's a great prospect but there are definitely some things about his game that I don't like and it seems to me that people are overrating him based off his size. He looks pretty one-dimensional and a guy that mostly scores off the rush. I don't really see a guy who can pick a defense apart with his brain and find openings that the truly gifted players do. He's not a super-creative player either and from what I saw doesn't really use his size to his advantage. He's more of a skill guy in a big man's body. To be honest I see a lot of Taylor Hall in his game, which isn't a negative per se but I prefer guys with more dimensions to their game and who are more cerebral. I don't really see that from Byfield. I'm really curious to see where I'll put him on my list after I've watched some more footage on guys like Stützle, Perfetti, Drysdale and Raymond. I have a feeling I'll at least have Stützle and Raymond ahead of him.

I also watched some footage on Sanderson. Definitely a lot to like there, I love big guys who can skate and defend, but does he really have enough offense to be ranked as high as he is? I'm not so sure. Depends how highly you value a top-notch modern-day shutdown defenseman I guess. Not sure where I'll end up ranking him either.

Finally I watched Jack Quinn too. Can see why some people are so high on him. Great shot and great hands with above-average skating, good IQ and solid defensive play. I'll echo what Draft Dynasty said about him in his video, definitely a guy who could surprise and make the NHL right out of the gate. He plays a pro-style game already. Seems like a pretty safe bet to be a solid top6 forward in the future. The difficult part for me is to project his potential, which makes it hard to rank him, but he's a guy that you should at least get 20-25 goals a year from and probably a couple of 30 goal seasons too.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Bourque. He's one of my favourite players in the draft, his combination of hands + smarts is extremely rare.

Regarding Byfield, I think his supposes low IQ boils down to a lack of confidence. There's a hesitancy in his play, where he tends to make the safe play or pass the puck off to a teammate. His Hlinka/World Juniors were definitely underwhelming, but I still think he has star potential. I see a 50 point center as his floor, and a big ppg center as his ceiling. A very solid #2/#3 pick, but Stutzle is neck and neck with him, potentially even ahead of him.
 

FlameChampion

Registered User
Jul 13, 2011
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Scouching just released his report on Jacob Perreault. He gave him a 1F and in my opinion, he hit the nail on the head. Perreault has tons and tons of offensive potential but can be equally frustrating and inconsistent.

He reminds me of Alex Galchenyuk, right down to their skating strides.



I dont think he makes much sense if we pick around #20. I think theres just better bets. But maybe if we pick near the end of the first round, he could be an option?
 

FlameChampion

Registered User
Jul 13, 2011
13,524
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Slowly starting to watch some more footage on this draft and get an idea about the top prospects. After having just watched a bit of Byfield I have to say I'm a bit surprised that he is pretty much a slam-dunk top3 pick, is this draft class that weak? Don't get me wrong, he's a great prospect but there are definitely some things about his game that I don't like and it seems to me that people are overrating him based off his size. He looks pretty one-dimensional and a guy that mostly scores off the rush. I don't really see a guy who can pick a defense apart with his brain and find openings that the truly gifted players do. He's not a super-creative player either and from what I saw doesn't really use his size to his advantage. He's more of a skill guy in a big man's body. To be honest I see a lot of Taylor Hall in his game, which isn't a negative per se but I prefer guys with more dimensions to their game and who are more cerebral. I don't really see that from Byfield. I'm really curious to see where I'll put him on my list after I've watched some more footage on guys like Stützle, Perfetti, Drysdale and Raymond. I have a feeling I'll at least have Stützle and Raymond ahead of him.

I also watched some footage on Sanderson. Definitely a lot to like there, I love big guys who can skate and defend, but does he really have enough offense to be ranked as high as he is? I'm not so sure. Depends how highly you value a top-notch modern-day shutdown defenseman I guess. Not sure where I'll end up ranking him either.

Finally I watched Jack Quinn too. Can see why some people are so high on him. Great shot and great hands with above-average skating, good IQ and solid defensive play. I'll echo what Draft Dynasty said about him in his video, definitely a guy who could surprise and make the NHL right out of the gate. He plays a pro-style game already. Seems like a pretty safe bet to be a solid top6 forward in the future. The difficult part for me is to project his potential, which makes it hard to rank him, but he's a guy that you should at least get 20-25 goals a year from and probably a couple of 30 goal seasons too.

For me personally, I just have a hard time dropping a top 3 pick on a guy with above average hockey IQ. I think some people get enamored with size, tools and the potential. He will likely be a good to great player but I want high hockey IQ in my top players.
 
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Zaddy

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Feb 8, 2013
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I'd love to hear your thoughts on Bourque. He's one of my favourite players in the draft, his combination of hands + smarts is extremely rare.

I haven't watched him enough yet to have a fully formed opinion but my impression so far is that I'm not a huge fan. I think he's ranked pretty accurately at the moment (late 1st round pick). Think there's a lot of risk there. I see him as a guy who is pretty good in juniors but I'm not sure he'll be as successful in the NHL when he doesn't have the time and space to play his game.

Even though he's not a tiny guy I think he lacks size too, especially for a guy who maybe isn't elite at any one thing (but good to great in several aspects). He strikes me as a typical NHL tweener; not truly good enough to be a legit top6 forward but also not a guy you really want in your bottom-six. Kinda like a Sam Gagner or Ryan Spooner. You need to be able to fill a role in the NHL to be a long-term stay and I'm not sure I see it with him. In a deep draft I'm not sure I'd take him before pick #40 or so.

These are just my initial impressions though, I could be wrong. What's your opinion on him? How do you project him at the NHL level?
 

Zaddy

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Feb 8, 2013
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Good post. I agree about Byfield, but you're drafting him for what he can become. He's an August birthdate and his skill+size+skating+shot package is incredibly rare. With the right development he could become a star. I do have Stutzle ahead of him though, and Raymond is at 4.

Sanderson I think is getting overrated because this draft is weak on defensemen. Good bet to become a #2/3, but he's someone I take in the teens, not at 5. Something I found interesting is that 2 out of the 10 scouts McKenzie interviewed had Sanderson ranked 3rd. What they're seeing in him I have no idea.

Yay, love for Jack Quinn. Like you said, safe bet to be a top-6 guy. He'd be a perfect fit for us but no way he falls.

I'm curious, what are your thoughts on Marco Rossi? And does anyone stick out to you as a good option for our pick?

Yeah I saw your list, I like that you have Raymond at #4. I think he's getting underrated by scouts. He didn't have a spectacular season but he wasn't underwhelming either. It was good and I don't really see a case where he should be dropped all that far considering he was pretty much a consensus top3 pick going into the season (IIRC) and has been seen as a top prospect for years now. HP having him at #8 is almost criminal to me, although I still need to watch more of him but I doubt I'd have him any lower than #5.

Agree on Sanderson, having him at #3 is really weird. Don't really understand how HP dropped Drysdale to #12 either, especially since he's #4 on McKenzie's list. Their rankings are usually fairly similar but this year HP has really mixed things up it seems. Not used to seeing them putting out such a wonky-looking list. Will be interesting to see how their 2020 rankings pan out in the years to come.

Haven't watched Rossi yet I'm afraid. Will do soon though. No idea about our pick, we have no idea where it lands yet so hard to say who I'd want, but if we draft somewhere in the teens I think Reichel is a solid option but I still need to watch guys like Mercer, Perreault and Zary. Haven't seen them at all yet.
 
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Zaddy

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Feb 8, 2013
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For me personally, I just have a hard time dropping a top 3 pick on a guy with above average hockey IQ. I think some people get enamored with size, tools and the potential. He will likely be a good to great player but I want high hockey IQ in my top players.

I assume you're talking about Byfield? In that case I tend to agree. Hockey IQ trumps pretty much everything for me. That's the most important trait and the easiest to project to the next level.
 

McDNicks17

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Maybe it’s because I’m an OHL homer, but I don’t see any concerns with Byfield’s hockey sense.

He was consistently dangerous on a team with absolutely no help.
 
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ConnorMcMullet

#12 Colby Cave
Jun 10, 2017
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Wallinder fits a similar profile that Broberg did last year.



I'm hoping he does Topi Niemela next. Niemela has gone under the radar but is a steady, smooth-skating defenseman that could go in the 1st.
 

Zaddy

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Feb 8, 2013
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Maybe It’s because I’m an OHL homer, but I don’t see any concerns with Byfield’s hockey sense.

He was consistently dangerous on a team with absolutely no help.

To clarify I don't think his hockey sense is bad, it's just not a standout quality of his game IMO. It's not likely to stop him from being an NHLer, but I think it might hinder him from being the type of player that I personally like on a team / would pick at the top of the draft. Again, I compare him to Hall. A great and explosive offensive player but I don't think anyone would say that he's one of the smartest players in the league or a good two-way guy. Just rather one-dimensional and doesn't offer much beyond the scoring (in which most of it is off the rush as well). That's how I see Byfield at the moment. Not really a cerebral east-west guy who picks apart defenses. It's a matter of preference I guess. I like my cerebral playmaking centers like Draisaitl, Vilardi, Dach etc. I would take any one of them over Byfield based off their junior play only.
 

Llamamoto

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Sep 5, 2018
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I haven't watched him enough yet to have a fully formed opinion but my impression so far is that I'm not a huge fan. I think he's ranked pretty accurately at the moment (late 1st round pick). Think there's a lot of risk there. I see him as a guy who is pretty good in juniors but I'm not sure he'll be as successful in the NHL when he doesn't have the time and space to play his game.

Even though he's not a tiny guy I think he lacks size too, especially for a guy who maybe isn't elite at any one thing (but good to great in several aspects). He strikes me as a typical NHL tweener; not truly good enough to be a legit top6 forward but also not a guy you really want in your bottom-six. Kinda like a Sam Gagner or Ryan Spooner. You need to be able to fill a role in the NHL to be a long-term stay and I'm not sure I see it with him. In a deep draft I'm not sure I'd take him before pick #40 or so.

These are just my initial impressions though, I could be wrong. What's your opinion on him? How do you project him at the NHL level?

Hockey IQ is the #1 trait I look for in prospects, and Bourque has that in spades. His playmaking and hands are definitely standout qualities, and his shot is pretty good too. His skating definitely needs work for a small guy, but his offensive skillset is too good for me to pass on him in the 10-20 range.
 
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