Grading the 2019 Draft

[Clock Tower Prison]

Solid B. High compete level seems to have been the theme of this draft. 

 

Podkolzin was the right pick at 10. Absolutely no doubt that he was the BPA at 10. The modern NHL game is all about speed and puck control. He’s got that plus size and strength. Plus it seems like regardless of where he plays coaches are raving about his attitude. I said it once and I’ll say it again, if he was Swedish we’d all be stoked to have landed him at 10. For all the guys that are lukewarm on him, just imagine his name was Viktor Palsson and he was signed for 2 years in the SHL. 

 

I’m also disappointed that Cozens or Zegras didn’t fall to us. But if I had to guess, Benning likely didn’t want to sacrifice the 40th pick to see if it would have some trade value today. Too bad Tampa didn’t want it. Hoglander seems like a fitness beast. A small guy with filthy hands that already plays against men seems like a great pick at 40. 

 

As for the JT Miller trade, there’s just too much risk attached to this trade to be completely palatable. Especially when I look at the core of our team:

 

1. Core players on our team are still developing. Pettersson, our #1C just finished his first year. Hughes, our #1D is just starting his first year. What will happen with Baertschi's health? How will Virtanen, Gaudette, Goldobin and Joulevi develop are question marks. 
2. Edler, Tanev, Hughes, Hutton, Stetcher and Schenn. Doesn’t exactly say playoff contender. Tryamkin being added to that list doesn’t exactly inspire that much more confidence either. 

 

Pros: Miller is really smart, highly skilled and versatile. He can play anywhere and make a difference. A 40-50 point player signed at a reasonable cap of $5.25 mil. At just 26, he’ll likely be able to fetch a decent return in a few years, should the Canucks wish to move on. 

 

Cons: Hopefully Benning recovers a first round pick in either 2020 or 2021. The Canucks don’t have the prospect depth, especially at defence, to be giving away first round picks in either year. The Canucks need top 4 talent on defence. They need an alternative to Tanev since he just can't seem to stay healthy and someone to play with Hughes. 

 

The only minor disappointment for me was the Canucks going with an overage in Carson Focht at 133 instead of RHD Martin Hugo Has who was taken at 153. 

 

Super weird that Benning feels like untested players at the NHL level in Rafferty, Teves, Eliot, Chatfield and Brisebois counts as depth. 

Edited June 23, 2019 by Clock Tower Prison

[Brovat]

Hopefully Hoglander isn’t another Lind. 

 

Draft seems par for the course to me. I’m ok with the trade. It isn’t amazing but it’s not bad either. 

[warrchief]

10 minutes ago, Clock Tower Prison said:

Solid B. High compete level seems to have been the theme of this draft. 

 

Podkolzin was the right pick at 10. Absolutely no doubt that he was the BPA at 10. The modern NHL game is all about speed and puck control. He’s got that plus size and strength. Plus it seems like regardless of where he plays coaches are raving about his attitude. I said it once and I’ll say it again, if he was Swedish we’d all be stoked to have landed him at 10. For all the guys that are lukewarm on him, just imagine his name was Viktor Palsson and he was signed for 2 years in the SHL. 

 

I’m also disappointed that Cozens or Zegras didn’t fall to us. But if I had to guess, Benning likely didn’t want to sacrifice the 40th pick to see if it would have some trade value today. Too bad Tampa didn’t want it. Hoglander seems like a fitness beast. A small guy with filthy hands that already plays against men seems like a great pick at 40. 

 

As for the JT Miller trade, there’s just too much risk attached to this trade to be completely palatable. Especially when I look at the core of our team:

 

1. Core players on our team are still developing. Pettersson, our #1C just finished his first year. Hughes, our #1D is just starting his first year. What will happen with Baertschi's health? How will Virtanen, Gaudette, Goldobin and Joulevi develop are question marks. 
2. Edler, Tanev, Hughes, Hutton, Stetcher and Schenn. Doesn’t exactly say playoff contender. Tryamkin being added to that list doesn’t exactly inspire that much more confidence either. 

 

Pros: Miller is really smart, highly skilled and versatile. He can play anywhere and make a difference. A 40-50 point player signed at a reasonable cap of $5.25 mil. At just 26, he’ll likely be able to fetch a decent return in a few years, should the Canucks wish to move on. 

 

Cons: Hopefully Benning recovers a first round pick in either 2020 or 2021. The Canucks don’t have the prospect depth, especially at defence, to be giving away first round picks in either year. The Canucks need top 4 talent on defence. They need an alternative to Tanev since he just can't seem to stay healthy and someone to play with Hughes. 

 

The only minor disappointment for me was the Canucks going with an overage in Carson Focht at 133 instead of RHD Martin Hugo Has who was taken at 153. 

 

Super weird that Benning feels like untested players at the NHL level in Rafferty, Teves, Elliot, Chatfield and Brisebois counts as depth. 

But not counting Rafferty, Teves and Eliot as D prospects either? I consider them valuable depth. I think they did a fantastic job with the draft, they have a need for wingers and they addressed it.

Again, it has to do with BPA. Best Player Available > Organizational need. If forwards are higher up on your draft list, then pick em. Plain and simple.

[J-Dizzle]

1 minute ago, Brovat said:

Hopefully Hoglander isn’t another Lind. 

Lind is coming along fine?

[Brovat]

2 minutes ago, J-Dizzle said:

Lind is coming along fine?

17pts in 51 games last year. I was hoping for more honestly. 

[Alflives]

3 minutes ago, Brovat said:

Hopefully Hoglander isn’t another Lind. 

 

Draft seems par for the course to me. I’m ok with the trade. It isn’t amazing but it’s not bad either. 

Lind was a great pick.  The kid didn’t even know how to shop for food when he moved to Utica.  His body fat was way to high because of a terrible diet.  He wasn’t in professional shape.  He was a boy on his own for the first time.  He’s going to take a really big step this year.  Gadjovic is the guy I think is a bustaroo.

[BCNate]

I'd give this a B+ draft.

-Podkolzin has huge upside, Nash, Tarasenko type player  Put him with EP and Boeser, or Horvat and Miller and could become an Elite player.  Waiting 2 years tops to get an NHL ready player is no big deal.  Glass, Maker,Necas, Vilardi are all yet to play more than a handful of games.  We could end up with a top 5 player from this draft from him.  Perfect fit on our top line.

 

-Hoglander-Kid has as much skill with the puck as we have ever seen.  He scores some crazy goals because of his hands.  Go watch some highlights of him.  I think 2 years from now people wonder how he didn't go top 20.

 

-JT Miller.  Debate the cost all you want, he is the exact type of player we need in our top 6.  Signed long term at a good rate, He is a huge add for us.  Whether we get burned in 2021 is one thing, but he makes us far better now.  

 

-I feel that for the other 7 picks JB got 3 guys with nice size and speed, 3 smaller skill guys and a goalie that could be a gem.  All wild cards, but a few were ranked far higher than where we got them.

 

-We need depth everywhere, so I'm not too worried about not taking a D today.  I feel that JB sees the timeline from draft to NHL for forwards as much shorter than D.  Rather than use late round picks on Defense, go after forwards and use the NCAA/CHL to sign guys like Teves, Rafferty, Elliott, Mceneny, Saunter.  I don't care too much how we get prospects as long as we get them, and Benning has done a pretty good job of keeping the funnel pretty full in all positions.  Hughes and Joulevi are ready or close, Woo maybe next year, hopefully Tryamkin the year after that.  All good, we have a pretty steady stream of NHL ready guys coming along.

 

All in all, good couple of days.  Sign Panarin on Canada day and we will be set for the playoffs next year.

[ReggieBush]

7 minutes ago, Brovat said:

17pts in 51 games last year. I was hoping for more honestly. 

First pro season. Lets see how he comes along in his second year.

[Provost]

No way we will really know for a while, seems pretty average... some risks, some guys who were projected higher.

 

One thing is that Jim still seems reactive rather than having a vision for the type of team he is building.  This year after the playoffs all the talk was that you need size... so he went with size.  Last year the talk was all about speed and size didn’t matter, so he went with speed.

 

5 years in and I have no idea what identity he wants the team to be, his messaging changes all the time too.

 

The best GMs have a vision and style and build to that.... no matter what the flavour of the day is.  The league trends are circular... they change, if you are always trying to change course with it you will always be behind the curve.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Provost

[Brovat]

10 minutes ago, Alflives said:

Lind was a great pick.  The kid didn’t even know how to shop for food when he moved to Utica.  His body fat was way to high because of a terrible diet.  He wasn’t in professional shape.  He was a boy on his own for the first time.  He’s going to take a really big step this year.  Gadjovic is the guy I think is a bustaroo.

I’m not writing off either of them just yet. Kole seems like a bit of a project to me and I hope the Hogman is a little less of one. 

[Brovat]

3 minutes ago, Provost said:

No way we will really know for a while, seems pretty average... some risks, some guys who were projected higher.

 

One thing is that Jim still seems reactive rather than having a vision for the type of tram he is building.  This year after the playoffs all the talk was that you need size... so he went with size.  Last year the talk was all about speed and size didn’t matter, so he went with speed.

 

5 years in and I have no idea what identity he wants the team to be, his messaging changes all the time too.

 

The best GMs have a vision and style and build to that.... no matter what the flavour of the day is.  The league trends are circular... they change, if you are always trying to change course with it you will always be behind the curve.

Maybe he’s trying to have a mix of size and speed and just drafts the BPA as they see it. Pod is good sized but has speed. Hog isn’t huge height wise but is a big kid that can skate. 

[CanuckGAME]

19 minutes ago, Brovat said:

Hopefully Hoglander isn’t another Lind. 

 

Draft seems par for the course to me. I’m ok with the trade. It isn’t amazing but it’s not bad either. 

Lol  Canucks fans are the worst.

 

Please tell me what another Lind is?

 

I'm sure Kole would say sorry to you in person that he hasn't become Markus Naslund yet in his 1st year of pro hockey.

 

 

[Nucker 67]

Maybe it just seemed to me, but Benning and his group didn't seem as excited about the top 10 1st as previous years. I don't think Benning even smiled when talking about getting Podkolzin. I thought they were going to take Krebs, so I was a bit confused hearing Smyl butcher his name, but after about 5 minutes I felt happy with it, even excited at getting this guy. He is a Top 5 pick. Yes, he's playing in Russia for the next 2 years, but so what? Some other prospects are going to need at least 2 years to develop. The crowd reaction when his name was called was interesting (nervous claps and groans). Hopefully that didn't leave a poor first impression with him. I'm also really happy getting Hoglander. The left side is weak, so he helps a lot. Hopefully he turns out better than Dahlen. I don't know much about the others, and will assume they won't make the team. Maybe Keppen gets a shot down the road, as he's a LW. 

[Brovat]

Just now, CanuckGAME said:

Lol  Canucks fans are the worst.

 

Please tell me what another Lind is?

 

I'm sure Kole would say sorry to you in person that he hasn't become Markus Naslund yet in his 1st year of pro hockey.

 

 

Another Lind is someone who isn’t ready to make an impact anytime soon. 

 

Relax. I’m all for the kid and I hope he turns it on and makes it. 

[48MPHSlapShot]

As of right now I'd put it at something between a C+ and a B-. It really is a "wait and see" type of situation. Podkolzin wasn't my first choice, but if he pans out, that grade skyrockets from a C+/B- to a B+/A-. I like the kid we took in the second as well. Only 18 and already playing in the SHL and putting up respectable numbers. Pretty damn impressive. I am skeptical about the fact that we didn't take any Dmen at all, but if Benning and the scouting staff truly believed that they got the best players available, then I won't complain. 

 

As as far as the JT Miller trade goes, I'm kind of on the fence about it. Losing a 1st rd pick is really tough, especially considering we're still on the ass end of a rebuild. That said, it will almost certainly be a mid-low 1st, as we will be a playoff team within the next 2 years. Still, it's a hard pill to swallow. JT Miller is a great add, though. Still pretty young at only 26 years old, on a pretty decent contract, can provide solid top 6 numbers, a swiss army knife of durability, and can play with an edge. Exactly the type of player we need in our top 6. I just hope he's able to add to his point totals from last season. Considering he was getting 3rd line minutes with Tampa, while he'll be getting top 6 minutes and a spot with either Petey or Brock, I'd say it's a pretty good bet that he will.

[JustABandwagoner]

I wonder what Benning saw in Boldy. 

[higgyfan]

I really like the Pod + Hog picks. 

 

I know little about the others.

 

Miller will improve the team, so I give the management team the benefit of the doubt and will wait to see how this trades pans out.  This is the sort of trade made by a team that is very convident about their future and have a plan to add to the roster they have.

[Nucker 67]

What are the terms of the conditional 1st? If the Canucks make the playoffs over the next 2 years TB gets the 1st? 

[GhostsOf1994]

2 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

What are the terms of the conditional 1st? If the Canucks make the playoffs over the next 2 years TB gets the 1st? 

I think the 1st is awarded 2019/20 if the Canucks are in the playoffs, if not it slides to 2020/21. I also heard it's top 5? Protected 

[Clock Tower Prison]

4 minutes ago, NUCKER67 said:

Maybe it just seemed to me, but Benning and his group didn't seem as excited about the top 10 1st as previous years. I don't think Benning even smiled when talking about getting Podkolzin. I thought they were going to take Krebs, so I was a bit confused hearing Smyl butcher his name, but after about 5 minutes I felt happy with it, even excited at getting this guy. He is a Top 5 pick. Yes, he's playing in Russia for the next 2 years, but so what? Some other prospects are going to need at least 2 years to develop. The crowd reaction when his name was called was interesting (nervous claps and groans). Hopefully that didn't leave a poor first impression with him. I'm also really happy getting Hoglander. The left side is weak, so he helps a lot. Hopefully he turns out better than Dahlen. I don't know much about the others, and will assume they won't make the team. Maybe Keppen gets a shot down the road, as he's a LW. 

I felt like there wasn't an absolute clear steal, mana from heaven type pick at 10. Likely due to picking at 10 in a draft year with so much movement. I give the edge to Podkolzin compared to Boldy, Newhook and Krebs. Harder for me to do so against Soderstrom. I know people say he's a safe and boring pick. But I would have been happy with him too. 

 

Just now, NUCKER67 said:

What are the terms of the conditional 1st? If the Canucks make the playoffs over the next 2 years TB gets the 1st? 

Lottery protected pick in 2020 if the Canucks miss the playoffs but not in 2021.