Okay guys,
I decided to have a lot of fun with this one. You'll see.
When I decide who teams are going to take, I use a system that I call "The Scouts Instinct Theory". I made it up. I never look at team needs or depth charts, I just throw guys that seem to make sense and guess on guys that teams would like. So hold back no beaks...:
#1 – Colorado Avalanche – Nathan MacKinnon – I would trust Sakic to take care of my dog over the weekend, so I am going to trust him that he is taking a forward. Nathan is the best forward and future allstar.
#2 – Florida Panthers – Seth Jones – They lost the lottery, but they feel like winners after grabbing the best defenseman in the draft. Jones will be an allstar for many years and completes the Panthers stocked prospect pool.
#3 – Tampa Bay Lightning – Jonathan Drouin – The Tampa Bay Lightning love drafting Russians (apparently) so it only makes sense that they decide to take the best player available in the Three-hole. Future star.
#4 – Nashville Predators – Aleksander Barkov – The Predators aren’t stupid, so they take the best player available. End of story.
#5 – Carolina Hurricanes – Sean Monohan – The Canes already have a Russian in Alexander Semin so they decide to pass on Valeri and take Sean because they like him better. Yeah.
#6 – Calgary Flames – Valeri Nichuskin – Calgary takes the most skilled player that projects to be a complete stud if all things go well. Hopefully all things go well.
#7 – Edmonton Oilers – Darnell Nurse – He is a very good defenseman that they need. Oil fans can keep pretending that Marincin, Gernat, and Musil are sure things, but they aren’t. So Nurse makes sense.
#8 - Buffalo Sabres – Elias Lindholm – They run up to the podium immediately following the Oilers selection, forgetting to thank the city and congratulate the Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks, they proudly announce the Lindholm selection.
#9 – New Jersey Devils – Nikita Zadorov – They don’t like anyone on the board as much as they do Nikita. The big tough Russian will be a future stud. They like his toughness.
#10 – Dallas Stars – Bo Horvat – Dallas’ new management team covets character, so they grab a guy with tons of it. Bo and Eakin will be a tough duo down the middle for years to come.
#11 – Philadelphia Flyers – Rasmus Ristolainen – Flyers grab the best defenseman on the board. He will be ready in a year. Good upside.
#12 – Phoenix Coyotes – Alexander Wenneberg - I don’t know anything about Wenneberg, but the Yotes like his Swedishness. Just add their best prospect on their board.
#13 – Winnipeg Jets – Hunter Shinkaruk – They wanted to get another player on the board, but they will proudly mosey up to the stage to present Hunter with a jersey with his name on it. Cheveldayoff will have a big smile. TRUE NORTH.
#14 – Columbus Blue Jackets – Frederik Gauthier – The Jackets get one of the best two-way forwards in the draft. They think him, Boone, and Johan will make a killer team down the middle.
#15 – New York Islanders – Max Domi – They took seven defenseman last year so they don’t hesitate to draft the most skilled forward on the board. The bloodlines are good too.
#16 – Buffalo Sabres – Ryan Pulock – He has a killer shot and is the type of defenseman that can fit into a lot of different systems. Sabres scouts decide to pick him over Morrissey, but it was close.
#17 – Ottawa Senators – Adam Erne – a big forward that can score, Erne is their guy. Because I said so.
#18 – Detroit Red Wings – Josh Morrissey – Can you really question any picks that the Wings make? I don’t, so the Morrissey pick is a slam dunk, whether you like it or not.
#19 – Columbus Blue Jackets – Mirco Mueller – they liked him early in the year along with Murray. Kid will keep improving. Kekelainen continues to chuckle with excitement. Thinks the game well.
#20 – San Jose Sharks –Zach Fucale – The draft their goalie of the future. Tuuka Rask was a first round pick, so it makes complete sense to wait until later in the draft to get an inferior goalie prospect and praying he becomes something, right? No, be quiet.
#21 – Toronto Maple Leafs – Valentin Zykov – He’s got size and can score. The Leafs decide they like him a bit better than Rychel so they nab him. Like his top-6 upside. Burke is sitting a few tables over with the Ducks throwing gutless beaks.
#22 – Calgary Flames – Morgan Klimchuk – the Flames take the hometown kid. They missed out on Ebs a few years ago, but they won’t let this beauty out of their hands.
#23 – Washington Capitals – Anthony Mantha – Since they drafted stone-hands Wilson last year, they decide to take a guy that can actually score. Haha just kidding, but Mantha can score so they grab him.
#24 – Vancouver Canucks – Kerby Rychel – Torts liked this kid on film, so Torts gives him a nice big hug on the stage after the Nucks scoop him up. Good ole Torts.
#25 – Montreal Canadiens – Andre Burakovsky – He shoots he scores. I don’t know a thing about him, but Bergevin and company do. Mock draft.
#26 – Anaheim Ducks – Curtis Lazar – He goes to the Ducks finally. Teams don’t like him as much as some independent scouting bureaus do, so that’s why he lasts until 26. Deep down inside, Curtis is doing a happy dance that he gets to play in a warm place.
#27 – Columbus Blue Jackets – Nic Petan – I wanted to interview Petan in Kelowna in February, but a Blue Jackets scout was talking to him for like 20 minutes. I got him for less than a minute after, still rattled about that. So they better damn take him to make me look smart #karma.
#28 – Calgary Flames – Shea Theodore – He is a tall puck mover with tons of room to grow. Tod Button loved spending time at Starbucks at Pike Place this year, so he saw enough of Shea to take him with this pick. The type of prospect they don’t have right now.
#29 – Dallas Stars – Madison Bowey – Nill liked his game at the U18’s late in the year. Despite having too much Smirnoff on the trip, he remembers enough to be satisfied with the selection.
#30 – Chicago Blackhawks – Ryan Hartman – The Hawks take him because they won the cup and just don’t care what anyone else thinks. After taking a bit of time out of their ring sizing session in Newark, their scouts settled on Hartman. They return to dreaming about diamonds until their next pick.
I decided to have a lot of fun with this one. You'll see.
When I decide who teams are going to take, I use a system that I call "The Scouts Instinct Theory". I made it up. I never look at team needs or depth charts, I just throw guys that seem to make sense and guess on guys that teams would like. So hold back no beaks...:
#1 – Colorado Avalanche – Nathan MacKinnon – I would trust Sakic to take care of my dog over the weekend, so I am going to trust him that he is taking a forward. Nathan is the best forward and future allstar.
#2 – Florida Panthers – Seth Jones – They lost the lottery, but they feel like winners after grabbing the best defenseman in the draft. Jones will be an allstar for many years and completes the Panthers stocked prospect pool.
#3 – Tampa Bay Lightning – Jonathan Drouin – The Tampa Bay Lightning love drafting Russians (apparently) so it only makes sense that they decide to take the best player available in the Three-hole. Future star.
#4 – Nashville Predators – Aleksander Barkov – The Predators aren’t stupid, so they take the best player available. End of story.
#5 – Carolina Hurricanes – Sean Monohan – The Canes already have a Russian in Alexander Semin so they decide to pass on Valeri and take Sean because they like him better. Yeah.
#6 – Calgary Flames – Valeri Nichuskin – Calgary takes the most skilled player that projects to be a complete stud if all things go well. Hopefully all things go well.
#7 – Edmonton Oilers – Darnell Nurse – He is a very good defenseman that they need. Oil fans can keep pretending that Marincin, Gernat, and Musil are sure things, but they aren’t. So Nurse makes sense.
#8 - Buffalo Sabres – Elias Lindholm – They run up to the podium immediately following the Oilers selection, forgetting to thank the city and congratulate the Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks, they proudly announce the Lindholm selection.
#9 – New Jersey Devils – Nikita Zadorov – They don’t like anyone on the board as much as they do Nikita. The big tough Russian will be a future stud. They like his toughness.
#10 – Dallas Stars – Bo Horvat – Dallas’ new management team covets character, so they grab a guy with tons of it. Bo and Eakin will be a tough duo down the middle for years to come.
#11 – Philadelphia Flyers – Rasmus Ristolainen – Flyers grab the best defenseman on the board. He will be ready in a year. Good upside.
#12 – Phoenix Coyotes – Alexander Wenneberg - I don’t know anything about Wenneberg, but the Yotes like his Swedishness. Just add their best prospect on their board.
#13 – Winnipeg Jets – Hunter Shinkaruk – They wanted to get another player on the board, but they will proudly mosey up to the stage to present Hunter with a jersey with his name on it. Cheveldayoff will have a big smile. TRUE NORTH.
#14 – Columbus Blue Jackets – Frederik Gauthier – The Jackets get one of the best two-way forwards in the draft. They think him, Boone, and Johan will make a killer team down the middle.
#15 – New York Islanders – Max Domi – They took seven defenseman last year so they don’t hesitate to draft the most skilled forward on the board. The bloodlines are good too.
#16 – Buffalo Sabres – Ryan Pulock – He has a killer shot and is the type of defenseman that can fit into a lot of different systems. Sabres scouts decide to pick him over Morrissey, but it was close.
#17 – Ottawa Senators – Adam Erne – a big forward that can score, Erne is their guy. Because I said so.
#18 – Detroit Red Wings – Josh Morrissey – Can you really question any picks that the Wings make? I don’t, so the Morrissey pick is a slam dunk, whether you like it or not.
#19 – Columbus Blue Jackets – Mirco Mueller – they liked him early in the year along with Murray. Kid will keep improving. Kekelainen continues to chuckle with excitement. Thinks the game well.
#20 – San Jose Sharks –Zach Fucale – The draft their goalie of the future. Tuuka Rask was a first round pick, so it makes complete sense to wait until later in the draft to get an inferior goalie prospect and praying he becomes something, right? No, be quiet.
#21 – Toronto Maple Leafs – Valentin Zykov – He’s got size and can score. The Leafs decide they like him a bit better than Rychel so they nab him. Like his top-6 upside. Burke is sitting a few tables over with the Ducks throwing gutless beaks.
#22 – Calgary Flames – Morgan Klimchuk – the Flames take the hometown kid. They missed out on Ebs a few years ago, but they won’t let this beauty out of their hands.
#23 – Washington Capitals – Anthony Mantha – Since they drafted stone-hands Wilson last year, they decide to take a guy that can actually score. Haha just kidding, but Mantha can score so they grab him.
#24 – Vancouver Canucks – Kerby Rychel – Torts liked this kid on film, so Torts gives him a nice big hug on the stage after the Nucks scoop him up. Good ole Torts.
#25 – Montreal Canadiens – Andre Burakovsky – He shoots he scores. I don’t know a thing about him, but Bergevin and company do. Mock draft.
#26 – Anaheim Ducks – Curtis Lazar – He goes to the Ducks finally. Teams don’t like him as much as some independent scouting bureaus do, so that’s why he lasts until 26. Deep down inside, Curtis is doing a happy dance that he gets to play in a warm place.
#27 – Columbus Blue Jackets – Nic Petan – I wanted to interview Petan in Kelowna in February, but a Blue Jackets scout was talking to him for like 20 minutes. I got him for less than a minute after, still rattled about that. So they better damn take him to make me look smart #karma.
#28 – Calgary Flames – Shea Theodore – He is a tall puck mover with tons of room to grow. Tod Button loved spending time at Starbucks at Pike Place this year, so he saw enough of Shea to take him with this pick. The type of prospect they don’t have right now.
#29 – Dallas Stars – Madison Bowey – Nill liked his game at the U18’s late in the year. Despite having too much Smirnoff on the trip, he remembers enough to be satisfied with the selection.
#30 – Chicago Blackhawks – Ryan Hartman – The Hawks take him because they won the cup and just don’t care what anyone else thinks. After taking a bit of time out of their ring sizing session in Newark, their scouts settled on Hartman. They return to dreaming about diamonds until their next pick.
