2024 NHL Draft Thread

[Royle9]

Some interesting things coming out of MTL chatter:
I know we all like to joke about "if _insert player_ is there at 5 they're taking him" but there's talk about their tier list being leaked internally.

Tier1: Demidov
Tier2: Lindstrom
Tier3: Buium/Sennecke

Obviously on going and things could change in a week but speculation is they are not as high on Iginla as previously suspected.

[DropIt]

Was hoping Zeev would fall to us, but the more rankings that come out, the less hope I have

[HitterD]

Originally Posted by DropIt

Was hoping Zeev would fall to us, but the more rankings that come out, the less hope I have

I’ve had this conversation with myself re: several prospects. “Imagine if Iginla/buium/demidov/lindstrom/catton falls to us” then I lose hope, then eventually I realize that there’s so many prospects I like this much that one of them is bound to get to 9, and then I feel a little better haha

[Toonage]

I had heard/read that Montreal wants bigger players to play alongside Suzuki & Caufield (like Slafkovsky) and Lindstrom fit the bill. Always figured they were high on him.

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Some interesting things coming out of MTL chatter:
I know we all like to joke about "if _insert player_ is there at 5 they're taking him" but there's talk about their tier list being leaked internally.

Tier1: Demidov
Tier2: Lindstrom
Tier3: Buium/Sennecke

Obviously on going and things could change in a week but speculation is they are not as high on Iginla as previously suspected.

Always kind of felt like a bluff to see if Calgary would cough up some assets to move up to not miss Iggy jr.
I've seen reports that there's a team that has been trying to float rumors about Demidov, hoping that he would fall a bit; it wouldn't shock me if that was Montreal.

[mile]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1804211949711806747

[cral12]

smooth operators...

https://twitter.com/user/status/1801437561396556220

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by mile

https://twitter.com/user/status/1804211949711806747

7 dmen!?

I wouldn’t pick anyone outside of the consensus top 6 at 9…

Jiricek, Solberg, Freij, Hutson, Kiviharju etc. are not better options than the forwards who will be available IMO.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by mile

https://twitter.com/user/status/1804211949711806747

I can think of 6 defencemen (Levshunov, Buium, Dickinson, Parekh, Yakemchuk, Silayev)... Who's the 7th? Maybe the Freij wildcard?

Five forwards is interesting, since there seems to be a bigger pool in the mix at 9. Assuming Celebrini is excluded, that leaves, what, Demidov, Lindstrom, Iginla, Catton and... Helenius? Sennecke? Eiserman?

[Sandman]

Yeah, I would be curious as to who that 7th defenseman is. Most likely Jiricek.

[Bourque's Twin]

Levshunov, Buium, Silayev, Parekh, Dickinson, Yakemchuk, ???
Demidov, Lindstrom, Catton, Iginla, Helenius.

[Tacoman]

I can tell you that the Flames have spent a lot of time since the combine with Zeev. They clearly really like him and the feeling is mutual.

[Bourque's Twin]

Originally Posted by Tacoman

I can tell you that the Flames have spent a lot of time since the combine with Zeev. They clearly really like him and the feeling is mutual.

My heart says Tij and my brain says Zeev. The unfortunate thing is that both might be gone.

[stemit14]

Been trying to think of the “worst” case in terms of my preferred players already taken by the time the flames pick. I would really like a forward I think so it mostly involved the better forwards being taken in the top 8. This scenario would have the following players off the board by the time the flames pick: Cellebrini, Buium, Levshunov, Lindstrom, Iginla, Parekh, Catton, and Demidov. Incidentally, that list is the same list of top 8 players in Daily Faceoff’s latest rankings (just not in order).

That leaves Dickinson, Helenius , Silayev, Yakemchuk and Sennecke as the best available IMO. All good players that I would be happy with but would still prefer anyone taken in the top eight in this scenario. Really hoping at least 1 or 2 players from that top eight end up being available for the flames.

[CliffFletcher]

I don’t see Buium dropping to 9. A lot of the d-man have questions around them, but he’s regarded as the safest pick after Levshunov. I don’t think I’ve seen a list with him ranked lower than 8.

I also think Catton will likely be available. Players with his profile almost always drop on draft day.

[HitterD]

Really really really would like the Flames to get another top 12 pick. Especially with the rumours that Utah, Buf, CBJ, OTT? Are possibly willing to move the picks

[D as in David]

Only a week away!

For those of us who don't have cable or a Sportsnet subscription, is there an online broadcast somewhere or is the Fan960 our best option?

[InternationalVillager]

i think that Benson dropping to #13 last year and then playing 71 games in the NHL while getting 30 pts is a real black mark on NHL scouting staffs from 5-12 aside from Philly picking Michkov.

I really really hope Flames don't end up making a stupid decision like that because they're in that zone where one of the top players may slide (likely one player will) and I hope we don't pass.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I also think Catton will likely be available. Players with his profile almost always drop on draft day.

This is how the Islanders ended up with Barzal falling into their lap. Great skater, skilled, and creative but at the time considered a little undersized. As with the teams that passed on Barzal, I suspect that some teams in this draft may regret passing on Catton.

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

i think that Benson dropping to #13 last year and then playing 71 games in the NHL while getting 30 pts is a real black mark on NHL scouting staffs from 5-12 aside from Philly picking Michkov.

I really really hope Flames don't end up making a stupid decision like that because they're in that zone where one of the top players may slide (likely one player will) and I hope we don't pass.

NHL GM's and scouts simply never learn.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

This is how the Islanders ended up with Barzal falling into their lap. Great skater, skilled, and creative but at the time considered a little undersized. As with the teams that passed on Barzal, I suspect that some teams in this draft may regret passing on Catton.

Good comparison. Can anyone speak to how Catton compares to other players that had similar skill sets/perceived weaknesses in terms of size/strength when they were drafted? Not just the ones that turned into NHL stars but the ones that never really put it together to become NHL regulars.

How does Catton compare to the following in their draft years:

Matthew Barzal
William Nylander
Alex Nylander
Clayton Keller
Zach Benson

All these players were considered to have top five talent in their draft years but were also considered too undersized and too one dimensional to be taken in the top five of their drafts. And they all ended up being drafted in the 7th to 13th overall range. Is Catton’s production and skill set on par with these players in their draft years or higher even? Just trying to get a gauge of how skilled he is.