HF.net NHL Mock Draft 2017

[Kings Redeem LA]

1 hour ago, Honest Bender said:

The Nashville Predators are coming off of their best season ever, losing the Stanley Cup Final in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This success can be attributed to a solid lineup at all positions including strong contributions from depth players. Not only that, but the lineup is fairly young and should be competitive for several years. The only immediate need is a #2 center, which obviously will not be filled any time soon by the first round selection this summer, so BPA is the way to go.

 

Let's take a look at the depth and prospects of the Predators:

 

Centers

Ryan Johansen leads the way here, today and well into the future. At just 24 years old, "Joey" is a top center in the NHL and still making improvements each season. Beyond him is a glut of capable centers who max out as #3 type players, including UFA captain Mike Fisher, Calle Jarnkrok, Colton Sissons and Frederick Gaudreau. There is hope in the system for that #2 center wish Vladislav Kamenev and Victor Ejdsell coming along with higher ceilings, though neither one can be considered anything close to a safe bet to develop into that role. 

 

Wingers

The top end is well stocked here with star winger Filip Forsberg at the head of the class. Viktor Arvidsson broke out in a big way last season with 31 goals, and despite a down year thanks to separate hand and wrist injuries, James Neal should get healthy and rebound back to the 25-30 goal level and Kevin Fiala rounds out the top-6 wingers. Depending on how the expansion draft goes, the third line wingers will be a rotation of Colin Wilson, Craig Smith and Pontus Aberg, while Miikka Salomaki, Austin Watson and Cody McLeod hold down the fourth line. The farm system is pretty thin without any obvious NHL players developing, Tyler Moy may have some potential but it's a longshot. It's a position that is still dependable for a few more years, and players like Jarnkrok and Gaudreau can slide over when necessary, but David Poile will need to look for a couple of good projects with more upside than what he currently has. 

 

Defense

The obvious area of strength on the team. With a top-4 group of Roman Josi, PK Subban, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm, there's not much pressure on developing players at this position. The third pairing is typically one in which Poile prefers to keep some safe veterans, which the Predators have with Yannick Weber and Matt Irwin, while Anthony Bitetto has never looked out of place when healthy (something he struggled with last season). Dante Fabbro is the top prospect after being selected in the first round last year, and Alexandre Carrier had jumped players such as Petter Granberg and Jack Dougherty on the depth chart. You'd like to see more help on the way after Fabbro, but with that top-4 it's not a pressing need. 

 

Goaltender

Pekka Rinne showed flaws last season and he'll need to be more limited going forward. Juuse Saros is a spectacular talent, which he will need to utilize to compensate for his size. Expect 30-35 games for Saros next season to really show what he can do. There's nothing noteworthy developing beyond them, but Poile has been burned on drafting a goalie high too many times before to go down that road again. 

 

And here he comes to the podium now...

 

"Hello HF.net, the Nashville Predators organization would like to thank you for the warm welcome we've received at the draft this year, we'd like to say hello to the fans back in Nashville at our draft watch party and all of the fans around Middle Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama, you were all amazing all season. Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins on their Stanley Cup win, it was a tough series for us, but we had a tremendous season and it's not the last you've heard from us, we'll be back for sure... 

 

With the 30th selection in the 2017 draft, the Nashville Predators are proud to select from the Spokane Chiefs, forward Jaret-Anderson Dolan."

 

 

There you have it, Jaret-Anderson Dolan. Slightly higher than most scouts have him ranked, but a player who fits the Predators mold well. Often lost in the hype of Kailer Yamamoto, Dolan should not be overlooked. Here is a guy with talent and character, he captained Canada at the U-18 similar to Preds Ryan Ellis who captained Canada's jr team, something that Poile loves. Developed in Spokane by Don Nachbaur who brought up a similar player in Lightning center Tyler Johnson. He plays a responsible two-way game, has good acceleration and a shot that should translate well to the pro game. He projects as a guy who could focus on scoring and play as a low-end #2 center, or be put on a two-way third line and flourish. He'll need to work on his skating a bit and add some more muscle, otherwise he's on a good path to the NHL.

 

 

  @nossagog and the Pittsburgh Penguins are on the clock.

 

 

Dug the docu-style video highlights. 

That last score was sick!  

[hf101]

I really appreciate everyone's contributions to this years HF.net NHL Mock Draft.  It's been a lot of fun and I've enjoyed reading everyone's picks.  I'll get the Page completed as soon as I can and next week we will see how our selections match that of the Big Guys.  

 

I think we can pull of a similar Vegas Team Mock Draft in 3 days without the extensive write-ups.  Anyone who wishes to participate please sign up.

 

 

[Kings Redeem LA]

@nossagog:

 

"Throughout the run to two consecutive Stanley Cup Championships, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shown that depth in the lineup, and particularly at the defensive position, is a key to making it to hockey's ultimate goal." 

 

Amen! More than once during the Pens' latest Cup run, I thought to myself 

And they're doing all this without Letang!  It's borderline-freaky the

depth and the resilience of this team. 

 

Based on what you said about Pittsburgh's success and defensive development, 

this pick makes sense for them. 

 

 

[AJgoal]

2 hours ago, hf101 said:

 

lol, except that I think Oettinger is a more seasoned prospect than some of the other late first round picks.  I'm curious to see who drafts him earlier than expected next week. 

 

Well, I also knew I was making a trade for my goalie of the future, so I didn't have to worry about it.

[nossagog]

3 hours ago, thenewestlights said:

@nossagog:

 

"Throughout the run to two consecutive Stanley Cup Championships, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shown that depth in the lineup, and particularly at the defensive position, is a key to making it to hockey's ultimate goal." 

 

Amen! More than once during the Pens' latest Cup run, I thought to myself 

And they're doing all this without Letang!  It's borderline-freaky the

depth and the resilience of this team. 

 

Based on what you said about Pittsburgh's success and defensive development, 

this pick makes sense for them. 

 

 

If you would have asked me what I thought the Pens chances were at the beginning of the playoffs, knowing that Letang was lost for the post season, I would have said it was a nice run just getting there, and get some young guns some experience for next year.   Well what an experience it was.    Can't say enough about how much the defense, who is a mix and match of players, stepped up.  I'll look up the statistics, but I don't think there was much of a difference between the '16 cup run and the '17 cup run in terms of statistics defensive wise.   Unreal. 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

As per a request from @pilldoc , I am copy pasting what I believe are the best players available for the Knights from each of the 30 teams.

He feels some on this thread may find it interesting.

 

Again, keep in mind, these are just MY OWN opinions, and just based on players available and am in no way claiming these guys are elite players that will capture a Cup for the Knights in the next two or three years.

 

Here ya go guys, TFG's options for Vegas from each team's unprotected list:

 

Ducks--- Sami Vatenen (D), Josh Manson (D), Jonathan Bernier (G)
Coyotes-- Alex Burmistrov (F), Jared Tinordi (D)
Bruins-- Zac Rinaldo (hah! just kidding)... Drew Stafford (F), John Michael Liles (D), Adam McQuaid (D)
 
Sabres-- Zach Begosian (D), Justin Falk (D...no, not the Carolina one, the other J. Falk), Linus Ullmark (G)
Flames-- Troy Brouwer (F), Michael Kostka (D), Brian Elliot (G)
Hurricanes- Cam Ward (G), Lee Stempniak (F)
 
Blackhawks- Marcus Kruger (F), Trevor Van Riemsdyk (F), Johnny Oduya (D)
Avalanche- Calvin Pickard (G), Joe Colborne (F), Rene Bourque (F)
Blue Jackets- Sam Gagner (F), Jack Johnson (D), Kyle Quincy (D)
 
Stars-- Dan Hamhuis (D), Jiri Hudler (F), Cody Eakin (F)
Red Wings- Riley Sheahan (F), Jonathan Ericsson (D), Dylan McIlrath (D), Petr Mrazek (G)
Oilers-     Benoit Pouliot (F), Kris Russell (D), David Desharnais (F)
 
Panthers- Jonathan Marchassault (F), Jason Demers (D), Roberto Luongo (G)
Kings--   Dustin Brown (F), Kyle Clifford (F), Jeff Zatkoff (G)
Wild-- Marco Scandella (D), Matt Dumba (D), Eric Staal (F), Christian Folin (D)
 
Canadiens-  Al Montoya (G), Tomas Plekanec (F), Alex Radulov or Nikita Nesterov (F and D, respectively, AND if either is going to stay in North America...there are rumors both may head back to the KHL)
Predators-- James Neal (F), Craig Smith (F), Mike Fisher (F)
Devils-- Mike Cammalleri (F), Devante Smith-Pelley (F), Dalton Prout (D)
 
Islanders-  Brock Nelson (F), Cal Clutterbuck (F), Casey Cizikas (F), Calvin DeHaan (D), Ryan Strome (F)
Rangers-- Jesper Fast (F), Oscar Lindberg (F), Anttii Raanta (G)
Senators- Clarke MacArthur (F), Bobby Ryan (F), Marc Methot (D), Alex Burrows (F)
 
Flyers-  Michael Del Zotto (D), Matt Read (F), P.E. Bellemare (F)
Penguins- Nick Bonino (F), Carl Hagelin (F), Ian Cole (D), Marc Andre Fleury (G-possibly the class of the goalie selections), Bryan Rust (F)
Sharks-  Aaron Dell (G), David Schlemko (D), Joe Thornton (F), Joel Ward (F)
 
Blues-  Kyle Brodziak (F), David Perron (F), Robert Bortuzzo (D)
Lightning-- Yanni Gourde (F), Slater Koekkoek (D), Jake Dotchin (D..I HOPE he doesn't get taken...I like the way he plays!), JT Brown (F)
Maple Leafs- Brian Boyle (F), Roman Polak (D...yes, Cro-Magnon man would help a new team trying not to get pushed around), Brooks Laich (F)
 
Canucks-- Ryan Miller (G...oh gawd, HJ is gonna have a hockey-gasm!), Luca Sbisa (D), Drew Shore (F), Joseph Cramarossa (F)
Capitals--  Brett Connolly (F), TJ Oshie (F), Justin Williams (F), Karl Alzner (D), Kevin Shattenkirk (D..though I think he WON'T sign with the Knights as he is a UFA and I think wants to stay in the East).
Jets-- Ondrej Pavelec (G), Tobias Enstrom (D), Chris Thorburn (F).

[Kings Redeem LA]

 @TropicalFruitGirl26 

[SpikeDDS]

On 6/13/2017 at 0:45 PM, yave1964 said:

@WingNut722

 

, Dekeyser, (I know that @SpikeDDS loves him but he was awful last year, but I think he will bounce back some this year)

<sigh>

 

Allow me to put this apparent man-crush in proper perspective. I do NOT love Dekeyser like  @yave1964 loved Kronwall. Not even close.

 

I completely agree that DDK had a lousy season last season. Prior to that, I think he was a great value pickup for the Wings, and helped solidify and somewhat stabilize a D that has been on the decline. He has NOT been the offensive threat I was hoping that he would be.

 

Now, having said that, I am glad they resigned him, because at the time they did, there were few, if any, equivalent Dmen that we could afford to pick up. Our former top D line (Kronner/Erickson) is a shadow of itself...at best. We really couldn't afford to lose him. So I still like him for what he is.

 

Problem is, he is not a top-2 Dman, and unfortunately that is where he needs to be played right now, and it showed last season. He is a solid second pair Dman. His higher salary after the extension makes him less a value buy than his first contract, which was GREAT performance per $.

 

So as much as I liked him during that first contract--and I did--he doesn't bring as much advantage per dollar that he used to and really has become close to just another middle-pair Dman. Unfortunately, I don't see him being used in that role any time soon, because we don't have 2 top-line Dmen, so he's gonna be charged with doing more than he is probably capable to handle, and it'll show. Used properly, I still like him. I like him less as a top-2 guy.

 

But what are our other options? We don't really have any short of Shattenkirk still being available after the Vegas draft AND then taking Mrazek freeing us the cap space to even be in the running for him (doubtful we could get him anyway). So DDK is gonna be top line and is probably going to come up short of what we would want him to be in that role. Good player used wrongly out of necessity.

 

That is my position on DDK. 

[yave1964]

@SpikeDDS

 

I love DDK as well and could not believe the way things went sideways last year. Paired with Green it seems they were caught up ice in the last ten minutes of the third period of a close game waaaayyyyy to many times, they got turned around and odd man rushes led to an opposing goal with alarming frequency. It just got to the point where I looked for it.

  Like you, I believe that he was used wrong, he would be better served on the second pairing with a defensive specialist paired with Green who could allow Green to roam. that IMHO is the problem with Dekeyser, he doesnt fit a niche, he is not a shut down guy but plays decent defense, he doesnt have enough offense to be used on the power play, he does not one thing so well that you can say, here it is, do this as your bread and butter but he does nothing so poorly that he needs to be hidden in certain scenarios. Last year he tried to add hitting and blocked shots to his repertoire, he was first among Wings d-men in hits and literally blocked twice as many shots as any other Wing player but it threw his game off and he lost a step along the way. He isnt really physical but tried to play that way, his combined blocks and hits (270) was nearly 100 more than his previous career high which is insane and a sign that he was attempting to do too much. 

  Bumped back to the second pair, told to relax and just play hockey I think he would be fine.

[yave1964]

@SpikeDDS

 

And yes on Kronwall although sadly he has hit the wall and is as close to being done as you can be and still lace up the skates. My wife said years ago that if they had made a perfume named Kronner that we would have had ten kids, lol. I think that epitomizes a man crush.

[SpikeDDS]

1 hour ago, yave1964 said:

@SpikeDDS

 

I love DDK as well and could not believe the way things went sideways last year. Paired with Green it seems they were caught up ice in the last ten minutes of the third period of a close game waaaayyyyy to many times, they got turned around and odd man rushes led to an opposing goal with alarming frequency. It just got to the point where I looked for it.

  Like you, I believe that he was used wrong, he would be better served on the second pairing with a defensive specialist paired with Green who could allow Green to roam. that IMHO is the problem with Dekeyser, he doesnt fit a niche, he is not a shut down guy but plays decent defense, he doesnt have enough offense to be used on the power play, he does not one thing so well that you can say, here it is, do this as your bread and butter but he does nothing so poorly that he needs to be hidden in certain scenarios. Last year he tried to add hitting and blocked shots to his repertoire, he was first among Wings d-men in hits and literally blocked twice as many shots as any other Wing player but it threw his game off and he lost a step along the way. He isnt really physical but tried to play that way, his combined blocks and hits (270) was nearly 100 more than his previous career high which is insane and a sign that he was attempting to do too much. 

  Bumped back to the second pair, told to relax and just play hockey I think he would be fine.

 

I hadn't looked at those stats, but it only serves to help explain the differences in his performance that we saw. Excellent insight @yave1964!

[SpikeDDS]

1 hour ago, yave1964 said:

@SpikeDDS

 

I love DDK as well and could not believe the way things went sideways last year. Paired with Green it seems they were caught up ice in the last ten minutes of the third period of a close game waaaayyyyy to many times, they got turned around and odd man rushes led to an opposing goal with alarming frequency. It just got to the point where I looked for it.

  Like you, I believe that he was used wrong, he would be better served on the second pairing with a defensive specialist paired with Green who could allow Green to roam. that IMHO is the problem with Dekeyser, he doesnt fit a niche, he is not a shut down guy but plays decent defense, he doesnt have enough offense to be used on the power play, he does not one thing so well that you can say, here it is, do this as your bread and butter but he does nothing so poorly that he needs to be hidden in certain scenarios. Last year he tried to add hitting and blocked shots to his repertoire, he was first among Wings d-men in hits and literally blocked twice as many shots as any other Wing player but it threw his game off and he lost a step along the way. He isnt really physical but tried to play that way, his combined blocks and hits (270) was nearly 100 more than his previous career high which is insane and a sign that he was attempting to do too much. 

  Bumped back to the second pair, told to relax and just play hockey I think he would be fine.

 

We are of the same mind, but you said it better than I did. He does all things well, and nothing of note GREAT! That's not a bad thing...unless you demand he be great at one or more things and count on him for such and he can't deliver. Then he looks bad, but it's not so much him, but rather his misuse that is the problem.

 

Bottom line, we are short on talent in the D zone, and DDK is one of the areas where trying to stretch out the talent that we have showed up last season. Maybe he can up his game, but I'm not counting on it. He's been playing long enough to have shown us what he has, and I'm not going to expect more at this point.

 

We simply need more D talent, and our problems on the back end will not be fixed until we acquire it, whether via the draft or FA.

[OccamsRazor]

Was watching this kid vs Canada yesterday and the Swiss today and wow i like this kid's game...

 

 

 

 

He was the youngest player ever (13) to commit to an NCAA program....headed to Maine...kind of weary of taking college prospects that high...he has some great size already 6-1 205 and will only get bigger.