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which dman would you want the leafs to take with their 1st rd pick?

Which dmen should the leafs take?

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Cor

Cor

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Jun 24, 2012
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supermann_98 said:
At the beginning of the year I thought he’d be great if he fell to us, then I did some more research.
If read about his complete lack of give-a-damn attitude towards his teammates and coaching staff, the fact that he blows the D-zone first despite being a defence man, his selfish behaviour, no thanks.
I’ll give a pass to a coachable talent who needs to learn his craft, but not to a selfish player who doesn’t care about anything but his stats
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I mean, keep in mind the Leafs suspended Nazem Kadri 3 years ago, almost to the day. He's now a core piece for this team.

And we also have Mark Hunter, who has people at all corners of the OHL, and I'm sure has a great understanding of the situation. Should he be available when we pick, and should Hunter select him, I think we'd have to sorta roll with it.

In September, Merkley was top 10 in McKenzie's draft rankings. As of mid-season, he was still 11th. This is a kid that if as a lot of recent rankings seem to indicate, has fallen to the 20-30 range, simply due to the off-ice issues, and we'll see if the actual NHL scouts agree when he releases his next rankings.

He's a no brainer at our pick IF Hunter and management believe they can put him on the straight and narrow. But that's something we all sorta have to leave that up to our management because they all know more than us
 
Jeypic

Jeypic

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Sep 12, 2015
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I voted woo.. but I’ll admit, mostly for the name. Reading this thread was the most research I’ve done on players available around our pick lol.

It’s time to put my draft cap back on though I think! What centres are looking to be available? Or any power forward big wingers?
 
93LEAFS

93LEAFS

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Cor said:
I mean, keep in mind the Leafs suspended Nazem Kadri 3 years ago, almost to the day. He's now a core piece for this team.

And we also have Mark Hunter, who has people at all corners of the OHL, and I'm sure has a great understanding of the situation. Should he be available when we pick, and should Hunter select him, I think we'd have to sorta roll with it.

In September, Merkley was top 10 in McKenzie's draft rankings. As of mid-season, he was still 11th. This is a kid that if as a lot of recent rankings seem to indicate, has fallen to the 20-30 range, simply due to the off-ice issues, and we'll see if the actual NHL scouts agree when he releases his next rankings.

He's a no brainer at our pick IF Hunter and management believe they can put him on the straight and narrow. But that's something we all sorta have to leave that up to our management because they all know more than us
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Its way more than off-the ice issues. The kid literally doesn't back check half the time, and is the 4th man back as a defender. He also often loses his composure on the ice and loses it on teammates. These aren't just personality issues off the ice, he's also a liability on the ice. I'll roll with it if Hunter selects him, but I'd also say the chances of Hunter selecting him are likely miniscule. I'd think most of the time the organizations who draft kids and plan to fix them, tend to be bad organizations. Look at the Isles and Vancouver, who always gamble on low-character guys. Rangers do too, and while not as incompetent, still aren't great.

This poll is Samuelsson and Miller, I have both a tier above the other options. Samuelsson is a great compliment to Liljegren, who was a higher-risk pick last year. K'Andre Miller would be thought of much higher if the USA U-18 coach actually knew what he was doing. The fact he continually plays Adam Samuelsson and Emberson on the 2nd PP is insane.
 
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Byron Bitz

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I don’t think Merkley’s attitude issues will make him fall too far. Scouts know these are young kids that are gonna mature mentally, try to remember how dumb you were when you were 17.
 
TheMadHatTrick

TheMadHatTrick

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BlueBaron said:
Is it a given we'll draft a D? I wouldn't mind a C either.
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The best players currently ranked around our pick are either defenseman or wingers. The best centre (who's likely to be a centre) where we are is probably Ollofsson, and I'm not a big fan of him. Dellandrea is good though and he might be an option, but other than him C is pretty thin at our spot.
 
ITM

ITM

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Jan 26, 2012
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My hope is that we take the most talented forward available. I like our chances in this D-heavy draft at snagging a quality blue liner with our second round pick.

If he falls to us, or we're able to move up, it'd be great if we drafted Jesperi Kotkaniemi. A big, skilled forward learning the game against men.

Ryan Macleod is another high hockey IQ forward I'd like in the fold.
 
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Martin Skoula

Martin Skoula

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johnnyutah said:
I don’t think Merkley’s attitude issues will make him fall too far. Scouts know these are young kids that are gonna mature mentally, try to remember how dumb you were when you were 17.
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Yeah and that's why I'm not in a professional sports league. Somehow I don't think guys like Crosby or Matthews we're pulling the same stuff at that age, they were working on their game relentlessly.

Immaturity at that age is Crosby whining to the refs all the time, not the extensive list of issues Merkley's had following him.

I really can't fathom being a top-10 draft talent, realizing I just have to put my head down and work for a few years to almost guarantee becoming a multi-millionaire for the rest of my life while playing a game I love, only to not take the opportunity seriously and potentially waste it.
 

Byron Bitz

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Cor said:
No, at this point we could draft anywhere.

However this years first round is loaded with defense.
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I would t mind taking a goalie with our second rounder, we could potentially get the top tender in ththe draft there, I really like that Czech kid Dostal.
 
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Kiwi

Kiwi

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johnnyutah said:
I would t mind taking a goalie with our second rounder, we could potentially get the top tender in ththe draft there, I really like that Czech kid Dostal.
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I wouldn't take a goaltender in the first three rounds personally, the goaltenders this year are pretty average, I'd rather take a punt on a big bodied project type later on

At our pick I'd be looking winger or Defense just because I like those kids in that range better

Miller Samuelsson or Addison would all be fine by me
 
firstemperor

firstemperor

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How in the world is Merkley winning this?

Shades of Bracco winning the prospect vote ahead of Dermott after the draft, despite being picked higher.
 
nuck

nuck

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therealkoho said:
not really sure they'll draft a Dman, thinking more a centre, which is an area of need and so Rasmus Kupari if available
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Honestly with their failure to secure a second high pick, I would like them to buy their way up to the player they want, at the position they need. I am not a fan of taking the best player that just falls to you, unless you really don't see much difference. What that means the club is really getting the BPA without spending a small asset in to get the one you actually want. If you have a position of need, and you trust your scouts, why not buy up to the next tier of talent. This looks like a good good year for Finn forwards. I like both Kupari and Kotkaniemi and they are both centers which the Leafs need. They are also higher ranked than where the Leafs are likely to pick, like Wilde, Dinesenko, and McIsaac. If the Leaf's scouts are really that good, then why not buy the best pick they can?
 
The CyNick

The CyNick

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Depends where we are drafting. A lot of times wingers drop in the draft because teams favour C and D first. But you could end up with a top 3 or 4 winger in the late teens or early 20s. Whereas in that same spot you're probably only getting the 7th or 8th best C or D.

But no team has a formula like that going in. It's always just BPA when they're called up to the podium.
 
Fogelhund

Fogelhund

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Sep 15, 2007
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The only people at this point, who would pick Merkley, are those who haven't been paying attention, or don't understand the degree to which he is an issue. Chances are, he might mature... in his mid thirties... but at this point, I'd maybe use my third pick in the draft on him... whether it was a second or third rounder.

I'd love to grab Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but he seems like another kid who is rising, and might be gone before we get a chance to pick (Center)
 
Stand Witness

Stand Witness

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I am picking Merkley even with the known issues.

1) I think the Leafs have a great development system
2) Merkley will be close enough in age with the core to relate and the core young guys we have all seem to have their head son their shoulders. Great role models who he will be with.
3) I am willing to go high risk/high reward in the 20s for sure.
 
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