2021 NHL Entry Draft

[Elias Pettersson]

11 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

6th pick is quite a different value than 19th.

 

Didn’t they also acquire that pick in a trade with Detroit? It was basically a bonus pick. Less risk there.

Yeah it was Tampa's second pick of the first round so there was less risk and they could take a shot at a goalie. 

 

It kinda worked out for them too as their second pick in the first round turned out just a little better than their first pick.

[appleboy]

Could Wallstedt go first overall?

[HighOnHockey]

53 minutes ago, Sp3nny said:

https://www.nhl.com/news/2021-nhl-draft-kent-johnson-vs-dylan-guenther/c-325512392

 

Interesting read from 10 NHL scouts.

Interesting. Figured when Central had Johnson so high the real scouts were probably higher on him than we realized. You've been a pretty stout defender of him for a while.

[Nave]

1 hour ago, BarnBurner said:

Fair enough, but JB and company chose Podz in the first, then the Hog in the 2nd, which you could argue is the equivalent of another 1st. 

Touche. We were incredibly lucky that Podz fell to us though. The only player out of the three (Clarke, Hughes, and Eklund) that I think could fall is Hughes.

[Sp3nny]

27 minutes ago, HighOnHockey said:

Interesting. Figured when Central had Johnson so high the real scouts were probably higher on him than we realized. You've been a pretty stout defender of him for a while.

I wouldn't consider myself a massive defender of him in that I'm blind to the risks, but I do really like his style of play. I'm sure there will be good, impact players just like there are from every draft (perhaps some late round gems that come out of nowhere). But I keep coming back to Johnson having qualities that are hard to come by (in this draft especially) in his creativity. I think he shows enough work ethic to go along with that creativity that could make him a difference maker in the NHL. Definitely a riskier pick, but I'm also less optimistic than others on the current state of our team, so I am willing to embrace some risk.

 

I think if he can reign it in a bit and simplify some parts of his game without losing that high end creative desire, he could become pretty lethal in making things happen.

[Dazzle]

11 hours ago, Gawdzukes said:

I stand corrected I guess although I would argue Cory was already elite and the only reason we traded him was that we had another elite goalie. Either way I'm wrong, lol.

 

If you feel that would work in this situation then I would say go ahead.  To me it seems like a complete waste of a pick to store it as a trade chip, especially in our situation. We're not exactly in the casual wait and see period.

 

To be honest, even getting a Marc Andre Fleury out of it doesn't excite me. If we do I guess we can trade him in 10 years for a ninth overall and then hopefully Bo's kid grows up and we draft him. Seems counter intuitive to me but what do I know.

 

We also have the hindsight to know that Bo is a homerun! And yes I know Gunnar will only be 12! Mid year birthday though. Kids a bust! 

 

I will also point out what we did with Schnieder is as a far away from a plan as you can get. On top of that we're talking about NJ drafting in their hometown making a splash and replacing Brodeur. This stuff doesn't happen often.

You're not wrong. The Schneider trade was regarded as being unnecessarily risky, especially given how the situation was handled very poorly by the Gillis management. They couldn't decide whether to trade Luongo (ultimately, it was hard to move the contract) and Schneider. Realistically, Gillis should've let go Luongo sooner, but perhaps the market wasn't there. Regardless, trading Schneider AFTER telling Luongo he'll be traded is poor GMing.

 

The risky part about the Schneider thing was that he was a known entity that was traded for an unknown entity with known skating issues (Horvat). If Horvat did not work on his skating and elevate his game like he did, you can't imagine how much poorer this team would be. Ultimately, Gillis would not be around to see Horvat succeed. It was just too little too late.

 

Gillis did do some good things, but I feel people tend to overlook (willingly) his flaws because we were one game away from a Stanley Cup.

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

2 hours ago, Beary Sweet said:

I was thinking of someone I could be missing and it was Edvinsson  I feel like he could be the Chychrun of this draft. Someone will be happy to pick him. I get Esa Lindell vibes. With the depth in this year’s draft, I’m very excited to see how this draft will pan out for us

If Edvinsson's presence/impact on the game ends up being similar to that of Lindell, a team will be very, very happy. In my logical mind, he shouldn't fall any further than 5. If I were the GM of Anaheim, that's who I'd be taking.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Herberts Vasiljevs

[Gawdzukes]

10 hours ago, Herberts Vasiljevs said:

If Edvinsson's presence/impact on the game ends up being similar to that of Lindell, a team will be very, very happy. In my logical mind, he shouldn't fall any further than 5. If I were the GM of Anaheim, that's who I'd be taking.

I'm kind of concerned about Edvinsson's bust potential but if he puts it all together, man watch out!

[4petesake]

14 hours ago, Beary Sweet said:

Here’s my shot of the picks projected to go for every team in the top 10:

1. BUF - Power

2. SEA - Beniers

3. ANA - Eklund

4. NJD - Clarke

5. CBJ - Hughes

6. DET - Wallstedt

7. SJ - Guenther

8. LA - Johnson

9. VAN - McTavish

10. OTT - Lucius 

 

Besides RHD, C is our biggest area of need. Sutter is a FA, Beagle is aging, and guys like Graovac, Michaelis, etc are just depth pieces at best. I feel Miller is better suited on the W even though he is a solid faceoff man and he’s a solid fit on the Lotto line. McTavish is my pick. If he’s still available at our pick, we run to the podium. He’s going to be a fantastic player. He’s scored at every level he’s played at and plays a very solid, sound game. I say he’s a year or two away from playing in the NHL but we can afford to give him the time like what we did with Podz. Hope we pick him up and looking forward to the draft

 

 

Is Buffalo going to throw everyone’s list for a loop right from the get-go? Some people on sports radio there are wondering. In any case Adams is not showing his cards.

 

[Phat Fingers]

12 hours ago, Alflives said:

I hope both these guys are gone before we pick.  Bad vibes man; real bad vibes.  

Don’t prefer cat, but completely agree with you on this assessment.  Too much of a wild card in Johnson, who could be the next Schremp a lot more likely than the next Kane.  
 

if there is a wild card player to take that chance on, Evidson the D man, Lysell or trade down and take Raty, Lambos, Lucius, Ceulemans or others.  Someone will want a player in the top ten.  
 

add a second and bolster d or c.  

[Off_The_Schneid!]

https://t.co/C8tFAIQ9a5

 

additional info on Walstedt

 

definitely the main wild card this draft

 

 

[Eddie]

13 hours ago, Sp3nny said:

https://www.nhl.com/news/2021-nhl-draft-kent-johnson-vs-dylan-guenther/c-325512392

 

Interesting read from 10 NHL scouts.

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.

[Nucker 67]

1 hour ago, Gawdzukes said:

I'm kind of concerned about Edvinsson's bust potential but if he puts it all together, man watch out!

He's big and he can skate. I've seen another list with him at #2, so who knows? 

[flickyoursedin]

14 hours ago, Sp3nny said:

https://www.nhl.com/news/2021-nhl-draft-kent-johnson-vs-dylan-guenther/c-325512392

 

Interesting read from 10 NHL scouts.

Good to post it in these boards a lot of people are really overlooking the talent on the wings. I get that centers and dmen are needed in our prospect pool but BPA always in the first round. These two guys should both be gone before our pick and if they’re not hopefully Benning is smart enough to not reach for position and pick one of these guys!

[Alflives]

Just now, flickyoursedin said:

Good to post it in these boards a lot of people are really overlooking the talent on the wings. I get that centers and dmen are needed in our prospect pool but BPA always in the first round. These two guys should both be gone before our pick and if they’re not hopefully Benning is smart enough to not reach for position and pick one of these guys!

Hopefully, yes.  That means better players will be there for us at 9OA.  Just not a fan of either of these two.  Although, if it comes to choosing between the, I’d prefer Guenther.  He will at least compete off the puck.  

[Hogs & Podz]

Just starting to look into Chaz Lucius... Looks like a real complete player... Amazing attitude and maturity. Might be higher if he wasn't rehabbing fron knee surgery for a chunk of last year?  Any thoughts?

[Bertuzzipunch]

3 minutes ago, Hogs & Podz said:

Just starting to look into Chaz Lucius... Looks like a real complete player... Amazing attitude and maturity. Might be higher if he wasn't rehabbing fron knee surgery for a chunk of last year?  Any thoughts?

Yeah he might even become an elite goal scorer in the league. Puck just ends up on his stick all the time for scoring chances. Lots of work needs to be done on his skating still. Might have been in the discussion as a top 10 guy without that knee injury and a full season to evaluate him.

[Sp3nny]

I've been digging into Johnson a bit more this morning. I'm sure some of you may be sick of hearing my thoughts on him, but I like to reaffirm my own feelings on prospects over and over. Each time I come away a bit more impressed with Johnson.

 

Two of the biggest concerns on Johnson are primary points and size. I've watched this highlight video about 5 times now over the past month, paying close attention to what Johnson is doing. Of course, it's just a highlight video, so it's easy to only see the good, but here is what I come away with in regards to those two concerns.

 

 

There are multiple "secondary assists" that I personally feel could almost be considered primary. Specifically, the assists at 1:15, 3:08, 3:30, 3:43, and 3:55. All of these plays don't happen without Johnson making a quick decision under pressure, or even under direct contact from a defender. Not only does he come up with a solution to keep the play alive, but he manages to find an open player that leads to a direct scoring chance. This type of IQ is hard to find, and these goals likely don't happen at all without that secondary assist. Two of these plays were also interceptions/takeaways from the defending team trying to breakout of their zone. This shows the high level anticipation he has in reading plays and thinking ahead.

 

What this also helps to address for me is some of the questions about his size. He is constantly fighting off defenders, working along the boards, and also isn't afraid of taking contact to make a play. Yes he is slight, but for his size, his puck protection skills are quite impressive. Some of these plays you see him under pressure from two defenders at once, and he still gets the job done. Add some extra weight to him over the next couple years, and he could be even better. This really reminds me of Aho, who plays at 6' 176lbs right now, but is very good in the corners and on the boards.

 

It's not all rosy for Johnson of course. There is definite work needed in simplify certain aspects of his game. He has a tendency to hang onto the puck at times looking for the perfect play when an open teammate is close by, and the simple play to maintain possession is the better play to make. I also don't love his skating, specifically his stop-start acceleration, as he doesn't have the quickest feet. And as good as his hands are, I've noticed that he sometimes struggles to keep his feet moving when handling the puck, a skill that the truly elite puck handlers (Mackinnon, McDavid, Barzal etc) all do extremely well, and is what makes them so dangerous. If his skill can't be used at a high pace of play, it will be nullified against bigger and faster competition.

 

For me, the upside outweighs the down with Johnson. I think he has legitimate first line upside with the way he thinks the game, and many of his skills will translate to the next levels. With some disciplined coaching and maturity, added strength, and improved skating, the best is yet to come for him.

[Hogs & Podz]

11 minutes ago, Bertuzzipunch said:

Yeah he might even become an elite goal scorer in the league. Puck just ends up on his stick all the time for scoring chances. Lots of work needs to be done on his skating still. Might have been in the discussion as a top 10 guy without that knee injury and a full season to evaluate him.

Supposedly, he came back from rehab a better skater.  From what I have seen so far, his drive, attitude and maturity is elite.  So no matter what, he'll figure a way to get better and be a difference.  Just not sure if that's enough to beat out say... Kent Johnson or McTavish at #9.  

This year more than the most, I'm really excited to see how the draft goes down.   Fascinated to see who Benning and co choose.... Can't wait!

[Bertuzzipunch]

6 minutes ago, Hogs & Podz said:

Supposedly, he came back from rehab a better skater.  From what I have seen so far, his drive, attitude and maturity is elite.  So no matter what, he'll figure a way to get better and be a difference.  Just not sure if that's enough to beat out say... Kent Johnson or McTavish at #9.  

This year more than the most, I'm really excited to see how the draft goes down.   Fascinated to see who Benning and co choose.... Can't wait!

Yeah i cant wait to see what we do this month. Just want petey and wuinn signed asap so we know where we stand cap wise.