6th Pick: 2014 NHL Entry Draft

[R3aL]

Still wouldn't touch Ehlers, that script has been written with overhyped undersized forwards (yes, undersized - he's listed at 5'11'' everywhere other than eliteprospects). These types of players get it done in junior but fizzle out before the big show. There's countless examples, from our very own Jordan Schroeder, Zach Hamil to Gilbert Brule and Angelo Esposito. It's extremely difficult in today's NHL, and especially the Western conference, to fit in an undersized forward for the sole purpose of his offensive skills. There's always a good chance the scoring doesn't translate, and at that point what else can he bring to earn a roster spot?

If Ehlers falls to us past the top 10, and guys like Virtanen, McCann, and Perlini are taken, then maybe you consider Ehlers. Even then that's a pretty big gamble for a guy who's supposed to be our consolation prize for missing the playoffs.

How can you even compare Scrhroeder hamill or brule to Ehlers

Ehlers plays a speed game, none of those 3 do, Schroeder is much smaller than ehlers height wise what i she 5 8 5 9? Most sites I have seen have ehlers as 6 feet 170 now. Brule played a power game in WHL, he wasnt developed properly and of course he was only 5 11 175-185 when he came in to the big league and he wasnt ready.

Ehlers game and situation just arent comparable with those three players.

TOMaapleLaughs:

This point came up about Sam Gagner. Why he's struggled.

His problem now is that he's played 7 years in the NHL already when he should really have played only 3-4. In his draft junior year he played with Patrick Kane. Gee, you think that inflated his stats? Meanwhile, the other linemate, Sergei Kostitsyn, never amounted to much either.

In drafts, i'd shy away from thinking junior players playing with future elites are all that great themselves.

After the draft, i'm sure as hell not throwing in an undersized center into a brutal lineup with hopes that he could save them.

Logan Couture was passed on by the Oilers. He wasn't undersized. He was a leader on his team, not a beneficiary. And he also had to wait years before joining the Sharks. And look, he's currently WAY better than Gagner.

I'm noting this because Ehlers is obviously a beneficiary playing alongside Drouin, similar to Gagner playing with Kane. Him being rather skinny and undersized, i'd definitely shy away from him as Edmonton should have stayed away from Gagner and picked Couture instead.

I think the Canucks are going to make better decisions than Edmonton, but that's not saying much. They need to make decisions that allow themselves to compete with their american opponents, not other sad Canadian franchises.

If the Canucks had simply avoided undersized guys, they'd have Johansson or ROR instead of Schroeder. And since we have Shinkaruk already and Schroeder kicking around still, burning a high pick for yet another undersized guy who plays the same position and role as Shinkaruk makes no sense whatsoever.

I do not understand why many here are chanting Ehlers like he's some sort of saviour when he's not even the leader on his junior team. But there are a lot of things said here I do not agree with.

These are valid points on ehlers though, his plus/minus and stats could be inflated by Drouin, but next year Drouin will be gone and he will be thrusted into a leadership role, were he grew up playing hockey his size wasnt important to his game, here in north america it is. He has said that, I really dont think he will have trouble putting on 25 points over the next couple years slowly without affecting his speed at all.

I am not advocating we draft him, but he is a guaranteed top 10 pick this draft and depending on the board and how things shape up, a GM might snag him early 4-7, especially if some of the top ten guys have poor playoff performances.

[Joel Heyman]

Honestly I think we're most likely to end up at 9th or 10th with one of McCann, Perlini, Nylander or Kapanen.

Perlini looks like an absolute Gillis pick with his size, speed, skill combo. I think he's a little risky but I wouldnt mind him in the long run, looks like another Jensen type.

McCann I would like second most out of this quartet, he has a solid wrist shot, decent size, a solid two way game and underrated offensive upside. Some guys on HF have christened him a Toews-lite, which I am skeptical of but I like that he has a solid floor/potentially rising ceiling to him.

Nylander I want the most because of our need for top offensive players for the future. He has a high octane offensive game and has been showing very impressively in the SHL from the games and clips I've seen of him. He has a bit more risk to his game but the payoff could be absolutely worth it.

Kapanen is a player that I have not seen play but he was a parallel player to Ehlers earlier this year before Ehlers exploded in the CHL. He has a fast game with good two way play but he isnt very physical from what I've read. Really don't know too much about him but he averages from 10-15 in a lot of rankings so figured he would be on our radar.

For me I think best case scenario is that Ritchie or Ehlers fall to us.

Best of all time (BOAT) scenario would be trading Kesler+ to Anaheim for Etem and Ottawa's pick (projected 6th overall, maybe 5th if they continue tanking like a boss).

That 6th overall pick gives us a definite chance at one of the 2nd tier of players behind the Big 3: Dal Colle/Draisaitl/Ehlers.

[Dogbyte]

Ehlers is fricking top 5.

Hopefully, that will mean someone the rest of us want will fall a spot.

[Pears]

Why can't they co-exist? Look at chicago with having 2 gamebreakers on RW with Hossa and Kane. It lets them separate their scoring so that 1 d pairing can't shut off the whole attack.

I'm not comparing shink and ehlers talent wise or style wise, but merely the idea of a balanced attack.

Well why not if Ehlers is available and he's the BPA? I mean we could do this with whay we have right now without making any trades

Shinkaruk - Horvat - Kassian

Jensen - Gaunce - Ehlers

I have a feeling we're gonna make a trade for a pick in the 8-11 range and grab a guy like Draisaitl with our pick

[AntonRodin]

I want the Canucks scouting staff to take a look at Oshawa Generals winger Hunter Smith hes ranked 140 for North American Skaters in ISS rankings.

The guy is 6'6 he had 16 goals 24 assists and 100 PIMs in the regular season and got 3rd in votes as the most improved player in the ohl eastern conference.

But hes gone beast mode in the playoffs putting up 1 goal and 8 assists soo far in 3 games. He's definitely raised his draft stock

[Ihatetomatoes]

I forgot about Nylander, you have to think Tomas Gradin has been following him closely.

I'm on the Nylander wagon for sure. One thing the Canucks lack in their lineup and in their prospect depth is guys with elite puck skills.

Having a guy that can dangle and create space with the puck is a huge necessity for the nucks.

I feel like Gillis is going to continue with the Size and speed train with Ritchie, Virtanen, or Tuch. Not bad picks but if Nylander is available he could be a huge steal.

[Pears]

I'm on the Nylander wagon for sure. One thing the Canucks lack in their lineup and in their prospect depth is guys with elite puck skills.

Having a guy that can dangle and create space with the puck is a huge necessity for the nucks.

I feel like Gillis is going to continue with the Size and speed train with Ritchie, Virtanen, or Tuch. Not bad picks but if Nylander is available he could be a huge steal.

It honestly depends on who we want and who's available. I personally think we'll take Nylander if we finish low enough and he's available. But if we want Virtanen as well I can see us trading for another first.

Nylander - Horvat - Virtanen

Shinkaruk - Gaunce - Kassian

That's hawt. Maybe make a trade for a future 2C so we'd have Gaunce as our 3C?

[canucklehead44]

I want the Canucks scouting staff to take a look at Oshawa Generals winger Hunter Smith hes ranked 140 for North American Skaters in ISS rankings.

The guy is 6'6 he had 16 goals 24 assists and 100 PIMs in the regular season and got 3rd in votes as the most improved player in the ohl eastern conference.

But hes gone beast mode in the playoffs putting up 1 goal and 8 assists soo far in 3 games. He's definitely raised his draft stock

I had him on the radar for 3rd or 4th round, hilarious that another person brought up the same player!

Funny thing is he has probably gone from a fourth round pick to a late second - early third given his recent performance.

[missioncanucksfan]

I want the Canucks scouting staff to take a look at Oshawa Generals winger Hunter Smith hes ranked 140 for North American Skaters in ISS rankings.

The guy is 6'6 he had 16 goals 24 assists and 100 PIMs in the regular season and got 3rd in votes as the most improved player in the ohl eastern conference.

But hes gone beast mode in the playoffs putting up 1 goal and 8 assists soo far in 3 games. He's definitely raised his draft stock

FINALLY....we get to talk about someone else besides Virtanen or Eelers or Pirlini.

Who DO we pick with our 2nd pick (feels strange that we even have a 2nd).

One person I hope is available by then or if we can get a late 1st or early 2nd is Brendan Lemieux. Posted terrific numbers for only his 2nd year. Has terrific size, and wonder if he has the same intangibles as his ol' man.

Funny thought about Brendan is that looking at his birthday. Was born around same time his dad was eliminating us in the first round

[ibesawesomey]

What's the report on Tuch? Seems like a solid option if everyone we want is out, and if Kesler does leave.

Big centre that could switch to wing. Thoughts?

[DeNiro]

I wouldn't be against taking Lemieux later in the first round if we acquire another 1st round pick.

He seems like the complete package.

[L. Stanley]

Honestly I think we're most likely to end up at 9th or 10th with one of McCann, Perlini, Nylander or Kapanen.

Perlini looks like an absolute Gillis pick with his size, speed, skill combo. I think he's a little risky but I wouldnt mind him in the long run, looks like another Jensen type.

McCann I would like second most out of this quartet, he has a solid wrist shot, decent size, a solid two way game and underrated offensive upside. Some guys on HF have christened him a Toews-lite, which I am skeptical of but I like that he has a solid floor/potentially rising ceiling to him.

Nylander I want the most because of our need for top offensive players for the future. He has a high octane offensive game and has been showing very impressively in the SHL from the games and clips I've seen of him. He has a bit more risk to his game but the payoff could be absolutely worth it.

Kapanen is a player that I have not seen play but he was a parallel player to Ehlers earlier this year before Ehlers exploded in the CHL. He has a fast game with good two way play but he isnt very physical from what I've read. Really don't know too much about him but he averages from 10-15 in a lot of rankings so figured he would be on our radar.

For me I think best case scenario is that Ritchie or Ehlers fall to us.

Best of all time (BOAT) scenario would be trading Kesler+ to Anaheim for Etem and Ottawa's pick (projected 6th overall, maybe 5th if they continue tanking like a boss).

That 6th overall pick gives us a definite chance at one of the 2nd tier of players behind the Big 3: Dal Colle/Draisaitl/Ehlers.

I like this idea a lot

Kesler for Etem and OTT's 1st

then with 2 picks in the top 10 -12 we could move those 2 picks and move up in the draft to see if we could get ekblad (although I worry he will just be a victor hedman) either way, this trade allows us to draft one high end skill guy - ehlers, nylander type and draft one guy with more size - virtanen, draisilt, perilini, tuch, ritchie

[missioncanucksfan]

I like this idea a lot

Kesler for Etem and OTT's 1st

then with 2 picks in the top 10 -12 we could move those 2 picks and move up in the draft to see if we could get ekblad (although I worry he will just be a victor hedman) either way, this trade allows us to draft one high end skill guy - ehlers, nylander type and draft one guy with more size - virtanen, draisilt, perilini, tuch, ritchie

not to sound too far into dreamland but I remember hearing Anaheims offer of Etem and BOTH of their 1sts.

with their late round pick, go off of the board and snag Lemieux

[L. Stanley]

looking at the standings, we are pretty much guaranteed to pick 10th

OTT looks like they will pick anywhere from 6-9

if there pick isnt 6th, I'd ask for a 3rd piece, I heard rumours they were totally fine with moving Vatanen - can anyone confirm?

Kesler +1-2 of

(2nd, B+ prospect, Hansen)

for Etem, OTT's 1st, Vatanen

If I am ANA I totally do thay trade and I feel great about it - they still have a lot of young players on that team - Rackell - DP-smith, kerdiles, theadore and Langiniere all coming up

[L. Stanley]

not to sound too far into dreamland but I remember hearing Anaheims offer of Etem and BOTH of their 1sts.

with their late round pick, go off of the board and snag Lemieux

if that was the offer, I am not sure how Gillis does not take that - considering we all know what PITs was offering

[Joel Heyman]

looking at the standings, we are pretty much guaranteed to pick 10th

OTT looks like they will pick anywhere from 6-9

if there pick isnt 6th, I'd ask for a 3rd piece, I heard rumours they were totally fine with moving Vatanen - can anyone confirm?

Kesler +1-2 of

(2nd, B+ prospect, Hansen)

for Etem, OTT's 1st, Vatanen

If I am ANA I totally do thay trade and I feel great about it - they still have a lot of young players on that team - Rackell - DP-smith, kerdiles, theadore and Langiniere all coming up

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ducks-604471-murray-kesler.html

Honestly heading into the trade deadline that Anaheim package was my ideal return for Kesler, I didnt care for Sutter + Pouliot + 1st too much.

I think that Gillis was going too hard to get the roster player in the package. Im assuming that the player would be Bonino, who there is no way Anaheim moves in a package thats already this big (and hes a key player for them now). Getting Etem + Vatanen gives us too very solid offensive prospects at positions where we will be needing them soon, and Etem has historical chemistry with Shinkaruk. The 6th overall pick could easily be anyone from Dal Colle to Draisaitl or Ehlers and any of those three would be fantastic additions to our team.

[missioncanucksfan]

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ducks-604471-murray-kesler.html

Honestly heading into the trade deadline that Anaheim package was my ideal return for Kesler, I didnt care for Sutter + Pouliot + 1st too much.

I think that Gillis was going too hard to get the roster player in the package. Im assuming that the player would be Bonino, who there is no way Anaheim moves in a package thats already this big (and hes a key player for them now). Getting Etem + Vatanen gives us too very solid offensive prospects at positions where we will be needing them soon, and Etem has historical chemistry with Shinkaruk. The 6th overall pick could easily be anyone from Dal Colle to Draisaitl or Ehlers and any of those three would be fantastic additions to our team.

man-o-man....that report basically says that possibly 6 picks on the table....Ott 1st, Ana 1st, Tor 2nd, Ana 2nd.....+Ana 1st/2nd in 2015. AND either Etem or Rackel? Yikes....imagine 6 picks in First 2 rounds this year and 4 in first 2 rounds next year.

[Joel Heyman]

man-o-man....that report basically says that possibly 6 picks on the table....Ott 1st, Ana 1st, Tor 2nd, Ana 2nd.....+Ana 1st/2nd in 2015. AND either Etem or Rackel? Yikes....imagine 6 picks in First 2 rounds this year and 4 in first 2 rounds next year.

I dont think that all of them were available in the same package but they were all available

[missioncanucksfan]

I dont think that all of them were available in the same package but they were all available

report says they were available as Murray was horny to get Getzlaf-Kesler as his 1-2 punch at center

Can you imagine our drafting for the first 2 rounds as such;

Virtanen-7th(Ott)

Ritchie/Tuch- 8/9th(Ours)

Bleackly- 25th(Ana)

Lemieux-38th(ours)

Brett Pollock-43rd(Tor)

Jack Dougherty-55th(Ana)

[R3aL]

It honestly depends on who we want and who's available. I personally think we'll take Nylander if we finish low enough and he's available. But if we want Virtanen as well I can see us trading for another first.

Nylander - Horvat - Virtanen

Shinkaruk - Gaunce - Kassian

That's hawt. Maybe make a trade for a future 2C so we'd have Gaunce as our 3C?

Well considering you have left Jensen out of the top 6, and Cole Cassels out of our future, I think that is the most amazing group of prospect forwards we would ever have had.

Nylander-Horvat-Kassian

Shinkaruk-Cassels-Virtanen

Fox-Gaunce-Jensen

Top 9 potentially of the future

3 Solid 2 way Centers, RWs interchangeable,

Horvat will be our number 1 centre after Hank retires, he could even pass the torch on to him, Nylander would learn how to play better def with Horvat and our coaching staffs, Kassian hopefully would be developed by then and be a top line PWF, Horvats def responsibility will help both wingers greatly, plus he has the top end skill to compliment nylanders off skills. It would be like him replacing Domi, but a much better Domi, I am not a max fan.

I think Cassels will be a solid 2C, I think he would play well with Shinkaruk, and Virtanens size would help shinkaruk and he would be able to keep up with their fast pace, in fact they might have trouble keeping up with him.

I am expecting Gaunce and Fox to have developed chemistry from Erie, and after Utica, Jensen will add speed to the line, and his dynamic skill set, I just really think this line would click.

I like to imagine the future this way if thats who we drafted!

I wouldn't be against taking Lemieux later in the first round if we acquire another 1st round pick.

He seems like the complete package.

I would not mind picking him in the second round, depending on if Eric Cornel or A fallen first rounder, but Lemieux would make a solid second round choice in my opinion.