personally, I have been very disappointed with the second day. I think Bennett was a home run and you have to thank the hockey gods that he fell to 4th. I think he has the potential to be the best player of this draft and I can't wait to see Monahan-Bennett in the middle for us once they hit their prime. So even if day 2 totally busts, I still feel that this draft is a big win for the Flames.
that being said, I didn't like a lot of things the Flames did in the other rounds. I understand the need for size and grit, but honestly, when does the quest for truculence become unhealthy? Today, there's been a few moments where I basically thought "I know you love truculence, but come on ... seriously?". Personally, I think that if it comes to the most pressing needs, the Flames did check some of the most important boxes but I think they could have done a lot better.
I really like the Smith pick and the Mattson pick. Smith fills an organizational need and is built like a truck ... can't complain here. I hope he develops into a top 6 forward, but even if he doesn't, he has the size to become an everyday NHLer nonetheless. And with Mattson, you simply can't go wrong at that point of the draft ... saw him much higher on various lists. Other than that, I'm not too impressed. I understand that they wanted a goalie, but it's a tough pill to swallow when you can choose between a couple good RH defensemen at the time of that pick. And of course, L.A. makes a trade to draft McKeown ... the rich get richer all the time. Also really don't get the Bollig trade. As I said above, I think the affinity for truculence (I hate the word, but it fits) gets in the way sometimes. Bollig is what he is - a 4th liner. He'll never be more than that. There's quite a number of guys like that available at free agency, why trade a 3rd for a guy like that? And the Carroll pick ... well ... talk about wasting a pick. I know it's only a 7th, but why not use it on a project and sign Carroll as a UFA afterwards if you like him that much? Mind-bottling, really.
2nd, 34th - D Roland McKeown
2nd, 54th - RW Hunter Smith
3rd, 64th - D Jack Glover
3rd, 83th - RW Keegan Iverson
6th, 175th - D Adam Ollas Mattson
7th, 184th - C Axel Holmstrom
I'll happily eat crow if the Flames' draft turns out better than this one. I hate to be a debbie downer ... those who know me know that my glass is usually half full. I'll happily eat crow if I'm wrong about the guys we picked, but today ... you know the feeling when a good friend tells you about this band he really loves and all you can say is "well ... they're okay, I guess"? Because that's how I feel about this draft (outside of Bennett).
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