Sp3nny

Just saw a couple tweets/quotes from Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong on Simashev and But. Many mocked the picks, but I rly liked them myself. Anyways, the quotes were that Simashev is checking in at 6’7 and But 6’8. If those numbers are legit, the Yotes have legit mutants on their hands. I was rly high on Simashev at 6’4; 6’7 is just insane for his agility/skating ability. Perhaps he was exaggerating for effect. It would be interesting to know officially, since no Russian’s were at the combine, the numbers could be outdated.

Yep, I have a few Longrow on hand. I’ve been venturing into bourbon, but now that the nights are cooling off I’m cracking the peat back open. Currently enjoying a nice Kilchoman. Probably my favourite distillery.

Ya I’m a big peat guy myself. Have a whole shelf dedicated to Islay lol. I’ve been branching out into more obscure stuff like Campbelltown, but I always come back to the peat. It’s funny how it can be such a divide with peaty scotches.

That Islay is rly good for the price. I’ve discussed it multiple times with my buddies, but I have it pegged as a Caol Ila. I just got the Kirkland Speyside 18 yr as well, and it’s damn good too for $90.

Two goal games last season?

Not to take away from Miller, but the notable exception missing is Kucherov, who has 105 PPP (quickly looked it up, might be wrong) over the same timeframe while also missing the entire 20-21 season. He would likely be the first name behind McDavy/Drai as far as PP production is concerned.

Oh beauty! I’ll have to get setup on there. That’s great to know, thanks!

Bourbon. I’m not much of a Rye guy. Agreed on the pricing tho. I think I got my Eagle Rare a fair bit cheaper than the Angels Envy, and I preferred the Rare. I’ll be looking for it next time I’m in BCL.

That Eagle Rare is good stuff. Just finished my last bottle of it. Nice to see it being re-stocked. I just picked up an Angels Envy, also quite nice.

Carlsson for me fairly easily.

Interesting you use the word fact. Which player is your best defensemen? Is it the one who has more time on ice in all situations of EV strength, PP, and SH? More shots per game? More PP points? More hits? More blocks? More points a game? And even a better plus minus rate? Because Seider wins every single one of those categories when statistically compared to Hronek the last 3 yrs. This puts Seider at a disadvantage as he only has two seasons in the NHL, and one of those as a rookie. Seider plays tougher competition with harder zone starts. He is there #1 D, and it’s not debatable, either with eye test or with “facts.” Have a look for yourself below.

Said it a while back, but Simashev is the #1 D on my board.

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Very interesting, I see it the exact opposite, which is why I am more comfortable with Musty right now and have been bringing him up with the Wood crowd. Either way, neither is a very good skater, which is a pretty big red flag in todays NHL.

Agreed on the level of comp, as well as @Gawdzukes point of a bit better shot. Wood also finds himself in the category of a potential monster with his size once fully matured, where Musty will more likely be just above average. Numbers wise, it would appear that Wood is the better option, but the more tape I watch, the more I prefer Musty to Wood myself. Appreciate the responses fellas.

I’ve been seeing Wood on a lot of peoples lists, especially after his recent U18 tournament. For those that have him in the top 10, what do you see in him that you don’t see in Musty? I think Musty is getting a little overlooked here, and if you want a forward with some size, he is the better option. Wood is reminding me a lot of Nick Ritchie, who I wasn’t particularly high on in his draft yr either. For the record, I’m not really advocating about taking Musty at 11, but there has been chatter about trading down depending on who’s available, and I’m not as opposed to that depending on who’s left. I don’t think a combo of Musty + a D in the second is all that bad of an option. If you aren’t familiar with Musty, I think this video highlights a lot of his strengths, and not just his goals and assists. He make a lot of decent defensive plays as well, and while his skating isn’t exactly a strength, I think it makes him a better option than Wood. His vision is excellent, and I think he makes a lot of pro style quick touches on the puck, but with the ability to slow the play down with an extra pass as well. If he continues to work on his pace of play, and begins to use his size as more of a strength, I think he could become a very nice player down the road. His video is also from a few months back, so missing some of his late season surge where he finished quite strong after an early season coaching change.

Didn’t see it posted yet, but here are the combine results. I don’t put too much stock into it, but it’s still interesting to see who obviously trains a lot or is naturally gifted athletically. Cameron Allen with a very strong performance! https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/2023-nhl-combine-results-top-10-prospects-in-every-drill/

I think his shot is definitely his best offensive weapon. Hard and accurate, not a ton of load time, but I personally don’t quite have it in the elite category with someone like Barlow for instance.

I do think there is something to be said about better leagues making players automatically look better. Being surrounded by pro players in mens leagues has a cascading effect on the team. Something as simple as positioning of your teammates can make a huge difference on individual players, where they are able to know that their line mate will make the correct play in certain situations, which in turn helps them make smart plays themselves. If you play hockey, you will know what’s it’s like playing beer league vs tournament style hockey. Nothing changes about your game, but the environment of better players both on and against your team changes the game completely. Continuing that train of thought, something else has occurred to me recently, but in a different vein. How many of these young players who are clearly developing well and able to move up to a men’s league earlier than others actually harm or stunt their development in some way? Probably more so on the offensive side. Do we take that into consideration? I feel like the normal path we take is to assume that the player is doing it against men (or at a higher level) so that’s always a positive and better than doing it against your peers. What has me thinking of this the last few days is my post a few pages back on a couple fwds. I mentioned that Dvorsky somewhat reminds me of Podkolzin from his draft yr, not rly in their play style, but more so as a prospect. Both very defensively aware fwds who got playing time with men in their draft yrs, and both have the size to make that possible without getting completely outmuscled. What was also similar, was they both had fairly modest point totals in the men’s league they played in, and yet against their peers, they had very strong WJC (and other) tournaments. Naturally, it can be easy to assume this means that they are better than their peers. How much, if any, damage does this do to their upside? I rarely hear anyone make this argument until after a player is drafted, where the point is made not to rush a player, but let them develop at their required pace. And to be clear, this isn’t me picking on Dvorsky, I feel he will be a very good pick, and one I would be very happy for the Canucks to make. I have flip flopped on him a bit, where sometimes I think he looks fantastic, but others times more average. I get Kopitar vibes from him, and seeing his success against his peers more recently had me thinking bigger picture about if he wasn’t playing in Allsvenskan, what he would look like as a prospect? Just a random line of thought rly…

Agreed. Just rarely see him mentioned, so wanted to throw some input in. He also has a bit of a cannon with his toe drag release, but if you want that people go for Barlow. I rly do like his vision tho, he sees the ice quite well. And when he decides to use his size and speed, he is very effective. But he has a tendency to pull up quite often which is frustrating. If he ever puts it together, he would be a deadly package.

Overall, as some others have suggested, I do feel this is a forward heavy draft, and it should be for probably the first 12 picks. Not saying it will go that way, but my personal rankings seem to end up that way more often than not. Here is a quick list/blurb on the guys who I am intrigued by: Fantilli - I LOVE what this guy brings. I view him like a more energetic Eichel, just a modern, powerful player. He’s locked in as my number 3 behind Michkov, but I think he will go 2. Not sure he quite has Eichel upside, but he does it all at a very high level much the same. Leonard - There is a lot to like with the top crop of USNTDP players. Leonard’s power game and shot make him very desirable, and I think his forechecking and puck pressure is a nice compliment. Very well rounded game, and an excellent finisher. Maybe a bit of James Neal in him? Musty - One if the best playmakers this draft. Guy is constantly looking to create. I wish his passing was better, but his vision and play creation is fantastic. Many times he uses his reach to poke a loose puck to a teammate as a pass. Has the frame and range to be a dominant force, but a bit of an awkward stride, and sometimes questionable decisions makes him harder to project. He will absolutely need to use his size more at the next level, but not everyone has that in them, which is where the worry comes in. Don’t see him mentioned as much in the top 15, but I could see some team loving the possibilities with him. Benson/Moore - Two skilled guys who make plays at speed. Last year, Savoie was one of, if not my favourite prospects in the draft, much the same as Johnson from the year prior. These two are probably the closest comparable in the top end of this draft, but I don’t like either as much as the former two. I have a preference for Benson, as while his skating and shot aren’t as good, I find his IQ and creativity are better. Dvorsky - Good all around player, but nothing ever stands out to me as elite. Great shot, understands the ice well, and his defensive game seems strong, but I wonder what separates him from others at the NHL level. I find at times he is prone to not make the highest percentage play ie. dekes when he shouldn’t, dumps it in when he should have carried the puck etc. He’s not a bad prospect by any means, but I guess I question the upside. He actually reminds me of Podkolzin a bit, who I had similar questions about his draft year. I could see him in the mold of Horvat however, and nobody complains about him as a 9th overall.

Normally, I have pretty big concerns when I don’t see atleast a decent amount of production leading up to draft day. I’ve said it before that I always want a prospect to have something elite about him, whether it’s skating, IQ, shot etc. I’d even accept size an an ‘elite’ quality, and I value each of those differently. So on the surface, Simashev shouldn’t excite me all that much, and yet from what I have seen, I always come away impressed. I think his IQ, and in particular his play processing, is elite or near it. He doesn’t wow very often, but he constantly makes a smart play. I find he will often make a smartest play possible under pressure. That combined with his fantastic skating, and a penchant for some nasty/physical play, is why I am able to overcome a potential offensive ‘ceiling’ that he might have. If I want offense from the back end, I think Gulyayev is your guy over any other D this draft, no question. As far as a comparable for Simashev, I don’t mind Zadorov as someone sizeable with great skating, but I feel there is a wide margin in the processing power between the two. You mention him as a floor, and I think that’s pretty darn bang on. As far as upside, I get some Pietrangelo vibes in the play style, but still not a great comp. The player I come up with, and more so after some of his more offensive years in FLA, is Bouwmeester. A player who processes and controls the play, but never rly wows outside of his smarts. I do think there is untapped offense with Simashev as well, not necessarily from his own creativity, but from his environment.

I haven’t posted in a while, but I am active in reading/following the thread and draft. I like this exercise. I’d have it: Nemec Jiricek Mintyukov Simashev Reinbacher Gulyayev ASP Korchinski Bichsel Mateychuk I have Simashev as best D this draft, but I have him a step down from last yrs top crop. I’m hoping to put together something for the forwards before draft day as well, nothing super deep, but just the targets that I personally like, such as I did in the past for Eklund, Johnson, Lambert, Samoskevich, Trikozov etc.

Because of how cap strapped the lightning will be. If they can get Jeannot at $4M, he is more valuable to them than Miller at $8M. They have their $8M+ signings all locked up, with Stammer coming up in 2 yrs. They just need good insulating players around that, and Jeannot is about as good as it gets. This is all speculation based on Jeannot taking a cheaper deal. In general, we are seeing just how hard it is to get rid of money in the NHL right now. Anyone who contributes decently on a sub $4M contract right now is worth their weight in gold, especially to a contender.

I haven’t read many of the previous replies, so if this is regurgitated info, I apologize in advance, but wanted to add my .2C worth. While I agree this is a big overpayment from Tampa’s side, you have to consider the value of a cost controlled asset. Because of Tampa’s cap situation, and how seemingly every ‘role’ player that goes there begins to put up better numbers whether it’s Paul, Hagel, Colton, Palat, Coleman, Gourde etc. Half these guys price themselves out of the team who has their superstars locked up. I can already see a potential Nick Paul deal drawn up for Jeannot, who we all know is a very desirable player. If they can lock him up to a similar contract, it keeps the team together longer, and they have shown no signs of slowing down to this point, which is the biggest concern for them. They know they have a core capable of contending every year, so their biggest challenge is keeping that together. So while the acquisition value seems highly skewed, you get an absolute beast of a player physically, who has also shown to be capable offensively last year, but having is having a bit of a “sophomore slump” this year. Without the proven track record, he can’t command a massive contract, and that is exactly what TBL needs. I haven’t read anything to indicate any type of contract talks yet, but I feel strongly that he will be signed to a long term, lower money deal similar to Paul, . And if he can turn himself into a consistent 25+ goal scorer while bringing close to the best physicality in the league, that is extremely desirable. Think of the value Tom Wilson brings to the Caps. Next to RHD, you are looking at the most sought after player in hockey, which is where the overpayment comes from. I get the sense from Jeannot, who has essentially come out of nowhere, that he will take a long term guarantee rather than bank on himself to get top $. Perhaps that’s not the case at all, and that would be the worst possible outcome for TBL, but that’s the other perfect scenario for TBL, is getting a more ‘veteran’ ELC player who is also an RFA. They control the power, and they can’t lose him for nothing if he does chase the money, which is the same as Colton and Hagel. TLDR; it’s an overpayment, but almost perfect player for TBL to add.