6/22 GDT - 2018 Entry Draft

[ChristopherReevesLegs 7,022]

 

[Neomaxizoomdweebie 3,083]

2 hours ago, ChristopherReevesLegs said:

 

Considering the NFL and NBA won't allow 18 yo's to play, it's not surprising it would be an NHL player.

[LeftWinger 4,951]

Quote

Absolutely the most retarded draft. We lost our rights to all these retarded players this year besides Ras and Lindstrom.

In a lot of ways this was the first draft of our rebuild. Larkin was taken the year before at 15. And now we had stepped up to 9, and Larkin would be joining the team early.

1. Ras - complimentary, but good role player - drafted roughly 5 spots too early
>Could've had Suzuki, Necas, Chiytil, Norris, Yamamoto
2. Lindstrom - bottom pairing defensive Dman
>Could've had Robertson, Texier, Volkov, Comtois, Geekie
3. Kotkansalo - can barely find a job in Finland
3. Zablocki - demoted to BCHL
3. Gallant - ECHL
3. Petruzzelli - so disgusted by the players drafted above him he abandons the team
4. Setkov - Sweden 2nd tier league
5. Fraser - Barely able to make the ECHL
6. Adams - low level college player
6. Webb - low level CHL player
7. Gilmour - low level CHL player

This is how you get fired. It almost not so much that Holland and Wright didn't land anything after Lindstrom, it how bad the players they did draft from Kotkansalo to Gimour actually did. All x9 did nothing besides maybe Petruzzelli. Nothing to the point where it makes you wonder if these were random selections. At least Elfstrom showed promise... at least Ehn could make the NHL... at least Kadeykin could flirt with the NHL... all 8 picks in the late rounds besides Petru bombed hard.

Everything prior to 2019 should be sold in favor of Yzerman building.

...so, to carry on with what @BarkBurgerman brought up in the "2017 Draft" thread, here are our picks in 2018. This seems to be a little better, but honestly, I do believe this is the summer that Yzerman "stepped away" from his duties with Tampa to be at "home" more with his "family." There were always the rumors that he was secretly a part of the decision making process from this particular off-season and up until he was officially hired. Just rumors...plus he's already traded Regula from this draft, one would think if he was in any of the decisions this draft, he would give "his picks" all the chances to make it in this organization.

 

..that being said, hindsight is always 20/20 and maybe we could've made a few better choices? I will still give Zadina the chances to prove he can be that player he was projected to be, but I will always wish we had gone D instead. I was hoping for Bouchard, but any of him, Hughes or Dobson would've been good. I wonder what we could acquire for Zadina 1 for 1, considering he still has that "potential" tag on him? I really hope McIsaac can shake his injury problems too. The three I am excited about (not mentioning Zadina since I already said I'd give him his chances) are Veleno, Berggren and if McIsaac can actually make it. I know Barton just signed and Brattstrom has one more year left on his ELC. He is 24 now though since he was drafted at 21. I am not too sure he is going to make an jump to N/A let alone The Wings. It's definitely looking as Hughes is the gem D in this draft so far. Yes, he has 10 less points than Dahlin, but he has played in 70 less games...albeit for a much better team than Buffalo. I think whoever made that final decision to draft Zadina (Holland or Wright?) made a catastrophic mistake not taking Hughes.

Edited July 22, 2022 by LeftWinger

[mackel 679]

49 minutes ago, BarkBurgerman said:

Zadina - What can we we say that hasn't been said already? Seemed like we were going D fersure in that draft, and even that Hughes may have been our guy. But Zadina falling was too juicy for Holland, and blaming him for that is 20/20 hindsight. I was excited at the time too.

Veleno - 1C? Probably not. He's looked real good so far, but he seems like Larkin, in that his offense will always leaving you wanting more. Still, that's a decent pick at #30 overall.

Berggren - Basically a first rounder. Looks great, but we'll see. He may be able to deliver the extra offense we're looking for at the expense of him being less well rounded than Larkin or Veleno.

McIsaac - Another good pick in my book and basically a late first again. Injuries are frustrating, but we couldn't have foreseen that.

Regula - The trade stings. Good player and hometown kid. He's already got 16 AHL games and 3 NHL games as a 20 year old Dman. Good pick.

Barton - Signed already at 21 which is a good sign. Seems like a Gustav Lindstrom depth Dman. Not a bad pick in the 3rd round.

Eliasson - Probably nothing there

O'Reilly - Probably nothing there

Brattstrom - Probably nothing there, with a small chance he comes over

Kivenmaki - Probably nothing there, with a small chance he comes over

Draft looks to be something like 5/10 to me so far. That's really good actually. A lot better than 3/11 in the 2017 draft.

I've been on that since draft night Brah, Zadina would have fallen out of the top 10 IMHO had we not taken him.

[LeftWinger 4,951]

1 minute ago, mackel said:

I've been on that since draft night Brah, Zadina would have fallen out of the top 10 IMHO had we not taken him.

Maybe Rangers take him at 9? They chose another RW in that spot. But you are right on with him falling further than 7 if we didn't pick him. If Detroit took Hughes, I could see Vancouver and Chicago still going D since there were still 3 or 4 good ones on the board.

[Scott R Lucidi 442]

So far, 86 NHL games with 15 goals and 22 assists.  By age 21.  This guy is off to a great start.  I have no idea why everyone is so down on Zadina.  The absolute worst we are going to get is 3rd line NHLer for 15 years.  But it's looking more like top 6 forward for that stretch.  What gives with the Zadina hate?

[The 91 of Ryans 3,014]

9 hours ago, Scott R Lucidi said:

So far, 86 NHL games with 15 goals and 22 assists.  By age 21.  This guy is off to a great start.  I have no idea why everyone is so down on Zadina.  The absolute worst we are going to get is 3rd line NHLer for 15 years.  But it's looking more like top 6 forward for that stretch.  What gives with the Zadina hate?

Thus ends the  @mackel summer vacation from LGWs

[mackel 679]

11 hours ago, The 91 of Ryans said:

Thus ends the  @mackel summer vacation from LGWs

Nah everyone knows I'm right... and are slowly but surely admitting it to themselves...  because everyone hopes to get a 3rd liner at 6OA.