Pens take the safe route on draft day

[Goffie]

Stepping up to the podium at the #4 spot went just as the Pens expected. They even had the Forsberg jersey ready to present. He was their guy and they had a strong feeling he would be one of their two picks in this draft. The best power forward prospect in the draft is physically strong and possesses great puck protection skills and is not afraid to get his nose dirty. He was a great fit for the Pens.



The Pens had an unexpected dilemma at the #5 spot at the 2012 CPHL entry draft. Expecting to come away with 2 forwards, the #1 ranked defenseman fell into their laps. Ryan Murray who is probably the most NHL ready player in this draft was still on the board. Though rarely flashy his intelligence, intangibles and wheels make him in our opinion the best blueliner in the draft.

So if Murray is so sought after then why the dilemma?

Easy answer. I do not like Ryan Murray. He ticked me off with his meltdown in the world juniors and I haven't liked him since. Add that to the fact that the NHL Habs need to pick a forward and I have some strange feeling they will take Murray and that ticks me off even more thinking about it. Personal feeling aside I could not justify bumping him from my top 5. I must have made my list 10 times and each time I tried to bump someone above Murray, but outside the top 4 forwards I just couldn't do it. Their was another tier of players I liked a lot but in the end I just think Murray is better so I picked him.



We then had to wait 40 picks to make our next selection. This was hard, watching players we wanted slip off the board over and over as we waited to select. Luckily another defenseman we really like was still there. Mike Matheson is a fluid skating defenseman who possesses solid all around skills. We think Matheson is a few development years from the NHL, but I think he is a safe bet to crack an NHL roster in the future.

All in all the more I look at the draft the more I am happy with the picks. I think Murray is a sure fire NHLer and think that adding him to guys like Karlsson, Subban, Hedman and Kulikov gives us clearly one of the best young d cores in the CPHL. Adding Matheson to the defense prospects is a good addition as well. Forsberg is the guy who I see as having a lower high end ceiling as some other forwards, however I think his floor is a lot higher and the chance to bust is much less. I see him as being a solid power forward moving ahead.

[simmer2]

Solid draft Goffie. It's been fun chatting about the draft order for the last few weeks with you and based on where you selected and the guys available,you made the right choices.

[Hanna Sniper]

I thought your team sat in the perfect spot for the draft, and having Murray falling to you could be a blessing. I had zero interest in him and wasn't sure what his interest was from 3rd to 5th. I figured since I didn't get a lot of attention at the 2nd seed that teams weren't gunning for him and he would fall just like he did. Good for you in the long run I think,

[Hesla]

Actually.... the safe route is to deal all your picks and not draft.

[Goffie]

Originally Posted by Hanna Sniper

I thought your team sat in the perfect spot for the draft, and having Murray falling to you could be a blessing. I had zero interest in him and wasn't sure what his interest was from 3rd to 5th. I figured since I didn't get a lot of attention at the 2nd seed that teams weren't gunning for him and he would fall just like he did. Good for you in the long run I think,

Yeah the more I look at this the more I think it may be a good thing long term. I personally didnt have a whole lot of interest in Murray either, but when the only complaint about him is that he is solid in every aspect of the game and doesn't stand out in any one aspect or have any major weaknesses then the guy should be solid.

[Goffie]

TSN's Final draft ranking have Murray in at the #2 spot, Forsberg at #3 and Matheson at #26.