Didn't like him since there was the thought that he benefited a lot from linemates and his power forward mentality might not translate well to the NHL since he's not that big by NHL standards but now that we have him I'm excited. No way you don't take him at 6.
Super bummed about the Oilers getting Puljujarvi.
My sentiments exactly.
I had a friend call me right before Calgary made the pick overjoyed about landing Tkachuk. He was upset I wasn't as thrilled as he was since I was still bummed about Puljujarvi and considered me a buzzkill. I'm still not comfortable with it.
Haven't had a chance to post as I was hosting a party tonight but my fear all along of pool party dropping to the oil got realized and it really stinks.
I'm sure Tre did all he could to move up to 3 but just wasn't meant to be.
Tkachuk was the obvious pick for us but I'm still worried about his bust potential.
Couldn't have done anything different really but still disappointed the way it played out, hope Tkachuk proves me wrong
Haven't had a chance to post as I was hosting a party tonight but my fear all along of pool party dropping to the oil got realized and it really stinks.
I'm sure Tre did all he could to move up to 3 but just wasn't meant to be.
Tkachuk was the obvious pick for us but I'm still worried about his bust potential.
Couldn't have done anything different really but still disappointed the way it played out, hope Tkachuk proves me wrong
Just me, but I've always seen him as an extremely safe pick. Plays a very solid NHL-type game. Guys like Laine and JP seem to be at the same level or higher but more high-end potential, imo. I wouldn't worry about our pick. He'll be a player, question is how high he will top out.
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Thrilled with Tkachuk but if could we could have pulled off that 3-way trade that they were talking about everyone could have still got who they were rumored to want.
To Calgary - 3rd (Puljujarvi)
To Columbus - 4th (Dubois)
Vancouver stays at 5th - Juolevi
To Edmonton - 6th (Sergachev)
Plus the required later round picks to even this out. Columbus get one of our 2nd rounders and Edmonton the other?
Main problem was Chiarelli sniffed out that Colmbus didn't want Puljujarvi and realized he could get him.
I can't sort thinking about this. Treliving could have actually pulled this off. The key was to not let Columbus and Edmoton talk. Treliving needs to offer to swap picks with Edmonton with a sweetener like our lowest 2nd. Edmonton would do it because they wanted Sergachev and had to feel pretty confident be there at 6.
Then Treliving could have approached Jarmo about moving up from 4 to 3, which CBJ obviously would have been sure willing. In retrospect we wouldn't have even needed to do that but BT probably would have been so surprised that CBJ was willing to move down that he'd still offer something to move up to 3rd.
I can't sort thinking about this. Treliving could have actually pulled this off. The key was to not let Columbus and Edmoton talk. Treliving needs to offer to swap picks with Edmonton with a sweetener like our lowest 2nd. Edmonton would do it because they wanted Sergachev and had to feel pretty confident be there at 6.
Then Treliving could have approached Jarmo about moving up from 4 to 3, which CBJ obviously would have been sure willing. In retrospect we wouldn't have even needed to do that but BT probably would have been so surprised that CBJ was willing to move down that he'd still offer something to move up to 3rd.
Didn't like him since there was the thought that he benefited a lot from linemates and his power forward mentality might not translate well to the NHL since he's not that big by NHL standards but now that we have him I'm excited. No way you don't take him at 6.
His line mates benefitted from him as well. Two-way street there. Finesse players excel when paired with someone who can do the dirty work and Tkachuk can do it but still has top end skill too.
He's strong, he battles and he regularly wins those battles. That's what you want regardless of a player's height. His skill and hockey sense are high end but he can also play with grit and bite. That's the perfect combination. He doesn't just beat people by bowling them over, he's more likely to deke them out of their pants and then make a perfect pass across the slot. But he has enough size to win some board battles, to survive in front of the net and he has the willingness and desire to do those things. That's a rare trait in such a skilled player.
Obviously I've been a big fan of his for a while. I don't see much downside with this pick at all. His biggest weakness is skating but skating is one of the easier things to fix with a hockey player. Hasn't held John Tavares back, hasn't held Draisaitl back, hasn't held Sam Reinhart back, and the list goes on. If you have top end skill and hockey sense and are willing to work on your skating then you'll be fine.
This Tkachuk kid is going to be a good one. Time will tell what line he shakes out on but a Tkachuk-Monahan-Gaudreau line (flip the wingers sides if you like) could be one of the best in the league in a couple years. On the other hand a Ferland/Shinkaruk-Bennett-Tkachuk line could be impossible to play against in a couple years as well. He gives us a lot of options.
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You like to hear that "he's probably the best player in the draft below the hash marks" That's the dirty areas, that's where most goals are scored, that's where the battles are when things tighten up come playoff time. This guy knows how to dish, knows how to score, is hugely competitive.
Like the Monahan 6th overall, I think he'll be a home run.
Well Benning originally said just before the draft lottery that he was picking BPA in the top 3-4 and after that they'd force a dman. Vancouver fans decided to ignore that remark after their radio hosts pushed Tkachuk/Dubois for a while but it held up. I have no doubt they'd have taken Dubois if he was there because they projected him as a centre but thinking they'd draft another winger after drafting Virtanen and Boeser in consecutive years was questionable all along IMO. I actually had some classic fights on HF Canucks where I was trying to sell the idea that they had to leave this draft with a centre or d-man at #5 and not a winger and they were all, Tkachuk/Dubois, get lost you just want Tkachuk.
The draft just worked out so perfectly for us. Tkachuk can compliment either Monahan or Bennett perfectly. He's exactly what we were lacking in our top 6. How I view it is that there were 5 elite forwards at the top end this year (Matthews, Laine, Puljujarvi, Dubois, Tkachuk) and if any dman went ahead of our pick we were guaranteed one of them. I felt that if those 5 forwards went ahead of us we'd probably take BPA which would probably be Sergachev/Juolevi. I guess we'll never know who the other person they had in their top 6 was but I'm just over the moon to land Tkachuk. What's funny is that it sounds like we were destined to get Tkachuk as EDM was apparently going to take Sergachev at #4 if CBJ had taken Puljujarvi.
As others have mentioned this feels a lot like the Bennett year where the guy with the great competitiveness, hockey sense, skill and grit somehow falls to us. But we'll take it, he fills a huge hole IMO. Tkachuk's grit and willingness to battle and win battles in the dirty areas will complement guys like Gaudreau, Monahan and Bennett making room for those players and making us harder to match up and play against. He's gonna help long term on the powerplay with his quick passing, hockey sense and net front presence.
Great day to be a Flames fan. Can't believe we get our future #1 winger with size, strength, grit, skill and competitiveness at the same time we grab a cost effective #1 goalie option. What's next dealing Wideman and signing Lucic? Dare I dream? lol. More pieces are falling into place to get the Flames back to contending in the playoffs.
Benning mentioned in an interview they had Juolevi at 5 on their list... he even mentioned their list was exactly the same as how the Top 5 went in the draft.
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Originally Posted by LickTheEnvelope View Post
... Eakins' claims Gagne's line played Kessel's line even...
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Originally Posted by Hells Bells View Post
Yeah, Gagner's line was -4 and Kessel's was +4, so it all evened out.
Benning mentioned in an interview they had Juolevi at 5 on their list... he even mentioned their list was exactly the same as how the Top 5 went in the draft.
Sure he did, that's right up there with Feaster's pronouncements. The thing is he didn't get who he wanted in Dubois.
As for the Oil getting Puljujarvi, I look at as fools gold. They needed defence and came away with no deals and no defencemen.
For us it seems like luck is shining upon us as we again get what we need in a forward that reminds me of Gary Roberts. We also through Treliving's smarts get our goalie. What a great draft day.
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Sure he did, that's right up there with Feaster's pronouncements. The thing is he didn't get who he wanted in Dubois.
As for the Oil getting Puljujarvi, I look at as fools gold. They needed defence and came away with no deals and no defencemen.
For us it seems like luck is shining upon us as we again get what we need in a forward that reminds me of Gary Roberts. We also through Treliving's smarts get our goalie. What a great draft day.
He had Dubois rated 3rd... he admitted as much.
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Originally Posted by LickTheEnvelope View Post
... Eakins' claims Gagne's line played Kessel's line even...
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Originally Posted by Hells Bells View Post
Yeah, Gagner's line was -4 and Kessel's was +4, so it all evened out.
They picked 4th.... means they only had to have 4 jerseys with name bars.
They could have made 10 times that many at next to no cost by recycling jerseys fans have thrown onto the ice in recent years.
Pretty classless move honestly.
"We knew we'd be getting a great young player at 4. We just didn't care enough to actually welcome him properly, or show much respect because he's not our usual first overall"
The weird part was the interview that Chiarelli gave later in the draft. When asked about how he felt about Puljujarvi dropping to him, he said that you need to be prepared for anything to happen and you have to do your homework on any possible outcome. Basically saying they were prepared for this outcome.
Fact is there was reports all week about how Kekalainen wasn't sold on the Finns. So if he was really being honest about being prepared for anything, why wouldn't they have a jersey ready for both Finns? It's not like it's a crazy cost. I believe he was truly caught off guard and the Oilers rushing the stage and making the pick so quickly was just a panic move by them in an attempt to show confidence after unexpectedly seeing a top 3 pick drop in their laps.
Not saying the kid isn't going to be good, because I honestly know nothing about him but that's just how I felt while watching it all go down in real time.
Interview with Tkachuk after being selected. Repeats multiple times about how the Flames were "the team [he] circled" and that he's extremely excited to be joining the roster. Sounds a hell of a lot like after Bennett was picked.
He does make a mention about "finally they have a good coaching staff" which is interesting, particularly the use of the word "finally" but I think it might be more of a spur-of-the-moment slight misspeak than a genuine view of Hartley as a poor coach.
I was ready to be stoked to add a defenseman to our list of D prospects, but I think this is the best possible outcome for us, absent a move into the top-3. Also left us the assets to grab Elliott which I am so stoked about. I never seriously thought he'd be available, he's far-and-away the best choice in goal for us and, I think, significantly better than either Bishop or Fleury, Vezina nominations be damned.
I don't know how Treleving does it, but god damn did Brian Burke make a great choice getting that man, he's going to win GM of the Year one of these years.
Absolutely love this pick. I had him 4 after the big 3. I think he is a perfect fit with Bennett going to be such a physical, tough line. Another amazing night at the draft 4 years running!!
