Will the Oilers surprise us with the 1st pick?

[ManByng]

Kelfbom/Morrow/Brodin will hopefully be better than Alex Plante lol, also Teubert/Davidson/Blain will be in the mix as a 6-7th dman

it makes me *LOL* when people are so quick to give up on Alex Plante, and i see it over and over again! in no way, shape, or form has he been passed by anyone in the minors on the depth chart, and he is still very much a top prospect!

 

[ponder]

Any chance one of Huberdeau, Couturier, Landeskog, Zibanejad, Hamilton or any other prospect gets picked with Edmonton's 1st overall pick???

There's always a chance, but I'm pretty convinced they take RNH. Not just because most people think RNH is the top prospect available in the draft, but because all signs point to the Oilers being extremely sold on him. I also think it'll be the right pick, RNH is my favourite prospect in the draft in general, BPA (and not fit) is what it's all about at 1st overall, and really the Oilers need Cs every bit as much as they need dmen. I think most of the people still saying "they'll take Larsson/Couturier/whoever else" are people who aren't really following the draft.

 

[Gobo]

While I am a Larsson fan, after seeing Nash/Iginla struggle without star centres, I feel we should enhance Taylor Hall's ability to succeed and draft RNH.

Add McNeil* (19), Musil (31), and hopefully Percy (61) and we'll be fine with our centres and defense.

*Hoping he falls. Him or Schefiele.

it makes me *LOL* when people are so quick to give up on Alex Plante, and i see it over and over again! in no way, shape, or form has he been passed by anyone in the minors on the depth chart, and he is still very much a top prospect!

He isn't nor ever was a top prospect. He's too slow to be anything more than a #6 defenseman. IMO, he's been passed by Teubert, Marincin and maybe even Blain.

My spider-sense says that "the Nooge" has an awfully high bust-potential for a #1 pick.

People noting that the Oiler scouts have been comparing him to Gretzky should keep in mind that Oiler scouts also compared Jason Bonsignore to Lemieux.

Hey, we've only had 10 years to replace our last #1 center. These things don't happen overnight.

First of all, why is his bust-potential so high? His weight? He'll be fine if he hits around 185, which is apparently only an increase of 15~ pounds for him currently. Secondly, back then scouting was nowhere near as good as now. Also Stu MacGregor is 3/3 for 1st round draft picks. Finally, that's exactly why we need a #1 center.

 

[Jumptheshark]

everyone in oiler country thinks the sexy pick is RNH but me and many others would not be bitter if they drafted Larsson.

I am one of the oiler fans in the Larsson camp

 

[tmg]

So, would Savard be a good comparison? Smallish center with excellent vision?

Datsyuk

*blink, blink*

wha?

Datsyuk, in addition to being one of the most dynamic offensive players in the game, has won three consecutive Selke Trophies. When you throw a comparison to Datsyuk out there, that's one of the major components to what people envision when you say his name - a dominant forward that is not only among the elite offensively, but in an even more exclusive elite class defensively.

I have never heard anything of the sort said or implied about RNH. I've heard rumblings of two-way presence in the future of Landeskog and Couturier, but everything I've heard about the upside of RNH is about what he does in the offensive zone.

 

[dookers9]

The Oilers will probably take RNH, but I think it's a mistake. i think their best move is to move down a spot or two and take Larsson or even Hamilton(who is actually my favorite defenseman in the draft...it's hard not to see Shea Weber in this kid).

RNH is a sexy prospect for sure, but the Oilers' system has high end offense in spades. What it lacks is a true blue-chip, first pairing defenseman. There are some good, even great defensive prospects in Marincin, Petry, etc, but I think if you can supplement what you have up front in Hall, Eberle, MPS, Gagner with a defenseman the caliber of Larsson (or Hamilton), I think that's the next piece of the puzzle for what could be a very, very good Oilers team if they keep it together.

Great post. Insightful and educated, especially for what appears to be a Preds fan (not calling out Preds fans, only acknowledging that there are limitations to understanding the needs of a team that is not your squad of interest).

That said, while there is sense in bolstering the blueline for the reasons you cite, I just don't see the Oilers passing on RNH. The Oilers have depth at W and at D (particularly at future #3/4 & #5/6 pairings). They DO need top pairing D, but are in need of a play-making #1 C most.

Even though it'll mean waiting another year on him while he puts some meat on his bones. We'll have to land the D by a different means. Xmas gifts or magic tricks are top on the list.

 

[R S]

*blink, blink*

wha?

Datsyuk, in addition to being one of the most dynamic offensive players in the game, has won three consecutive Selke Trophies. When you throw a comparison to Datsyuk out there, that's one of the major components to what people envision when you say his name - a dominant forward that is not only among the elite offensively, but in an even more exclusive elite class defensively.

I have never heard anything of the sort said or implied about RNH. I've heard rumblings of two-way presence in the future of Landeskog and Couturier, but everything I've heard about the upside of RNH is about what he does in the offensive zone.

You must not come around these parts often because that comparison has been thrown around all season.

For me, I don't necessarily use comparisons to show of what I think a player might do during his career, I use them to show people what a player looks like when they play. Who they remind me of.

Me saying he = Datsyuk doesn't mean I think RNH is a future Selke winner.

Could he be? Possibly.


With that being said, one of RNH's best assets is his stick work and play on the backcheck. He has an uncanny ability to read the play, get his body in the right spot and lift a guys stick and steal the puck. All that while being very light compared to some of his opposition. If you were looking for one thing that he does very similarly to Datsyuk...this would be it.

 

[Beerfish]

it makes me *LOL* when people are so quick to give up on Alex Plante, and i see it over and over again! in no way, shape, or form has he been passed by anyone in the minors on the depth chart, and he is still very much a top prospect!

The guy looked like dog poop in his little audtion last year. He doesn't appear to be making much progress if you ask me. Non nhl decision making, non nhl mobility, non nhl offense ability.

 

[Bjorn Le]

I'd love to see it happen since these boards would explode but I doubt it.

 

[ManByng]

The guy looked like dog poop in his little audtion last year. He doesn't appear to be making much progress if you ask me. Non nhl decision making, non nhl mobility, non nhl offense ability.

so far. he is working out some mobility issues, and is by no means a lock to make it in the NHL, but i strongly disagree with other posters who say he'll "never" make it. i suggest he'll be given every chance to make it, perhaps as soon as this coming season. unlike fans, i am glad that hockey organizations aren't so quick to give up on their prospects!

 

[Beerfish]

so far. he is working out some mobility issues, and is by no means a lock to make it in the NHL, but i strongly disagree with other posters who say he'll "never" make it. i suggest he'll be given every chance to make it, perhaps as soon as this coming season. unlike fans, i am glad that hockey organizations aren't so quick to give up on their prospects!

I never gave up on him, I didn't like his game from day 1. (Thus my bias.) Hey I hope I'm wrong, I think he's a dud.

 

[zeus3007*]

I never gave up on him, I didn't like his game from day 1. (Thus my bias.) Hey I hope I'm wrong, I think he's a dud.

Gotta agree. I do see that he has the physical tools to make it, aside from skating, but he doesn't seem to understand the game well enough to make the transition to an NHLer. But solid AHL d-men are a good thing to have too I suppose.

 

[Trollmark*]

I love how people bring up draft comparisons from the 90s.
90s were TERRIBLE for scouting and drafting.
Last bust to be drafted first overall was Dipietro a decade ago.
If they say RNH is amazing, I'll believe it.

 

[dereksutton9]

My spider-sense says that "the Nooge" has an awfully high bust-potential for a #1 pick.

I have to say that something about Nugent-Hopkins leaves me weary as well. The Gretzky compliment makes me think that it is the same type of hype that is used in all pre-draft talk just to build the fever leading to draft day. It seems like a stretch for a player that had a good season but not jaw dropping numbers or team success.

What I would love to see is EDM deal the top pick for a young, puck moving defenseman. Packaging both first round picks for say Doughty, under the impression that LA thinks Doughty and Johnson are interchangeable, is something that's intriguing and creative. The idea is getting someone who can help immediately and based on the past season, the season really hit the pits when Whitney went down. Getting a guy with top end offensive skills on the blueline would jumpstart the "Oil Change" especially since it would push down other defenseman into more manageable roles (Ex. Whitney is a #2 or #3 at best).

However, that type of risk taking is unlikely, so I would rather see the Oil take Larsson. If you can't get the puck out of your own end, it doesn't matter how many elite forwards you have, you're not going to score much.

I'd also like to note that having RHN back in the CHL, which would be the best thing for him (see Gagner), would be detrimental for the team. This team needs to show some improvement. I'm not saying the playoffs but you can't allow the young core to endure another season that lands a top three pick. A losing culture is not what you want to set into this pack. Losing should not be okay and eventually, even the strongest willed players (like Hall) will succumb. You become a product of the environment.

 

[Trollmark*]

Welcome to HF boards.

Doughty = Untradeable

 

[Roof Daddy]

I really don't understand why so many people question RNH as a legitimate #1 pick - citing bust potential, size issues, etc. In the limited viewings I've seen (a few Rebels games on sportsnet and the top prospect game) the guy has an uncanny ability to muck it up along the boards with guys bigger than him and come out with the puck consistently. In the top prospects game RNH was in a league of his own. The only other forward that made any impression on me at the time was Huberdeau for his creativeness. Huberdeau was rated 19th by ISS at the time. All RNH has done in that time is solidify top spot among most/all rankings while Huberdeau (a kid of similar stature and skillset) has only just emerged into top 5 discussion in the last 3 months or so. I'll take the kid with better vision and all-around game thank you.

Red Deer was a very solid team, but I think RNH lacked the type of offensive supporting cast Huberdeau benefited from. For that reason, his season kind of reminded me of a Dougie Weight in the mid 90's season where he could put up 70 assists with wingers like Corson and Zedeno Cigar. RNH will not have this problem slotted between Hall and Eberle. His game compliments them perfectly. 0 chance its anyone but RNH on draft day.

 

[Raab]

All I want to know is when did Oil fans start wanting a playmaking center instead of a all around #1 center? Am I the only one who remembers the days when no one would shoot on a powerplay? I can see the fans at Rexall all yelling Shoot the first time Hemsky and RNH are out on the ice together.

 

[EchoesoftheEighties]

Personally, this Oiler fan wants Huberdeau. I don't know why I just have a great feeling about him. Not at #1 though. Ideally the Oil pick Larsson at 1 and somehow get maybe pick 5 for Huberdeau. I would love Tambs forever if this happened but I know it's unrealistic.

EDIT: I am perfectly fine with choosing RNH at 1 though. He definitely looks like a keeper.

 

[ponder]

All I want to know is when did Oil fans start wanting a playmaking center instead of a all around #1 center? Am I the only one who remembers the days when no one would shoot on a powerplay? I can see the fans at Rexall all yelling Shoot the first time Hemsky and RNH are out on the ice together.

a) I think Oilers fans are more thinking "who would be a good fit with Hall and Eberle" than "who will be a good fit with Hemsky," and both Hall and Eberle are shooters/scorers, so putting a playmaking C between them makes sense

b) At 1st overall you should absolutely, completely ignore fit/needs regardless, and just go with the BPA. If the Oilers think RNH is the BPA, they should take him, regardless of team needs. The fact that a playmaking C seems like a good fit between Hall and Eberle would just be gravy

c) RNH has a great wrister, and excels on the PP in general, I wouldn't be worried about his PP skills

d) Most star centers are playmaking centers, shoot-first 1st line quality centers like Stamkos and Carter (or before them, guys like Sakic and Sundin) are the exception, not the rule

 

[Fourier]

You forgot to get into the fact he got 29% of his points from goals which puts him in a small and exclusive club with Daigle, Bonsignore, Kelly, Stefan, Ninimaki.

Gives a person chills the group is so special!

But he wears the same number as Gordie Howe. From a predictive point of view both observations are probably of equal value.

 

[Fourier]

The Oilers will probably take RNH, but I think it's a mistake. i think their best move is to move down a spot or two and take Larsson or even Hamilton(who is actually my favorite defenseman in the draft...it's hard not to see Shea Weber in this kid).

RNH is a sexy prospect for sure, but the Oilers' system has high end offense in spades. What it lacks is a true blue-chip, first pairing defenseman. There are some good, even great defensive prospects in Marincin, Petry, etc, but I think if you can supplement what you have up front in Hall, Eberle, MPS, Gagner with a defenseman the caliber of Larsson (or Hamilton), I think that's the next piece of the puzzle for what could be a very, very good Oilers team if they keep it together.

Personally, I would say that by far the Oilers biggest weakness is up the middle.

Whitney may not be a true top end number one, but he has played very well for the Oil. THey have no one in the system who is nearly as close to being a very good number one center as Whitney is to being a number one dman. Moreover, there are many of us who feel that while Gagner has the potential to be a solid second line center, he may not be suited to that role on the Oilers.

It would not surprise me at all to see the Oilers look to come out of the first round in this darfat with RNH, a bigger center and a defenseman.

 

[Wheatking]

I also don't get why people question RNH as a first overall pick. Have you watched him play? He may be thin but he's not small and doesn't play small. He also put up 106 points in the WHL while having two men on him every shift. He's very dynamic and dangerous. Only 6 players in the last 20 years have put up a better points per game average as a 17 year old in the WHL.

A lot of those players had a lot more help too.

 

[oilsands]

Only 6 players in the last 20 years have put up a better points per game average as a 17 year old in the WHL.

A lot of those players had a lot more help too.

Who are they?

 

[Harry Kakalovich]

i think the oil are very lucky to have a chance to draft Nugent-Hopkins. This kid is a player. Once he puts on some muscle he will be a franchise center, to go alongside their franchise winger. Happy times in oiltown.

 

[NHL Fanatic]

Personally I think the Oilers should start thinking about the back end and take Larsson first but I doubt it. They will choose Nugent-Hopkins with their first selection and choose a D with their second selection in the first round. Having a mid first round pick could also give them the option of potentially trading up in the draft.