Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Flames 2014 NHL Entry Draft selections: observations & preliminary verdicts?

FlameZilla · 06-29-2014, 06:18 AM

The people who are flipping out over the Bollig trade and about the use of 2nd round picks are in love with some prospects who mayyyybe aren't as good as these posters think they are.

All year it has been widely reported that there were only 3 or 4 prospects who could be classed as potential 1st-line/1st-pairing talent. So, using that logic, the next 15 to 20 players in the 1st round might be potential 2nd-liners or 2nd-pairing D. Most draft guides reflect that, clearly implying that prospects like Tuch & Bleackley probably top out as 3rd liners, even though they have the sheen of being 1st round picks & had all the armchair GMs drooling.

Continuing on that line of logic, move onto the 2nd & 3rd rounds. What you get are players who have potential but are a long way from even being serviceable NHLers. They each have their own serious flaws which the Flames scouts would have been well aware of. The Mckeowns & Doughertys look mouth-watering on paper to us – the internet fanboys – but they have serious flaws which professional scouts will have spotted which led to them not being selected in the 1st round in a weak draft.

That does not apply to goalies, however, who don't seem to be picked in the 1st round anymore. The top goalie prospects have been going in the 2nd round in recent years. We got the top one (IMO), but it is tough to know how goalie picks pan out. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ever draft them (that is an idiotic concept). You find a prospect you like and you pick him before another team gets around to picking him. McDonald was the guy they wanted and they picked him before he was unavailable. Why can't some posters respect that? They would rather get the guy they want than risk waiting to see if he might still be there for the next pick. They also have the intel of what other teams might be thinking. I can almost guarantee that McDonald & Smith would have gone very soon after our picks.

Big picture here: all year long there were only 3 (or arguably 4 if you include Draisaitl) prospects who scouts thought could cut it as top line players. We got 1 of them. We got arguably the top goalie prospect. We got a serviceable NHLer for a 3rd round pick. Took a flyer on a really interesting beast RW in Hunter Smith. That's pretty damned good work in a weak draft.

06-29-2014, 06:18 AM	#91
FlameZilla First Line Centre Join Date: Dec 2005 Exp:	The people who are flipping out over the Bollig trade and about the use of 2nd round picks are in love with some prospects who mayyyybe aren't as good as these posters think they are. All year it has been widely reported that there were only 3 or 4 prospects who could be classed as potential 1st-line/1st-pairing talent. So, using that logic, the next 15 to 20 players in the 1st round might be potential 2nd-liners or 2nd-pairing D. Most draft guides reflect that, clearly implying that prospects like Tuch & Bleackley probably top out as 3rd liners, even though they have the sheen of being 1st round picks & had all the armchair GMs drooling. Continuing on that line of logic, move onto the 2nd & 3rd rounds. What you get are players who have potential but are a long way from even being serviceable NHLers. They each have their own serious flaws which the Flames scouts would have been well aware of. The Mckeowns & Doughertys look mouth-watering on paper to us – the internet fanboys – but they have serious flaws which professional scouts will have spotted which led to them not being selected in the 1st round in a weak draft. That does not apply to goalies, however, who don't seem to be picked in the 1st round anymore. The top goalie prospects have been going in the 2nd round in recent years. We got the top one (IMO), but it is tough to know how goalie picks pan out. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ever draft them (that is an idiotic concept). You find a prospect you like and you pick him before another team gets around to picking him. McDonald was the guy they wanted and they picked him before he was unavailable. Why can't some posters respect that? They would rather get the guy they want than risk waiting to see if he might still be there for the next pick. They also have the intel of what other teams might be thinking. I can almost guarantee that McDonald & Smith would have gone very soon after our picks. Big picture here: all year long there were only 3 (or arguably 4 if you include Draisaitl) prospects who scouts thought could cut it as top line players. We got 1 of them. We got arguably the top goalie prospect. We got a serviceable NHLer for a 3rd round pick. Took a flyer on a really interesting beast RW in Hunter Smith. That's pretty damned good work in a weak draft.