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HF.net NHL Mock Draft 2017


pilldoc

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On 6/11/2017 at 6:52 AM, yave1964 said:

To me it had to be Patrick based off the Devils desire to improve their center play. With no offense to Nico, I believe he will settle in on the wing at least short term if not permanently. Patrick is the best true center in the draft and fits the Devils number one need to a tee.

 

That's pretty much where I'm at with the pick at the moment too. The Devils haven't really had a #1 center since maybe Arnott (and even that's debatable). Gomez had some productive years, but I wouldn't say he was really a #1 center, plus he either had Mogilny or Elias on his wing most of the time. Zajac had two really good years, but that whole line with him, Parise, and Langenbrunner was ridiculously good during that stretch. Patrick could finally be that #1 center who can do pretty much everything (even if he never puts up elite point totals).

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Thank you very much, @pilldoc!  You're a tough act to follow (twice to boot!) but I shall do my best!

 

Having missed the playoffs for the first time in a quarter century, many in the Detroit Red Wings camp are ready to begin a new era.  Though nobody is really calling this a “rebuild” in so many words, there is no argument that the Red Wings have a new look to them, with a complete changing of the guard behind the bench, and plenty of new fresh faces on the ice, not to mention a brand new arena.  Still Ken Holland and Company don’t have a lot of breathing room with a salary cap that’s stuck at $73 million, and a lot of that money already tied up.  Over $9 million dollars is already earmarked for the goaltending in Jimmy Howard and Petr Mrazek.  Restricted free agents Tomas Tatar, Andreas Anthanasiou, and Xavier Ouellet still need to be signed.  Perhaps most painful of all at this stage is that the Wings are still paying Stephen Weiss’s buyout, at a cap hit of just over $2.5 million. 

 

The analysis (or more appropriately – hope) is that the Red Wings could move some contracts prior to free agency or perhaps having some of the weight removed by the Vegas Golden Knights, particularly the likes of Jimmy Howard, Tatar, or Gustav Nyquist.  All of these players have shown flashes of All-Star-caliber brilliance and may benefit from a change of scenery.  However, these options appear unlikely.  The lack of flexibility in the checkbook means that once again the Red Wings will have to draw from within in order to make improvements for the coming season.

 

There are a number of areas in need of that improvement (read: everywhere).  The Red Wings need more scoring punch, however, this can potentially be remedied with the existing staff.  Many of the forwards put up lackluster scoring numbers last season, including young phenom Dylan Larkin, the stalwart Justin Abdelkader, and the absolutely snake-bitten Riley Sheahan, who in a most ironic sense, scored his only two goals of the season on the very last game, and will go down in history as the last ever goal scored at the beloved Joe Louis Arena.   The Red Wings power play was also abysmal, ranking at or near the bottom of the league for just about all of the season.

 

The Red Wings defense appears to also be in decline.  The senior veterans, Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson, have been losing steam in recent years due to nagging injuries (Kronwall was only playing every other game in the downstretch of last season).  Other commodities such as Mike Green and Danny DeKeyser, while capable, can only carry so much of the load.  In the absence of the cap space needed to bring in the likes of Kevin Shattenkirk, or even returning Brendan Smith, the Red Wings will look to a young crop of prospects to develop quickly.  A number of prospects from the farm system began to appear in the waning weeks of the season, including Nick Jensen, Ryan Sproul, and Robbie Russo, though it’s possible that Ken Holland will include them as a trade sweetener and free up cap space.

 

Goaltending is an enigma.  Both Howard and Mrazek can, and have, played incredibly well even for long stretches.  Indeed, they have the makings of a fearsome tandem, with both netminders able to trade in and out with each other, putting less strain and injury potential on both.  But neither is completely dependable, which only stresses the need to rely on both equally.  Still, young Jared Coreau is currently polishing his talent in the Calder Cup Finals with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

 

All things considered, there is no need greater for the Red Wings than to shore up the depth and increase their chances of fielding a top blueliner.  In the most ideal sense, the Red Wings are looking for a smart, puck-moving defenseman with a right-handed shot, and the ability to captain a power-play unit.  This particular blueliner would be ready to step onto the NHL ice as quickly as possible, but at the same time be able to learn from the guys who have been around for a while, in order to meld into the style of play that is expected of him.  Ergo:

 

With the ninth overall pick in the 2017 HF.net NHL Mock Draft, the Detroit Red WingNuts select, from Rogle BK in the Swedish Hockey League:

 

#18 - Timothy Liljegren

Position: Defenseman

Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 192 lbs
Shoots: Right

 

Timothy-Liljegren.jpg

 

Liljegren appears to be just the type of player the Red Wings have been looking for.  This promising young Swede’s hockey sense and puck moving ability has been compared to another fellow Swede, Erik Karlsson.  Karlsson, of course, at the beginning of his career exhibited shades of Nicklas Lidstrom.

 

No one expects that Liljegren will be the second coming of the great Saint Nick, but his on-ice awareness, coupled with a good hard shot will be a welcome addition to the point on the Wings’ struggling power play.  It’s doubtful he’ll see NHL ice this year, particularly with Detroit's M.O. of not rushing young talent, but he very well head to Grand Rapids by seasons’ end to begin his North American training and experience.  Scouting reports do not seem to identify a particular Achilles’ heel with Liljegren.  He seems only a bit green and just needs to grow and mature his game. 

 

From thehockeywriters.com:

Strengths:

  • Great skater, covers large surfaces on the ice. 
  • Calm with the puck, and sets up his team for offence.
  • Dangerous shot, frequently gets it through traffic.
  • Good in one-on-one situations.

Under Construction (Improvements to Make):

  • Tends to occasionally get over-ambitious in the defensive zone.
  • Could develop to be even more productive in terms of points.
  • Sometimes turns invisible in a game, then struggles to find back.

NHL Potential:

 

Liljegren projects as a top-pairing defenseman in the NHL. Also, he is the kind of player you could build your first power play formation around.

 

With that, I yield the floor to my esteemed colleague from Ohio, on behalf of the Florida Panthers.  Mr. @yave1964, the podium is yours!

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@WingNut722

 

So just out of curiosity, as you read my post for the Sabres, I had Timothy Liljegren also potentially being drafted by them.  If I would have gone defense first for the Sabres and drafted Timothy Liljegren , who was your back-up player for the Red Wings?

 

Like I said, just kind of curious.   I think this is going to be a crazy draft.

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Thanks, @pilldoc!

 

I did get a little nervous when I read Liljegren in your post, as he was my #1 choice.  However, it was going to be defense all the way.  Miro Heiskanen was high on the list, but he of course was chosen.  If you had selected Liljegren, I would have probably chosen Callan Foote.  I liked his size and and hockey sense, a lot of what Liljegren has, just a little less.  So thank you for selecting Tippett! :-) 

 

And a seal of approval from @yave1964 would be quite an accolade, no?

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2 minutes ago, WingNut722 said:

Thanks, @pilldoc!

 

I did get a little nervous when I read Liljegren in your post, as he was my #1 choice.  However, it was going to be defense all the way.  Miro Heiskanen was high on the list, but he of course was chosen.  If you had selected Liljegren, I would have probably chosen Callan Foote.  I liked his size and and hockey sense, a lot of what Liljegren has, just a little less.  So thank you for selecting Tippett! :-) 

 

And a seal of approval from @yave1964 would be quite an accolade, no?

 

Now that would have been interesting see a top 5 player slide down to #10.  I'm sure the Panthers would have snatched up Tippett in a nano-second.  Could you imagine a pairing of Barkov and Tippett.  Wow ...... !!!!!

 

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1 minute ago, thenewestlights said:

@WingNut722

 

Not only a :PostAward2:

 

but I'm still busting up over this:

 

"With the ninth overall pick in the 2017 HF.net NHL Mock Draft, the Detroit Red WingNuts select . . ."

 

:D

 

 

 

 

LOL ... I totally missed that!  Awesome! :):VeryCool:

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2 hours ago, WingNut722 said:

Thanks, @pilldoc!

 

I did get a little nervous when I read Liljegren in your post, as he was my #1 choice.  However, it was going to be defense all the way.  Miro Heiskanen was high on the list, but he of course was chosen.  If you had selected Liljegren, I would have probably chosen Callan Foote.  I liked his size and and hockey sense, a lot of what Liljegren has, just a little less.  So thank you for selecting Tippett! :-) 

 

And a seal of approval from @yave1964 would be quite an accolade, no?

Liljegren has been  my choice for quite some time, I was hoping that he would fall to the Wings and hooping that he does in real life.

 

  In this draft, forwards seem to be a premium but the inevitable run on defense is certainly coming. It probably starts with Liljegren to the Wings. And speaking of which......

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When i first saw that I had the Panthers it was a no brainer to me to go forward, they were dangerously thin there last season and key injuries among Huberdeau and Barkov and the regression of one of my favorites, Bjugstad killed the team (along with the comedy of errors of musical chairs among management). I figure that Marchessault is fools gold, a one year wonder and vets like Jagr and Jokinen are almost in the clubhouse heading for home.

 

  But then only two of the first nine picks were defense with a run on forwards changing my mind. I was looking at Tippett as ideal, he is gone. A few others as well who were on my radar are gone as well, I thought for sure that Suzuki would be there at ten but he was taken way early as well. Anyway, all of this has led to me do this:

 

WITH THE TENTH PICK IN THE DRAFT THE PANTHERS SELECT CALE MAKER DEFENSE

 

  IMHO at this point he is best available and with the decline of Ekblad and the rumor that Yandle will be exposed in the draft they do need defense.

 

Craig Button TSN - May 8th"I’m not saying he’s Erik Karlsson because we’re talking about a superstar and one of the great defencemen of his era, but (Makar) plays the game like that," TSN prospect analyst Craig Button said. "He’s dynamic into the attack with the puck, making plays. He’s really, really top-notch. I think everything he has translates to the next level. I don’t worry that he’s in the AJHL. It’s not a negative for me."

The kid can skate and has amazing vision, I have read quite a few people comparing him to a young Karlsson which IMHO is absurd and setting the bar a wee bit too high but other than size he has it all. Top four over the next decade, probably top pair and a power play king. Unbelievable that he was laying here, the Panthers desperately need forwards but Makar is too good to pass on at ten.

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@yave1964 blame me and the Avs / Sabres for drafting Suzuki and Tippett away from you and the Panthers! ;)

 

My only concern about Cale Makar is that he played in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.  Is it a true concern considering it is considered a Minor Canadien Junior Hockey League instead of Major Junior Hockey League such as the WHL / OHL / QJMHL?  I have read conflicting reports and would like your thoughts on the matter.  I notices that Craig Button has him listed at #3 overall on his final ranking.  Just curious your thoughts.  Other than that he has literally come out of no where and risen to the top.

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@WingNut722

 

Great assesment of the Wings as well. Yeah, Liljegren is my first and last choice at number one, I wanted Carlo and McAvoy the last few years (both ended up in Boston, in our own division-grrrr) and we continue to draft forwards while our defense gets worse. Yes, I love Svetchnikov as a prospect, he may play top six power forward minutes next year with the big boys even but we have guys who play the same role. Liljegren if we land him can play right now, as in make the team, QB the second PP with Green around for another year. Pair him with someone safe like Oullet, I do not believe in Jensen, I watched him at GR for two years and feel that he punched way out of his weight class in his cup of coffee last year and think he is gonna bomb next year but Oullet has developed into a surprisingly solid and dependable rear guard.

 So if we draft Liljegren we have him, Green, Dekeyser, (I know that @SpikeDDS loves him but he was awful last year, but I think he will bounce back some this year) and Oullet for our top four, with the ghosts of Ericsson and Kronner in the mix along with assorted kids, Russo, Sproul, Jensen, ect..... a deep and servicable group, especially if our draft pick is middle pair ready which might be a stretch but what do we have to lose by tossing him out there and seeing what he can do?

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13 minutes ago, pilldoc said:

@yave1964 blame me and the Avs / Sabres for drafting Suzuki and Tippett away from you and the Panthers! ;)

 

My only concern about Cale Makar is that he played in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.  Is it a true concern considering it is considered a Minor Canadien Junior Hockey League instead of Major Junior Hockey League such as the WHL / OHL / QJMHL?  I have read conflicting reports and would like your thoughts on the matter.  I notices that Craig Button has him listed at #3 overall on his final ranking.  Just curious your thoughts.  Other than that he has literally come out of no where and risen to the top.

I worry about players who are punching way below their weight class like that, Makar truly seemed a man among boys and we may have gotten a better feel for him if he had played Major Junior but he seems like the real deal. I think that it is a huge stretch to expect him to go right from the frigging Alberta Junior Hockey League to the NHL but from what i have read he seems to be the real deal. I think Button may have him rated a bit high, going at ten was probably about right. In real life with defense being so imposisble to get without overpaying tho I truly would not be surprised if he goes top five. Right now there are whispers turning into rumblings that the Wings are looking to move up to nab the defenseman whom they want and are looking to crash into the top five, it would have to be either Makar or Heiskanen and I do not believe that Heiskanen gets past number three and Dallas. Of course it is possible the Wings deal with Jim Nill and move up to three and nab Heiskanen. He has been rising the fastest of any player in the draft over the last month.

Of the three defenseman who I feel are the cream of this years clas I rank them:

1) Liljegren (thus jumping for joy over Wingnuts pick) 2) Makar and 3) Heiskanen. I wouldnt mind any of them though.

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My two cents on Makar and Liljegren (who I own in fantasy), which is heavily influenced by reports from one scouting service in particular: 1) Makar: was indeed a man among boys in Tier II, but  also dominated against his top peer group when facing them in international play

2) Liljegren: "elite skater, but decision making worse than Trump"

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2 minutes ago, Podein25 said:

My two cents on Makar and Liljegren (who I own in fantasy), which is heavily influenced by reports from one scouting service in particular: 1) Makar: was indeed a man among boys in Tier II, but  also dominated against his top peer group when facing them in international play

2) Liljegren: "elite skater, but decision making worse than Trump"

Usually I cringe when the political stuff comes up, nothing can ruin a forum quicker than politics and/or religion but oh mu God was that funny!

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2 minutes ago, yave1964 said:

Usually I cringe when the political stuff comes up, nothing can ruin a forum quicker than politics and/or religion but oh mu God was that funny!

 

Yeah, I hear ya. I wasn't trying to make it political. It is a direct quote from Red Line Report, which likes to have fun with its one-liner write ups on players (e.g., the classic: "$10 million skill set, 10 cent brain"). 

 

The longer write up on Liljegren contains this warning: "stagnated, lack of progression in his game is a concern...decision making regressed badly, lots of turnovers...not getting any bigger and size is a concern."

 

In fairness to Timothy, he had mono which set him back and he never really recovered, which is too bad and not really fair as far as his falling in rankings go. I still think he goes first round (his skating is world class after all), but would not be surprised at all if he slips to the 2nd round. Once you start falling....

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2 minutes ago, Podein25 said:


Here's another one, on a different player: "Great tools, but the compete level of an aardvark!"

 

They've obviously never seen two aardvarks who find the same anthill.

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