2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Bourque's Twin]

The only one in the top 9 I’m not sold on is Silayev but I’m probably wrong about him.
Ignoring Celebrini and the Iginla bias, my order is:
Demidov
Buium
Levshunov
Lindstrom
Dickinson
Catton
Parekh
Silayev

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Ped

The Leafs traded to move up 2 spots in 2005 to grab Luke Schenn; in addition to the #7 pick, it cost them a 3rd that same year, and a 2nd a year later.

That was not a particularly strong draft at the top end. Here are the next few picks starting with #7, the Leafs' original spot:

7. Jack Skille
8. Devin Setoguchi
9. Brian Lee
10. Luc Bourdon

With talent like that to choose from, I'd want to move up from 7 too.

Moreover, I wouldn't trade Coronato for a 3rd and a 2nd, so the Flames' cost to trade up in this scenario is higher than the Leafs' was, for less probable gain.

[Ped]

Ok? All I said was if a team values a player enough, they will trade up for him. They're probably not going to give up a top prospect. No one took Skille, Setoguchi, or Lee thinking they were going to be busts. No one is going to take a player in the top-10 this year or the first round thinking they're going to be busts. Hindsight is great.


And you got the year wrong, although the correct ones weren't all-stars, either:


7 Colin Wilson
8 Mikkel Boedker
9 Josh Bailey
10 Cody Hodgson

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

So now you're saying Parekh is merely certain to be as good as Karlsson? That would still make him the obvious #1 overall pick in this draft.



And yet none of the scouting services, none of the independent analysts, and so far as we know (through Bob McKenzie's aggregates and other sources), none of the NHL scouting staffs, regard him as the best player in the draft.



No, they shouldn't, because even if he is taken before #9, that will leave other players of similar quality available at that spot. It is virtually certain that one of the big five defencemen will still be available at 9, and if not, there will be some extremely good forwards.

You don't give up your best prospect to move up four places in the draft just so you can draft the same quality of player you were going to get anyway.

I’m not saying he IS.

I’m saying it’s reasonable for an NHL front office to believe he is, regardless of the rankings and consensus.

And if THEY think he’s That Guy and not just A. Guy, they should trade up to get him if they don’t think he’ll be available at 9.

“I” would be willing to trade Coronato to for a prospect I believed had Makar/Karlsson ability.

If it costs less, and it probably would, great.

All I’m saying is, if you really think a particular guy is special, go get him.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Ped

Ok? All I said was if a team values a player enough, they will trade up for him. They're probably not going to give up a top prospect. No one took Skille, Setoguchi, or Lee thinking they were going to be busts. No one is going to take a player in the top-10 this year or the first round thinking they're going to be busts. Hindsight is great.

That's the point. Hindsight is great, but you don't have any hindsight on draft day. No pick in this draft has equivalent value to an Orr or a Karlsson, because the odds are against any player in the whole draft having a career like that. If a GM thinks he has a sure thing and bets accordingly, he is a sucker.

And you got the year wrong, although the correct ones weren't all-stars, either:


7 Colin Wilson
8 Mikkel Boedker
9 Josh Bailey
10 Cody Hodgson

You said 2005, and that's the draft I quoted.

Schenn was drafted in 2008. So we both got the year wrong.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

That was not a particularly strong draft at the top end. Here are the next few picks starting with #7, the Leafs' original spot:

7. Jack Skille
8. Devin Setoguchi
9. Brian Lee
10. Luc Bourdon

With talent like that to choose from, I'd want to move up from 7 too.

Moreover, I wouldn't trade Coronato for a 3rd and a 2nd, so the Flames' cost to trade up in this scenario is higher than the Leafs' was, for less probable gain.

Sadly, Luc Bourdon was actually tracking quite well before his tragic death.

[Goriders]

Flames need to get younger at center.

They have a surplus for young goalies, defence and depth forwards

[Jay Random]

At the moment, the Flames have a surplus of everything except good players. They need to draft as many of those as they can get – position be damned.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Vinny D Edition):

C/W Vincent Desjardins is one of the youngest players in the 2024 Draft crop with a September 8th birthday, and is technically in his first full season in the CHL as he only played 14 games (with 7 points) in 2022-23 for his current team, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, with most of his games taking place in triple-A. In 2023-24, he was third in scoring for the 11th-placed Armada, with 15 goals and 47 points in 68 regular-season games, but was first in team scoring in the playoffs with 7 points in 7 games, as Blainville-Boisbriand was eliminated in the first-round by Sherbrooke. The 5'11",165lb pivot can play right wing, and is currently ranked #105 by Central Scouting for North American players.

Desjardins is an excellent playmaker with well-developed IQ and vision, and seems calm and poised with the puck on his blade as he works to find passing seams and open ice. He is able to connect on difficult passes to teammates in high-danger through traffic, and his deliveries are well-timed with just the right amount of velocity needed, and right to the recipient's wheelhouse with accuracy. His distribution arsenal includes saucers, backhands, cross-ice, and cross-crease passes, and he can dish in full flight. He's not a dangerous shooter as his shot is fairly average and not that powerful, but he can pick corners on unsuspecting netminders, and owns a pretty hard one-timer. He's not afraid to drive inside, or go the net to bulge the twine, and battles hard in the trenches, never shying away from the rough-going- although he's not particularly physical himself. Desjardins employs a high work-rate and competes hard, utilizing his relentless motor to win battles, and establish body position- he's a plucky forechecker who pursues puck-carriers to pressure and disrupt. At the present time, he doesn't possess high-end speed, but he's uncommonly slippery and elusive with smooth edgework and agility, and he can pivot, change pace, or stop on a dime. He's strong on his skates, and difficult to knock off the puck. In transition, he relies on quick touches and works give-and-goes to contribute. Off the puck, he relocates intelligently after dishing off, and positions himself well to proactively shut down incoming rushes.

Though he obviously contributes to his teams offense (the Armada were ranked 12th in goals-for), Desjardins gets noticed most by a fair margin for his stellar defensive play and though he's quite young, he's one of the QMJHL's best defensive forwards. He wields a keen attention to detail, and exhibits solid habits- he doesn't cheat, and is very reliable and hard-working in his own zone. He knows where the puck is going before it gets there due to his acute anticipation and awareness, and executes smart positioning to rack up stops with his active stick. Though his defensive game is well-polished, it would seem that many of his physical tools are raw, with the need to improve his strength and speed for the next level- and adding a layer of physicality wouldn't hurt, either. He's a fairly cerebral player with the puck, but developing his shot is a must in order to be more unpredictable, and to add another dimension to his offensive repertoire. Look for him in later rounds.