2024 NHL Draft Thread

[traptor]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I heard through some 2nd hand knowledge, (trust the guy but his source I have no idea) that Lindstrom's injuries that kept him out this season are more serious than originally expected and that its starting to worry some scouts that it could be very long term/lingering issue.

His stock could fall.

If that's true I would stay away.

If he's still there with the Canucks pick then sure, but that's too much of a red flag for our 9th oa when there will be other solid options available.

[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Arson Edition):

RHD Arsen Taimazov was given the rank of "B" at the beginning of the season to denote a potential 2nd, or 3rd round pick- but it would be hard to discern why if you're only looking at his stats. The 6'4",215lb Russian managed only 14 points in 40 games, with 31 penalty-minutes for MHK Dynamo Moskva of the MHL- the same team as Flames' prospect G Yegor Yegorov, in Russia's highest junior league. This kid is a natural athlete, being the son of famous Russian Olympic wrestler Artur Taimazov, and if you look him up on YouTube you will see that he too, was a beast.

The reason for Taimazov recieving such a high rating is twofold: firstly- he's a stalwart defensively, and secondly- he's an exceptional skater, especially for someone built like he is. While he might not be quite as blazingly fast as Simashev or Silayev, he's close, with a long and powerful stride that enables him to cut off huge swaths of ice when combined with his extra-long wingspan. He's uncommonly agile, with the ability to stop and start in a flash, and turn on a dime to elude checkers. He's fast in all four directions, and is always in motion with his feet moving. At this point, he lacks any offensive upside and doesn't contribute much in this regard to his team now. He doesn't hold on to the puck for any length of time, and keeps his passes short and risk-free. He is always the last man to enter the offensive zone, and once there he keeps pucks alive and sends them in deep. He distributes well from the line, but once again, he keeps things simple. The "wow" factor comes in the form of his long breakout passes, that he can really stretch the ice with, and they are usually crisp and accurate. Using his speed and his smooth stickhandling, he can carry the puck from end to end if he sees the opportunity. You might say that while he contributes very minimally in one zone, he's very valuable in the other two.

Taimazov anchors his team's blueline with a highly developed, mature game in his own zone. He's a stalwart defensively, elite for his age group, and very aggressive. He's a reliable minute-muncher, and spends a lot of his time on the ice killing penalties, and playing in important defensive situations. For this side of the game, he owns keen anticipation and high-end IQ, making good reads to kill entries, and racking up stops against the rush. With his size, speed, and enormous wingspan, he's an intimidating force and a daunting opponent to go up against- add to that his physicality, and you can see how he earned that "B" grade from Central Scouting. Taimazov keeps a tight gap, and will angle opponents to the boards where they are stripped of the puck with poke checks, or levelled physically. He stays in front of attackers, matching their footwork and striking at the right moment- it's almost impossible to shake him off. He protects his net well, and boxes opponents out from the crease. Taimazov may not have the highest ceiling, but he's a safe bet to make the NHL someday as a bottom-three stay-at-home defenseman. Look for him in round 3 or 4.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I heard through some 2nd hand knowledge, (trust the guy but his source I have no idea) that Lindstrom's injuries that kept him out this season are more serious than originally expected and that its starting to worry some scouts that it could be very long term/lingering issue.

His stock could fall.

Bad luck for the kid if true. Up until his injury, he was far and away my favourite prospect in this draft besides Cellebrini. You never know with injuries like that. If it’s that serious, I wonder how far he falls… will it be outside the top 20? He has consistently been a top ten projected prospect for most of the year up until the last couple weeks. It would be a big drop for him if that happened.

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by Fan69

Helenius could be a real outlier with the forward group. I personally think he is right behind Catton on flames draft lists.

Playing in a mens league as a kid basically and putting up almost record numbers doing it cant be discounted. I wouldnt be devastated I see him as a better backlund.

I can fully see the Flames taking Helenius at 9. They love hard working high IQ players. The wart is skating and that's not an issue for them.

[dammage79]

As for Lindstrom, that's be a mega bummer. But I don't him him slipping out of the top 20 at any rate. Risk/Reward after 15 is right in the sweet spot.

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by dammage79

As for Lindstrom, that's be a mega bummer. But I don't him him slipping out of the top 20 at any rate. Risk/Reward after 15 is right in the sweet spot.

Similar to how Barzal fell to 16th imo. High boom bust based on the injuries

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by stemit14

Can anyone with better knowledge of players projected to go late in the first round or somewhere in the second round point out any players that might fit the prospect assessment status of Stankoven in his draft year? Not necessarily the same player but a player that puts up impressive offensive numbers but is limited in the rankings because of some specific perceived flaw? In stankoven’s case it was size.

Justin Poirier.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...justin-poirier

Small (or rather short... he's described as stocky). Led the Q in goals this year. Younger brother of Flames prospect Jeremie. Ranked/mocked usually in the 3rd round.

[Tibnadian_tpd]

That's a bummer to hear the potential lingering/serious nature of Lindstrom's injuries.

In that case, I will revise my hope for our early first to be (beyond Celebrini or Demidov): Berkly Catton, Zayne Parekh, Zeev Buium, Tij Iginla, or Carter Yakemchuk.

Not that these players will be available at our spot, but in addition to Levshunov, I also do not think Anton Silayev deserves to be drafted in the top 5 players like many of the rankings have him listed. He reminds me a lot of Brayden Coburn (6'5 mobile beast that was taken 8th overall in 2003). Coburn had a nice 16 year career don't get me wrong, but not worth a high first rounder IMO. Silayev has great speed for his size, turns in either direction without looking awkward for his size as well, and has the requisite physicality one would expect out of a 6'7 mammoth, but he truly lacks offensive skills, and his defensive play although good, isn't otherworldly to warrant a top 5 selection IMO. Several things struck me when watching Silayev. His speed was great, but his stride makes him appear gangly mostly noticeable when skating backwards. Although his backwards crossover speed is quite fast, he consistenly crosses over a really wide area, crossing into his partner's lane, while also leaving him more prone to the fakes of onrushing attackers. Secondly, the angles he takes towards opposing players in many instances leaves him unnecessarily vulnerable to allowing dangerous plays against, making me wonder about his defensive IQ. Thirdly, while he does seem to point out coverage issues to teammates giving on ice cues, and while he does recover defensively for his teammates with his speed, he also can be seen unable to stop a crafty offensive player because he unnecesarily angles his skates/feet in a way that leaves him again excessively prone to a change of direction by the player, whether it is via skating, passing or shooting. These obviously can be cleaned up, but if his defensive game is where he is hanging his hat on, it has to be elite to make up for his lack of offensive skills. He strikes me as one of the rare mammoths of a man that skate well enough to have scouts overly salivating over what he could potentially become. While a few do hit like Chara once did, is it really worth the risk in the top 2-5 spots? I think there's far too many misses with players of his ilk. He checks the boxes for size, skating, physicality and a good first pass, but what else? For number 2-5, especially with guaranteed decent players like Catton available, he has to check more boxes, even if we are projecting into the future. It will be interesting to revisit this thread in a few years.

[Flames1217]

Originally Posted by Parallex

Justin Poirier.

https://www.eliteprospects.com/playe...justin-poirier

Small (or rather short... he's described as stocky). Led the Q in goals this year. Younger brother of Flames prospect Jeremie. Ranked/mocked usually in the 3rd round.

I would be willing to bet that he doesn't make it past the mid second round. Kid is going to be a steal.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by Flames1217

I would be willing to bet that he doesn't make it past the mid second round. Kid is going to be a steal.

He'll likely be a good pick wherever he goes.

But Justin Poirier's stats are quite a bit worse than that of similar guys like DeBrincat, Cristall, Brink, and Stankoven. All of them went in the early to mid second, but all are steals.

[P-DAZZLE]

https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada/can...u18s-1.2108328

"Tij Iginla was added to Team Canada for the men's U18 world championship on Tuesday, completing the 25-man roster.

Canada had previously named the majority of its roster last week(opens in a new tab) for the tournament in Finland from April 25 - May 5. "

https://twitter.com/user/status/1782787551838753190

[Tbull8]

If the flames win the 2nd overall lottery, would you consider moving down to 5 (Habs) if they added the Winnipeg 1st (27ish)? I think the Habs really want Demidov. Flames would still be able to add a top dman at 5 and grab another 1st.

Idk if I would because I really like Demidov, but maybe its worth it?

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

If the flames win the 2nd overall lottery, would you consider moving down to 5 (Habs) if they added the Winnipeg 1st (27ish)? I think the Habs really want Demidov. Flames would still be able to add a top dman at 5 and grab another 1st.

Idk if I would because I really like Demidov, but maybe its worth it?

At 2 I would consider a move down, but 27 isn't good enough.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Wait, how does the lottery work again?

How would we get to 2nd? When the draft lottery?

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

If the flames win the 2nd overall lottery, would you consider moving down to 5 (Habs) if they added the Winnipeg 1st (27ish)? I think the Habs really want Demidov. Flames would still be able to add a top dman at 5 and grab another 1st.

Idk if I would because I really like Demidov, but maybe its worth it?

Demidov reminds me of Jagr - they’ve got enough Russian talent on the roster that I think they’d take the risk.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

If the flames win the 2nd overall lottery, would you consider moving down to 5 (Habs) if they added the Winnipeg 1st (27ish)? I think the Habs really want Demidov. Flames would still be able to add a top dman at 5 and grab another 1st.

Idk if I would because I really like Demidov, but maybe its worth it?

Winnipeg 1st + Montreal 2025 1st + The 2025 1st we have to send to them back to us.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Wait, how does the lottery work again?

How would we get to 2nd? When the draft lottery?

The have two separate drawings one for 1st overall and one for 2nd overall.

Flames have 5% for both drawings.

[Flames1217]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

He'll likely be a good pick wherever he goes.

But Justin Poirier's stats are quite a bit worse than that of similar guys like DeBrincat, Cristall, Brink, and Stankoven. All of them went in the early to mid second, but all are steals.

His closest comparable is Marchand in my opinion. He isn't a pure skill player (like those listed above) and has tons of bite to his game. His shot is heavy and he can score from a distance but most of his goals are scored in close. He is a very heavy player for his size and hits to hurt but is also like Coronato in the opportunistic scorer ideology. If the opposition makes a mistake while he is on the ice, they are going to pay for it.

Size aside, he has everything you would want in a player.

[HitterD]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

At 2 I would consider a move down, but 27 isn't good enough.

Of note, according to PuckPedia's pick value calculator, fair value for a drop from #2 to 5 would be the 17th overall pick

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

He'll likely be a good pick wherever he goes.

But Justin Poirier's stats are quite a bit worse than that of similar guys like DeBrincat, Cristall, Brink, and Stankoven. All of them went in the early to mid second, but all are steals.

Even still… I’d be happy for the flames to use a 2nd round pick on him. Another advantage with players like that is that their value tends to stay higher at least until they make the pro leagues… certainly not always and their value may stay high if they continue to produce at the AHL/NHL level. But offensively-skilled players like that have a better chance to make team Canada at the World Juniors to showcase their value and will likely have an even better year in junior after they are drafted.

Stankoven is a great example. Taken in the second round due to his size despite dominating in his draft year. Made team Canada and really stood out on that team. Continued to dominate in Junior and his skills translated into the AHL and now the NHL. There’s no guarantee a player like Poirier will follow the same trajectory as Stankoven but he’s more likely to be evaluated as a higher value (B+ or potentially an A-) between now and when he makes the NHL than a player that is always projected to be a 3rd/4th liner in the NHL. Pretty much from the moment that Stankoven was drafted, he was considered a valuable prospect and his value has only increased.

I think those are smart gambles in drafting prospects outside the first round even if the bust risk is higher on them due to size, speed or injury concerns. You could always trade those kind of prospects while their value is high if you think their game won’t translate to the NHL. Think of it as buying a stock that has a high chance of increasing in value for the next two years. Even if you think the stock might drop off after that (when the prospect turns pro), you could always sell (trade) just before. Think of the value that 2nd round pick Dallas used on Stankoven… and think of the value Stankoven would have had before he even played in the NHL this year. The flames might have given Hanifin+Tanev for Stankoven alone.