Ok, now that the playoffs are over and Ovi is in day 5 of a summer long bender figured maybe worth starting draft thread and one for off-season rumors.
I'll start with Brian Wilde's final top 15. I think all of these guy are legit blue-chip prospects.
I disagree with the order, but IMO they're all legit.
Brian Wilde's top 15 prospects.
Brian Wilde
& #8207; @BWildeRecrutes
35m35 minutes ago
My final top 15 Picks
1. Dahlin
2. Svechnikov
3. Zadina
4. Kotkaniemi
5. Tkachuk
6. Hughes
7. Wahlstrom
8. Bouchard
9. Dobson
10. Boqvist
11. Hayton
12. Kupari
13. Miller
14. Smith
15. Berggren
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They love Kotkaniemi in MTL and he writes for recrutes, so he is higher here (justifiably) than some places.
If the Rangers drafted Dobson there I'd say you have a top pair RD to pair with Skjei.
Not Dahlin or Hughes as a skater, but he's got a cannon shot, good size, is a rock defensively and has offensive skill - reminds of a little of Roman Josi.
but this is a ranking not a mock draft. It won't fall this way.
Also found this gem, Kovalchuk is apparently asking for or is expected to get $8M per season? Good luck, whoever signs him at that $$ deserves it if he's awful.
Grant McCagg
& #8207; @grantmccagg
1h1 hour ago
Ilya Kovalchuk...a 35-year-old who has played 32 career NHL playoff games....is going to get what.....$8M per? No thanks.
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Seth in Astoria
Frank Seravalli
Verified account @frank_seravalli
Still some deliberating but sounds like 2018-19 #NHL salary cap has been narrowed down to between $79-80 million. Initial projection is that player escrow withholding starts under 10% for first time since 2011-12.
theScore NHL
Verified account @theScoreNHL
4h4 hours ago
Report: Kessel not opposed to trade, would play for Tocchet's Coyotes https://thesco.re/2JPHx97
I'm guessing he's thinking about all the fajitas he can eat or other southwestern fare.
Hart:
Hall
Kopitar
MacKinnon*
Any of the three can win with no argument from me, I give it to MacKinnon because he was on a worse team, he scored more even strength points, he scored more GWGs and he plays C and he had a 1.31 ppg.
Norris:
Subban
Hedman
Doughty*
Love Subban, but have to go with Doughty - but first of all John Carlson was snubbed, he wasn't even selected as a finalist and he'd be my pick to win. But of the finalists I'd pick Doughty because he's not purely an offensive defenseman and he had the points he had with a ridiculously low shooting %.
Vezina:
Hellebuyck*
Rinne
Vasilevsky
Hellebuyck over Rinne because Hellebuyck started a whopping 67 games (tied for league lead) and still had similar stats as Rinne.
Selke:
Bergeron*
Kopitar
Couturier
Bergeron is the gold standard for this award. Only other player in my experience as dominant a two-way player as Bergeron was Datsyuk in recent history.
Calder:
Barzal*
Keller
Boeser
Barzal runs away with it. Boeser is my favorite of the three, but with over a ppg over an 82 game season as a 20 year old this isn't really a contest. All three of these guys will have long prosperous careers if they remain healthy.
The other awards are important too, but IMO these are the bigger awards.
85% said the Coyotes.
As a fan, I think it's natural to have an opinion, but I usually believe we just simply don't know anywhere near what the pros do.
But sometimes you have to wonder when fans so overwhelmingly disagree with a professional GM, what do they really know that fans don't?
Subban trade was similarly slanted in polls from what I remember.
I thought Gallant deserved the Jack Adams, but Hynes should have been much higher.
Tkachuk rumors picking up steam. Kotkaniemi too.
And even trade rumors (though I don't believe the #3 pick for ROR rumor but you never know - GM's are often not smart people) I have heard other rumors too.
Just want to avoid a disaster. That is not asking too much.
The more I learn on Kotkaniemi though the more I like. I think as long as it's him or Zadina the Habs will do alright. Tkachuk would be a reach though
I wouldn't mind the Canadiens and Rangers trading if it involved #3 and #9 and the Canadiens got a player like Zibanejad or Kreider and maybe even a later 1st thrown in.
but Hayes. Holy shit. I'd stay away from hockey news and sites for a long time.
I bet Julien loves Hayes too. And Bergevin is all over the place. Trevor Timmins should not just do their scouting, he should be in charge of trades too.
Do it, Gorts.
Scratch that. Saw it on Twitter, but it was followed by: "But here on Earth, probably not. "
It would certainly be ironic but typical.
Canadiens players the past few years I loved watching play or really looked forward to watching (and never would have traded - at least not in the trades they were in): Subban, Galchenyuk, Sergachev and they get traded.
To be fair I like Weber a lot too though.
I think there will be some significant activity the next 24 hours.
All waiting on Kovy from what I read. Up to a dozen teams interested in his services.
Then the dominoes may fall (Carolina's roster, Rangers spare parts, Canadiens and Pacioretty, Buffalo, Bruins shopping Backes and Krejci, etc.)
He was dealt the day of the Draft
Putting up 56 points on that awful Arizona team may have been the best season of his career. Only shot 6.7% too. Good player.
A part of me just wishes we would have fired AV a year ago instead of trading Stepan. Maybe could have given that group one more chance with a better coach.
Yeah, agreed - although, I think I'd take Stepan at $6.5 than ROR at $7.5.
ROR isn't elite, but he's pretty damn good and he's gotten a lot better the past few years.
But overall IMO they're comparable players.
I like both but I wouldn't trade #3 for either.
DeAngelo looks like a total waste.
Darren Dreger
Verified account
@DarrenDreger
Sources say Barry Trotz and the New York Islanders are closing in on an agreement for Trotz to be the Isles next head coach.
Quote:
to Buffalo for ROR being heavily rumored.
Would that be it? Seems a bit light; would think a pick also accompanies OReilly? Like a 3rd or 4th seems fair. Or retain some salary.
I like Pacioretty so it's light to me. But reality is Max has 1 year left before becoming a UFA and he plays LW.
ROR is a legit NHL C. Centers are so hard to find for some teams and in many cases cost a premium.
ROR is under contract the next 5 seasons.
Which is good and bad I guess. Good if you want cost/roster certainty and you like the player. Bad if you don't want to pay a non-elite C (like ROR IMO) $7.5M per for the next 5 years.
ROR is also a few years younger than Max.
Ideally sure, MTL gets something else in return, but trading does not seem to be Marc Bergevin's strongsuit.
Buffalo is trying to win and make the playoffs ASAP. Why are they so eager to move him?
Buffalo is trying to win and make the playoffs ASAP. Why are they so eager to move him?
I don't think getting back Max Pacioretty and a 2nd round pick is exactly eager to unload for Buffalo it's dealing from a position of strength to a trading partners weakness.
But they have C's. Eichel, Mittlestadt, and others who can play C, so why not maximize the value of your roster and add a guy like Max. Team C, good leader, who can contribute in all facets.
LW is about as barren for Buffalo as C in for Montreal.
Montreal's top two C's are Drouin (not a real NHL C) and Phillip Danult (not a real NHL top 6 player).
Who are Buffalo's top LW's?
Also though as I said above, Max has one year left to UFA and he's 30 years old in November.
ROR is overpaid, but he turned 27 recently, so you really get just one or two years over 30 in that contract.
🎙
@Habsterix
8h8 hours ago
That ROR trade could very well come down on the draft floor tomorrow. #Habs #Sabres
Ha!
Ha!
I've read Lucic to the Habs trade rumors. Fans easily forget shit when you're wearing their team's jersey.
Grant McCagg
@grantmccagg
4h4 hours ago
So..the rumour this morning was ROR for Max and a 2nd, grew to Max, multiple picks, and prospects...now the third-overall pick is being tossed in the mix. By midnight it will be for Montreal's first 4 picks, Max, Juulsen and Poehling.
Joe Haggerty
Verified account @HackswithHaggs
5h5 hours ago
Don Sweeney sure sounds like he's all in on signing Ilya Kovalchuk after multiple conversations with the player & his camp: "We feel like we're a team he has strong interest in"
Relative to other teams, no, said McKenzie. Im sure that Kevin Cheveldayoff is talking to teams about a lot of different things. Every team is. But in terms of if youre identifying sort of the hot spots: The L.A. Kings are very active looking for a scoring winger or two. The Carolina Hurricanes are very active, both in terms of what theyd like to bring in and what theyd like to move out. The Buffalo Sabres are very active. The Montreal Canadiens are very active.
So youve got these handful of teams that are kind of at the top end of the activity level, and the Jets wouldnt be in that group. Thats not to say that they cant do something or they wont do something, its just that relative to those other teams its pretty quiet.
But Kevin Cheveldayoff is not a guy that advertises what hes doing anyways he can be a little stealthy so well keep an eye on things as it unfolds.
I wouldn't want him on my team at his age and eroding skills, as a starter, but you could do worse as a backup.
Might make sense for the Isles as a short term move to help bridge the gap till one of their two international goalies are ready. Sorokin is still looking very good. Might even cost less than the younger/less expensive Grubauer.