Even if the Flames don't draft in the top 2-3 I don't know if it is that big of a deal. What I saw from Ekblad and Reinhart in the WJC neither of them impressed me really that much, especially Reinhart. Maybe there isn't such a clear cut top 3 in this draft class like there usually is.
17 year olds rarely dominate that tourney. Drouin was surprisingly good last year. MacKinnon played 4th line and looked meh. Seems like he's doing okay in the NHL so far.
If Reinhart and Ekblad didn't look too out of place that is fairly impressive by itself. That McDavid was an impact player as his age is very impressive.
From what I've heard it sounds like Nylander hasn't been having the best of seasons. He's played some games in top league but has been down in the 2nd league for a while as well.
Which isn't particularly surprising for a player in Europe. Very few of them dominate their top leagues in their draft year.
If he was having a bad year he'd be dropping in the rankings. So far he isn't.
Last edited by Flames Draft Watcher; 01-05-2014 at 11:55 AM.
I would not be too dissapointed if we got Eichel instead of Mcdavid in the draft he is looking quite impressive himself. I would not trade much to move up in the draft. He does not have quite the tools that mcdavid has (i love Mcdavids' speed; looks as good or better than mackinnon). I just do not see crosby like characteristics from mcdavid. He is patently better than any first overall since Tavares but i would be suprised if he is as good as the panelists say he is.
Way off topic but man i was always wondering what your avatar was supposed to be; my sister showed me that song today. That song is hilarious he is so serious in the beginning. Pretty sure a fox barks though haha not do do do or whatever he was saying.
Hahaha, ree kee kee kee kee!
It's hard to say with McDavid, as there is another year and a half of development left, but word from a lot of scouts is he could be the most complete player in the game. Better than Crosby defensively, better than Tavares offensively. Game changing good.
I think he's as close to a sure thing as you can get in the draft, so anyone who has that pick isn't moving it. That said, if you're picking 2-6 that year, I don't see a whole lot of point in moving your pick, the quality of player in that range seems pretty similar.
No, I expect them to be a lottery team, just saying that so the people who think this team is getting better soon realize it
Ha, where did you get that I was saying anything differently?
It's just not a certainty that the team will pick top 3, far from it. First, due to the new lottery the team that finishes 3rd worst only has a 58% chance of picking in the top 3 under regular conditions. This year it's not regular thanks to New Jersey forfeiting their pick, where they finish will change the odds but assuming they still participate in lottery and stick about where they are it's going to be around 37% chance that the third last team will not pick in the top 3 while the 4th worst has a 10% chance to pick in the top 3.
The Flames, despite being on an absolute abysmal 3 point in 8 game stretch, are still on pace for 68 points. The Panthers are on pace for 74, Islanders are on pace for 67, the Oilers for 58 and the Sabres for 54 points. Mathematically using this years point percentages it's much more likely that the Flames pass Florida than the Oilers or Sabres pass the Flames while it's a coin toss between the Islanders and Flames. Of course with such low numbers all it takes is a good 10 game stretch to alter the numbers heavily. And then it becomes a case of how bad the teams are after the deadline, Buffalo will probably move Moulson and Miller, Islanders move Vanek and Flames move Cammalleri as the big names. You can make room for the Islanders underachieving, simply put no team with Tavares and Vanek should be fighting with this Calgary team, but until they do turn it around you can't discount them.
Last edited by Oling_Roachinen; 01-05-2014 at 12:23 PM.
Reason: Messed up on odds
Also, New Jersey forfeits their pick this year. If they "win" the lottery, the person selected 1st will go down as 2nd overall. You can see here there was no 69th pick in 2011 since the Devils forfeit it. I think that would be a funny situation especially coupled with the fact Kovalchuk is already gone.
He's currently playing like an NHL 4th liner. He might not even go in the first round.
Please, he's nearly a ppg player on one of the top teams in the entire CHL (3rd on the team). Not the greatest but calling him a 4th liner is dumb.
Most likely goes in the 20s. Strong finish to the season/playoffs could easily propel him back in the top 15. He does a lot of things right, would love to add him to the Flames if we can grab another 1st.
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Please, he's nearly a ppg player on one of the top teams in the entire CHL (3rd on the team). Not the greatest but calling him a 4th liner is dumb.
I beleive only 50%ish of 1st rounders ever play over 100 games in the NHL. Becoming a solid 3rd/4th line player isn't the end of the world for a player!
Look at our 1st rounders and how many didn't even develop into a 4th liner
