McKenna Watch

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

ah, to dream a dream.

Flames draft McKenna this year, nail a top-5 pick in '27, walk into free agency and nab Cooper and Makar.

What a bang.

I’ll add some extra details: The flames draft 6’5” center Alexis Joseph with their first pick in the 2027 draft.

[JTech780]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

Based on.. what?

Lafreniere and McKenna have had similar trajectories leading up to their draft year.

With McKenna I see a player who is a great skater and extremely skilled, there is no doubt about that. I just don't see a player that has that killer instinct in the same way that Bedard or Celebrini have shown. I am just not sure that he is a player that will be able to be as impactful at the NHL level. Maybe Nik Ehlers is the better comparable of the type of NHL player I see him being.

[FanIn80]

Interesting lottery note that I just realized late last night... Chicago, who moved up in 2023 to win the Bedard lottery, can also win the McKenna lotttery, even though they're technically not allowed to move up again until 2029, because they have Florida's pick.

So even though Chicago won the lottery two years ago, Florida hasn't won it recently so the Hawks can still win it again this year. I know that picks retain their original ownership for compensation purposes, but it seems against the spirit of the "Edmonton Rule" that you can still win again if you just have more tickets.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Interesting lottery note that I just realized late last night... Chicago, who moved up in 2023 to win the Bedard lottery, can also win the McKenna lotttery, even though they're technically not allowed to move up again until 2029, because they have Florida's pick.

So even though Chicago won the lottery two years ago, Florida hasn't won it recently so the Hawks can still win it again this year. I know that picks retain their original ownership for compensation purposes, but it seems against the spirit of the "Edmonton Rule" that you can still win again if you just have more tickets.

Don't you have to move up more than twice in a 5 year span.

They won in 2023, were the same in 2024, and dropped one spot in 2025.

So they would still be eligible to win this lottery based on that alone - they've only moved up once not twice.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by JTech780

Lafreniere and McKenna have had similar trajectories leading up to their draft year.

With McKenna I see a player who is a great skater and extremely skilled, there is no doubt about that. I just don't see a player that has that killer instinct in the same way that Bedard or Celebrini have shown. I am just not sure that he is a player that will be able to be as impactful at the NHL level. Maybe Nik Ehlers is the better comparable of the type of NHL player I see him being.

McKenna carried his team to the memorial cup final so I am not sure why you think he lacks the killer instinct?

I think McKenna and Kucherov is a decent comparable.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Don't you have to move up more than twice in a 5 year span.

They won in 2023, were the same in 2024, and dropped one spot in 2025.

So they would still be eligible to win this lottery based on that alone - they've only moved up once not twice.

Yeah, it looks like you're right.

No single team can advance in the draft order by reason of winning a Lottery Draw more than two times in any five-year period.

https://records.nhl.com/draft/draft-...ottery-formats

I was trying to understand why CHI kept moving up in the lottery sim, and the only thing I could think of was that it wasn't their original pick. Now that I know teams can win twice, I wonder if the original pick thing I mentioned above would still allow a team to move up a third time?

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Yeah, it looks like you're right.



I was trying to understand why CHI kept moving up in the lottery sim, and the only thing I could think of was that it wasn't their original pick. Now that I know teams can win twice, I wonder if the original pick thing I mentioned above would still allow a team to move up a third time?

If you have an unprotected first and the lottery is won with the pick you acquired then I'm pretty sure you can

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Unless things change (like he grows as a coach and really starts getting results from young players), I see this as the natural path as well. Flames head into 2027/2028 with a new head coach.

...maybe Cooper or Maurice will be available at that stage and want to come coach Stenberg/McKenna/some great 2027 drafted kid.

Yeah perhaps. I've always liked Maurice.
But when a coach gets extended I always look at the commitment largely being whatever that new term is minus 1 year, because lame duck coaches are so rare.
So a 2 year extension is really just a 1 year commitment.

[DionTheDman]

Originally Posted by CalgaryFan1988

I thought Landon Dupont was the big get for 2027?

Imagine Calgary gets 1st overall for Dupont but decides that they don't need to add to C (BPA notwithstanding). So Calgary trades down a couple of picks and gets one of the top Cs instead while adding to the blue chip crop with whatever they can get from giving up first overall.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

Now that I know teams can win twice, I wonder if the original pick thing I mentioned above would still allow a team to move up a third time?

No, it says right in that link: "For purposes of clarity, the limitation would attach to the team, not the specific pick."

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Actually I see is as very Flames to draft Parekh, Verhoeff and Dupont.

Not that it would be the worst thing. You can trade whichever one you see fits your team least for center talent.

But I do hope they draft some elite forwards the next two seasons.

[VilleN]

I think we all need to prepare ourselves for Edmonton to win the draft lottery.

[SuperMatt18]

Tankathon now has the Flames as the toughest remaining schedule left too.

A big part of that is not being able to play themselves since they have by far the worst record at this point.

But 3 games against Colorado, 4 against Anaheim who looks great, 3 against Dallas.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Tankathon now has the Flames as the toughest remaining schedule left too.

A big part of that is not being able to play themselves since they have by far the worst record at this point.

But 3 games against Colorado, 4 against Anaheim who looks great, 3 against Dallas.

Hey Connie,

[getbak]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Tankathon now has the Flames as the toughest remaining schedule left too.

Sure, every team they play from now until the end of the season is ahead of them in the standings.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by getbak

No, it says right in that link: "For purposes of clarity, the limitation would attach to the team, not the specific pick."

lol I am the best reader ever

[JTech780]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

McKenna carried his team to the memorial cup final so I am not sure why you think he lacks the killer instinct?

I think McKenna and Kucherov is a decent comparable.

Kucherov? He doesn't play anything like Kucherov, and I can't see him being near as productive as Kucherov, who has been one of the most productive players in the last ten years.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by JTech780

Kucherov? He doesn't play anything like Kucherov, and I can't see him being near as productive as Kucherov, who has been one of the most productive players in the last ten years.

Why do say that? What makes you say they play nothing alike as both are elite offensive talents. McKenna’s 16 year old season tracks to be one of the best offensive players to come out of the draft in recent memory.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DMyOZtkvGEo/

https://www.sportskeeda.com/us/nhl/n...ning-superstar

[stemit14]

It is interesting that McKenna has never been shifted to center. Usually players of his skillset (speed, elite playmaking ability, high hockey IQ) are developed as centers at some point if they look like generational talents. In the last 25 years, how many wingers have gone 1st overall that ended up being top 5 players in the league? I would say Patrick Kane, Alex Ovechkin, Rick Nash and Ilya Kovalchuk are the only wingers that went first overall and have lived up to their hype.

In the last 25 years, I would say 17 players have lived up to the hype of being 1st overall and turned into legitimate franchise players that could even be considered one of the top 5 at their positions at some point. The rest I would say have not lived up to the hype of where they were selected.

Lived up to their 1st overall hype:

Schaefer (so far), Celebrini, Bedard, Jack Hughes, Dahlin, Matthews, McDavid, Ekblad, McKinnon, Tavares, Stamkos, Patrick Kane, Crosby, Ovechkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Nash and Kovalchuk

Did not live up to the 1st overall hype:

Slafkovsky, Power, Lafreniere, Hischier, Yakupov (E=NG), RNH (E=NG), Hall (E=NG), Johnson and Dipietro.

I don’t think it’s as simple as looking at those lists though. Some drafts just aren’t as good as others (eg. the Yakupov draft).

[calgarygringo]

News flash, I am hearing many scouts and draft guys saying not so fast on Mckenna. There is another guy above him now on many lists.......