2018 Draft Thread

[Coco-puffs]

From myself a couple of months ago in the Armchair thread:

These are the elements I want in our defenders.
1) skating: if you can't skate, bye! forwards, backwards, lateral moves, pivots. Is the skating efficient, or are you working against your own body and having to work extra hard, thus affecting stamina?
2) puck handling: can you buy yourself and supporting forwards a bit of extra time? if not, do you have another option that can cover for that? (see 1)
3) decision making: do you see your options well? do you use the right angles and speeds to cut off plays before they begin, or extend possession?
4) good at getting the puck back: I don't particularly care how, but do you win possession for your team on a regular basis?

So, I'm a big proponent of offense = effective defense.

That being said, I also feel there is a huge belief among hockey management groups that 50+ pt defenders are ones who need 7M+ and they are highly valuable and sought after (sup, Dion Phaneuf?).

I also believe that trying to score from the point regularly (a la Brent Burns, Shea Weber) is basically the NHL version of the long two-pointer in basketball: it is depressingly inefficient. On a team like the Leafs, that's taking the puck away from your actual firepower (Matthews, Nylander, Kadri), so they really only use the point shot for deliberate high tips, rebounds, and to keep goaltenders occasionally honest by bringing their shot down to the top of the circle.

What that means is, I'm looking for a 20-24 year old 3rd pairing defender that can skate out of trouble, make an accurate pass, and aggressively break up plays on a carrier, but who doesn't necessarily put up points. In stats terms, that means high relative CF%, low CA60, don't care about iCF but where the iFF is a higher proportion of the overall iCF (which means he can get shots through).

It also means I'm willing to ship out one of Rielly/Gardiner for a king's ransom because Dermott could make them surplus to needs for a fraction of the cost. I kind of want to keep Gardiner over Rielly too, because of the CA60 difference, but salary considerations and age might flip that around.

In this draft, every defenseman the Leafs picked up fits this profile, so I'm pretty happy. Most of their deficiencies are strength/size related, rather than decision-making.

Does Carrick fit the bill, in terms of what you described there?

I'd say his biggest weakness is #3 from that group.  Skating, pretty good.  Puck handling, decent.  Decision making, not the greatest especially without the puck.  Good at getting the puck back, decent.

 

[Frank E]

I'd say his biggest weakness is #3 from that group.  Skating, pretty good.  Puck handling, decent.  Decision making, not the greatest especially without the puck.  Good at getting the puck back, decent.

Yeah, and I think that's what Dubas was trying to address in this draft...drafting guys that are more cerebral players than physical specimens.

I'm just wondering if junior hockey "smart play" making is easily translatable into NHL smart play making.  The game is a lot slower at 18 year old league speeds.

Certainly, Marner was able to translate that skill set well to the NHL, but he was a pretty special player.  I'm just worried that some of these smaller defenders that were drafted for skill will get scared real quick when they've got 200 pound NHLers, that can skate NHL fast, breathing down their throats, and they won't have time to make that smart play.

 

[herman]

Dubas probably wouldn?t describe it as addressing a specific need, and more like investing in skill either towards building the team or currency towards external pieces. They?re bets on a play style he has found to be successful.

?Smart?, quick thinking, anticipatory reads only get better with experience, while the physical skills need to be built up with reps in the gym and on the ice.

I think Carrick processes the game very well offensively, but has to work harder defensively because his instincts are built for the OZ. Physically, he?s strong but his reach is limited; skating wise, he?s got usable speed but average agility. Sometimes his emotions get the best of him and he takes retaliatory penalties or goes for hits that take him out of the play. He can really extend plays in the OZ, but unfortunately can also extend plays in the DZ.

 

[herman]

It was a CHL heavy draft. Post draft, it comes out that the Russian scouts are out.
?\_(ツ)_/?

 

[Bender]

It was a CHL heavy draft. Post draft, it comes out that the Russian scouts are out.
?\_(ツ)_/?

I wonder what the issue was. TBay didn't seem to have trouble making good Russian selections.

 

[Frank E]

It was a CHL heavy draft. Post draft, it comes out that the Russian scouts are out.
?\_(ツ)_/?

Dubas is stilled pissed about the Korshkov and Kara picks.

#NeverForget

 

[herman]

It was a CHL heavy draft. Post draft, it comes out that the Russian scouts are out.
?\_(ツ)_/?

Dubas is stilled pissed about the Korshkov and Kara picks.

#NeverForget

Could be Dubas' dissatisfaction, or it could be the Russian scouts cutting ties immediately upon Hunter/Lou's departures. If there is no one at the meeting to sell firsthand experience with these prospects, then it'd be pretty hard to have any of those players on the board.

 

[Kin]

It was a CHL heavy draft. Post draft, it comes out that the Russian scouts are out.
?\_(ツ)_/?

Dubas is stilled pissed about the Korshkov and Kara picks.

#NeverForget

First rule of the draft, never pick someone older than the GM.

 

[Frank E]

It was a CHL heavy draft. Post draft, it comes out that the Russian scouts are out.
?\_(ツ)_/?

Dubas is stilled pissed about the Korshkov and Kara picks.

#NeverForget

First rule of the draft, never pick someone older than the GM.

I give Hunter some credit here, as it was actually a tactical pick, given the real target is Korshkov's kid, who is eligible for next year's NHL entry draft....he's really good.

 

[ZBBM]

SDA's name is child's play compared to the king of Thailand:

King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun said he was following events closely