I honestly don't think you could go wrong with any of the top 7. I do think that the draft order for the Flames will PROBABLY be:
Jones - Seems to be the consensus - but doubtful the Flames finish that low
MacKinnon - best center available, and 2nd on most draft lists
Drouin - Highest Hockey IQ (A favorite trait of prospects for the Flames) and arguably the most skilled player avalable
Barkov - YOUNG center with size and 2 way play
Lindholm - Elite looking center whose best comparison is Forsberg? Get outta here!
Monahan - Elite 2 way center prospect with some size... Can't miss. Toews comparison? GTFO!
Nichushkin - "Malkin Comparisons" - would go top 4 easy if it wasn't for his KHL contract - but @#$# it's a Malkin comparable!
All the above are guys any team would build around. They all have 'elite' franchise ceilings from most (if not all) scouting services. If Flames pick in the top 7, any of these guys are legitimate targets. I think if the Flames pick in the top 3, it will be one of the first 3 listed. The next four will be more interesting as to how they are ranked.
Nichushkin is definitely the biggest wildcard, and it will be very interesting to see where he ends up getting picked. Some scouts say he is right up there with MacKinnon and Drouin.. I have seen him ranked 2nd on a couple of lists even. He is the real deal. I do think his existing KHL contract will scare people away and have them select a 'safer' pick, but at some point someone is going to gamble, and I am starting to think it will be either the 9th or 10th pick.
Any of the above with the first pick, and I will not complain at all. Ceilings are ceilings - and comparisons are not always correct - but this is an 'elite' year at the top of the draft. Each single player above is a talent any team will build around.
now hear me out guys...
what about targeting a player that may be bought out?
hossa is 34 years old, he's post-apex i know, but he's also damn good.
after this year there's 8 more @5.25mil
the flames say "hey chicago, how about instead of buying him out, you trade him for a first round pick? here's the catch, it's 29th overall and you pay 2 mil of the salary per year."
after 3 years his actual pay goes to 4mil and after 4 years it goes down to 1mil, this means 1) chicago paying 2 mil of the salary only means about 7 million in real dollars. 2)chicago has already paid most of the contract. 3)2 mil per year is fairly easy to swallow for the hawks especially if you think the cap will be going up before too long. our ownership may actually like that situation as i think the flames will not be a cap team for the next few years, and hossa will likely retire before the contract is through.
i really feel like we'll draft mackinnon this year and a line of sven mackinnon and hossa is a real threat. means we could turn this thing around without "oil changing" the situation for 4 more years. Plus hossa is only making 3.25m against the cap. and i think he's got a couple more 70 plus point years in him.
hossa could be more important to the franchise than a 29th pick.
This type of thing is a great idea.. Though I definitely would NOT move a 1st round pick in the deal. I've been a huge Hossa fan since his jr days, I'd love to see him in the Flaming C
He's a better player than Iginla at this stage, so it'd be interesting to get for a part of Iggy's return... I do think the 1st is too steep though... Not for other teams, but for CGY it is.
CHI could get a better pick from another team closer to contending, I bet.
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This type of thing is a great idea.. Though I definitely would NOT move a 1st round pick in the deal. I've been a huge Hossa fan since his jr days, I'd love to see him in the Flaming C
He's a better player than Iginla at this stage, so it'd be interesting to get for a part of Iggy's return... I do think the 1st is too steep though... Not for other teams, but for CGY it is.
CHI could get a better pick from another team closer to contending, I bet.
And I think he has an NMC. Would have to approve a trade. I think he'd rather be UFA
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This year's draft is projected to be deep in talent, but there seems to be a real advantage to getting in the top four and landing either Jones, Finnish league center Alexander Barkov or forwards Jonathan Drouin or Nathan MacKinnon from Halifax (Nova Scotia) of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
"I think all four of them can play next year," [Craig] Button said. [...]
Barkov or MacKinnon would fill a definite need in Calgary.
"The Flames are screaming for a No. 1 center," Button said. "They haven't had a No. 1 center since they traded Joe Nieuwendyk (in 1995)." [...]
"Barkov is a complete two-way centerman," Button said. "Barkov reminds me of Ronnie Francis, and that's why I think he steps right into the league and starts contributing."
MacKinnon is an exceptional skater and scorer who plays center but could end up on the wing.
"He's a little bit like Jeremy Roenick," McGuire said. "He's a highflier, and he has skill. He can be physical. He's not afraid." [...]
But it's Jones who is drawing the rave reviews.
"He's the franchise defenseman every team is looking for," [Pierre] McGuire said. "His ability to one-time the puck is huge. He can really skate. He can log big minutes. He's not going to be intimidated." [...]
It would be best for a team to get in the top three, because there is a 41% chance a team outside the top three will win the lottery. If a team has one of the three worst records, it is guaranteed to get one of those four players.
Unfortunately it looks like baring winning the lottery the Flames won't pick earlier than 5th.
1. Florida - The tank job looked to be in fairly early as the team was horrible from the first puck drop of the season. Junk franchise can get get their franchise defenseman Bouwmeester..... I mean Jones.
2. Carolina -Looks like they may not win another game which is stunning. I mean sure they lost their starting goaltender but the Flames maintained a .500 clip when Kipper was out for a month so I simply can't fathom how a team with the Hurricanes talent could play worse than a Flames team that has lost it's captain, best defenseman and starting goaltender for a good portion of the season. I expect better from the Staal brothers quite frankly. Druin could be a good fit on the wing with one of the Staal brothers.
3. Colorado - The fix for Jones was in but it appears Giguere threw a wrench in the organization's plans with his tirade. The team has actually shown some try since then. The team is deep in center but they can always convert MacKinnon to a winger.
4. Nashville - First time I can remember a Trotz coached team fold the tent but you could see this coming when they traded their best forward at the deadline. Barkov will definately fill a need for them.
So the Flames likely lose out on the cream of the crop so we have to hope that Monahan is up to the task of being the next franchise player and not the next Daniel Tkaczuk.
Last edited by Erick Estrada; 04-17-2013 at 07:33 AM.
Unfortunately it looks like baring winning the lottery the Flames won't pick earlier than 5th.
If the season ended today they'd pick 3rd. This wacky pessimism about all these teams never winning again is odd. Sure it could happen, but its not like 6 games losing streaks happen that often in the NHL... let alone 4 teams doing it at once (and Nashville losing 11 straight).
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Ryan Kujawinski's stock has dropped BIG TIME this year. Last season he seemed a lock to go top 10, in October Craig Button had him going in the first round and now he looks like he'll go in the 4th round.
Big Centreman, comparisons to Rick Nash (in playing style)... Anyone know why his stock has dropped? Might be a good sleeper pick with our 3rd/4th rounder.
Didn't really take a big step forward this year. He was the 4th overall OHL pick so was expected to be elite in his 2nd year, his point totals improved but not by much. Likely worried about his offensive upside.
Didn't really take a big step forward this year. He was the 4th overall OHL pick so was expected to be elite in his 2nd year, his point totals improved but not by much. Likely worried about his offensive upside.
So he has got talent but power forwards can be really late bloomers... I hope we snag him in a late round.
Unfortunately it looks like baring winning the lottery the Flames won't pick earlier than 5th.
1. Florida - The tank job looked to be in fairly early as the team was horrible from the first puck drop of the season. Junk franchise can get get their franchise defenseman Bouwmeester..... I mean Jones.
2. Carolina -Looks like they may not win another game which is stunning. I mean sure they lost their starting goaltender but the Flames maintained a .500 clip when Kipper was out for a month so I simply can't fathom how a team with the Hurricanes talent could play worse than a Flames team that has lost it's captain, best defenseman and starting goaltender for a good portion of the season. I expect better from the Staal brothers quite frankly. Druin could be a good fit on the wing with one of the Staal brothers.
3. Colorado - The fix for Jones was in but it appears Giguere threw a wrench in the organization's plans with his tirade. The team has actually shown some try since then. The team is deep in center but they can always convert MacKinnon to a winger.
4. Nashville - First time I can remember a Trotz coached team fold the tent but you could see this coming when they traded their best forward at the deadline. Barkov will definately fill a need for them.
So the Flames likely lose out on the cream of the crop so we have to hope that Monahan is up to the task of being the next franchise player and not the next Daniel Tkaczuk.
It's funny that Hartley finally has the team playing with heart and the other teams look like they are straight up losing on purpose.
Oh well. I am actually resigned to the fact that we are going to pick 6th (a team higher will end up winning the lottery - probably the Oilers with our luck).
Lindholm or Nurse is my guess.
__________________
"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
Ryan Kujawinski's stock has dropped BIG TIME this year. Last season he seemed a lock to go top 10, in October Craig Button had him going in the first round and now he looks like he'll go in the 4th round.
Big Centreman, comparisons to Rick Nash (in playing style)... Anyone know why his stock has dropped? Might be a good sleeper pick with our 3rd/4th rounder.
From what I read his production dropped a lot when his linemates changed this year and has been fairly inconsistent and did not show much improvement compared to what he showed in the previous season.
Would anyone be really disappointed if we used the Pittsburgh pick on Zachary Fucale? Provided we got 2 solid skaters with the other 1st rounders I don't see much of a downside...
The question is: is he THAT good, or does he just look good because he's on a stacked team? Button says he's a game-changer due to his mentality. We could use a goalie with an indestructible, winning mental attitude.
I posted this in the "drive for 30th" thread, but I guess it fits here as well. I took a look at the schedules of the seven teams at the bottom and tried to predict the outcome as realistically as I could think of.
FLORIDA PANTHERS: I don't expect much from them, they have 30th pretty much wrapped up.
at NYR L
at NJD L
at BOS L
vs NYR OTL
vs TOR L
at TBL OTL
COLORADO AVALANCHE: Giguere's rant has lifted them a bit, but they'll probably lose most of the games left.
vs EDM W
vs STL L
at STL L
at PHX L
vs MIN OTL
CALGARY FLAMES: tough schedule. I predict one more win, probably against Nashville.
vs DET L
vs ANA L
at MIN L
at NSH W
at STL L
at CHI L
CAROLINA HURRICANES: they have been pathetic, given their offensive depth. They have pretty much given up trying.
at WPG L
vs PHI OTL
at TBL OTL
vs NYI L
vs NYR L
at PIT L
NASHVILLE PREDATORS: shockingly bad ... 7 straight losses, 3 shutouts against during that span. I don't see them win another game.
at CHI L
vs CGY L
at DET L
at CBJ L
TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING: probably the easiest schedule, with CAR and FLA at home. I don't see them picking in the top 5.
at MTL L
vs CAR W
vs TOR L
at BOS L
vs FLA W
EDMONTON COILERS: something special. They have given up trying and have a tough schedule left = bad combination.
at COL L
vs ANA L
vs ANA L
vs CHI L
at MIN L
vs VAN L
In that scenario, we would be ahead of Colorado and Nashville because of ROW, but behind Carolina because of goal differential. It's very close though, there's a good chance that we finish 25th, but we could also easily finish 28th or 29th.
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