which draft picks from 2004 are most likely

[hockeyfan125]

to step into the lineup next season, in the NHL?

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[hockeyGod]

Well IMO, here it is.
AO/Washington
Malkin/Pitts
Cam Barker/Chicago
Montoya/NYR-Will play most of year in Hartford, but will get callup chances.
Meszaros/OTT-Will definatly have to fight for a job.

 

[Til the End of Time]

Malkin won't play in the NHL for at least a year.

 

[moosefan]

Ovechkin
Malkin
Montyoa
Olesz
Tukonen
Smid

I want to say Thelen since Minnesota loves to rush their prospects as they did with Bouchard and Burns but I would really like to see him play another year outside the NHL.

I think Barker will benifit one more year in junior. He has emense potential but he still has a few things to work on before he is ready.

 

[Jacob]

Malkin won't play in the NHL for at least a year.

Who knows. He'll be at training camp, so he's got a sporting chance.

 

[moosefan]

Malkin won't play in the NHL for at least a year.

IMO he is NHL ready with his skills, he needs to put on some weight but overall his skills make him ready to step in. Pitts needs some real help up front and this will give him more of a chance to make the team as well.

 

[nyr5186]

Montoya/NYR-Will play most of year in Hartford, but will get callup chances.

At the moment, Montoya is mulling over whether to sign a pro contract or go back to Michigan. According to today's Post, Sather offered him a deal well below the rookie max.

Its safe to say that most Ranger fans hope he stays in college, where he'll get starter minutes and wont infringe on Blackburn's recovery in Hartford. How can Sather not learn from the mistake he made with Blackburn two years ago?

 

[moosefan]

At the moment, Montoya is mulling over whether to sign a pro contract or go back to Michigan. According to today's Post, Sather offered him a deal well below the rookie max.

Its safe to say that most Ranger fans hope he stays in college, where he'll get starter minutes and wont infringe on Blackburn's recovery in Hartford. How can Sather not learn from the mistake he made with Blackburn two years ago?

there is also rumors that Montoya and Thelen might go the WHA route next year instead of College again. Right now these are just strong rumors and nothing more though.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Minnesota won't rush Thelen

 

[DaveG]

Ladd has a shot at playing for Carolina, though I'd hope that they would give him another year in the W.

Ovechkin
Barker
Smid
Schremp
Olesz
Tukonen
Ladd if Kahnberg doesn't come over and Carolina doesn't sign a UFA for the short-term.

 

[Debrincat93]

Franzen might get a decent look at training camp since he's 24

(detroit)

 

[BrooklynCanuck]

Ovechkin should be the only one.

This year was the year of kids with talent but warts. They need time to smooth out the wrinkles.

If the Rangers throw Montoya to the wolves like they did with Blackburn...well let's just say I'm glad I'm not a Rangers fan.

Barker has a lot of talent but he needs a year or two of work, I doubt Chicago will rush him.

Malkin is the same and his being Russian won't get him over any quicker, especially with the IIHF agreement in shambles.

Tukonen needs to get bigger before he's going to be effective in the NHL.

Ladd has only one year of CHL, I think he might have a bit of shellshock if he's moved again, plus Calgary is a good team to leave a kid for training.

 

[Chayos]

If the oil don't sign a FA center i suspect Shremp has a very good chance at amking the squad.

He has what they need, Finesse!

 

[bleedgreen]

Ovechkin should be the only one
Ladd has only one year of CHL, I think he might have a bit of shellshock if he's moved again, plus Calgary is a good team to leave a kid for training.

i agree completely, ladd shouldnt be allowed to move up so soon, but i think carolina would like to have him on the third line. he wouldnt be expected to produce too much, and from what ive read he has the size and strength to be there. i hope he stays in the w so he can develop more of the scoring touch everyone thinks he lacks. he wont develop that in the nhl.

 

[McDonald19]

Ovechkin
Malkin
Montyoa
Olesz
Tukonen
Smid

Smid and the Ducks have agreed that he will play one more season in the Czech proleague.

 

[moosefan]

Minnesota won't rush Thelen

They shouldn\t have rushed Bouchard or Burns either but they did.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Bouchard is an interesting situation. He was putting up a ton of points in the QMJHL but he couldn't be placed in the AHL, so their only solution was to put him in the NHL. It was that or let him coast for a few years in the QMJHL and not learn a lot.

And yes, Wild fans are still scratching their heads on why they signed Burns but he did have some spectaculor games in the pre-season before tanking it for a while.

 

[LaLaLaprise]

Bouchard is an interesting situation. He was putting up a ton of points in the QMJHL but he couldn't be placed in the AHL, so their only solution was to put him in the NHL. It was that or let him coast for a few years in the QMJHL and not learn a lot.

And yes, Wild fans are still scratching their heads on why they signed Burns but he did have some spectaculor games in the pre-season before tanking it for a while.

No, another solution with Bouchard was to leave him in the QMJHL. He didnt "Dominate" to the point of sillyness. He was 140 lbs at age 16 and not much bigger when you drafted him. You rushed him, plain and simple. And now he will probably be in the AHL at age 20. The ducks did the same with Chistov. Too much too early.

 

[thestonedkoala]

He had 38 goals, 57 assists for 95 points in his first year, and then 46 goals, and 94 assists for 140 points in his second year.

The aspect of his game that wasn't getting really worked on was his defensive game.

The only reason it looks bad is because Minnesota is a defensive first type of team and Lemaire wanted to have a hands on approach to how Bouchard's defensive game was coming around.

Bouchard was in the top 20 of points in his rookie season and then number 1 the next year.

Bouchard needed help defensively but not offensively, so why keep him in the QMJHL when he isn't going to learn a lot defensively, or well what Lemaire wanted to teach him?

 

[Vagrant]

Bouchard needed help defensively but not offensively, so why keep him in the QMJHL when he isn't going to learn a lot defensively, or well what Lemaire wanted to teach him?

The reason you keep him in the QMJHL is because nature hadn't yet taken its course with his body. Neither had conditioning. To take Bouchard out of the QMJHL was to essentially say they were incompetent in terms of his development. Bouchard needed to stay where he was for the time being and put size on his frame. It's worth a year of development for a highly skilled offensive player to get his body in condition to take the checking at the NHL level. Had they taken this formula, Bouchard would have played last year at the AHL level and would have probably been ready to take his game to the NHL level this year, instead it's reversed. Minnesota dropped the ball with this kid, and hopefully he recovers from it. Two seasons in a row with 20 points isn't exactly what one would expect out of an offensive dynamo like Bouchard. Neither is averaging a goal every ten games.

I'm confident that even if Bouchard doesn't develop into a highly regarded offensive player that he will develop into at least a serviceable player under Lemaire. It's just that had the organization waited for his body to catch up, they would be dealing with an entirely differant player right now. It's a lot differant than the A.J. Thelen example, who I personally think wouldn't be too detracted from if he comes into the league this year.

 

[Papadice]

Starting the season in the NHL?

I know he won't be a great talent or anything, but beside AO, I think one of the most likely will be a guy like 4th round draft pick Roman Kukumberg of the Leafs (from Slovakia)... 24 year old overager that is likely NHL ready... Would be a 3rd/4th line type of guy... nothing special... but he's put up good totals for Dukla Trencin... I've never seen the guy play, but everything I'm hearing is suggesting that he could be a good role player for them and would be ready now...

I'm sure you were meaning kids, moreso than overagers like this, but you didn't specify so....

 

[thestonedkoala]

Caniac:

You have a point about nature and conditioning BUT I disagree that they were incompentant about his conditioning when they took him out of the Q. They knew what they were doing.

Bouchard has yet to really put any bulk on his frame and I would doubt he would do that in the QMJHL. He needs muscle more than anything and it takes a while for muscle to grow on the body of a gangly 19-20 year old that is the size of a midget :lol
in the league.

Secondly, he wouldn't have been in the AHL last year since he is only 19.

Thirdly, what do you expect from Bouchard when he's playing with guys like Brunette, Johnson, Dowd (now gone), Zholtok? A ton of points? Bouchard picked up his game when the Wild moved players and started playing him with younger players that could actually SCORE.

Fourthly, the Wild are letting Bouchard develop...He hasn't played exactly a full year of hockey yet and they are trying to put some meat on his body.

Fifth, you got to look at the Wild and their view of the CHL. They let Schultz return after he had some solid seasons but when he played after camp and everything, his production was slighted. They didn't want to go this route with Bouchard and have his development in the Q hit a bump if he wasn't going to be really challenged.

How many more points do you think Bouchard would've put up in the Q? 180? 200? If he isn't being challenged, move him where he is and condition him. That's what the Wild did when they brought him into the NHL. They didn't have him play every day, they had him work out, had him watch tapes...

 

[X0ssbar]

I have a feeling Picard will see at least 10 games at the NHL level this year - he'll get the look that Fritsche did last year and then (barring the unforseen) he'll get sent back to the MAINiacs or Syracuse depending on where the CBJ thinks he should develop.