CanucksCorner.com Forums

It is concerning looking back at the last 10 drafts and how little the number is on the amount of impact players who were selected between 5th pick 10th pick. It just boils down to luck really, does no good over analyzing the pros and cons I mean who would have thought a small defenseman named Erik Karlsson who was picked 15th would end up quite arguably the games current best defenseman. Take the gamble on Virtanen - big, fast, can score, mean streak. If he doesn't pan out he could end up being a serviceable energy player on the 3rd line, same goes with Ritchie.

Players like Nylander and Ehlers are boom and bust. If they work out, your laughing , if not, they play out their careers somewhere in Europe

Tough call really

Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

RoyalDude wrote:Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

I hope someone's recording the livestreams and putting up youtube vid's of some of these potential 1st round draftees. As I'm mixed on Nylander, Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers.

I still think moving up a few spots to acquire Reinhart is the best plan for this franchises future long term success, much more so than acquiring a good winger with 6th overall, and then just go for a winger or dman in the 2nd round.

SKYO wrote:

RoyalDude wrote:Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

I hope someone's recording the livestreams and putting up youtube vid's of some of these potential 1st round draftees. As I'm mixed on Nylander, Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers.

I still think moving up a few spots to acquire Reinhart is the best plan for this franchises future long term success, much more so than acquiring a good winger with 6th overall, and then just go for a winger or dman in the 2nd round.

Agreed but leery of what it would cost. Reinhart projects as a 2a center not a no.1 and we already have that in Horvat. Its not a deep draft and this is a good indication of why. Still, I think he'd be a good addition to our prospect pool. The big negative on Virtanen is he doesn't use his linemates very well, we've already got that in Booth/Kesler. Is Reinhart worth what it would cost to move up from a Ritchie/Virtanen?

The more I read about virtanen the more i like. His age is in his favour he is one of the younger guys, it gives him more time to develop.

ClamRussel wrote:

SKYO wrote:

RoyalDude wrote:Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

I hope someone's recording the livestreams and putting up youtube vid's of some of these potential 1st round draftees. As I'm mixed on Nylander, Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers.

I still think moving up a few spots to acquire Reinhart is the best plan for this franchises future long term success, much more so than acquiring a good winger with 6th overall, and then just go for a winger or dman in the 2nd round.

Agreed but leery of what it would cost. Reinhart projects as a 2a center not a no.1 and we already have that in Horvat. Its not a deep draft and this is a good indication of why. Still, I think he'd be a good addition to our prospect pool. The big negative on Virtanen is he doesn't use his linemates very well, we've already got that in Booth/Kesler. Is Reinhart worth what it would cost to move up from a Ritchie/Virtanen?

The differences between a kid like Virtanen and guys like Kesler and Booth are:

A) He's a winger as opposed to a center like Kesler, so having a shoot-first mentality isn't a bad thing; and
B) He's younger and can be molded whereas you get what you see with Booth. Even so, it could be fool's gold but, Booth's performance towards the end of the season may be an indication of what he could do next year. But those are the teasers that can fuck a GM.

Lancer wrote:

ClamRussel wrote:

SKYO wrote:I hope someone's recording the livestreams and putting up youtube vid's of some of these potential 1st round draftees. As I'm mixed on Nylander, Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers.

I still think moving up a few spots to acquire Reinhart is the best plan for this franchises future long term success, much more so than acquiring a good winger with 6th overall, and then just go for a winger or dman in the 2nd round.

Agreed but leery of what it would cost. Reinhart projects as a 2a center not a no.1 and we already have that in Horvat. Its not a deep draft and this is a good indication of why. Still, I think he'd be a good addition to our prospect pool. The big negative on Virtanen is he doesn't use his linemates very well, we've already got that in Booth/Kesler. Is Reinhart worth what it would cost to move up from a Ritchie/Virtanen?

The differences between a kid like Virtanen and guys like Kesler and Booth are:

A) He's a winger as opposed to a center like Kesler, so having a shoot-first mentality isn't a bad thing; and
B) He's younger and can be molded whereas you get what you see with Booth. Even so, it could be fool's gold but, Booth's performance towards the end of the season may be an indication of what he could do next year. But those are the teasers that can fuck a GM.

I'm not opposed to a shoot first guy...but the "doesn't use his linemates very well" criticisms can still be worrisome. If he is that much of a sniper then pairing him w/ a sick setup man like Kesler could work wonders. Think Hull/Neely & Oates. You never really wanted Hull passing the puck too much (ie Daniel in the shooting lanes).

It sounds to me like Virtanen is a tad like Geoff Courtnall which would be a very welcome addition to this squad.

What separates Virtanen from Booth for me is that Virtanen has a good shot and a mean streak. Not too mention how young he is. He could improve on learning to use his linemates more. I just like his intensity and energy. If all else fails at least we should have what we had hoped from Booth

RoyalDude wrote:What separates Virtanen from Booth for me is that Virtanen has a good shot and a mean streak. Not too mention how young he is. He could improve on learning to use his linemates more. I just like his intensity and energy. If all else fails at least we should have what we had hoped from Booth

Jake Virtanen as a 15 year old 2nd goal in the WHL he's a BC Boy...
he's a Canucks fan...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiMo-zviMiU

RoyalDude wrote:RD's top 6 mock draft

Florida - Ekblad
Buffalo - Reinhart
Edmonton - Draisaitl
Calgary - Bennett
Islanders - Dal Colle
Vancouver - Ritchie

What are the chances that Edmonton will trade up to get Ekblad? They desperately need blueliners in that system, and I can foresee them offering up their 3rd overall + Yakupov + 1st (2016) to get that. I really don't see the Oilers drafting another forward at this juncture.....I mean, as far as franchise and team building goes, they can't be that dumb.....can they?

Mëds wrote: What are the chances that Edmonton will trade up to get Ekblad? They desperately need blueliners in that system, and I can foresee them offering up their 3rd overall + Yakupov + 1st (2016) to get that. I really don't see the Oilers drafting another forward at this juncture.....I mean, as far as franchise and team building goes, they can't be that dumb.....can they?

They would be fucking nuts to do that. Why not offer that package for Shea Weber? You'd probably get him...

They also have Nurse, Marincin and Klefbom developing and Schultz is already playing on the squad, is only 23, and is already a .5 PPG player. I think Ekblad would be a great addition to Edmonton, but they don't need to empty the bank for him. A guy like Bennet as the 2C would be great for Edmonton.

RoyalDude wrote:Apparently another 2 points today for Virtanen at the World U-18's

I'm leaning back to Jake now

Liked how him and Ekblad had there own personal war against each other in that prospect game, laying out vicious hits on each other throughout the game, kid seems like he has a little jarkko ruutu/Matt Cooke running through his veins when it comes to viscous hits. I like that

Dude, the kid has a mean streak, but what really wows me is his shot. The kid can launch a rocket of a wrister from the top of the circles that, frankly, reminds me of Naslund in his hey-day.

I appreciate the power moves a guy like Ritchie can pull off against some big kids in junior, but I can still see him being a bit of a project a-la Kassian. Wouldn't be bent out of shape if Linden & Co. picked him.

I hear what you're saying about the likes of Ehlers and Nylander. Thing is, a kid like Ehlers playing in Junior shows me more than a kid like Nylander playing a bit of time in Sweden. Nothing saying Nylander may not turn out as good, but you have a better idea of what you're getting from the kids in the CHL.

Island Nucklehead wrote:

Mëds wrote: What are the chances that Edmonton will trade up to get Ekblad? They desperately need blueliners in that system, and I can foresee them offering up their 3rd overall + Yakupov + 1st (2016) to get that. I really don't see the Oilers drafting another forward at this juncture.....I mean, as far as franchise and team building goes, they can't be that dumb.....can they?

They would be fucking nuts to do that. Why not offer that package for Shea Weber? You'd probably get him...

They also have Nurse, Marincin and Klefbom developing and Schultz is already playing on the squad, is only 23, and is already a .5 PPG player. I think Ekblad would be a great addition to Edmonton, but they don't need to empty the bank for him. A guy like Bennet as the 2C would be great for Edmonton.

Offense is really not Edmonton's problem. Schultz is useless defensively. Nurse is still another year away. I don't know much about Marincin or Klefbom. Ekblad projects as a blueline anchor that most teams salivate over. None of those other 4 you mentioned come close.

You are right about that being a crazy package, it would be overpayment, although I doubt it gets Shea Weber. Yakupov is just as likely to return to Russia as he is to turn into any kind of impact player in the NHL. Trading this year's 3rd overall for 1st overall cancels out. Yak won't become anything of value if he stays in Oiltown. The Oilers will probably be a candidate for the 1st overall lottery again next season (barring any -highly unlikely- major UFA signings), so they will want to keep the 2015 pick. Giving up the 2016 pick isn't as risky because by then they should be a team that is in the top 20. So really you are giving up Yak and a complete unknown to secure Ekblad. Hardly emptying the bank.

Mëds wrote:

Island Nucklehead wrote:

Mëds wrote: What are the chances that Edmonton will trade up to get Ekblad? They desperately need blueliners in that system, and I can foresee them offering up their 3rd overall + Yakupov + 1st (2016) to get that. I really don't see the Oilers drafting another forward at this juncture.....I mean, as far as franchise and team building goes, they can't be that dumb.....can they?

They would be fucking nuts to do that. Why not offer that package for Shea Weber? You'd probably get him...

They also have Nurse, Marincin and Klefbom developing and Schultz is already playing on the squad, is only 23, and is already a .5 PPG player. I think Ekblad would be a great addition to Edmonton, but they don't need to empty the bank for him. A guy like Bennet as the 2C would be great for Edmonton.

Offense is really not Edmonton's problem. Schultz is useless defensively. Nurse is still another year away. I don't know much about Marincin or Klefbom. Ekblad projects as a blueline anchor that most teams salivate over. None of those other 4 you mentioned come close.

You are right about that being a crazy package, it would be overpayment, although I doubt it gets Shea Weber. Yakupov is just as likely to return to Russia as he is to turn into any kind of impact player in the NHL. Trading this year's 3rd overall for 1st overall cancels out. Yak won't become anything of value if he stays in Oiltown. The Oilers will probably be a candidate for the 1st overall lottery again next season (barring any -highly unlikely- major UFA signings), so they will want to keep the 2015 pick. Giving up the 2016 pick isn't as risky because by then they should be a team that is in the top 20. So really you are giving up Yak and a complete unknown to secure Ekblad. Hardly emptying the bank.

Yak+2 unknowns is way too much for Ekblad. Yak+ flipping picks this year should do it if Florida likes the Yak.

ClamRussel wrote: Yak+2 unknowns is way too much for Ekblad. Yak+ flipping picks this year should do it if Florida likes the Yak.

I don't think many teams "like the Yak" right now. Sure he's young, and he's got speed, but he's done nothing with it. 24 points in 63 games is brutal. RNH, Eberle, and Hall, all put up way better numbers in their first two seasons.....and we won't even discuss Yak's Edler-like plus/minus.

I would say that flipping picks is really not a huge trade when you are talking 1st and 3rd overall in the same year. For the Panthers to make that trade they would obviously have identified a team need to be drafting a forward over a defenseman, so they are basically giving up the option to make the choice between Reinhart and Bennet.....not really a big sacrifice, and I probably not "unknowns" in those two skaters.

Yak is probably as much of an unknown at this point as a 2016 first rounder, but there's a chance he still has some big upside in the NHL, probably more chance of it in the eastern conference.

So really it's just 2 unknowns for Ekblad.