Zoidberg Jesus
Trotzkyist
- Oct 25, 2011
- 3,814
- 0
1. 
Nail Yakupov: No explanation necessary.
2.
Ryan Murray: Edmonton's done a great job of stocking up forward talent. Now they start on the blueline by nabbing the top defenseman in the draft. Murray and Smid could be a great pairing for a long time to come.
3.
Filip Forsberg: Grigorenko is the typical pick here, but I don't see center as a huge need for the Habs. Plekanec is a very under-appreciated center who plays Selke caliber defense, and Eller and Desharnais are both promising. The two biggest needs for the Habs are to add size and wingers, and Forsberg provides both.
4.
Mathew Dumba: With guys like Tavares, Strome, Nelson, Nielsen, and Cizikas down the middle, the Isles can afford to pass on Grigorenko in favor of bigger needs. With no wingers within range, taking the number two defenseman in this class is a no brainer. With Dumba, de Haan, and Donovan in the pipeline, the Islanders' blue line has a promising future.
5.
Mikhail Grigorenko: I don't think this could have worked out any better for the Leafs. They come into the draft looking for a number one center, and find the two best centers still available at number five. Burke loves players with size and grit, so I think he'll chose the 6'3 Grigorenko over the slightly smaller Galchenyuk.
6.
Alex Galchenyuk: I was tempted to go with Trouba here, but I don't think the Ducks would pass up Galchenyuk. Saku Koivu only has so much left in him, and the Ducks would be wise not to put all their eggs in one basket with Peter Holland as his replacement. Best case scenario, they end up with Getzlaf-Galchenyuk-Holland down the middle, which would be downright scary.
7.
Jacob Trouba: This pick feels odd for a team with a great defense and very little offense, but the Wild have amassed a very promising forward prospect pool. The one thing they lack is high end defensive prospects. Taking Trouba certainly remedies that situation. He and fellow blue chip defenseman Jonas Brodin could make an excellent pairing.
8.
Teuvo Teräväinen: There are a lot of good defensemen available here, but this is Rutherford's Hurricanes, and he'll be damned before he uses a high pick on a defenseman. They have decent center depth behind Staal with Brandon Sutter and prospect Zac Dalpe; what they really need are scoring wingers. Teuvo is the best option in the department, so the Canes reach a little to get him.
9.
Morgan Reilly: This pick was a tough call. Center may be a slightly bigger need for the Jets than defense (I suppose it depends on how you view Burmistrov, Little, and Scheifele), but Reilly is clearly better than any of the remaining centers. The Jets get a great talent here who's only available because of an ACL tear in November. He'll round out a very promising top 4 with Bogosian, Enstrom, and Byfuglien.
10.
Cody Ceci: I personally prefer Griffin Reinhart, but this pick is all about finding a partner for Hedman, and Reinhart's game overlaps with Hedman's. Ceci also has size, but he by far the more mobile of the two and has the more promising two way game.
11.
Radek Faksa: Coming into this season, Marcus Johansson seemed to be the 2C of the future for the Caps. Now, he seems better off on the winger, leaving the Caps' center depth once again lacking. Faksa provides the combination of size, toughness, and skill down the middle that the Caps have lacked for so long.
12.
Brandan Gaunce: The Sabres improved their center depth by acquiring Cody Hodgson, but they'd be smart not to stop there. Like the Caps, they've lacked that size and skill combination at center for a while (and trading Paul Gaustad doesn't help). Gaunce is another prospect who fits that role well.
13.
Zemgus Girgensons: The Stars are another team that could use some depth at center. Ribeiro's contract is nearly up, and while Benn is a fantastic center, he's even better on the wing. Girgensons is the third and least writer friendly of the size/skill center prospects in the middle of the first. He may be a little rawer than Faksa or Gaunce, but he has all their potential and is a coaches dream. Given time, he could be every bit as good.
14.
Griffin Reinhart: Having a prospect like Reinhart fall into the Flames' lap at 14 would be a dream come true for a team desperately in need of retooling its blue line. Reinhart has the kind of size and strength that are perfect for the Western Conference. Coincidentally, his brother Max is also a Flames prospect.
15.
Olli Määttä: The Senators have an excellent group of forward prospects, and an aging group of defensemen, so this pick is all about finding Karlsson's partner of the future. Matt Finn and Derrick Pouliot are higher rated than Määttä, but they're smaller offensive types like Erik. Määttä is a bigger, more defensively responsible blueliner who'll be able to protect Erik for years to come.
Nail Yakupov: No explanation necessary.2.
Ryan Murray: Edmonton's done a great job of stocking up forward talent. Now they start on the blueline by nabbing the top defenseman in the draft. Murray and Smid could be a great pairing for a long time to come.3.
Filip Forsberg: Grigorenko is the typical pick here, but I don't see center as a huge need for the Habs. Plekanec is a very under-appreciated center who plays Selke caliber defense, and Eller and Desharnais are both promising. The two biggest needs for the Habs are to add size and wingers, and Forsberg provides both.4.
Mathew Dumba: With guys like Tavares, Strome, Nelson, Nielsen, and Cizikas down the middle, the Isles can afford to pass on Grigorenko in favor of bigger needs. With no wingers within range, taking the number two defenseman in this class is a no brainer. With Dumba, de Haan, and Donovan in the pipeline, the Islanders' blue line has a promising future.5.
Mikhail Grigorenko: I don't think this could have worked out any better for the Leafs. They come into the draft looking for a number one center, and find the two best centers still available at number five. Burke loves players with size and grit, so I think he'll chose the 6'3 Grigorenko over the slightly smaller Galchenyuk.6.
Alex Galchenyuk: I was tempted to go with Trouba here, but I don't think the Ducks would pass up Galchenyuk. Saku Koivu only has so much left in him, and the Ducks would be wise not to put all their eggs in one basket with Peter Holland as his replacement. Best case scenario, they end up with Getzlaf-Galchenyuk-Holland down the middle, which would be downright scary.7.
Jacob Trouba: This pick feels odd for a team with a great defense and very little offense, but the Wild have amassed a very promising forward prospect pool. The one thing they lack is high end defensive prospects. Taking Trouba certainly remedies that situation. He and fellow blue chip defenseman Jonas Brodin could make an excellent pairing.8.
Teuvo Teräväinen: There are a lot of good defensemen available here, but this is Rutherford's Hurricanes, and he'll be damned before he uses a high pick on a defenseman. They have decent center depth behind Staal with Brandon Sutter and prospect Zac Dalpe; what they really need are scoring wingers. Teuvo is the best option in the department, so the Canes reach a little to get him.9.
Morgan Reilly: This pick was a tough call. Center may be a slightly bigger need for the Jets than defense (I suppose it depends on how you view Burmistrov, Little, and Scheifele), but Reilly is clearly better than any of the remaining centers. The Jets get a great talent here who's only available because of an ACL tear in November. He'll round out a very promising top 4 with Bogosian, Enstrom, and Byfuglien.10.
Cody Ceci: I personally prefer Griffin Reinhart, but this pick is all about finding a partner for Hedman, and Reinhart's game overlaps with Hedman's. Ceci also has size, but he by far the more mobile of the two and has the more promising two way game.11.
Radek Faksa: Coming into this season, Marcus Johansson seemed to be the 2C of the future for the Caps. Now, he seems better off on the winger, leaving the Caps' center depth once again lacking. Faksa provides the combination of size, toughness, and skill down the middle that the Caps have lacked for so long. 12.
Brandan Gaunce: The Sabres improved their center depth by acquiring Cody Hodgson, but they'd be smart not to stop there. Like the Caps, they've lacked that size and skill combination at center for a while (and trading Paul Gaustad doesn't help). Gaunce is another prospect who fits that role well.13.
Zemgus Girgensons: The Stars are another team that could use some depth at center. Ribeiro's contract is nearly up, and while Benn is a fantastic center, he's even better on the wing. Girgensons is the third and least writer friendly of the size/skill center prospects in the middle of the first. He may be a little rawer than Faksa or Gaunce, but he has all their potential and is a coaches dream. Given time, he could be every bit as good.14.
Griffin Reinhart: Having a prospect like Reinhart fall into the Flames' lap at 14 would be a dream come true for a team desperately in need of retooling its blue line. Reinhart has the kind of size and strength that are perfect for the Western Conference. Coincidentally, his brother Max is also a Flames prospect.15.
Olli Määttä: The Senators have an excellent group of forward prospects, and an aging group of defensemen, so this pick is all about finding Karlsson's partner of the future. Matt Finn and Derrick Pouliot are higher rated than Määttä, but they're smaller offensive types like Erik. Määttä is a bigger, more defensively responsible blueliner who'll be able to protect Erik for years to come.
Sebastian Collberg: The Kings have been looking for offense for a while now, and Collberg seems like the perfect solution. The fourth best winger in the draft, Sebastian is an electric sniper with top line potential. He and Kopitar could make up two thirds of an absolutely lethal top line.
Pontus Ã…berg: I'll admit, I was very tempted to mock Finn to the Sharks with this pick. Sadly, the sorry state of the Sharks' forward prospect pool is too much to overlook. They grab the best forward left on the board, the last of the three Swedish wingers.
Derrick Pouliot: I know goaltending is a problem for the Hawks, but I don't think their front office cares enough to fix it. At least not enough to use a first on the position. Instead, they grab the best defenseman on the board to add to a defense that leans ridiculously hard on Seabrook and Keith. That corps needs help, and this high powered offensive talent would be a great addition.
No one: I think the Devils would be wise to forfeit this pick, rather than forgo their penalty from the Kovalchuk fiasco to 2013 or 2014. This is by all accounts a fairly shallow draft, and they'll certainly be picking after the alleged drop off. I like their chances to get by Florida as well, so this could end up being a much later pick. 
Ludvig Bystrom: With Pronger's career in jeopardy, Kimmo Timonen just turning 37, and Matt Carle potentially looking for a big payday in free agency, the Flyers will be looking for the best defenseman available. At this point that's Bystrom, who brings a very well rounded two way game to the Flyers.
Tom Wilson: At 6'4, Wilson will probably be the tallest player taken in the first round of this year's draft. He's a physical force, and though he lacks elite offensive skills... does he really need them on a team with Crosby and Malkin? With Wilson on his line, you can bet that Crosby won't be getting shoved like 
Tomáš Hertl: The Panthers don't have a lot in terms of center depth behind Weiss, so they take the rising Czech center. He brings nice size and a great physical game to the Cats. The only thing keeping him from being a much higher selection is his skating.
Stefan Matteau: There seems to be a trend in this draft of all the center being strong, physical two way players. In any case, the Coyotes need to add center depth, and Matteau is the best center on the board. His two way game will fit in well in Pheonix.
Martin Frk: What do you get for the team that has everything? A project player with major potential. Frk has fallen this year after an early concussion, but there's a reason this guy was projected as a top ten pick before that. The Bruins can afford to take a risk and let him develop. They may find a real diamond in the rough with this pick.
Henrik Samuelsson: The Blues have been disappointed with the play of power forward Chris Stewart since they sold the farm to acquire him. While it probably too early to move on, it's not too early to look for his replacement. Henrik projects as a RW power forward, and can step into Stewart's role a few years down the road.
Phil Di Giuseppe: Carl Hagelin has worked out well, so the Rangers may look to dip into the University of Michigan talent pool once more. As a fellow member of the Michigan class of 2015, I've seen Di Giuseppe play personally, and I love what I've seen. Di Giuseppe is the kind of hard working, team first guy the Ranger's organization loves, so he should it in well there.
Colton Sissons: With Hodgson gone, the Nucks' prospect cupboard looks pretty bare at center. They have a small, slick skating prospect in Schroeder, so it makes sense to go in the other direction and draft a gritty, two way center like Sissons to round out the position. At worst, Sissons is the heir apparent to Manny Malhotra, who hasn't quite been the same since that eye injury.
