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Everything posted by theminister
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Sorry, typo. Old habits.
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The ideal situation would be for us to trade up to acquire another top 10 pick in this draft, say by moving either Kesler to Ana or a d-man like Edler to the Canes. Then we could take one power and one skill player in a combo, such as Ritchie/Nylander (my preference) or Virtanen/Kapanen or Perlini/Ehlers. Having acquired two top prospects in each draft of the last two years, plus our later round picks, goes a long way towards the future of this team. I believe it can even be done without a major sacrifice to the present. Moves such as: Kelser for Vatanen, Ott 1st 2014, Ana 1st 2014 Edler for Riley Nash/ Brock McGinn, 2015 1st/2nd Sign Paul Stastny, 5 years $6.0 mil Draft skill-power combo, Ritchie/Nylander - Virtanen/Kapanen - Perlini/Ehlers Re-sign Kassian, Tanev, Santorelli, Schroeder Buyout/trade Booth Sedins-Jensen/Kassian Burr-Stastny-Kassian/Jensen Higgins-Horvat-Santorelli Matthias-Richardson-Hansen Schroeder, Sestitio Hamhuis-Tanev Garrison-Bieksa Stanton-Vatanen Corrado Lack Markstrom Shinkaruk, Gaunce, Fox, Grenier, Archibald, Lain, Cassels, Subban, Eriksson, Hutton, Ritchie/Nylander-Virtanen/Kapanen-Perlini/Ehlers This is a younger line-up with good call up potential and promise for the future. It also retains some significant cap space to address other issues as needed. It's not all bleak in Canuck town.
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That all stems from a single USA Today article. Hardly the last word on hockey issues. I have seen no other evidence that he has an attitude problem. IMHO totally overblown. Once he is drafted I anticipate there will be no carry over as the situation will be completely different. He'll also get two years of all of the ice-time he can take in the SEL.
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Somebody will fall to the Ducks. It's inevitable. Unless they move their pick.
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That's a huge stretch. He plays at the best level in every international competition. He raises his game.
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Nylander has the big 3 things I look for: hockey sense, skating and work ethic. His sundry skills put him over the top. I expect he will probably slip due to the 'Swedish Factor' but not as far as the 'Russian Factor' would make him. Even so, Kuznetsov was a top 5 pick in his draft. I expect Nylander may slip to 10th but that doesn't mean I think he should or he shouldn't be taken higher.
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He has the best vision and hockey sense of the remaining players and, possibly, of the entire draft. He generates offensive chances in so many different ways. He has that innate inability that is obvious when you see it. What makes him enticing is that he has the skills to go along with that. His passing, skating, quickness, and hands are all top notch. Not only does he have the desire to do it but he has has the skills to back it up. I believe he is the type of player that will get the most out of his line mates. He can raise his ability in big games and already has sown that he one of the best on the biggest stages. I expect that to continue. Does he have holes? Yes. His defensive game needs work but he has all of the tools to overcome that. He could get used to NA style of hockey but he also isn't a stranger to it and I think he can adapt. Ultimately, I think he is going to make huge strides in the next two years to the point that he will be included in 'the best players outside of the NHL' conversation. Long term I think he'll be a special player. Better than Granlund, IMHO, and that's a good place to start.
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This is absolutely true. Making comparisons to other players is folly but it's a natural tendency every one will do. I'm certain even professional scouting staffs do it even though it's understood that it's a poor practise. Every player is different. Analogies are just extremely useful tools to encapsulate pure data. "Darmok, when the walls fell."
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I'll say it again, I think Nylander is the best pick at 6th. I completely expect the Canucks to take Ritchie and I understand why they would. It's not a bad pick and extremely difficult for a scouting staff to pass over. We are going to take a good player. Our prospect pool will be even better after this offseason from our picks in this draft and any subsequent moves.. I'm confident of that.
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He really has. The Blues are going to be tough on your Hawks, I think. And you would be upset. We all would be. I can tell you that there were no easy moments for the Isles last year. If it wasn't for players like Handzus and Vokoun stepping up BIG time we never would have made it put out of the 2nd round. Not rooting against you OTTS but the Canuck fan in me makes it hard not to root for the underdog.
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Maybe. Maybe.
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The Isles are currently holding the 10th(Ana), 11th(TB), and 13th(NYI) overall picks in the draft, as well as the 41st, 43rd and three more 2nd rounders TBD, and two more 3rds. We will be investigating moving up in the draft and are open to listening for offers.
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I hope all teams have a big and successful playoffs this year even thought the defending champs didn't make it! It will be a quick turnaround in the offseason as the Isles expect to be back in competition immediately and for the foreseeable future. Especial congrats to Romo and the Carolina Canes! You deserve it for turning that team around. You might even be the Giant Slayer if all goes well!
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I truly think people need to get past the idea that Etem is available... at all. He's a visible minority from the LBC with star potential. He's a blank cheque for the marketers in that franchise for the next dozen years. Murray should be fired if he trades him. Actually, even so, Vatanen is a bigger need for the Canucks and the Ducks can spare him with Fowler and Lindholm in the fold.
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Straight ahead speed is the only thing that Virtanen beats Ritchie in, and it isn't a huge difference. Ritchie has good two-step quickness and can get where he needs to be every time. Ritchie has him beat, or tied, in every other category including shot, physicality, creativeness, passing, and defensive awareness.
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You just made the argument as to why Ritchie could be such a special player. And again……. there is no issue with Ritchie's speed. He's a good skater, period. It has nothing to do with his size. If anything he could become an even better skater. Players like Ritchie are never redundant in a system because there are so few players that come along like Ritchie. He's a much better fit for the Canucks than Virtanen because he can balance the size on the wings and is more likely to play a true power game at the NHL level. Virtanen is stocky and powerful but he will never bully his way around the NHL. Ritchie very well might be able to. Complimentary players to play with PWF are much easier to come by than true PWFs themselves. They are almost never available in FA or in trade without a severe overpayment. You need to just look at the UFA class his year, a poor one, to see that a guy like Stastny could be added to the roster. Ritchie-Stastny-Kassian could be just as or even more dominant as Lucic-Krejci-Horton, for an example.
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I'd love to enter this conversation but, due to my CDCGML fantasy league team, I am precluded from exposing my preferences ahead of our own draft. I don't wan to tip my hat on 2nd-3rd rounders. This year I don't pick until 11th overall so the top 10 are fair pickings for me. Suffice to say, SID is correct IMHO. The talent is pretty good until 45-50th. After that it drops off.
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The point is that offence is created in many different ways. Ritchie isn't a passenger. I'm sure you won't think that because you've become convinced he is a complimentary player as opposed to a player than can create offence themselves. i believe he is the latter,\. I believe this year was an aberration. We were victims of a different (IMHO bad) coach, no PP, and injuries. Those can be overcome for next year.
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How many times in our franchise history have we had a true powerforward? 4? 5? Points aren't everything. Ritchie is both. Much easier to acquire in trade or FA than a powerforward.
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Very much THIS.
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Absolutely. If Draisaitl is there then we absolutely take him. What would be a total shocker would be if SNYPERS7 is correct and Ehlers is taken in the top 5. What then if Ritchie is as well? There could be a couple of players who we didn't think would be available but are. Then we could have a choice between, say, Dal Colle and Draisaitl. Then it would get interesting.
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I think that's entirely likely that we are looking at another pick in that range. I'm not sure it will come from a flip of picks but possibly by moving a player out. But I agree, that's exactly what we'd do. This draft is heavy on smaller, skilled forwards further down the chart. There will be a good gamble to take late in the 1st round. Even more reason that I don't think we let Ritchie slip past us. If he even gets to us which he might not…. in which case, that we get one of the top 5, we can go after a d-man or BPA.
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I'll take that bet.
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That's how I see it. 6th is a good spot, right now. We essentially get the wildcard pick.
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That's the same with Button's list that had Virtanen at 41. It's about who they think that player should turn into. That's why everyone's list is different, including those of NHL teams, and the reason the lists are always wrong. We are also allowed to have our opinions.