Looking for thoughts on Vilardi as the 2nd or 3rd pick in the NHL Entry Draft

[canucklehead44]

10 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

The Edmonton Oilers say hi. Size, skill and speed and add physicality. Canucks are woefully short of all of the above in their forward group. The question you might ask is how many smaller skilled guys can a roster have? From what I can see the only player with size and hopefully skill who might come up is Virtanen. Boeser at 195 pounds is a move in the right direction. Losing Zach Kassian was a serious set back to the org. I am not pointing fingers just stating a reality that the Canucks are no where near big enough to be serious Western Conference contenders.

 

The organization needs a 1C who is + 200 pounds. At #2 pick Benning should be able to draft that player. IMHO you do not take that high a pick and spend it on a talented small winger or even center unless he is a generational talent. It comes down to BPA or the priority org need. To me the org need should carry the day in this draft. 

I agree with you 100%. As much as the Oilers obviously benefited by adding first overall picks, I doubt they make the playoffs without the trio of Kassian, Maroon, and Lucic. They open up a tonne of space for the young scorers, and punish opposing teams physically. 

Jake is a good hitter, and Bo & Boeser can hold their own, but overall our forward lineup looks soft.

Here is how I rank our forward prospects based on who I think could fill out our top 6 after the Sedins retire:

1. Horvat
2. Boeser
3. Baertschi
4. Goldobin
5. Dahlen
6. Granlund
7. Virtanen 

That group is very small and soft. With Gudbranson and Tryamkin I am not worried about the physicality of our defence, but we really need size in the forward group. 

 

Hischier will be the obvious pick if we go #2, but I really think the only player who is a piece we can build around is Patrick. 

[Boudrias]

2 minutes ago, canucklehead44 said:

I agree with you 100%. As much as the Oilers obviously benefited by adding first overall picks, I doubt they make the playoffs without the trio of Kassian, Maroon, and Lucic. They open up a tonne of space for the young scorers, and punish opposing teams physically. 

Jake is a good hitter, and Bo & Boeser can hold their own, but overall our forward lineup looks soft.

Here is how I rank our forward prospects based on who I think could fill out our top 6 after the Sedins retire:

1. Horvat
2. Boeser
3. Baertschi
4. Goldobin
5. Dahlen
6. Granlund
7. Virtanen 

That group is very small and soft. With Gudbranson and Tryamkin I am not worried about the physicality of our defence, but we really need size in the forward group. 

 

Hischier will be the obvious pick if we go #2, but I really think the only player who is a piece we can build around is Patrick. 

I don't disagree with your list but it is sure an indication of where the org is on their development timeline. The only bonafide top 6 on your list is Horvat. Baer and Granlund are indicating they might be 3rd liners with possible 2nd line growth. The rest are talents but to early to tell. My take is that only Horvat and Virtanen can handle the heavy game. I haven't seen enough of Boeser to judge. When you watch the Oilers play their physical game last night you simply have to ask how well would Baer, Granlund and Goldy stand up to that?  

[canucklehead44]

8 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

I don't disagree with your list but it is sure an indication of where the org is on their development timeline. The only bonafide top 6 on your list is Horvat. Baer and Granlund are indicating they might be 3rd liners with possible 2nd line growth. The rest are talents but to early to tell. My take is that only Horvat and Virtanen can handle the heavy game. I haven't seen enough of Boeser to judge. When you watch the Oilers play their physical game last night you simply have to ask how well would Baer, Granlund and Goldy stand up to that?  

They would get destroyed. I think Baertschi and Granlund are both capable 2nd line players, but really as complimentary pieces to produce offence at a lower dollar to allow more cap space for a Milan Lucic type who gets a large part of his pay for intangibles. 

If Baertschi can stay healthy I can see him taking another step into the 20+ goal, 50+ point realm I think his value would be high enough to package with a few other pieces to get a bigger player with offensive upside who is having a down year. Landeskog, Bjugstad, Jenner etc. 

That said, Maroon scored 27 goals for Edmonton after costing the Oilers a 4th round pick. I was actually in the Ritchie camp during the 2014 draft. Man imagine him coming up the pipeline right now. Oh well.

[Boudrias]

26 minutes ago, canucklehead44 said:

They would get destroyed. I think Baertschi and Granlund are both capable 2nd line players, but really as complimentary pieces to produce offence at a lower dollar to allow more cap space for a Milan Lucic type who gets a large part of his pay for intangibles. 

If Baertschi can stay healthy I can see him taking another step into the 20+ goal, 50+ point realm I think his value would be high enough to package with a few other pieces to get a bigger player with offensive upside who is having a down year. Landeskog, Bjugstad, Jenner etc. 

That said, Maroon scored 27 goals for Edmonton after costing the Oilers a 4th round pick. I was actually in the Ritchie camp during the 2014 draft. Man imagine him coming up the pipeline right now. Oh well.

Totally agree about the need for size in the lineup. Canucks have enough time to see how Baer and Granlund will evolve. It is always about the mix.

 

The biggest playoff surprise for me so far is Columbus. I admit I have not seen much of their games. Going into playoffs I thought they had a great mix of size, speed and talent but Pitt seems to be doing just fine. In the regular season games I watched them play they had a swagger and a leaning toward a punishing physical style.

[mpt]

5 hours ago, suitup said:

Maybe if you watched Hischier play instead of stat-watching and blindly comparing him to Niederreiter who doesn't even play the same way, you'd know he's a challenger for 1st. 

 

Also coming out of this draft with a Neiderreiter would be pretty good considering, the talent pool of this year's draft. 

I don't believe he's close to #1 but he's also not close to #3

[mpt]

4 hours ago, messier's_elbow said:

Besides Patrick and Hischier, who would be your choice then? 

That's all that really excites me, I hope April 29 gives us some luck so we don't have to think that hard.  Right now though, Vilardi would likely be my #3, but it's a drop down from the #2.

 

we have the best odds of picking #4, then #5 anyways, and only a 35.2% chance of picking in the top 3 and therefore 64.8% chance that we pick 4 or 5

[R35Godz1lla]

1 hour ago, canucklehead44 said:

They would get destroyed. I think Baertschi and Granlund are both capable 2nd line players, but really as complimentary pieces to produce offence at a lower dollar to allow more cap space for a Milan Lucic type who gets a large part of his pay for intangibles. 

If Baertschi can stay healthy I can see him taking another step into the 20+ goal, 50+ point realm I think his value would be high enough to package with a few other pieces to get a bigger player with offensive upside who is having a down year. Landeskog, Bjugstad, Jenner etc. 

That said, Maroon scored 27 goals for Edmonton after costing the Oilers a 4th round pick. I was actually in the Ritchie camp during the 2014 draft. Man imagine him coming up the pipeline right now. Oh well.

Sven and Granlund are not quite as slight as you make them out to be. They are never going to lead the team in hits, but they are showing to be feisty players who don't back down.

 

You are also giving Lucic far more credit than he needs to get, he takes more stupid penalties than his "Physical play" will ever make up for.

 

Maroon is also a product of McDavid, no different than Anson Carter scored 30 because of the Sedins. Yes he is a big boy who can hit, but he is able to do that because he has one of the fastest Centers in the league maintaining puck possession for him.

 

I may sound like I am trying to diminish the Oilers but the bulk of their success comes in the form of McDavid, Draisaitl and Talbot. Again, nothing wrong with that, but its not like they are some powerhouse top to bottom.

 

When the Sedins where each getting 110 points a season it sure made the rest of the team look better as well.

[VanGnome]

Vilardi reminds me kind of a more skilled Bo Horvat, and we all know how Bo has turned out. He's already showing more skill than anyone projected him to have at the NHL level.

I'd love to pick up Vilardi, I think it would give us that young 1-2 punch we need up the middle for years to come. I wonder, is Leon Draisaitl a closer draft eligible comparison to Vilardi?

What I mean by that is, at the time of their respective drafts, was Draisaitl more touted/projected than Vilardi? I seem to recall Draisaitl also had skating issues hampering him and look how he's turned out.

[R35Godz1lla]

1 hour ago, VanGnome said:

Vilardi reminds me kind of a more skilled Bo Horvat, and we all know how Bo has turned out. He's already showing more skill than anyone projected him to have at the NHL level.

I'd love to pick up Vilardi, I think it would give us that young 1-2 punch we need up the middle for years to come. I wonder, is Leon Draisaitl a closer draft eligible comparison to Vilardi?

What I mean by that is, at the time of their respective drafts, was Draisaitl more touted/projected than Vilardi? I seem to recall Draisaitl also had skating issues hampering him and look how he's turned out.

Draisaitl did have a more highly touted offensive output and potential in his draft year than Vilardi currently has. That said everything I have read seems to indicate that Vilardi may yet be just as good as Drai because everything he says does make his determination to get getter in all aspect of the game evident.

 

He seems to ( as you alluded to ) have that Bo style drive to improve his game, he has gone of record as starting he knows he needs to get faster and that it's his #1 priority this off season.

 

I still feel that the raw potential of Patrick's cocktail of skating/skill and size makes him worth the Gamble of picking him #1, he is not being as highly touted as McDavid or Matthews due to age ( One of the Older players this draft )  being injured this year ( meaning he didn't have a killer season points wise ) and because he is a steady player all over the ice who doesn't per se have one amazing quality, but instead is just good at everything. I like the idea of a high IQ play-making centre who is being compared allot to Jonathan Toews in play style and character.

 

 Hischier is also still holding that #2 slot due to the many, many things he does well, he is a very similar player to Patrick, just not as far along in his physical development and not quite as fast ( Very close though ) he should at minimum be a very good 200' 50-70 points center.

 

As I mentioned Vilardi has the work ethic factor that's very hard to quantify, its why I think he goes 3-5 depending on the need of the team drafting in that range ( a D could go in the 3-6 range ) it will for sure be an exciting draft as so much is still up in the air at this stage.

[Rush17]

vilardi would be my 5th, 6th or 7th pick imo.

 

I'd rather roll the dice on Heschier, Patrick, Mittlestadt, Lilegren or Makar first as treasonous as it may sound.  

 

necas looks intruiging too .

[appleboy]

I think there might be some people upset with Vilardi simply because they are fixated on one of the so called top two but I think he would be the right fit for our club.

[GB5]

14 hours ago, Rush17 said:

vilardi seems to be getting a lot of fan fare here.  makes me curious.  all talking heads kinda just pass over him in talking.

 

I should go back and watch more of Bob's preview shows.  Maybe I can better paint myself a picture of this young chap.

I think part of that is because he has been ranked in about the same spot for a couple of years now. These guys have said about all they can about him. The consistency is what I really like because he has held his own with the scouts who have watched and analyzed his game to no end.

 

If the Canucks are picking in the third spot then this should be their guy.

[saucypass]

5 hours ago, mpt said:

I don't believe he's close to #1 but he's also not close to #3

So.. where do you project him to go...?

[appleboy]

A lot of the mock sites have Vilardi listed at third. We might not even get a shot at him.

[Harvey Spector]

Cody Glass had a monster year (tripled his point production from a year ago) and is having a monster playoffs. Vilardi is not a slam dunk at 3. Glass is a stud.

 

Also some important information about Glass that could make him an impact player...

 

Portland Winterhawks head coach and general manager Mike Johnston has no such trouble when he talks about Cody Glass, the young Winnipegger who is lighting it up for his club as a 17-year-old centre in the Western Hockey League.

 

Johnston believes the 6-2, 180-pounder could be the second coming of Ryan Johansen, who learned his craft with the ’Hawks before heading to the NHL where he’s currently the No. 1 centre of the Nashville Predators. 

 

"I don’t think (Glass is) close to what he’ll be as an NHL player because... he’s going get a lot stronger and a lot bigger," Johnston said via telephone this week. "He’s going to fill out. I saw the same thing with Johansen. When Johansen was with us, you could see he was going to be a really good player, but he was nowhere close to what he was going to be as a pro."

 

Glass is still growing. He has sprouted an inch and a half since the beginning of the 2015-16 season and projects even taller — his dad is 6-5 and he has a brother who’s 6-6.

 

[Alflives]

2 minutes ago, Harvey Spector said:

Cody Glass had a monster year (tripled his point production from a year ago) and is having a monster playoffs. Vilardi is not a slam dunk at 3. Glass is a stud.

 

Also some important information about Glass that could make him an impact player...

 

Portland Winterhawks head coach and general manager Mike Johnston has no such trouble when he talks about Cody Glass, the young Winnipegger who is lighting it up for his club as a 17-year-old centre in the Western Hockey League.

 

Johnston believes the 6-2, 180-pounder could be the second coming of Ryan Johansen, who learned his craft with the ’Hawks before heading to the NHL where he’s currently the No. 1 centre of the Nashville Predators. 

 

"I don’t think (Glass is) close to what he’ll be as an NHL player because... he’s going get a lot stronger and a lot bigger," Johnston said via telephone this week. "He’s going to fill out. I saw the same thing with Johansen. When Johansen was with us, you could see he was going to be a really good player, but he was nowhere close to what he was going to be as a pro."

 

Glass is still growing. He has sprouted an inch and a half since the beginning of the 2015-16 season and projects even taller — his dad is 6-5 and he has a brother who’s 6-6.

 

I like that Glass is a right hand shot too; goes well with Bo being a lefty.  

Glass is ranked 7 or lower.  If we get LUCKY and snatch 1 or 2, I wonder what we could get to trade down to 7 and get Glass?

[Harvey Spector]

6 minutes ago, Alflives said:

I like that Glass is a right hand shot too; goes well with Bo being a lefty.  

Glass is ranked 7 or lower.  If we get LUCKY and snatch 1 or 2, I wonder what we could get to trade down to 7 and get Glass?

That would be a bold move and perhaps a very good move by Benning. If Glass is his man and he can get him at 7 then a trade down would be the preferred move. We should be able to net a 2nd or 3rd rounder for a trade down. 

 

If Glass can grow to 6'3" or 6'4" and fill out to 210 pounds then he could be just as big if not bigger than Patrick. Plus he's a great skater and a right hand shot. 

 

This draft has NO slam dunk impact players. Even Patrick and Hischier have question marks, Patrick with his injury history and Hischier being only 175 pounds soaking wet. I trust Benning to make the right call.  But don't discount Glass as a top contender for our first round pick. 

[CeeBee51]

2 minutes ago, Harvey Spector said:

That would be a bold move and perhaps a very good move by Benning. If Glass is his man and he can get him at 7 then a trade down would be the preferred move. We should be able to net a 2nd or 3rd rounder for a trade down. 

 

If Glass can grow to 6'3" or 6'4" and fill out to 210 pounds then he could be just as big if not bigger than Patrick. Plus he's a great skater and a right hand shot. 

 

This draft has NO slam dunk impact players. Even Patrick and Hischier have question marks, Patrick with his injury history and Hischier being only 175 pounds soaking wet. I trust Benning to make the right call.  But don't discount Glass as a top contender for our first round pick. 

If you want Glass you don't drop past 3rd or you run the risk of him going 3rd, 4th, 5th etc. This draft is too jumbled up to take a  chance like waiting till 7th. IMO

[messier's_elbow]

44 minutes ago, CeeBee51 said:

If you want Glass you don't drop past 3rd or you run the risk of him going 3rd, 4th, 5th etc. This draft is too jumbled up to take a  chance like waiting till 7th. IMO

Yeah I have glass at #5. I think trading down would be risky business.

[mpt]

4 hours ago, suitup said:

So.. where do you project him to go...?

2nd