Eddie

Would love us to get this guy - would be a perfect partner for Hughes as many have mentioned. Also, i think contract cost and length will age a lot better than some of the FA's on the market this year. Rumours have been all week there was a deal in place with EDM and he would sign as soon as the E.D was done - so will be interesting to see what happens

Super sad to seem Edler go - he has been a hero for this club for a long long time. I think he is probably still worth 2-3M to a club and will likely get it. I think here if he had resigned then Green would continue to play him 22 mins a night when we really need to be brining in new blood or seeing what our younger D can do with more than 6-9 mins. So not unhappy at the news. Benning claimed on a live interview he was willing to meet Tryamkins demands but the Russian chose to return to RU anyway. I forget the which on air interview it was but it was post around 1 week after the news broke.

Not sure i'd wanna take the risk here - Yzerman clearly is looking to shift him as he is confident that if he signs him to 4-5M contract long term ( which sounds like what his agent wants ) that he will be same player again after that back surgery. Would really like the fit player for a modest package but i don't think we can afford to take the risk on another Ferland situation.

Button can be pretty accurate - but also usually throws a few controversial rankings in for talking points. Can't remmember where he had Petey but he did famously have Virtanen in the 2nd round I think there is some play-off bias sneaking in there due to way those guys play, well apart from Coronato who i don't have a single view on so won't comment. Would be happy with Svechkov for sure - He could end up being a much better 2/3 C that McTavish - but we start putting a lot of risk into the Russian factor. Seems like his scoring picked up later in the year ( i didn't see any of those games tho) and he has been one of the best D biased forwards in the top of the draft. I think he actually played at wing quite a lot this year tho. L'Heureux is the exact kinda player a team looking for grit needs - tho i don't really see the skill to go top 10 personally. Also someone suspended for spitting on someone during a pandemic is probably a NO for me.

No clue, Kyper brings the crazy alright - he has broke a few moves in the past tho. I imagine the 'source' is actually that Vancouver intends to aggressively pursue Larsson and that the EDM and CHI are talking the Keith trade, making the former more likely.

Kypreos was claiming that its Keith to the Oilers and Larsson to Vancouver. Strange move for the Oilers unless they are resigned to not being able to resign Larsson. Don't hate us getting him tho, the right kinda player to pair with Hughes / Rathbone on a pair for sure. His form this year was pretty good, tho not without his struggles in Edmonton.

I'd say that's a pretty good evaluation of both players. I've been a bit down on Guenther simply because I think he is probably the lowest fit for our current group. I do think he could be a real good player tho. On the other hand I think Johnson would fit very well into our top 6 which is lower on high level play making, specially when Petey is out, but its pretty high on speed and quality of shot.

Yeah i really the player and think he would be a good fit for us. Rumor's are that he is after 5.5M X 5 at least and at 29 years old already and with a lot of injuries he likely declines fast. We are probably better spending elsewhere.

No, I think that's a really accurate evaluation of the player. His foot speed would certainly see him drop in a strong draft. Even in this draft i think the early ranking's had him more around the 15 mark. A big reason for him rising and rising is, i think, down to the extreme lack of projectable centers in the draft. Lots of teams draft top 10 needing one - especially a heavier, more physical player. He also interviews as a very smart level headed lad - so i think that will go a long way too. MacTavish is getting a bit too overhyped for sure - but he also looks safe to return some NHL value. He plays the game a bit differently but i do see a lot of projection comparisons to Bo in his draft year, which he managed to surpass thanks to making a great effort on his skating. Not every player is capable of the improvements we saw there. I really like him for us as I think the RHD options that will be available are a few tiers lower. The bust potential of some of the wingers likely available is higher and the team skill fit is lower. I could see MacT contributing 3/4th line minutes in a years time. I'm also sooooo sick of our 3rd line being an absolute black hole of everything, probably since Bo came into the league.

I think my feelings on this are that RHD and getting a 2a/b Center with a top 10 pick would be the ideal scenario. Guenther also typically plays RW ( Which is a bit stronger, but sure we could use another top line player there !) I'd be good with a winger if they were big fast and had a high skill ceiling. Speed and Skill as Benning says. When i have watched Guenther he gives me pretty big Brock vibes. Good shot from anywhere, smart player who can find open ice, not a great skater but passable. All good qualities - and like i said i'm sure he will be a great player - I don't see him bringing a lot of missing things to our team i guess is what i'm trying to say. I can't shake the feeling that we maybe better off taking a bit bigger chance on one of the projectable C options or doing something else with the pick in this scenario. I think trading for a scoring RW or acquiring one through FA would be a easier than getting what we need at C or RW would be.

Yeah I do like a lot of what the kid brings - Just interesting to see the hype on him really cooling since the unspectacular under 18's showing and he is starting to fall outside the top 10 in a lot of draft rankings lately. Admittedly those are mainly way less well respected list - but still, its a data point. This I think yields the interesting question - is the allure of some of the higher ceiling - lower floor players mentioned starting to look more appealing to us in this potential situation.

Yes very true - tho being an internal pessimist the scenario I was describing which I feel is worst case ( tho we have been very lucky in the past few years ) is : Beniers Power Hughes Johnson McTavish Clarke Eklund Edvinson ???? (Guenther seemed to be consensus BPA - but lots of people souring more and more on him lately and doesn't really fit an organizational need - So an interesting, if not slightly depressing, scenario)

Thanks my friend : The Owen Power story is here : https://www.nhl.com/news/projected-no-1-nhl-draft-pick-owen-power-buffalo-sabres/c-325532378 Rumor's on points 2. and 3. are just general chatter across the drafting forums, podcasts and other industry insiders in radio / online interviews. Johnson and McTavish both also seem to be trending higher up a lot of the more recently published draft lists also. Here's a link to some Athletic quotables on the McT part : https://octopusthrower.com/2021/06/23/red-wings-draft-mason-mctavish/

No evidence of any of this, which probably isn't needed as it's a fairly shameful list . I have been a bit happier with the more recent years since 2018 when I took a much bigger interest in the scouting process. 2013 - Bo but would have been happy with Nuke as well. Thought it was a win : win at the time but we did get the better player. 2014 - Jake - Ehlers ( Realllly wanted Reinhart - man he was slick in Jnr hense probably why I would possibly naively still be happy trading #9 for him if extended at a reasonable AAV). I think the post Boston / LA eliminations were still in all our minds and the temptation of a possible second coming of Bertuzzi was too much. Shame Jake has turned out to be pretty much a brain dead bust at this rate. 2015 - Barzal only really as I had seen him locally - I didn't think he would really turn out to be as good as he was but loved his game that i had seen. Really didn't care - hadn't watched much Jnr that year and wasn't really interested in the draft - BB wasn't even on my radar. Super happy how that turned out as I kinda thought we'd end up with Gaunce / Jensen failure again. Benning earned some trust from me on this one. 2016 - Dubois - O.J - Didn't think Dubois would go at 3 and thought EDM might actually not be stupid and choose a defencemen - Figured if we did choose D - then OJ was the best available. I still think he will be a class player if he can stay healthy - keeping that faith ! Didn't and still dont want Tkachuk - saw a lot of him in Jnr - and I think his attitude doesn't create a great winning team cohesion - which is showing through again in the past season / weeks in Cow town. 2017 - Glass - Mittelstadt - Had only seen Petey in highlight reels - but was happy we picked him at the time as I knew JB and his scouts must trust the highlight reel players were the norm, which they have certainly proven to be. 2018 - Boqvist - Dobson - Bouchard ( didn't think there was a chance Hughes would fall) - 2nd Veleno -> Woo -> Foudy - started to get much more serious about the draft this year - Never dreamed that Hughes would fall to us, as outside of Dahlin he was my fav player of the class. Not only that, but I really hoped Woo would be there in the 2nd for us, but didn't think there was much of a chance - think i smiled for a week after this draft :D 2019 - Zegras - Podz - Soderstrom - Newhook - Boldy - Krebs - 2nd Hoglander !! Podz was really hard to project where he would go- and the russian factor did scare me, but i loved the player in his draft year and was happy with the pick, tho slightly dissapointed Zegras went a place earlier. Still i think Podz will be a better fit for our team and the Ruski crazy hasn't kicked in yet at least. Soooo wanted Hogz in the second and was over the moon when he was actually available and we drafted him. Didn't think he would be this good this soon tho. 2020 - who cares lol

Some Interesting chatter going around today : 1. Detroit very high on McTavish. 2. Columbus very high on Johnson 3. Buff haven't even talked to Power yet . . . (Doesn't really affect us - assume they are picking Beniers and trading Reinhart and/or Eichel ) Assuming no one else picks Wallstedt before us that would likely give the option of : Guenther who seems to be falling and is certainly not a position / player of need for us. Would certainly make things interesting from there. Do we take Wallstedt if Clark is high on him, even tho we have Demmer and Mikey D. Stick with Guenther who could well be BPA, despite questions marks, or take a bigger punt on Sillinger, Lambos, Svechkov, Lysell or even Ratu who seems to be climbing the rankings again for some reason. Maybe due to the fact the number of actual projectable centers in the first round is verrrrrry low...

I would be fine with picking Cleumans at 9 - it's a pretty big reach as he is 2 tiers lower than where we would pick for me. I do think this floor is high enough that means, baring injury, we would be getting a good player in a position of need out it. Which is in itself an interesting point of debate. If we can get a good 3rd line center or a good 2nd pairing RHD outta this draft in the next 2 years - its a win for us. If we end up with a Virtanen / OJ who are still not established players after 4+ years its not so good and we would have been obviously better off trading it for a Reinhart, Cernak, Megna, anyone. That's the Johnson vs Mctavish debate for me, which I see a lot of people here having ( Virtanen, Ritchie Vs Nylander / Ehlers flashbacks anyone ?! ). I think McTavish is a lock for 3rd line center who could be a real good 2nd line center at his apex in the NHL - Johnson will either be the second coming of Petey or a bust / Bear type player. What has most value that to us as a club ? Probably a moot point as I think there is a very small chance both players are there when we pick - but still - Ceiling Vs Floor is always a interesting debate.

Yeah totally agree - I still have a lot of faith in O.J - if he can just shake the fitness issue he looks like a very good all round D. I think all the players you listed there turn out to be 4.5-5.5M players. The problem with adding another 5-7M player this season through impatience could really will just be history repeating in trying to short cut things - but how much patience is there in the fan base for a narrow playoff miss or first round exit which we more than likely see without adding a quality player this season ?

Multiple things trouble me about Jones : - Cap Hit ( rumours of 9-10M)- we'd end up spending too much on D unless we can move some $$$ out. - Another Offence first D. Add that to Hughes, Rathbone, Myers, Schmidt - thats a lot of wanderings from the back end that leads to some of the disasters we saw early season. The dude is a great player for sure tho. Sam would be cheaper - he can play center as well giving us some different lineup options and injury backup and he adds a level of smarts and passing that currently only Petey really brings to our top 9.

I think Button's latest mock is pretty dam good. He usually throws in a few curve balls to get people talking, like have L'Heureux top 10 - seriously hope he doesn't go to CGY tho, playing him and Tkchuck all the time would be hair pulling ... Lysell looks like the whipping boy this year - but i do think there is a good chance he could plummet to 20+ Pronmans on the other hand i thought was terrible. I'd do the Reinhart trade for #9 - I wouldn't add tho, unless its 'dead' salary outgoing. I do really like the prospects that are available in our range but due to the pandemic and other factors they are likely 2 years out and then playing 8 mins a night for a year from there. Sam would be a great fit all over our top 6 and makes us a lot better straight away.

I do think that McT and Sillinger will be our best bets to contribute in what is hopefully the upcoming start of our cup contention window. While i'm pretty high on Johnson, i think him, and a few of the D ( Luke Hughes inc) could be looking at 2-3 years before they make a team. I think even Owen Power really should take another year before playing in the NHL - #1 pick or not... you gotta remember how little some of these guys have played in the last year. That probably is gonna be a factor for us and Benning when they are looking at prospects.

I'm still pretty high on this guy - He could be a hell of a player if he pulls it all together. Skill, size, speed, all round game - He was an early pick for #1 for a reason. The kids just had a very average second year - didn't make a impact once playing against men in Finland and his game kinda stalled - especially offensively. Kinda looked a bit like Podkolzin in his D+1 in some ways. Then there was the strange affair of why he didn't get re-invited to World Jnrs by Finland - was it just politics or much more likely they didn't like the player - huge alarm bell. If Salo really likes the player and they can get to the bottom of the issues and believe the upside is really there - i wouldn't hate the pick. But i think at this time there is a lot less risk in McTavish, Sillinger, Johnson, Lucius etc. Could be this years Chychrun - lots of teams regret not taking that risk.

In my views of Johnson I would say there are few similarities to Goldy. My concerns in drafting him would be - can he pull a complete game together, can he play as part of a system. Is he going to get caught too much in transition. Can he put on enough weight to compete with the big heavy teams in the playoffs. I also think Mason Mctavish would be a great pickup for us . . . However if you want to make loose comparisons you could very much say he will be Brendan Gaunce 2.0. I think we already a pretty lightweight team which showed in last years playoffs - so maybe MM makes more sense for us, where as KJ will make more sense to a team above us that needs an injection of skill and can take a hit on size and strength due to the supporting cast ( Col, LA, SJ etc) Given everything i'm fairly sure that it will come down to one of these two players that falls to us or Benning will reach a bit further and grab a Lucius, Lambos, Lysell or someone else who's name begins with L

Johnson works hard on the ice for sure - maybe sometimes too hard ? He is really active on D, leads transition and moves a lot on Offence. He is far from a Goldy type player who can't contribute at both ends of the ice. I think the big question will be can he grow and learn to be part of a system the same way that Hoglander has - that will make or break his deployment with Green. I think if the scouts think that might be the case he will be gone top 5 no prob tho as that would put him into EP level potential. I really like K.J as a prospect and would be very happy if we picked him. Edvinsson scares me the most of any of the top 10 if i'm honest. Maybe that is just Jake recency bias or maybe I just watched the 3 games he was horrible in. I have heard he has been more consistent and made fewer mistakes in recent games. I don't see the Edler comparisons - I still think O.J is a really good Edler comp and despite a few struggles this season still looks better ( and fitter ) than Edler did at a similar age. I think a better comparison for Edvinsson is Tyler Myers - his staking and defending reminds me a lot of Myers and if you get peak Myers he will be a very good pick - if you get brain fart Myers, then look out...

Hey everyone - I've been closely following the drafts for the last 10 years and as there has been almost nothing to do for the last year thanks to our old friend Corona I watched a lot of footage, and read a lot of reports. So, As my first post on these here forums I wanted to provide a slightly different take on a draft list which doesn't so much describe and rank the players but takes the Range I feel they are predicted to go in taken from many many sources while adding my own personal bias - From there i have added some theories on how likely they are to rise of fall around or beyond that range. Given our draft position and the many many variables of this years draft I thought it could be an interesting take and while its a long old story I hope some people might find it interesting : Range : 1-3. Owen Power, LHD, Michigan Wolverines (NCAA) Does he drop ? Small chance of dropping to 2 but no further. Seems consensus number 1 amongst scouts. Has the tools and the toolbox which make him as close to a sure thing as this draft is gonna see. Having a big mobile D certainly seems to be a thing this playoffs. He is likely to have a more Ekblad level career than Hedman tho so not the most exciting #1, and questions around fit in Buffalo along with commitment to a college route might cause a small place drop. Range : 1-3. Matthew Beniers, C/W, Michigan Wolverines (NCAA) Does he move up ? Low chance he goes #1. If Buffalo really feel they are going to lose both Reinhart and Eichel then maybe they choose the center over the D where they already have Dahlin. If not then likely they do go with Power who is the consensus better player Does he drop ? Unlikely to drop below three. High motor, character, all round game and the value of playing the center position makes him a very appealing pick. That being said, there are not many truly elite aspects of his game with scouts feeling he is more likely ultimately a 2nd center, again making him not the most exciting top 2 pick. It could be a team or two that prefers the higher ceiling of one of the big D in this position. Range : 3-5. William Eklund, C/W, Djurgårdens IF (SHL) Does he move up ? Highly unlikely. Too many good players at more important positions ( based on the feeling he will play W in the NHL). Does he Drop ? Very unlikely he drops below 5. Due to already being a proven talent in the SHL Eklund is a very safe bet to be a high impact scoring forward at NHL level. His final position will depend on how the teams picking in this range value the other D or really believe in one of the other high skill cap forwards. Range : 3-11. Dylan Guenther, C/W, Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL) Does he move up ? Scouts were very high on him earlier in the year after posting some impressive numbers. He could move up as high as 3 if a team in need of high scoring potential coupled with an all round game really likes the player. Does he drop ? I think Guenther is one of the largest wildcards in the top 11. He has high IQ and a great motor but his skill level is lower than you would like for a top 5 pick. Sample size is lower and against weaker opposition. Projects to wing which is a less favourable position. Was outshined by other prospects at the U18’s. Range : 2-9 . Brandt Clarke, RHD, HC Nove Zamky (Slovakia) – on loan from Barrie Colts (OHL) Does he move up ? Clarke has a good chance of moving as high as 2. Tho I think 3-5 is more likely. His Offensive talents are exactly what many teams are looking for in an offensive D / Powerplay quaterback. He has good size and great I.Q. He is also Right Handed and has at least a developing defensive game. Does he Drop ? He could drop as far as Vancouver at 9 where he would feel a huge organizational need - but I think that’s highly unlikely… He struggled defensively when playing against men this season. His skating is not great and it would seem still affected by a prior knee injury that could scare teams off. I’m telling u there is a chance ;-) Range : 5-12. Luke Hughes, LHD, USNTDP Juniors (USHL) Does he move up ? I feel Luke could be a bit more of a wild card than some people think. I think it's possible he moves as high as 4. His bloodline seems to imply that he is a sure bet to make the show. He has a lot of good looking tools and I feel you could make an argument for him being the 3rd best offensive D in the draft. Does he drop ? Once you add in season ending foot surgery, a below average defensive game and the odd murmurings of some attitude problems. Then look at his offensive tools that are way less developed than Quinn who I also feel had a better defensive game in his draft year (and still dropped to our extreme benefit!). If you're banking on his larger frame making up for those short falls - closer inspection of his game proves he hardly uses that size to good effect. He could drop outside the top 10 - but i do think the upsides will out weigh the downsides when it comes to Luke and someone will take him in the middle of the top 10 region. Range : 3-11. Simon Edvinsson, LHD, Frölunda HC (SHL) Does he move up ? I have seen a lot of people compare Edvinsson to Philip Broberg from the 2019 draft. While they are stylistically a little different they are very similar on the risk Vs reward front. If a team likes him as much as Edmonton did Broberg I could see him going as high as 3. And if he can put all the aspects of his game together coupled with his size he could very well be the best D in this draft. Does he drop ? Edvinsson has all the tools to be a Norris level D - he also has all the risk of being a Gudbransson level bust. His decision making can be terrible. Sbisa pizza level passing plagues his breakout game and routine mistakes indicate IQ problems. There may just be too much risk here for team to take a gamble in the top 10 and he could end up in free fall. I still think it's likely he goes top 11 - probably top 8 just like Broberg. Range : 2-11. Kent Johnson, C, Michigan Wolverines (NCAA) Does he move up ? Johnson has the highest skill ceiling of any forward in the top 10. The kid has a crazy offensive toolbox with some highlight reel plays on show. He could have Petey / Barzal level potential if he can put it all together. If a team believes he has the drive and IQ to put it together i can see him going 2-6 no problem. Does he drop ? Johnson does have a small frame and an underdeveloped defensive game. He also has some IQ problems that lead to holding onto the puck for too long and ultimately making a bad decision. He at times reminds me of Drouin in his draft year and could follow his career path if he is unable to pull things together. Still, i think his upside is too much to pass up on. I can still see him going 5-10. Range : 9-15. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Luleå HF (SHL) Does he move up ? The only way I really see Wallstedt moving up is one of the teams in the top 10 see this pick as the only way of shoring up the position. Some noise coming out of Detroit and San Jose that adding this player could be just what they need and could play sooner rather than later for a G prospect given his already impressive numbers in the SHL. I think the overall upside is not there to justify taking Wallstedt in the top 5-7. Does he drop ? I think unless he really fits a teams needs he will ultimately go 10-17 range. His upside looks lower than some recent first round pick Gs who went lower than his projection range and picking a G top 10 can always be a risky proposition. I feel he goes to Det / SJ or he drops 12-15. Range : 3-15 Mason McTavish, C, EHC Olten (SL) – on loan from Peterborough Petes (OHL) Does he move up ? The C factor coupled with the compete, bloodline and shot could well see McTavish go top 5-10. He could be this year's Hayton or KK for sure. He looked good at the U18’s, not out of his depth against men in the Swiss league and he brings the game teams win with in the playoffs. He seems mature and intelligent in all interviews i have seen. Does he drop ? I think there is no chance he drops below 12. However I do think people are now over hyping Mason. While he has compete and character, he doesn’t have the pace and skill of other players around him and If you want a pure goal scoring center both Sillinger and Lucius are better options. I think he would be a perfect fit for Vancouver as his pretty safe floor of competitive 3rd line center who can chip in 20 goals would fill a big organizational need. He looks very similar to Bo in his draft year. Most likely goes 5-10. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I really feel the above is the top 9 (+ 1 G) that Benning was talking about - the drop off from here is a bit larger - tho there are a few interesting prospect who could jump up depending on scouting / interviews who i will briefly cover next Top 20. Fabian Lysell, RW, Luleå HF (SHL) Strong motor with a tenacious game and a high skill ceiling to boot. Very much could be a Ehlers / Nylander type of pick due to his current size (tho he plays a more complete game with less offensive IQ that those players).Small frame who struggled a bit against men and his trade request raised concerns about attitude. If a team with strong Sweedish scouting like Detroit or Vancouver picks him I think he turn out to be a great pick - otherwise likely goes 12-20. Top 20. Chaz Lucius, C/W, U.S. National U18 Team (USDP) Huge potential to be highly skilled scoring forward. He is defensively responsible and has good hands, reasonable size with a scary array of deadly shots in his arsenal. Only his skating is suspect. An injury hit season has enabled scouts to only get a short look at him so likely he now goes outside the top 10 however he could end up being a Barzal like pickup for some lucky team in the mid teens - if someone in the top 10 doesn’t take a small reach to snag him. Top 20. Cole Sillinger, C, Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) Another good goal scoring prospect whose stock has probably been affected badly by the pandemic. I do think he is a tier below Lucius with even worse staking. So baring his bloodline or other insider scouting knowledge i find it hard to believe he would go before Lucius, Johnson and McTavish Top 20. Carson Lambos, LHD, Winnipeg ICE (WHL) Lambos could be one of if not the best all round D of this draft and a perfect fit for Vancouver's blueline baring the small issue of handedness. He is a great powerful skater with a large body and most importantly for us, a killer shot from the point. Biggest concerns seem to be around his season ending injury which is still largely undisclosed in nature - meaning it could be a similar knee injury to that which has seriously hampered OJ’s development. I do actually believe if not for this injury and if he had played a full season that he could be challenging for 3rd best D prospect right now. Final potential mentions to players who could be seeing their draft stock rise but also pretty unlikely to be of consideration when Vancouver pick due to being a tier lower in skill or with other added risk areas. Still can’t say i would be upset if we picked one of the following either : Fyodor Svechkov, C/LW, Ladia Togliatti (MHL) Nikita Chibrikov, RW, SKA-1946 St. Petersburg (MHL) Corson Ceulemans, RHD, Brooks Bandits (AJHL) Zachary L’Heureux, C, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) Aatu Räty, C, Kärpät (Liiga)