DickieDunn

Mantha needs more process before he's even allowed on the ice again, much less the PK

Some of the best hitters of the last 20+ years were in the 6' 195 lb range. Peca, Chelios, Konstantinov, etc. Super Mario was 6'4" 200+ lbs. Larry "Dollar Hotdog" Murphy was 6'2" 210. Sheahan is 6'3" 215. Of those 6 guys, the 3 smaller ones are the guys you'd least want to be hit by.

Neely was a winger Yes, prospects are generally judged on their potential ceiling. Otherwise Sheahan would have been a better prospect than Tarasenko because he was more likely to play in the NHL.

Isn't the prospect with the higher ceiling typically considered the better prospect?

yeah, unless they hear from an available coach they want who has another offer, like Tippet.

No, you're saying his size makes him the better prospect. Just his size. Not his intelligence, puck handling, passing, shot, or anything else. Size. It's a dumb argument.

That's like saying AA is going to be a star because he's fast or Helm is worth $3 mil because of his speed alone. One aspect of a player's game doesn't make him a good player. Besides, how many times have we seen big guys who don't use their size effectively?

They need D and another high end center. If they end up at #2, and Svechnikov is still easily the #2 prospect, they're going to have a decision to make. Move down and get a center or D not rated quite as high, or take a top prospect at a position of strength. I think the smart choice there would be to take Svechnikov, and then move Mantha alone, or with minimal other assets or AA plus another asset for a good young D. Or they can try to move the 2nd overall for a bigger need. Regardless, smart teams take the best player regardless of position. If you have a D and a winger who are close, take the D, but if the winger is clearly better, take him. Then use your surplus at a position and trade for a need. Of course, Holland seems to be either unwilling or unable to do that part, but that's the smart strategy.

It's hard to say anything past the second round is a wasted pick. It's all a crap shoot.

he was born a street rat, he'll die a street rat, and only his fleas will mourn him

While that's true, there's still no good reason to play Mantha on the PK when there are several other forwards capable of doing it, while the number of players who can do what he CAN do is limited. Save him for the PP and even strength, offensive or neutral zone starts. Not every player is capable of playing 20 minutes a night. There are only 20 forwards who are averaging that this year, all of them are better than Mantha, and most of them are centers.

Ottawa, Buffalo, and Arizona are the only 3 ahead of them in the race to the bottom now. They could catch Ottawa in the next few games. I'd be ok with the 3rd best chance at #1 overall and guaranteed top 6. They're 9 points out of the wildcard spot, 10 behind Boston for 3rd in the division. They'd have to jump 6 teams to get in as a wild card, 3 to end up as 3rd in the division. The sooner Holland and/or ownership concedes the season and goes into sell off mode the better.

Da Process and the Swedish Mafia

Da Process is pushing them into a better shot at #1 overall. I'm ok with that right now.

Because he's not good there, and they have guys like Helm to do that. Let Mantha save his energy for scoring.

Dekeyser's play dropped off when he was used on the top pair without a legit #1 D partnered with him, because he's playing over his head now. That's the problem with everyone playing in the top 4 on this defense. Nobody is a top pair guy. They have 3 2nd pair caliber guys in Green, Dekeyser, and Daley, and Kronwall, Ericsson, Ouellet and Jensen are 3rd pair/#7 caliber guys. Add a guy like Carlson and everyone starts looking better because they can play roles they're suited for. Assuming Green is traded and doesn't come back, if they sign Carlson they're still going to be short a 2nd pair D, so they'll need to bring in someone else through a trade or free agency, but: Dekeyser-Carlson new guy-Daley Kronwall/Ericsson/XO/Jensen That's still not going to be one of the top d corps in the league but it's at least capable. And yes, Carlson's numbers will likely dip a little, especially if Blashill is brought back (I think it's unlikely a this point but you never know) or if they bring in another bad coach. He's still going to be a #1 caliber D-man though.

Blashill has Da Process, Rod Marinelli had Pound da Rock. Both should never be head coaches again.

Green signed here for an opportunity to play on the top pair instead of the 3rd pair in Washington, the team wasn't as bad as it is now, and that was before everyone knew Blashill was an idiot. If I were Green, I'd rather go somewhere I might win the Cup.

I think DeHaan and Cole could put the team over the top... of the mediocre team list. It would ensure a middle of the pack finish for the next 5 years

That's the going rate for that caliber of player, yes. The same thing can be said for anyone. He's 27, his best years are ahead of him.

Not with a capable GM. They have a core forward group. Smart drafting and/or trading can improve the D in short order.

With a legit NHL coach, and I can't see any way Blashill is brought back next year, I think Carlson would still be a legit #1 here. His point total might drop, but the roster isn't as bad as it's played. They'd need a player to replace Green, maybe even bring Green back after he's traded, but Carlson added to the defense would go a long way to solidifying it. Everyone else would slide down a notch role-wise, which would help performance. Bottom line is a guy like Carlson is the closest thing to an elite guy they're going to get barring grabbing one in the draft, which is more luck than anything else, or a Chara-type heist in a trade.

If they give him the qualifying offer, no way does Mrazek sign for less. That would be monumentally stupid on his part. Name one thing Mrazek has done since February 2016 to show that he deserves to get the majority of the starts now.

4 birds in the hand are worth however many in the bush.

Saying Carlson isn't a legit #1 is wrong. Is he elite, best of the best, Lidstrom/Pronger/Borque level? Nope. But he's better than almost every other d-man in the league. Name 20 who are clearly better and I'll concede that he's "just" a #2.