Who should the Kraken take with the #2 overall pick?

[Fistfullofbeer]

I am hoping that the top ranked forward for us is Beniers. Power is the best D but I am warming up to taking Clarke as our pick if we go the D route (assuming Power goes to the Sabres).

I looked at Hughes highlights and he seems rather unspectacular to me. Solid player but nothing seemed to stand out to me.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

 

[jbron]

Power or Beniers, which ever is left after the first selection. More of interest might be what the Kraken do in rounds two and three, or possibly with another first round pick via a trade. While their first pick as a franchise is a huge deal, rounds 2 and 3 can provide good talent as well.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Funny to see that he said Hughes is overrated and unspectacular. Basically what I saw in his highlights and had posted just above this post .. LOL.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Funny to see that he said Hughes is overrated and unspectacular. Basically what I saw in his highlights and had posted just above this post .. LOL.

Yeah, seems like Hughes profits a lot from having two brothers already in the NHL.

Having read and looked at the decisions by Francis during his Carolina days I think one out of Beniers or Clarke(unless the Sabres don't take Power) will be the selection #2, if we don't trade down.

Hughes isn't all that impressive, IMO, and the others have some question marks or aren't playing the positions(center and defense) Francis mentioned of "what you need/how you built your team".

BTW: Any chance this topic could be put in the "sticky threads" section?

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I subscribe to McKeen's around draft time every year and very interesting that they rank Beniers over Power. They rank players on a scale of points between 0-80 and had Beniers at 61.75 and Power at 61.

 

[AlaskaJet]

Nice Choices, especially Powers, Benier..Hughes may be a project..

 

[ZorkEnchanter]

Powers or Benier.

We need to load up on Centers. Getting a 'potential' L1 in the first draft would be awesome.

 

[Piffle]

I think if it was my pick I'd be forced to pick Eklund, but I'm assuming we'll end up with Beniers, which is fine.

 

[Fisticuffer]

Well there’s no way I pass on Power if he’s there. Probably Beniers as a 2nd choice but I’m not as committed to him.

 

[Gniwder]

I think Owen Power. I find Beniers is a better fit for Buffalo because he contributes to a 2C role as Cozens contributes to a 1C role. Plus Dahlin is their 1D and Seattle will likely develop Power as their 1D.

But I find people forget how good Brandt Clarke is.

Clarke has high offensive hockey IQ, but he has serious skating issues. It's extremely knock kneed, and he doesn't use his outside edge well because of it. (Just Google his name and watch any video, it's very obvious.) I think it can be fixed, but that's a huge unnecessary risk at #2 when you have your choice of prospects without a huge glaring issue like that.

Power, Benier, Hughes or Guenther for me.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

Clarke has high offensive hockey IQ, but he has serious skating issues. It's extremely knock kneed, and he doesn't use his outside edge well because of it. (Just Google his name and watch any video, it's very obvious.) I think it can be fixed, but that's a huge unnecessary risk at #2 when you have your choice of prospects without a huge glaring issue like that.

Power, Benier, Hughes or Guenther for me.

I'm not that big a fan of Hughes(seems a bit overrated thanks to his last name) and I', not sure Guenther is the guy you pick over Beniers.

 

[Gniwder]

I'm not that big a fan of Hughes(seems a bit overrated thanks to his last name) and I', not sure Guenther is the guy you pick over Beniers.

That's what they said about the last Hughes brother, but this one has size and less offensive flair.

My list had Benier before Guenther, out of all of the prospects Guenther has the best chance of making the NHL but he's a winger. Basically the safest pick, not the most upside.

The Kraken have to prioritize a center or D over a winger, so probably Benier or Power depending on who Buff picks.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

That's what they said about the last Hughes brother, but this one has size and less offensive flair.

My list had Benier before Guenther, out of all of the prospects Guenther has the best chance of making the NHL but he's a winger. Basically the safest pick, not the most upside.

The Kraken have to prioritize a center or D over a winger, so probably Benier or Power depending on who Buff picks.

From all the reading and watching I have done Beniers is one of the safer forward picks. His ceiling is a mid 1C but expectation is to be a very good 2C.

Also, regarding your post about Clarke, I have read that his backwards skating is the 'big' issue with his game. He is pretty mobile and agile with direction changes when skating straight but the backward skating issue can make him struggle when dealing with breakaways. However, despite all that some scouting reports state that they would not be surprised if he is the best D-man in this drafting class.

All that being said, my preference, just like yours is Power > Beniers. I would be fine taking Clarke as our #2 pick though if Francis feels a D is a better choice for the team AND rank Clarke higher than Beniers.

 

[Gniwder]

From all the reading and watching I have done Beniers is one of the safer forward picks. His ceiling is a mid 1C but expectation is to be a very good 2C.

Also, regarding your post about Clarke, I have read that his backwards skating is the 'big' issue with his game. He is pretty mobile and agile with direction changes when skating straight but the backward skating issue can make him struggle when dealing with breakaways. However, despite all that some scouting reports state that they would not be surprised if he is the best D-man in this drafting class.

All that being said, my preference, just like yours is Power > Beniers. I would be fine taking Clarke as our #2 pick though if Francis feels a D is a better choice for the team AND rank Clarke higher than Beniers.

You can read stuff or watch it yourself. Google his name and watch any video.

Clarke is completely knock kneed, which makes it difficult to get on his outside edge whether it's forwards or backwards. When you cross over, you have to get on your outside edge, and he has issues doing that. The issue shows up more when he's going backwards.

I'm not a skating expert, but I'm a ski instructor. Very similar concepts except I wouldn't recommend trying to cross over on skis, lol.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

You can read stuff or watch it yourself. Google his name and watch any video.

Clarke is completely knock kneed, which makes it difficult to get on his outside edge whether it's forwards or backwards. When you cross over, you have to get on your outside edge, and he has issues doing that. The issue shows up more when he's going backwards.

I'm not a skating expert, but I'm a ski instructor. Very similar concepts except I wouldn't recommend trying to cross over on skis, lol.

I think all those guys have flaws(hence the underwhelming reaction to this years top prospects) but should be able to work on that given their age.

BTW: Having done both(to a limited extend) skiing and skating are quite different.

Though, I think most of us agree that Beniers is the most likely #2 pick and given that C, D --> W, taking Guenther over him doesn't seem to be the way to go.

 

[LickTheEnvelope]

That's what they said about the last Hughes brother, but this one has size and less offensive flair.

My list had Benier before Guenther, out of all of the prospects Guenther has the best chance of making the NHL but he's a winger. Basically the safest pick, not the most upside.

The Kraken have to prioritize a center or D over a winger, so probably Benier or Power depending on who Buff picks.

Where do you put Eklund?

He is small but very fast and already putting up points in the SHL.

 

[Piffle]

Where do you put Eklund?

He is small but very fast and already putting up points in the SHL.

I think Eklund will end up the highest PPG scorer of this draft. Defensively seems pretty good too. Yes I know he is a winger, but he's my pick and getting more so as time goes along I think.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I think Eklund will end up the highest PPG scorer of this draft. Defensively seems pretty good too. Yes I know he is a winger, but he's my pick and getting more so as time goes along I think.

I definitely think Eklund is one of the more NHL ready forwards in this draft. He also has a high upside and is more likely to be a top-line winger than Beniers is to be 1st line C. This is one of those cases where I would not be mad if we chose Eklund at #2 either. My brain says Beniers is the way to go (assuming Power is gone) but the likes of Eklund, Clarke would be very good choices. The ones that make me nervous at #2 are Edvinsson (boom/bust) and Hughes (just not impressive). Definitely don't want Wallstedt at #2 either.

 

[Gniwder]

I think all those guys have flaws(hence the underwhelming reaction to this years top prospects) but should be able to work on that given their age.

BTW: Having done both(to a limited extend) skiing and skating are quite different.

Though, I think most of us agree that Beniers is the most likely #2 pick and given that C, D --> W, taking Guenther over him doesn't seem to be the way to go.

I played hockey (low level stuff), but I'm a certified ski instructor. There are a lot of similarities between the two, heck even people who rollerblade pick up skiing much faster than someone who doesn't. You need to understand edgework, and I'm guessing you aren't at that level yet.

Where do you put Eklund?

He is small but very fast and already putting up points in the SHL.

I'm old school so I'd personally take the kid with NHL size in Guenther, but Francis has picked skilled Euros in the past, notably Martin Necas. I think NA skaters are easier to predict than Euros, but that just may just be because I watch NA kids more. Obviously some very talented kids have come out of Sweden. With his lack of size, Eklund is projected to be a winger and not a center so I've got him behind Guenther.

The expansion draft is going to impact draft choices, if we pick up some decent D, I can see Francis picking a forward. But he was a damn good center himself, so I would assume he builds the team around a center, not a winger.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I think all those guys have flaws(hence the underwhelming reaction to this years top prospects) but should be able to work on that given their age.

BTW: Having done both(to a limited extend) skiing and skating are quite different.

Though, I think most of us agree that Beniers is the most likely #2 pick and given that C, D --> W, taking Guenther over him doesn't seem to be the way to go.

Guenter is projected as a RW but Eklund has played both C/LW though the projection for Eklund is to be a winger in the NHL. Among forwards, I rank Beniers>Eklund>Guenther.

As you pointed out there is a distinct lack of 'perfect' forwards in this years draft. I would not be shocked if there are scouting teams that have ranked all 3 of the players similarly but one stands out based on need (C over W) OR specific traits (speed, agility, power, shooting, playmaking, etc.).

I definitely don't want to go with the assumption that we end up with one of Beniers or Power though that is what I would like. Have to assume that the scouting/management has done their job. My biggest fear is that we go with Hughes/Edvinsson but in the case we do, I will read enough scouting reports and watch enough highlight reels to convince myself that they were the right pick ..

 

[RainyCityHockey]

I'm old school so I'd personally take the kid with NHL size in Guenther, but Francis has picked skilled Euros in the past, notably Martin Necas. I think NA skaters are easier to predict than Euros, but that just may just be because I watch NA kids more. Obviously some very talented kids have come out of Sweden. With his lack of size, Eklund is projected to be a winger and not a center so I've got him behind Guenther.

The expansion draft is going to impact draft choices, if we pick up some decent D, I can see Francis picking a forward. But he was a damn good center himself, so I would assume he builds the team around a center, not a winger.

I don't think you take a winger over a center unless the winger is clearly better.

Though, Francis stated in his last presser that the team had about two scouts at every game of Guenther.

BTW: The expansion draft should have absolutely no impact on who we're taking at #2 during the entry draft.
Those kids probably take at least one year anyways(thanks to the missed time of development during the pandamic) and most expansion draft players won't be around longterm, IMO.

Vegas picked 30 guys with ten of them never playing for them and another five playing 60 or less games for the Golden Knights.
Currently they have about five or so guys left from that expansion draft and that's in year four.

Guenter is projected as a RW but Eklund has played both C/LW though the projection for Eklund is to be a winger in the NHL. Among forwards, I rank Beniers>Eklund>Guenther.

As you pointed out there is a distinct lack of 'perfect' forwards in this years draft. I would not be shocked if there are scouting teams that have ranked all 3 of the players similarly but one stands out based on need (C over W) OR specific traits (speed, agility, power, shooting, playmaking, etc.).

I definitely don't want to go with the assumption that we end up with one of Beniers or Power though that is what I would like. Have to assume that the scouting/management has done their job. My biggest fear is that we go with Hughes/Edvinsson but in the case we do, I will read enough scouting reports and watch enough highlight reels to convince myself that they were the right pick ..

There's no guarantee anyways and given the uncertainty in this years draft I still wouldn't mind trading down a couple of spots.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I don't think you take a winger over a center unless the winger is clearly better.

Though, Francis stated in his last presser that the team had about two scouts at every game of Guenther.

BTW: The expansion draft should have absolutely no impact on who we're taking at #2 during the entry draft.
Those kids probably take at least one year anyways(thanks to the missed time of development during the pandamic) and most expansion draft players won't be around longterm, IMO.

Vegas picked 30 guys with ten of them never playing for them and another five playing 60 or less games for the Golden Knights.
Currently they have about five or so guys left from that expansion draft and that's in year four.



There's no guarantee anyways and given the uncertainty in this years draft I still wouldn't mind trading down a couple of spots.

Neither do I but it really has to make sense for us. I can see us moving but hopefully not farther than 4. I am assuming that Power is gone already and I would like to get one of Beniers, Eklund or Guenter. At the end of the day though, I think it depends on what we are getting back. I have seen enough Sharks drafts that drafting well when you are picking so high is critical for the teams future. Moving back to stack up on later picks is good but cannot depend on that for elite talent.

 

[Gniwder]

I don't think you take a winger over a center unless the winger is clearly better.

I agree, and on top of that Francis was a center so his preference is obvious.

BTW: The expansion draft should have absolutely no impact on who we're taking at #2 during the entry draft.
Those kids probably take at least one year anyways(thanks to the missed time of development during the pandamic) and most expansion draft players won't be around longterm, IMO.

Vegas picked 30 guys with ten of them never playing for them and another five playing 60 or less games for the Golden Knights.
Currently they have about five or so guys left from that expansion draft and that's in year four.

How many roster spots are there vs number of players selected? Of course some guys aren't going to play, plus they made deals to pick garbage in exchange for other assets. I expect Francis to do the same.

Vegas hasn't had to pick a lot of D in the draft because they got Schmidt and McNabb in the expansion draft and Theodore in a pre-draft trade. They added Martinez through a trade and Pietra and Whitecloud in UFA (and dumped Schmidt). Their only drafted Dman is 2nd round pick Hague. Vegas has only used 1 first round pick on a defenseman and they traded Brannstrom for Stone.

It's silly to say that the current roster doesn't matter when deciding on a draft pick, and the expansion draft will be our current roster, so it matters, along with any pre-expansion draft trades. I think TB is gonna make a big deal to make cap space. That should address some scoring need.

 

[RainyCityHockey]

It's silly to say that the current roster doesn't matter when deciding on a draft pick, and the expansion draft will be our current roster, so it matters, along with any pre-expansion draft trades. I think TB is gonna make a big deal to make cap space. That should address some scoring need.

We'll probably have to agree to disagree on this one.
To me, you always take BPA in the first round, especially at #2, and figure things out later on.