Flames 2013 Draft Discussion

[nik-]

Originally Posted by PlayfulGenius

I'm skeptical about Lindhom being similar to Forsberg, as Lindholm looks small to me... not tiny, but he's not a big guy by any means.

Same height, about 20-25 pounds less at 18. It's not out of reach to suggest that Lindholm would play at around 200-205 during his peak.

[Goodlad]

I could go either with with Lindholm/Monahan. Monahan's numbers concern me, as he's the only player putting up points on a really bad team. This could either indicate he's capable of creating offense on his own, or he's being force-fed minutes and having his teammates focus on feeding him the puck. The fact that's he's very defensively responsible, excellent at face-offs, and has decent size should greatly reduce his bust potential though. At worst he has the makings of a very solid 3rd line center, but maybe he could turn into a 1b/2a type.

I guess I just feel like Lindholm might have the higher upside, but isn't as "safe a pick".

[dammage79]

Lindholm should be the Pick. But I understand why people want Monahan, He has risen steadily through the ranks this year as well with some great play on a bad team, can't argue that playing great on a bad team is what the Flames need too. If the Flames do take Monahan I wouldn't complain much. Plenty of good Swedish centers to pick from after the first round as well .

[pacde]

Im fine with anyone in this group, obviously higher is better but Im not disappointed with finishing 6th or 7th

1. SETH JONES, Portland, D, 6'4, 205 lbs
   
2. NATHAN MACKINNON, Halifax, C/RW, 6'0, 180 lbs
   
3. JONATHAN DROUIN, Halifax, C, 5'11, 175 lbs
   
4. ALEKSANDER BARKOV, Tappara, C, 6'2, 205 lbs
   
5. DARNELL NURSE, Sault Ste. Marie, D, 6'4, 185 lbs
   
   
6. ELIAS LINDHOLM, Brynas , C, 6'0, 185 lbs
   
7. SEAN MONAHAN, Ottawa, C, 6'2, 190 lbs
   

[azzarish]

Originally Posted by Goodlad

I could go either with with Lindholm/Monahan. Monahan's numbers concern me, as he's the only player putting up points on a really bad team. This could either indicate he's capable of creating offense on his own, or he's being force-fed minutes and having his teammates focus on feeding him the puck. The fact that's he's very defensively responsible, excellent at face-offs, and has decent size should greatly reduce his bust potential though. At worst he has the makings of a very solid 3rd line center, but maybe he could turn into a 1b/2a type.

I guess I just feel like Lindholm might have the higher upside, but isn't as "safe a pick".

I think if his team mates were force feeding him the puck his line mates numbers would be a little bit higher too, especially on a weak team. Unless he was being juggled with different line mates. He is 38 points higher than the next guy.

[azzarish]

Drafting 8th is locked at least.

[driveway]

Reading up on JT Compher I really like this comment from Last Word on Sports:

Compher is a talented agitator who plays an irritating game. Always yapping and always in an opponents face after the whistle, Compher has the ability to get opponents off their game and draw penalties.

But the guy that I'm personally hoping falls to our St. Louis pick is Bo Horvat. Ranked as high as 10 on some lists and as low as 28, it'll be interesting to see where he lands.

From Dobber's Prospects:

This future captain of an NHL team owns a complete package of skills and the intangibles of no other player in this draft class. Understanding and reading the game is Horvat’s greatest asset and it is evident in his ability to play in all three zones of the ice

Those two late-1st picks are going to be interesting to say the least.

[Clever_Iggy]

FWIW, my Oilers fan friends really don't think the Oilers will go with Nurse or any D other than Jones. They think their pipeline is good on D-men and don't want to wait for another Dman to develop. They want MacKinnon, Barkov and Monahan badly (especially Barkov) so they can trade Gagner for a top 4 Dman. Or trade the pick for a top 4 Dman and re-sign Gagner.

[Ashasx]

I don't think Gagner gets you a top 4 defenceman.

[Clever_Iggy]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I don't think Gagner gets you a top 4 defenceman.

I think they meant as part of a package. I certainly think that's what it'll take.

[djsFlames]

I'm just wondering...

Since we're unlikely to have a chance at a game-breaking top tier forward being in the 6-7 range, what if we went then instead for a guy like Nurse, or Zadorov? Just looking at Columbus and how much they've progressed in such a short time since their abysmal season, they've obviously gone from a "net out" approach, stocking up on high end d-men. So far it's looking to be the right move, and the complete opposite to what Edmonton has done, which has been an elongated disaster. Should we take the same route, and instead of taking a probable 2nd line guy, which we have/have had an abundance of, take the 2nd best d-man available and a potential elite guy to mind the front of the net. It just seems smart to build a defensive core that is hard to play against, and then fill out the offense once that is established. After all d-men take longer to develop, and we should want to give them a head start. You could take Nurse, x-big center, 2nd d-man. Build on top of the solid group of potential 3-4 defensement we have going with a couple that have top 2 potential.

I'd love to see us frustrate the hell out of the offense of teams like Chicago and Vancouver, even if we're sub-par in other aspects, while we rebuild.

Perhaps Lindholm/Monahan are future top liners, but it's less likely than a MacKinnon or Drouin. I wouldn't be unhappy either way, though. Just a suggestion.

[Ashasx]

I think Nurse and Zadarov are 3+ years away from being NHLers.

Though it's unlikely, I could see Lindholm playing next season. If not, very likely for 14-15.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

I think Nurse and Zadarov are 3+ years away from being NHLers.

Though it's unlikely, I could see Lindholm playing next season. If not, very likely for 14-15.

Have you seen Nurse play much?

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by timbit

Have you seen Nurse play much?

I haven't seen him play. Just going based upon what I've read about him. He has top 2 upside, but is very raw.

[sa226]

Sure, it would be pretty darn nice to get MacKinnon or Drouin.

But there is a 80-90% chance that we get a really really good player. Not to mention 2 more potentially really good players.

I think adding those to a fairly decent crop of young guys is actually pretty exciting going forward.

[GoFlamesGo1989]

Weird how it says Mack is a right wing

[GoFlamesGo1989]

http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?hcatid=635

Weird how it says Mack is a right wing.

So looks like Monahan Barkov and Lindholm are the top centers.

[StrykerSteve]

He plays Center, wtf.

[$ven27]

A lot of scouts think MacKinnon will be a winger in the NHL.

[GoFlamesGo1989]

I just get this feeling Monahan is gunna be the best Center to come out of this draft. Big strong player with great offensive instincts with great leadership qualities. He put up really good numbers on a god awful 67's team. Building a team around Monahan Sven Backlund and Brodie would be fantastic.

Plus he's Canadian!!!!!!!