Leafs 2017 Entry Draft
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Kin
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I say it every year but "best player available" is sort of a cop out when it comes to a draft strategy. I understand the basics of not drafting for specific or immediate positional need but beyond that it's not really a guiding principle. Does it mean the player who's the most NHL ready now? The one with the highest ceiling regardless of any potential character or health concerns? Is it safest pick? How do you weigh who's better between a small scoring winger and a defenseman without a lot of scoring upside? Or a goalie?
i feel like people who advocate "best player available" do so because it sounds like a responsible thing to say where you're emphasizing "goodness" over other considerations but wanting to have a well-rounded prospect base at every position is no more reckless or poorly considered than whatever any one person's definition of "best" is going to turn out to be.
All draft picks are going to be made taking any number of factors into consideration and the choice will be made through synthesis and arriving at someone the team likes the most. Position shouldn't necessarily be the guiding factor but it should be a factor.
i feel like people who advocate "best player available" do so because it sounds like a responsible thing to say where you're emphasizing "goodness" over other considerations but wanting to have a well-rounded prospect base at every position is no more reckless or poorly considered than whatever any one person's definition of "best" is going to turn out to be.
All draft picks are going to be made taking any number of factors into consideration and the choice will be made through synthesis and arriving at someone the team likes the most. Position shouldn't necessarily be the guiding factor but it should be a factor.
mr grieves
New member
Scott Wheeler highlighted several appealing targets at the AthleticTO:
Unlikely to fall to 17, but you grab him if you can: Juuso Valimaki (D)
Fills a need (D) and likely to be around at #17: Erik Brannstrom, Callan Foote, Nic Hague
Forwards: Nick Suzuki (C), Kailer Yamamoto (RW), Jason Robertson (LW)
Sounds like they're all 2-3 years away from making any sort of impact. Since we're most likely going to be looking at moving on from Gardiner and Kadri around then (leaving a permanent core of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Rielly, and Andersen), I'd be happy if they took any of the defensemen or Suzuki (whose scouting profile makes him sound a lot like Kadri).
Unlikely to fall to 17, but you grab him if you can: Juuso Valimaki (D)
Fills a need (D) and likely to be around at #17: Erik Brannstrom, Callan Foote, Nic Hague
Forwards: Nick Suzuki (C), Kailer Yamamoto (RW), Jason Robertson (LW)
Sounds like they're all 2-3 years away from making any sort of impact. Since we're most likely going to be looking at moving on from Gardiner and Kadri around then (leaving a permanent core of Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Rielly, and Andersen), I'd be happy if they took any of the defensemen or Suzuki (whose scouting profile makes him sound a lot like Kadri).
Just as a preemptive measure, here's a handful of prospects I'd like to see us avoid in the 1st round:
Michael Rasmussen
Robert Thomas
Callan Foote
Ryan Poehling
Largely just for general 'not high enough ceiling' reasons.
Michael Rasmussen
Robert Thomas
Callan Foote
Ryan Poehling
Largely just for general 'not high enough ceiling' reasons.
L K said:
Yeah, that's like the vibe that I get from him too from what I've read. He seems like a very "safe" middle of the line-up player. But he's risen into the 20s in lots of rankings, and I've seen some make the (lazy) Knights connection with the Leafs.
ZBBM
Active member
Shilton:
Lamoriello wouldn?t say whether he?d been in touch with defenceman ?s Matt Hunwick's camp
Hunwick has a camp?
Lou: "Hi, I'd like to speak to the Hunwick camp, the director, please."
Voice at the other end: "This is Matt."
Lou: "I need to talk dollars. Should I be speaking to your agent?"
Voice: "You got him, this is Matt."
Lou: "So your camp has, uh, decamped?"
Voice: "I'm your Matt. Matt, Matt, Matt."
Lamoriello wouldn?t say whether he?d been in touch with defenceman ?s Matt Hunwick's camp
Hunwick has a camp?
Lou: "Hi, I'd like to speak to the Hunwick camp, the director, please."
Voice at the other end: "This is Matt."
Lou: "I need to talk dollars. Should I be speaking to your agent?"
Voice: "You got him, this is Matt."
Lou: "So your camp has, uh, decamped?"
Voice: "I'm your Matt. Matt, Matt, Matt."
Makar goes 4th to Colorado. He'll be a really fun player to keep an eye on if the Avs don't butcher his development.
Kin
New member
Is it me or is this really strange and subdued draft coverage? Like the guys at the desk are Cosentino and Debrusk which is Sportsnet's Z team with someone like Elliott Friedman on the floor asking useless questions and Jeff Marek doing...something I suppose.
Maybe I'm just comparing it to the NBA last night but it seems like Sportsnet's top guys all declined to show up.
Maybe I'm just comparing it to the NBA last night but it seems like Sportsnet's top guys all declined to show up.
As a fan it's weird not having a clue how the first 10 or so picks are supposed to go.
Kin
New member
They've brought up repeatedly that Cody Glass, a kid with top 10 talent, had to stop playing for a while because his family couldn't afford it and yet nobody has stopped to say that, you know, that's kind of messed up and wrong and a problem in minor hockey.
But don't worry, they asked repeatedly about the kid's dead grandmother.
But don't worry, they asked repeatedly about the kid's dead grandmother.
Nik the Trik said:
Yeah, that's weird. I wonder what they'll do if a big trade drops.
Mittelstadt goes to Buffalo. He had a bit of top-5 potential. Wings are up. Do they go with Liljegren?