Splitting Atoms Poll - Cgy pick Draisaitl/Dal Colle

[Yrebmi]

Went with Dal Colle.
Although I would enjoy the anxiety from the fans up north should we draft the German and he starts to look really good.

[badradio]

I think the Oilers will pick up Draisaitl, I think Reinhart will fall to us... I'd rather have Bennett though... Either way, good times ahead!

[djsFlames]

If this ends up being the scenario

Gaudreau - Monahan - Hudler/Poirier/UFA
Glencross - Draisaitl - Granlund
Baertschi - Backlund - Colborne

by next spring?

I'm okay with that.

[Poe969]

I'd be ok with it to because it would likely mean we'd get a top 3 pick.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by JurassicTunga12

Draisaitl. He is probably my favourite player in this draft(a bit of German bias in me too). I love his tool set. Big, skilled, and smart. It's said his puck protection is Jagr like. He is on the slower side skating wise, but that is fixable.

Having two big, skilled centres Draisaitl and Monahan seems too good to pass up.

Baertschi - Draisaitl - Poirier
Gaudreau - Monahan - Hudler / ????

Looks sweet.

If by sweet, you mean soft as butter, I agree

[saXon]

Draisaitl all day long.

Both will be impact players in a few years.

[dammage79]

I still think Bennett is Flames property on draft day. The three players that will be taken ahead of him are all closer to NHL readiness. This maybe the simplest factor to consider when FLA, BUF and EDM make their picks. I think BUF and EDM are looking for more ready prospects whereas the Flames can afford to let a player like Bennett ripen.

FLA could end up taking Bennett as well knowing full well they can afford to let a center develop longer and ripen as well. But They, like most teams need an Ekblad as well.

[Monahan23]

Originally Posted by saXon

Draisaitl all day long.

Both will be impact players in a few years.

My thoughts exactly

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Whoever ends up out of the top 4 and still gets a player like Dal Colle will still be pretty happy. Keep thinking Dal Colle and Tavares might look pretty nice together.

[mile]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I still think Bennett is Flames property on draft day. The three players that will be taken ahead of him are all closer to NHL readiness. This maybe the simplest factor to consider when FLA, BUF and EDM make their picks. I think BUF and EDM are looking for more ready prospects whereas the Flames can afford to let a player like Bennett ripen.

FLA could end up taking Bennett as well knowing full well they can afford to let a center develop longer and ripen as well. But They, like most teams need an Ekblad as well.

Based off Tim Murray's recent comments in the link below, I think the Sabres are more than willing to be patient with any of the top 4 players.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/nh...dive-right-in/

Luckily for Murray, he doesn’t have to change philosophies when it comes to making picks: The Sabres are rebuilding and can’t get position-specific with their marquee selection.
“Hey, we’re a 30th place team, so we have lots of needs,” he said. “We do have some good young players coming up in different positions but we need to take the best player available. There are a lot of immediate needs, but we’re not going to address them. We’re going to go through this long-term, take the best player available and if he has to go back to junior, so be it.”

The more I read about Bennett, the more I think he doesn't drop out of the top 2.....Based off the sample report card posted by Red Line Report, he looks like he could have a Toews level of impact on a franchise.

http://www.redlinereport.com/wp-cont...rofile-RLR.pdf

Scouting Report: Very possibly the most complete, all-around forward in this year's crop. There's very little he doesn't excel at. Supremely competitive and plays the game with fire and passion. Never gives up on a play - tenacious on the forecheck and causes a ton of turnovers and mistakes with his attacking, pressure style. Terrific skater and puckhandler with great vision and an imaginative passer. Much more physical than his size would indicate. Backchecks hard and responsible in all three zones.

On the plus side, there are more mock drafts that have the Flames picking Bennett than picking anyone else(fingers crossed), and based off what the Oilers' head scout said in an interview a couple of days ago I think there is a slightly higher chance they pick Draisaitl than Bennett if their pick came down to choosing between these two.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I still think Bennett is Flames property on draft day. The three players that will be taken ahead of him are all closer to NHL readiness. This maybe the simplest factor to consider when FLA, BUF and EDM make their picks. I think BUF and EDM are looking for more ready prospects whereas the Flames can afford to let a player like Bennett ripen.

FLA could end up taking Bennett as well knowing full well they can afford to let a center develop longer and ripen as well. But They, like most teams need an Ekblad as well.

I am starting to think Bennett is almost the least likely of the top 4 that will be there when the flames pick. I don't see how he gets past Buffalo. They are in the same spot as the flames in terms of being early in a rebuild so they can afford to be patient. I also see Bennett playing the style and having the character that rebuilding teams covet as future captains.

I used to think if one of the top 3 slid to calgary it would be Bennett but now I think it is Reinhart

[Malkin]

Dal Colle is the much better player but I could see them picking Draisaitl.

[Samuelsson]

I went with Draisaitl, but I think Dal Colle gets picked by Burke and Treliving.

Expect to hear something along the lines of 'He IS Canadian...' and 'But.. German' muttered from the Flames table.

[jg13]

Honestly wouldn't be upset with either one of these 2 if the sams and ekblad are gone.

Which is probably the way most CPers feel.

[Rick M.]

Draisaitl. If we're looking at wingers, I'd rather we pick Ehlers.

[RyZ]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

Draisaitl. If we're looking at wingers, I'd rather we pick Ehlers.

Rick M. Should change his name to Mr Ehlers. Almost every single post on the hockey side has Ehlers in it somewhere or another. We get it already. And no, the Flames arent drafting Ehlers at 4.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by RyZ

Rick M. Should change his name to Mr Ehlers. Almost every single post on the hockey side has Ehlers in it somewhere or another. We get it already. And no, the Flames arent drafting Ehlers at 4.

If you know who we're drafting, why not say so and save us all this reading. And, by the way, I said Draisaitl.

[djsFlames]

Only because Ehlers wasn't a choice.

[Rick M.]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Only because Ehlers wasn't a choice.

If we had the 5th pick also, I would gladly pick Ehlers, but we don't.

[Monahan23]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

If we had the 5th pick also, I would gladly pick Ehlers, but we don't.

Over MDC?

Ehlers is actually similar to Gaudreau a bit just in the fact that they get to the dirty areas, but Ehlers relies on speed, Gaudreau's shifty.

MDC looks like a Ryan Getzlaf player but worse, Draisaitl is a Kopitar/Thornton hybrid.

So Drysaddle