LGR4GM

Comes down risk management practices of GMs. Yzerman is a good example, he has leaned into players with higher floors but lower ceilings (IMO) versus looking at guys with high ceilings but more bust potential. That doesn't mean a guy can't have a good floor and a high ceiling btw. Seider or Benson are examples of guys with high floors and ceilings. I think Helenius and Nygaard for that matter both have high floors, they also have good ceilings but as a GM do you want a middle 6 guy with a long shot on top line or do you want a guy like Eiserman who might be a 3rd line type or even just a PP specialist but also could end up as a beastly 1st line 40g scoring winger? This isn't a ranking btw or a judgement on who we or anyone should draft. Just a thought on how GMs may look at different players. Helenius as you say could be Kakko or Barkov but Eiserman could be Matthews (his goal scoring) or Michael Dal Colle. So how do you way those risks helps to define your list. Note: Yzerman does not only lean towards high floor players, but has a few times. It was just an example and not an indictment or commentary on how he will draft this year. Note2: Jim Nill has taken a bit of the opposite approach and Wyatt Johnson is the perfect example. Guy with lots of flashes and a high ceiling but also the chance of washing out as a 3/4 line guy. He went with a high ceiling player and it hit. Note3: I lean towards high ceiling. It is why I will be more drawn to Eiserman over Nygaard but that doesn't make it the correct choice. This is where our ability and info fails because we would need to really understand how these players brains work. That Benson-esque mindset of I can impose how I play hockey on you because I can. Does Eiserman have that in him? Does Nygaard? It all goes into player evaluation and that is the hard part.

Mack, Levshunov, Demidov

I think the first 3 are set tbh.

No, I think they would have just promoted Appert.

He's unemployed because Lindy Ruff was available.

Granato ran the pp from what I've read.

I'd like to see power under Ruff before pulling the trigger. I'd like to Byram under Ruff as well. There's no issue this off season with the cap and all season long to trade one of them if we get better clarity over who is better.

Did you see Washington's lineup?

I have never in all my watchings of Power seen that out of him. Maybe he gets there but it has never been his game and I tried for months before that draft to tell ppl what he was and got told to shut up by the board almost on mass. Power is a good skating, defender with long reach, good breakout passes, who is decent in transition. I think his reach and smarts allow him to play a solid defensive game but unless he gets a coach who tells him he needs to impose his body on others and forces him down that path, I don't think he will naturally ever just develop that. I wish he used his body the way Quinn or Benson does, it would make him exceedingly good. Time will tell.

You aren't the only one but I want to say that whenever anyone on this site pencils Cozens in as a 3rd line center, you are living in fantasy land. JJP - TNT- Tuch Skinner/Benson - Cozens - Quinn Those lines are basically set and I don't believe until he proves me wrong, that Adams has it in him to move a top 6 guy out or demote Cozens to the 3rd line.

If it's not then the top of your roster isn't good enough and you need to trade someone to get something better or open space to get something better.

Let's talk about an option at 11 that isn't sexy but he's going to be a pain to play against: Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, 6'1" 198lb, C/W from Norway. He put up 18pts in 41 games in the 2nd tier Swedish pro league this year as an 18yr old. That's .44ppg in the Swedish AHL equivalent which is pretty good. Do you want a guy taller and bigger than Benson who's forechecking is like Benson? Here. Dude is a high motor, physical, forechecking forward. He'll hit when needed, very good at body positioning, stick work for days. Might be the best defensive forward in the draft. He's near elite in terms of getting the puck back. That's good but he's not the guy you want leading the rush. Like Eiserman, he's somewhat straight line. He doesn't have multiple levels of deception. He does have nice hands and a good shot. His skating is strong and powerful. He is smart and links plays together well. The question is do you want a guy that probably is ROR or take more risk for a guy that might have a higher ceiling but a lower floor. Do you want Marco Kasper or Lekkerimaki?

I wouldn't hate it. We'll have options if we keep 11, Eiserman is but 1 possibility.

Eiserman isn't great defensively. He puck watches and loses his guy at times. He tends to cheat a bit offensively which contributes to that. He's not very deceptive on the rush, he's more like Peterka than a Quinn or Benson. Might make one move but it's very north south. His motor has a bit of a low high thing depending on the game, there's a consistency issue. Some scouts feel he didn't improve much defensively from last year to this year and other guys overtook him, hence his slide. The question is, does a guy only 17 days shy of being 2025 draft eligible, simply have more in the tank that need development, or is he just going to be a one dimensional sniper. I think he has more and his slide is more due to him not exceeding expectations. Still, it's a gamble but a 6'1" 200lb winger with that shot is pretty intriguing. Eiserman isn't a chaos creating line driver. He's a passenger with decent puck possession and an absurd shot.

You know what's interesting. There are a lot of ppl around here who talk about giving Krebs another chance or seeing what he does this year or not getting rid of him too early etc... but Dylan Cozens has 1 down year where his coach was trash and it is all doom and gloom that he is some 3rd line level player that we are stuck with for 6 more years. Just interesting how perceptions and expectations shape how we feel. Not necessarily commenting on whats correct or incorrect.

If we are looking at drafting a talented wing at 11 with more size than a Savoie type, I would lean Eiserman over Connelly.

I don't agree with this line at all. It was very clear that after the failed Kruger/Hall fiasco season that Adams came up with the rebuild plan and sold it to Terry. We aren't trading for Necas IMPO. As you say, Adams is reactive and he will leave the top 6 in place and react later if they suck again under Ruff.

Which kid? Iginla will not be available at 11. Calgary picks at 9 and that is about as far as I could see him go and expect he could go anywhere 5-9

May 2024, consolidated rankings

Adams has been a compete failure at pro scouting ufas. He's been trash at filling out the roster to this point.

I'd put Benson around 45-50pts this season. Benson got 30 last year as an 18yr old with barely any pp time on a terrible pp. He's only getting better. Jack Quinn, 70+ if he's healthy. Quinn already broke out, we just can't say it cuz it was a short time frame. He's gonna be great if he's healthy. These are probably the best 200ft players we have currently. I think if you can build a line around Benson, he could drive it. If you put him with Quinn Cozens, he'll hit 50pts.