Noble 6

I don't like this signing. Sure he helps us stay competitive next year, which is important, but I don't think we should be committing that much cap space to a player that is not part of our next core. Next year, when we need to resign Horvat, Hutton, Markstrom, Gudbranson and Tryamkin, we need as much cap space as possible. I don't like the fact that 6 million of it is tied up in an non-core player with a NMC.

Columbus really made things worse for us. I expected Dubois to be gone before our pick, but because he went to Columbus, Pulujaarvi came into our division. That's not great, especially because he could be playing with McDavid, but we can't control that. I don't think I liked Tkachuk as much as most other people, but I still expected him to be our pick. I'm not upset because we didn't pick him, but more so because if he turns out, we will be playing against him for a long time. Juolevi looks like he could be a good one. If Benning believes he will be, then I'm willing to take his word for it. The one thing that really stands out is that he is a very intelligent, composed kid. His English is pretty good and he carries himself well. That is a very good thing. On the ice, he is very good at reading plays and making better ones, especially in transition with a great first pass. He has a good set hands for making a pass and a good stick defensively. I would like to see him improve his skating, but it's not bad. At the next level though that's what would really separate him from the rest, especially if he improves his lateral movement to walk the blue line efficiently. Moving forward, hopefully he can produce some more points and refine his offensive game, especially because it looks like he will be playing with either Gudbranson or Tanev in the future. I think the only hole we had on our defense was a top-pairing left handed defensman, and this pick tells me that Benning thinks either Juolevi or Hutton can be that player. I see Juolevi being a not quite as impactful Kieth for us if he does improve his skating. He would be our missing piece and exactly what we need. Juolevi - Tanev Hutton - Gudbranson Tryamkin - Subban

I'm excited to watch him improve and learn. Watching him continue to develop his ability and mind to use his size to impose his will on the game will be fun. We got a small sample of what he can do in the second half of the year. It will take some time, maybe about 3-4 more years, but once he is fully developed, he will be an amazing part of our team.

I really think he has a better chance of being our future 1C than most people give him credit for. Watching guys like Mathews go to another team after being hyped up all year stings, but we should look at what we already have. We have a big, strong, fast, skilled, smart, two-way centre that could put up anywhere from 60-80 points a year. He is the prime example of the team that we are trying to build.

If all goes well, we should have a pretty good defense next year. We have a clear top-4 and a more developmental 3rd pairing, similar to our forward group. With Tryamkin being on the bottom pairing next year, Sbisa looks like the odd man out. If everyone plays to their strengths and plays well, we should be in good shape. I also want us to sign Larsen, as he would give us a good puck mover on the bottom pairing. Edler - Tanev Hutton - Gudbranson Tryamkin - Larsen Pedan, Biega Subban, Stetcher Nillson

I want him to continue to learn the physical side of the game next year. He should learn when and how to use his strength and power to flatten guys. It's a learning process that will take some time. Once he establishes that, the scoring will come as he will have more space to burn defenders like he did in Junior.

I'll be looking for Hutton to make a step forward next season. Production isn't exactly the most important thing in the world as the team isn't likely to dramatically improve, but hopefully he can start to play consistently at a higher level. If he can reduce his mistakes and play a bit more physical, then that would be a good year. Playing with Gudbranson will also likely elevate his game as he can focus on making plays with the puck. Overall I expect our defense to be better next year, but not elite: Edler - Tanev Hutton - Gudbranson Tryamkin - Larsen ------------------------ Pedan - Biega Stetcher - Subban I also expect Sbisa to be traded. Maybe for a 2nd/3rd round pick.

I think he could make it interesting at training camp, but will probably get sent down due to his contract status. If we send him down, he doesn't have to clear waivers. Larsen will likely get a 1-year contract to show what he can do and fill in as an effective stop gap. I don't think there will be any crazy moves on the blueline: Edler - Tanev Hutton - Sbisa Tryamkin - Larsen Pedan - Biega --------------------- Stetcher Subban Fedun In the future, I think his direct competition is Subban. If Subban can translate his game effectively, he will beat out Stetcher. However, Stetcher's game has a higher chance of translating than Subban's. With that said, I do think Subban will be an effective NHL'er, he just needs some time.

I think he is one of our underrated prospects. He could prove to be a valuable player for us in the future as a two-way defensman. I see his ceiling as a Hjalmarsson type player. Not flashy, but he gets it done.

Granlund is a very smart player. Long term he could be switched to LW to fit in with our forward group, allowing bigger, stronger players to take face offs and play down low: Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen ******** - McCann - Boeser Granlund - Gaunce - Etem ******** - Cassels - Zhukenov

I like this signing. Like I said before, it will create direct competition with Subban in Utica and bring the best out of both of them in a safe environment. I think Subban has more natural talent, he is built better and has a better chance of making it. Larson can be with the big club next year, but after that I suspect we see both Subban and Stetcher start to push for spots.

The forward core we are building is one that will be built for the Playoffs. In those games where you can't buy an inch, its the best mix of character and ability that comes through. We have great set of players who combine both of those in Horvat, Boeser, Virtanen, McCann, Etem, Gaunce, Cassels, etc. Obviously some of them are more skilled than others, but they all have the character and the will that a championship team is made of. Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen ********* - McCann - Boeser Granlund - Gaunce - Etem ********* - Cassels - Zhukenov Add in another top-6 pick (potentially Mathews, Laine, Pulujaarvi, Tkachuk or Dubois) and we are looking very good up front in the future. I think Boeser, Horvat and Virtanen will be the new faces of the franchise with guys like McCann and our drafted player as well.

I agree 100% about Horvat. Kid is an absolute beast in pressure situations and should shine and show his true worth during a Playoff run. He's kinda similar to Kesler in that way he can put in that extra 10% that can be the difference between advancing and going home, like Kesler did against Nashville in 2011. I think ink we are building our entire core around that. We are being built for the Playoffs top down. Boeser should be a big part of that too.

I think McCann and Boeser have a really good chance to develop good chemistry. McCann is a very smart player and is a playmaker first, but because his shot makes him a constant threat it should open up more room for Boeser. With McCann's ability to pass and read plays he could find Boeser in the split second he gets open, which Boeser does well. It has all the writing to be a deadly duo on the second line.

Hopefully next season he can build is reputation as a guy that will hit anything and evrything HARD, but also clean. The clean part might take a little bit longer to figure out, but that's okay. He looks like he will be a key contributor for us for a long time.

I think he could be a decent contributor for us going forward. Having a 4-line team will really help him I think once we get competitive again. He's a very smart player and makes players around him better offensively.

Tryamkin has looked promising so far. I think ideally next year we can get him playing bottom-pairing minutes and let him continue to learn the speed and pace of the NHL. He should be moving up the depth chart after a little bit. In the future, he looks like he could be a good #4 defensive defenseman in the mold of Seabrook. His partner can make all the fancy puck plays and decisions. If we could add Sergachyov to our young defense core, we would be looking a lot better: Sergachyov - Tanev Hutton - Tryamkin Pedan - Subban Brisebois It still needs some work, but its an improvement.

Tryamkin has looked pretty good so far. I would like to see him in a slightly reduced role next year though. Let him adjust to the speed of the NHL slowly. It will be interesting with Biega, Tryamkin, Pedan and Larsen fighting for 3 spots next year: Edler - Tanev Hutton - UFA Tryamkin - Sbisa Pedan - Biega Larsen Hopefully we can get Larsen in Utica on a 2-way contract.

I would say we are building a Boston model forward core. Lots of size, but more skill and speed injected throughout: Baertschi: Skill, speed, vision Horvat: Skill, speed, vision, size, shot, toughness, defense Virtanen: Speed, shot, toughness, size, hitting, mean McCann: Skill, speed, vision, shot, mean, defense Boeser: Skill, shot, vision Granlund: Skill, vision, defense Gaunce: Speed, size, defense Cassels: Size, vision, defense Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen ******** - McCann - Boeser Gaunce - Granlund - Cassels Thats a very effective, big, defensive but offensively capable top-6. I feel like that 3rd line could win us a tight Playoff series.

Over the next 2 years I want to see him translating his hitting game to the NHL. I want him to slowly start destroying guys like he did in junior. Let him build his reputation as one of the most feared players in the league. Once he establishes that, more scoring will come.

I was originally for having Virtanen in Utica to start next year, but he has been improving a lot recently. It wouldn't be a bad move to send him down, but I don't think it's completely necessary either. In terms of who could replace him, I think it would be Gaunce: Sedin - Sedin - Sutter Baertschi - Horvat - Hansen Burrows - Granlund - Etem Gaunce - Zalewksi - Dorsett Grenier

I'm really starting to warm up to Granlund. He will be pretty useful for us over the next 3 years, especially if he can keep improving. Right now, he can step into our lineup and provide some stability. Next year he can replace McCann when he goes to the AHL. Later, he can hopefully make the adjustment to LW.

I like this player. He seems like a guy who could be a useful top-6 winger and can shift around when injuries hit. Next year he takes McCann's spot and puts up some decent points. Long term he is on Horvat or McCann's wing: Sedin - Sedin - Sutter Baertschi - Horvat - Hansen Burrows - Granlund - Etem Gaunce - Zalewski - Dorsett Grenier Long term: Baertschi - Horvat - Virtanen Granlund - McCann - Boeser

I expect Jake to build his reputation as a hard, HARD, hitter in this league and one that everyone should fear. For me, once he establishes that, the numbers will climb. I mean, nobody should be safe on the ice when Jake is on. In junior he was coming down to low to the opposite wing just to lay guys out. Willie won't have that this year, by as he gains more freedom and confidence, he should be allowed to level anyone he wants.

Virtanen has been playing a lot better recently. His physical game has translated very effectively to the NHL level. That was the first challenge for him, to keep his physicality up. Hopefully he can continue to get better in that area and then we will have a true physical force at forward. His scoring should start to increase in about 2 years. Once it does, he will be a beast for us.