krsmith17

"Cautionary tale"? What do I have to be cautious about? Being wrong? I don't give a s*** about that. If Veleno flops, you can say your "I told you so"... Good for you bud... Until then, continue being "cautious" about prospects... It's funny though, I've said numerous times that I think McIsaac will be a top 4 defenseman. For whatever reason, that doesn't bother you. But if I say Veleno will be a top 2 center, that bothers you... because reasons...

Ooh I get it now... Because some once highly regarded prospects flamed out, that means we can't or shouldn't get excited about any high end prospects again... The ol' frankgrimes mentality... Never have high expectations and you'll never be disappointed... err you'll be pleasantly surprised or some s***... Veleno is not Jurco or Pulkkinen or any of those other bums. Veleno is a legit high end prospect. I think he's a 2C with 1C potential. The biggest thing that separates him from any of the guys you mentioned above... inner drive. He works his ass off and always wants to find ways to improve his game... Not to mention, he's an elite skater, and a very good puck handler and passer.

Barzal and Boeser dropped in 2015 to 16 and 23 respectively, for good reason... GM's are idiots... Players drop every year in the draft. Veleno dropped big time. We lucked out getting him. He's exceeded expectations since being drafted. People are excited about him as a prospect. That upsets@The 91 of Ryans...

I do think there's a real reason he fell in the draft. The reason? 20 GM's are idiots... Who's blindingly hyping Veleno? I'm not blind *******. I can see just fine... Yes, the knock on him was his shot, but playmaking centers with elite skating don't need to rely on a great shot.

You really take issue with me hyping Veleno don't you?

Still makes zero sense... Why would you trade a top 10 pick in next year's draft for a 2020 pick that could be much later the following year??? "Risk it to make the biscuit"... Yup, you'd definitely be "risking it", but why? What's the point? I'm trying so hard to understand your logic here Lefty, but it still makes no sense...

Yeah, bunch of idiots on the Network trying to justify why he dropped all the way to 30th overall. He was in Bob McKenzie's Pre-Season Top 5 last year. He was consistently in everyone's top 10-15 all season. He drops and all of a sudden he's likely a "3rd line center"... You know who else was projected to be a "middle six center with limited offensive upside"? Dylan mother f***ing Larkin! That's who!

I'm understanding you completely. You're just not making any sense to me. Forget the OP. Forget the 1st overall pick. You're saying you would trade our 2019 1st round pick for Vancouver's 2020 1st round pick. Correct? Why would you want to do this? Why would Vancouver want to do this? There would be a huge risk attached to such a trade. Chances are one team would benefit, and the other would lose out. You said you'd trade our 2019 1st for Vancouver's 2020 10th overall, as if that's where they'll automatically be picking. It's not. Anyway, I don't think any competent GM would make that trade...

Those hands.. That release...

The hype (comparison to Crosby) was there (even more so) before he ever was ever drafted by Rimouski though. I've been hearing about him since around the same age we started hearing about McDavid and Crosby. He was expected to be in the same mold when he was much younger. So far, he's fallen a little short. Regardless, Crosby / McDavid shouldn't be the bar (not saying you're saying it should be). I would prefer Lafreniere over Hughes, but adding either would be HUGE for this team.

I assume you're living outside of Canada? This kid has been compared to Crosby (the next "hockey prodigy") for the past 5+ years. That hype has probably died down a little over the past couple years though. I agree, he likely won't be anywhere near the level of Crosby / McDavid, which is why I said that Taylor Hall (or Nathan MacKinnon) is probably more of an apt comparison. https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/comparisons-sidney-crosby-not-easy-alexis-lafreniere-ignore/

You wouldn't be trading the 2019 1st for 2020 first overall though. You already have the 2020 1st overall pick... You'd be trading the 2019 1st for Vancouver's 2020 1st, which could be anything from 2nd overall to 31st overall. For that reason, neither Detroit or Vancouver would make that trade. Way too much uncertainty. You'd prefer the winger over the center? Hughes is the "natural" center (although I think he could end up as an winger in the NHL), and Lafreniere is the winger.

Yes, so you chose to win the lottery in 2020, meaning we would pick in the 6-10 range in 2019. You're trading our 2019 1st round pick to Vancouver for their 2020 1st round pick. Correct? My question is, what makes you so sure that Vancouver are going to pick 10th overall in 2020? What if their pick ends up being 20th overall or later? I wouldn't bet on Vancouver being that good, that soon, but it is possible. They already have a lot of very good, young pieces on their team. Who's to say they don't have a quick turnaround next season like Buffalo did this season? Sure, we could trade our 2019 10th overall pick for Vancouver's 2020 10th overall pick, but there's no way to know that's where Vancouver would be picking. I just think it's foolish to trade 1st round picks when you have no idea where the other team will be picking the following year.

You think Quinn is better than Jack? You're the only one... I wouldn't do this. Our 2019 1st round pick could and likely will be higher than Vancouver's 2020 1st round pick.

If you land that type of player though, you don't trade him. He has the potential to be as good as McDavid / Matthews, except he's a winger, not a center.

No, no, no Alexis Lafrenière, not Lafrelkjasejwoier. I don't think Lafrelkjasejwoier is that great to be honest. Likely going to be a bust... Lafrenière on the other hand is going to be a stud. Getting Crosby / McDavid sort of hype... Personally, I think I'd prefer Lafrenière over Hughes, but both are likely going to be studs. Hughes best comparable is probably Patrick Kane. I've heard Lafrenière being compared to Crosby, but Taylor Hall may be a better comparison. Can't really go wrong with either of those players... Lafrelkjasejwoier is more like a Nail Yakupov...

People that were saying "should have drafted Vilardi" weren't saying that in hindsight though. They were saying it on draft day. Using hindsight, most would agree that (as of now) Rasmussen looks like the better pick. Also, no. Bouchard > Hughes in my opinion. Big, right-handed, puck moving defensemen are like gold in the NHL. Also, exactly what this team needs. Cholowski looks like a legit top pairing defenseman. I think Bouchard would have been a great compliment on the other side.

I don't doubt Kronwall could bring "character and leadership" to the Leafs dressing room. I do doubt 38 year old Kronwall is the player that gets them over the hump...

Wrong draft... Should have taken Bouchard...

I disagree with you (and Ferraro and O'Neill and whoever else) on this. Teams can and do win on skill alone in today's NHL. People that are saying that the Leafs aren't tough enough to go on a deep playoff run are dumb. If the Leafs get bounced early again (I hope they do), it will be because another team out-skilled them, not because another team out-physicalled them... I also disagree that Kronwall is the right player if you want to add toughness or "a spine". He lays a big hit once in a blue moon, and isn't overly physical anymore. His body just won't allow it. It's not like he's ever going to stick up for a teammate after a big hit, or get in an opponents face after the whistle. 37 (soon to be 38) year old Kronwall is not "tough". Both Zaitsev and Dermott are more physical than Kronner at this point in his career. If the Leafs want a grizzled vet, maybe Kronwall would be a good option. But I don't think that is what they're looking for, nor should it be. They have Marleau and Hainsey to fill those roles, as well as plenty of other guys with experience. If they truly are looking for "a spine", maybe we can interest them in a Justin Abdelkader or Luke Witkowski... But again, I don't think that's what the Leafs are looking for.

I'd have no issue trading Kronwall to a contender at the deadline, but yeah, I agree, Kronwall will retire a Wing. He's not going anywhere, especially Toronto. The Leafs need a youngish, right-handed, puck moving defenseman. Kronwall is none of that...

No way. We're finishing just outside the playoffs and winning the draft lottery (one of the top 3 picks), ala Philly 2 years ago and Carolina last year. Opposing fans are going to be so pissed. It'll be great!

Jack Hughes or Dylan Cozens with our first pick. Kaedan Korczak with the pick acquired in the Nyquist trade.

I think you're being a little facetious, but if not, Canada are stacked (as they always are), and most of the "locks" are returning players and / or players from the 2017 Draft. Of the 19 forwards that made the selection roster, 12 are 2017 draftees, 4 are 2018, 2 are 2019 (one of which is an over-ager), and 1 is 2020. The odds are definitely stacked against any of the younger players. It's a pretty huge accomplishment to crack that squad in your draft year. One thing that could increase Veleno's odds is that they're looking to have a lot of speed on the team, and he's probably one of the fastest players (best skaters) on that selection roster. One thing that could hold him back though is that there are a lot of really good centers that should be ahead of him in the pecking order. There are 7 from the 2017 Draft (Glass, Vilardi, Suzuki, Frost, Bowers, Anderson-Dolan and Studnicka), 4 drafted ahead of him in the 2018 Draft (Hayton, Dellandrea and Foudy), and a late bloomer eligible for the 2019 Draft (19 year old Leason). If he does make the team, it would likely be as a winger. By the way, not a single one of those 7 2017 draftees made the 2018 Canadian World Junior Team Canada roster. I'll be a little disappointed if Veleno doesn't crack the roster, only because I want to see how he can do against the best of the best in his age bracket. But if he doesn't make it, it certainly wouldn't mean he's "not that great of a prospect". For what? You said he should be called up now. He can't be called up until after the WJC, and (see above) it's a bit of a long shot...

That's IF Veleno makes the Canadian World Junior team. As great of a season as Veleno is having, I dont think he's a lock. I think both he and McIsaac are on the bubble of making the team.