2016 NHL ENTRY DRAFT

[Hockey Widow]

Well ESQ, Dubois plays centre. Is that not an organizational need, a centre to replace Hank?

Since Sbisa is a top four Dman why not offer him to Edmonton for their pick?

[ESQ]

Well ESQ, Dubois plays centre. Is that not an organizational need, a centre to replace Hank?

Is that a reasonable ceiling for Dubois? Is there a chance he'll turn out to be one of the top-5 centers of his generation? Will he jump over the other center prospects McCann, Horvat, Gaunce?

I suppose you're right, if you think he's a future Ross winner, you go with Dubois. But if he's another center who'll top out at 70 points, I think that doesn't address the organizational need.

Since Sbisa is a top four Dman why not offer him to Edmonton for their pick?

Hm, howbout just straight up for Hall?

[Island Nucklehead]

Will he jump over the other center prospects McCann, Horvat, Gaunce?

Chances are good he's better than all of them.

If we want to acquire more picks, we should trade players for them. If we really want to trade down in the draft, move 33 for a late second and a third.

[Hockey Widow]

ESQ I don't know his upside to be honest. I was just commenting that we still have an organizational need for top two centre. I don't see Horvat being a number one, number two yes, down the road.

Gaunce will never be a number one centre. He still may end up a winger. At best I see him as a utility forward who will be able to fill in at the two pivot when there are injuries but more so a bottom nine forward.

I'm not sold on McCann, yet. He has skill no question but needs to work on his strength and conditioning. He needs, IMHO, 1-2 years in Utica. He needs to learn to play in traffic and a bigger game. He has shown the willingness to do so but needs seasoning.

I think we still have a big need to find that top two centre, someone who can transition into the top spot. I have no idea if Dubois will be that though. Potential seems to be there but he still needs to develop.

[dbr]

I don't like these analyses.

If you look at games played, Ben Eager and Taylor Pyatt are successful first round draft picks.

The chart that ESQ posted of expected points from a player at a given pick, specifically excludes goaltenders (obviously) and defensemen because the author says they are too hard to project... fucking SKYO

Then there's the fact that the 1995-2007 sample shows a grand total of, what, 13 maximum players (less goaltenders and defensemen) at any position so how strong is your sample? Sure that's not a concern when determining whether it's better to have #3 or #5 or #7 because no fucking shit.. but what about when you're trying to figure out the difference between #3 and #5 (which obviously varies from year to year) or whether you'd rather have #5 or #7 and #37 (again varies, but I can at least understand trying to figure out the value in principle)?

Year to year variation and what you actually do with the picks is also a huge issue.. sure in 2013 you'd rather have Horvat and Burakovsky but maybe you would have taken Monahan at 5 instead. Or consider 2006 when you'd probably be happy to just take Phil Kessel at 5 rather than James Sheppard at 9 and Semyon Varlamov at 23.

At the end of the day.. Jimbo and his staff have their own intelligence on these players and are going to do what they feel is best and I just hope they are right. For those of us who haven't seen the top 20 prospects play a handful of times each, it sure looks like most scouts see a pretty clear cut group of five players at the top which is why it makes sense to me to hang onto the pick that lets us take one of them.

(And it's not like I haven't bandied about the idea of trading down on here in the past.. in 2014 for example when we were outside of that top five group.)

[Strangelove]

it sure looks like most scouts see a pretty clear cut group of five players at the top which is why it makes sense to me to hang onto the pick that lets us take one of them.

Yup.

Great post btw David

... especially that "fucking SKYO" part.

[Hank]

Hey, we need the "fucking SKYO" part until the draft is over.

Then everyone can re-acquaint themselves with the Dude/Blob+IN three-way.

[SKYO]

I'm the draft KING, bow down to your leader.

[micky107]

I get really annoyed when people are already forecasting Horvat to be a #2 center at best.
In 14/15 he was brought in a year early more than anything else to show the hockey community here that we actually had a legit "young" prospect. He's did OK under those circumstances.
I wouldn't want to be the one categorizing him just yet, he does have the tools,
wait a wee bit, not that long me thinks...

[BladesofSteel]

I look at Bo being the next Captain and #2 centre, at the least. I just choose to temper my expectations on the young lad, while remaining very hopeful. I love his maturity, character and work ethic. He might be the most promising young forward this team has had in the past decade.

I am much less concerned with finding the next #1 centre than I am the next #1 D. That I believe, would/should be the main focus of management right now.

[Lancer]

Problem is, there's no Dman in this draft who screams 'No. 1 Defenceman'. Some guys who project well as top-4, but nobody who's being mentioned in the same sentence as Aaron Ekblad, for example.

Bo will be Bo, and if he turns out to be our version of Patrice Bergeron or a less douchebag-like Dustin Brown, then that's a score for the organization.

Unless Benning sees something the rest of us don't, a forward will b taken at #5.

More interesting will be what he does with the 2nd round pick. Cholowski or Clague?

[Strangelove]

More interesting will be what he does with the 2nd round pick. Cholowski or Clague?

Howbout he trades up from the #33 spot.

[Blob Mckenzie]

More interesting will be what he does with the 2nd round pick. Cholowski or Clague?

Howbout he trades up from the #33 spot.

What does pick 33 + Jannick Hansen get ?

[Diehard1]

All these lofty expectations for the top 5 draftees

Matthews (The next Toews? more like Roenick or Stastny)

Laine (Mario Lemieux? more like R. Nash)

Puljujarvi (Selanne? more like Jokinen)

Pierre Luc Dubois (Jamie Benn? more like Brassard or Wheeler)

Tkachuk - (JVR? more like Okposo)

Matthew reminds me of Kopitar, though not as big, or Trottier for those of us a bit older.

Laine looks to me like Stamkos, always setting up the one-timer. He's not as mean or big a hitter as Ovi, though he could still develop that side of his game.

Puljujarvi I'm not sure - lots of east-west in his game, very good passer but doesn't use his size as well as he should. Very good skater as well.

PLD is not really like Benn - he's not as slippery as Benn is, more north-south to his game, more snarl but different players. PLD likes to take on his man more but I'm not sure he has the instincts the Benn has - Benn always seems to find the soft spot in the D which is a gift Few have. Granted I've only seen PLD play centre not wing so perhaps his game is different when he's a winger.

Tkachuk has a lot of Roenick in his game - not a complete shit disturber but plays the part from time to time, but I'd say his passing is better than JR's was. Not as good a shooter though. He plays a type of game well suited to the NHL, in contrast to a guy like Marner who still has a lot of junior attributes in his game. Tkachuk only need to touch the puck for a few seconds on a shift to get a good scoring chance or create some havoc.

I'm still leaning towards PLD but would be happy with Tkachuk as well. Can't really go wrong with either, and both will be good NHL players.

While I prefer assholes on our team ala Tkachuk I guess I am coming around to PLD. It is a more likely scenario. Edmonton would be just plain fucking stupid to pass up a tough player like Kieth Jr. as they need that kinda glue man(then again, they SCREAM stupid) and we will more than likely be right there to land the Frog. I would be happy if he has Drouin like skills to lead the 1st line one day (and PP). We have Bo & Brock to be the tougher ones.

Like you say, can't really go wrong at 5. Top prospects all.

If you want mean then Dubois if your guy at 5 - he's bigger and meaner than Tkachuk by a fair margin. Tkachuk is a pest, doesn't really do the mean thing that well, while Dubois will cross check a guy in the face to get ahead.

Both are big guys who will fight through checks and go to the net hard, but the whole wimpy Quebec thing doesn't apply to PLD. He's a genuine power forward while Tkachuk is more suited to standing at the net and going for tip-ins or setting up his teammates. Again, both are skill sets we don't have and are badly needed.

[SKYO]

Fact remains homies/homettes, no hall-of-famer has ever had a two part first name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_m ... ll_of_Fame

Pierre-Luc

*drops mic*
*boom*
I have spoken.
#SKYOdraftGOD

I jest.

To that end, the Oilers probably take him as he can play both wing/center, has the size/grit that they are severely lacking.