[OOT] October 31, just three games.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by timbit

Early yet but Jones looks to me like the best player of the 2013 draft.

Playing a ton of minutes and looking good doing it. Not sure a #4 pick could be considered a 'steal', but he just may be.

[Machiavelli]

He looks like a veteran out there.

Doesn't hurt to play with Weber, either.

[hwy19man]

Szwarz and former Flame Derek Morris score for the Coyotes in the second period comeback, 3-2 Predators after two periods.

[Miniac]

Phx 5 Nsh 4 Final/SO

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Magnum PEI

or the eastern goalies haven't studied the book on him.

The book is 14 inches off the ice, blocker side, just inside the post.

Reading that book doesn't help any goalie stop this shot from
Iggy

Nice.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Playing a ton of minutes and looking good doing it. Not sure a #4 pick could be considered a 'steal', but he just may be.

That would be a little dismissive of MacKinnon and Barkov, especially when they're the youngest players in the league. All the top picks that are in the NHL look exactly as good as the teams hoped they would. Haven't watched Jones but the reasons why they went for forwards instead of defense still remain.

[Poe969]

Those were some of the best jerseys I've ever seen!

[dash_pinched]

I guess Halloween must be big in Glendale, or a lot of people came dressed as empty seats (Attendance at the Preds - Yotes game was 7,401)

[Resolute 14]

As bad as things are in Buffalo right now, they are going to get worse when Miller is traded. Not that it matters who is in net when you score less than the average soccer team does.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

That would be a little dismissive of MacKinnon and Barkov, especially when they're the youngest players in the league. All the top picks that are in the NHL look exactly as good as the teams hoped they would. Haven't watched Jones but the reasons why they went for forwards instead of defense still remain.

I'm not dismissing the other picks at all. They may turn out to be star players for a long time. But if the Preds picked up a franchise d-man who can log 25 minutes a night and be be dominant at times at both ends of the ice with the 4th pick? I bet the Preds would consider that a steal. Those types of players are very, very tough to find. I guess we'll see in a few years how it all starts to shake out. But right now, I'd say Jones is the best player from the '13 draft playing in the NHL.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

I'm not dismissing the other picks at all. They may turn out to be star players for a long time. But if the Preds picked up a franchise d-man who can log 25 minutes a night and be be dominant at times at both ends of the ice with the 4th pick? I bet the Preds would consider that a steal. Those types of players are very, very tough to find. I guess we'll see in a few years how it all starts to shake out. But right now, I'd say Jones is the best player from the '13 draft playing in the NHL.

Hard to say, I've only watched Barkov. But you know, it's a dozen games in and you can say the same about the centers, "if they picked a dominant centerman..." and Jones is also a year older than they are. Top centers are even more valuable than defensemen.

Saying that Jones was a steal suggests that the other teams should have taken him. I don't think any of them would change their minds about who to pick, not even Tampa Bay. There were reasons why they chose other players and those reasons haven't changed. Jones looks like he was expected to so far but defensemen are also trickier in their development as we all know.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

Top centers are even more valuable than defensemen.

That's debatable. And I think that's why I have the opinion I do on Jones.

Obviously it is way, way too early to declare winners and losers on draft day. I'm just saying that Jones so far has shown some pretty unbelievable talent and poise for a young kid playing the position he is. He's already playing at least 20 minutes a night, usually a lot more than 20, he's playing the PP and PK and looks good at both ends of the ice. And that's playing a position which is very tough to break into the league playing as an 18/19 year old.

All I know is that if I'm a Preds fan I'm over the moon from what I've seen from him so far. His future looks unbelievably bright.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

That's debatable. And I think that's why I have the opinion I do on Jones.

Obviously it is way, way too early to declare winners and losers on draft day. I'm just saying that Jones so far has shown some pretty unbelievable talent and poise for a young kid playing the position he is. He's already playing at least 20 minutes a night, usually a lot more than 20, he's playing the PP and PK and looks good at both ends of the ice. And that's playing a position which is very tough to break into the league playing as an 18/19 year old.

All I know is that if I'm a Preds fan I'm over the moon from what I've seen from him so far. His future looks unbelievably bright.

Yeah I'm not arguing against that. Nashville is great team for developing as a defenseman too.

At the same time, as good as Jones is, the team actually needed a forward more. MacKinnon would have been exactly what could have moved the team forward. Another stud defenseman to replace Suter only maintains the status quo. No brainer pick at 4 at any rate.

I will say that defensemen sometimes have the tendency to fluctuate in their development from one year to the next. I think at the very top centers are easier to project and number one centers are even more difficult to acquire than number one defensemen. Not only that, I think they contribute to winning more than defensemen unless you go all the way up to Lidström-Pronger level.

If I have a high pick, I take the center every single time unless I'm incredibly deep in the position already, and I think Nashville would have as well if they had the choice.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Fair enough. I still disagree somewhat in that I see a team with a elite defenseman tougher to play against than a team with an elite center.

If I'm starting from scratch and I have a choice, I'm taking the d-man to build my team around every time. I'm not saying Jones will ever get to the Lidstrom/Pronger level, but even if he comes close to that he'll be more valuable than almost any center in the league.