conundrumed

Anyone want to touch on Keller's dad's tweet that Clayton won't be showing up, and many players feeling the same? Later deleted of course. Put it down to being irate and ranting I think. KC would be awesome. I'd go for sure. KC Jazz baby, mess with the Blues. How did Utah get Jazz? Pretty sure they'd have lynched jazz musicians for skin colour. Maybe that's what they mean. The Utah Murder. A buncha crows chilling at the gallows pole was maybe an emblem that they couldn't quite get wight. Houston can buy a new franchise. I love QC, love it. But MTL is still held back with the whole french thing already. Hard to have a 2nd market that cares about that stuff where no one else does. The culture is hardly at risk, yet it's always the top of the agenda in hockey for some stupid reason. Just for a fun rant, I did a 6 month work stint in St. Eustache just north of Montreal and have done various stints around Hudson's Bay as far as the Gaspe peninsula and have also been a tourist on 3 occasions. I'm very disarming. St. Eustache was the lead up to their 2nd referendum. So, so many aggressively cared about my opinion being from Alberta. I just said I don't care, I don't live here. I wanted to live in Tahiti painting pictures of beautiful women was my separation from Canada. Whatever. Life's a struggle for everyone. It's your choice, not mine. I love Quebec and Quebecers. Sorry, the Quebecois. I left out the spare me parts. Which are, you monopolized hydro-electricity and tear down your forests for the NY Times. You're zero different from the Satoshi Nakamoto we do. The only one's thinking that your culture is in danger are your rebellious young led by political leaders that have a whole other agenda to whip up a frenzy. Politicians don't give a Satoshi Nakamoto about your personal well-being, stop letting them lead you. Same as the rest of us. So I'm a no on QC.lol Not when MTL can't operate without language spoken being a big deal and employment barrier.

25 & 29 for 16th you'd be dumb not to. Which is also why St. Louis wouldn't make that trade. If drafting were a perfect world, I'd agree with you, but it is very far from that. Hence re-drafts are often hilarious. The pick number in no way defines the pick. Would you love Nolan Patrick when we tank and get 2oa? It happens a lot throughout the first 60-odd picks. Nobody but nobody thought Philly made a bad pick at the time. But everyone is a hindsight draft specialist. Everyone loved the Bennett at 4 pick. They would have laughed at us if we took Larkin. Consensus/stats picks are a joke. One of the best all-around players in this draft is Calum Ritchie. He doesn't have 1 thing that he's spectacular at so he falls. Yet at the pro level, that one thing that you're spectacular at will be mitigated. Leaving the top 4 out of this draft, there's about 35 players that could pop. My hard money is on Honzek, Musty, Simashev, Barlow and Dvorsky. Translatable games. Definite NHLers Reinbacher, Danielson, Willander, Smith, Stenberg, Strbak and Ritchie. Good at most or everything they'll need to be good at. The USNTDP trio scare me a bit. A few years together as a line makes me leery that they are driving one another's value up. There is no way the US team shouldn't be winning U18 tourneys. They are the only consistent roster there. Massive advantage. But the long and short of it is if I have a choice between Danielson, Cristall, Yager, Simashev, Stone, Perrault at 16, or 2 of Honzek, Musty, Stenberg, Willander, Ritchie at 25 & 29, I'm doing the latter all day, everyday. The ceilings are similar but the floor is higher. There is still going to be pretty good D prospect at 48 no matter how it shakes out. For the record if it isn't obvious, I prefer dmen that play defence. O stats are waaay overrated and stay-at-home effectively are waaay underrated. Stats just can't account for defenceman that prevent goals is the problem imo. Yet the Toronto and Edmonton teams of the world are mired with that problem. It really negates what you have up front and is massively undervalued. There will never be enough Hedman's. So it turns into one or the other. Dmen aren't supposed to be your O drivers. If they are, you have D issues. Every time.

That is definitely lol. “his defensive game needs work”? Like…a beginning?

I'd say just Simashev at 16. Wallinder potentially a trade down situation. Not Dragicevic, I'd take Gulyayev if my aim was boom or bust offensive D. Strbak at 48 is possible and ideal. Price would be good but he'll be top of the 2nd rd. Wayda land at 16th Flames, they screwed themselves every possible way this year outside of selling all of their picks. 12 to 16 isn't a huge deal, but 44 to 48 might hurt a lot. Cam Allen might be the most realistic in rd 2 that I'd be all for. Most of his qualities make him a solid top 4 prospect imo. They pushed the Sting to 6 games on tilted ice and he was very noticeable playing D vs a way better team. I'd say he's the best D prospect in the O this year by a margin.

Lardis likely will be. He is extremely boom or bust so there is no safety net there. I should have added Theo Lindstein as a Dman. Should be a top 4 I think. Overshadowed by Sandin-Pellikka's O, but he's a solid D-first dman.

Lack of scoring just follows us around.

Oof Reinbacher, be careful out there.

I think the floor is really safe too. There were a lot of admissions that he really focused on his D game and skating edges this year. He's got the speed, hands, shot and size. A camp to see the pro game and a year of work and he could transition quickly. I view him a bit like Tkachuk in that he turned his back on the USNTDP for the OHL, though Tkachuk did play for them. That takes a lot of confidence because you're pissing everyone off.lol Be careful with those guys. Carey Terrance is another one, plays for Erie. Listed as a 2nd rder. They do that because they want higher competition, which it is. The USHL's a good league, but it's not the O or the Dub. I have little doubt that Musty will rip the O next year. Fair to wager Terrance will be up there too. They're a special breed. Cross-league stuff intrigues me. If you scattered Smith, Perrault and Leonard across the OHL, would those be their point totals? Not even close, I'd say. The competition is way higher. If you put Musty and Terrance in the USHL, oh yeah, they'd rip it. Big difference. The O isn't a huge step down from University hockey. Most teams have 5+ NHL prospects and 6 more working on it. "Playing against men" vs playing against overall talent. Makes me wish Fantilli stayed here, honestly. I just don't know what to make of him, from loaded USHL to loaded Michigan. Not saying he isn't great, just question the situations and competition. The game is a lot harder than that, hope he's ready for an abrupt change to a much harder game and a much Satoshi Nakamototier team.

I'd have zero interest in Dubas myself. Contracts he shelled out can barely be considered negotiations. His work at D and G is an atrocity. He had everything he needed at his fingertips and a highly desired market. Anyone can give their big 4 the contracts they want, but what do you do after? A lot of schlock is what it looks like to me, and a coach that can't figure out a consistent lineup to save his life. Every Keefe game is adjusting lines to try to outscore that tragedy going on at D and G. Dubas is so busy collecting forwards that he's completely blind that his only competent dman was excellent before he turned 38. But here's $7.5 x 8 for your dman that plays like a winger. The commonality of the final 8 teams is looking at their D rosters. Remove Ekholm, and T.O. and Edmonton had the worst D corps. By a lot. There isn't much for superstars in the final 4. Lots of solid dmen though. I don't want Dubas at all. The approach sucks. This is what building a team from forwards down looks like. A lot like Edmonton. At least Edmonton has the excuse that it's hard to entice players to play there.

But it's good that you're looking!! It'll be an interesting draft, someone or 2 will rise and fall. There's prolly 10 players that I wouldn't be against them taking. I don't even think positionally matters. A lot of young Cs move to wing regardless. I'd kinda like size though, personally. 6'1"+. I think I would quietly cheer Simashev. Could potentially be Seider-like. But there's such a large number of forwards that will be available. If it isn't say, Barlow or Dvorsky that falls, I'm not averse to trading down for Musty if he's being underrated. 6'2"/190 but that frame can easily take on 20lbs. Great hands, good skater, good vision. So much there to work with. He was a lock for USNTDP but surprised everyone by going the jr route, so was picked #1oa by Sudbury. If not for that, we wouldn't be talking about Leonard right now, but Musty.

I don't like Vegas, but I'm happy for Adin Hill. He always looked like a really good back up to me on bad teams like ARI and SJ. He's not spectacular but always steady. Former Calgary midget!! If they wanna lose 4 straight now with 1-0 and 2-1 games that would be fun.

Good question, exactly what I'm wondering. Tulsky is another one no one can talk to until the Canes win the Cup. I have nothing against Conroy, but I think maybe a fresh set of eyes would be nice as opposed to the same set of eyes with all of the same strategies. An outside of the org GM would bring another set of contacts to add to what we have, be it scouting, data-mining, contacts etc. I'm high on Hunter because no one around the league would be saying, "yuck, that's a dicey hire". The Knights still hold the record for worst CHL record ever, then the Hunter's bought them and they are consistently a huge threat. We need that kind of turning around between aging players and a slim pipeline to replace them.

With a pretty thin prospect pool, we seriously aren't in a position to walk players to retirement. We're walking Tanev to retirement too. We just can't stay on the same path. If there were loyalty in this game, we'd still have JG and Tkachuk. There just isn't so we really need to break this morality code that most other teams/players don't follow when it comes down to it. I'd trade Backlund yesterday if he wouldn't do a 1 year extension for $2.5. He won't be a $5mil player. Only Flames fans overrate him. No one else does. He's a middle of the road aging quickly 3C. Where is the upside to that? I'd take a 2nd honestly, because it's getting close to zero.

It would really be nice to play with Chicago at the draft table. They really can't just get Bedard and a bunch of picks 3 years out can they? Or they'll be buying heavily in UFA. They need to fill out a roster and are likely about $25mil short of the cap floor. Someone needs to play with them. I could see the Jets playing along, hard to say. But they should be WIDE open to do business to support Bedard. With our roster, I'd be open to anything, realistically. We're pretty disjointed as it stands. Players don't really compliment each other in the top 9 and D pairings. Hire a GM, make a plan!!

Love seeing Seattle in there. For the flak Francis took for the expansion draft. It seems to never fail that when you gather the common consent the opposite is true.lol An all 'weak' Pacific Division Conference Final would be fun.

Do we seriously want to extend Backlund? He'd be 35.5 when the extension kicks in.

Is that every player wants to go home yet?

It's like, "Welcome to the NHL", where everyone forgets reffing can be a factor in close games. Every game, everyone seems to forget that part.lol

Looking at what might be around our 2nd round at 48oa: Maxim Strbak. I know that I have him ranked a lot higher, but I'm the only one. RD with size, skating and very sound mechanics defensively. I really like his game. Cam Allen: a smaller RD (5'11") that may be taking a hit due to his offense drying up and the U18 tourney. Which would be good for us. Watched him live lots. There is little question why he wore the C for U18. He is very good defensively with offensive upside. If the u18 massive gaffes drive him down to us, we've gotta take him. I never saw those in about the dozen OHL games that I saw him. Jayden Perron: could be a faller due to being 5'8" and Celebrini's rwer. I treat smaller players with a lethal eye, but there is no way around him going past 48. If he were 6'2" he'd be in the top 16 easily. If he does fall, I'll be surprised if he falls past Detroit. Danny Nelson: 6'3" LW that can skate, use his size and finish. Has a world of potential hiding down the USNTDP roster. I've always noticed him in all of the right ways watching National team games. Coulson Pitre: 6'1" RHC that thrives on dirt, grit and determination. He's not making the highlight reels, but he's a safe floor to work with for a 2nd rder. Could top out as an annoying 2C or an intense 4C. Nick Lardis: plays the game fast af. The knock is he's either a top 6 RW or nothing. His D side of the puck needs a lot of work. The bet would be on his high offensive skills upside. I'd hold out for rd 3, but we don't have a pick there. There's many more. Thoughts?

Kerins played for the Soo.lol It's insane how Dubas' crutch is his small market hometown heroes. Let Pitt have him. Hire Hunter. The Knights are the premiere CHL team ever since Mark, Dale and Basil McRae purchased the team. They just don't have down years like every other CHL franchise does. They know how to find talent and retain talent. Perfect for us. He can transfer the team to Dale if required and we'd have the NHL factory at our disposal. Plus the Hunter farming operation in Oil Springs is a massive affair. Not Sutter massive, but much more fertile. He'd fit right in. I remember Dale answering the, "how do you like coaching Ovechkin" question. He'd like it more if he'd get off of the ice when he's supposed to. I belly laughed, yup, that's a Hunter answer.lol I know them okay, but mainly from my uncle, cousin and oldest bro. I hate the Knights.lol I'm jealous. edit Just to expound: ex-Flames - check Successful background - check Agriculture identity - check Oil & Gas identity - check, the region is Canada's first oil strike, hence he's from Oil Springs, where pumpjacks are actually kind of cute like you'd never think. Waist tall, some just little pumps with fishing line. It seems like a perfect storm to fix the Flames.

That's likely unfair as he was working under someone else that was calling the shots. The real problem is the homegrown guys we have should get a shot first, probably. They know everyone's strength/weakness, motivators etc. The problem for me is that it seems pretty evident that Sutter had a pretty free reign in building the roster that he wanted. That's the GM's job, so let's not let that happen again. The coach has input, not literally contacting UFAs and telling them to talk to us before signing anywhere else. That's overstepping your GM to the point of disrespect, and I believe he had a few episodes of disrespecting the GM. BT says, "we're hopeful that we can improve from within". Sutter seemed to do nothing but try to completely dispel that. Phillips zero real chance, Pelletier and Duehr forced him because the 4th line was pure garbage. He ended up benching Pelletier longterm for making a couple of mistakes that Lucic constantly makes. But it always seemed like Sutter was always behaving the polar opposite of anything BT said. BT, ideally, should have said, "Wolf isn't getting a call up this year, he's too young and not ready". Then Sutter would have done everything in his (too much) power to get Wolf up and in.

I've seen Barlow live a few times and televised OS games a few times. He's got more of a complete game than I believe he's getting credited for. Most 17yos are working on aspects of their game, so the November scouting reports pretty much get tossed as they can develop on their weaknesses fairly fluidly when it isn't basic things like skating/shot. Barlow has the best/most translatable O arsenal after Bedard. He's great at finding slot openings and crashing the net. His shot has power, accuracy and elusive releases. His passing ability is great but he IS the shooter. You'll never worry about him not shooting. He's solid defensively and tends to be having more fun when things get physical. He's not boom or bust but it seems like he's being depicted that way. If Barlow is available at 16, it really shouldn't matter who else is. Take the highest ceiling.

Maybe that he likes the Debbies now?lol Between the Flyers and Flames, not pretty.

St. Loo has 3 dmen longterm at $6.5 per, $6mil in cap space and need fwds and a solid backup goalie. There is zero chance they are taking on more cap for another dman. Chicago for 2 2nds. They have 4. Hanifin is going to cost an easy $6.5+, so decision time is lurking. Like every upcoming UFA.

And another group involving The Weeknd, wonder if he'll drag Drake along. Both from Toronto. https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2023/05/08/the-weeknd-joins-group-in-bid-buy-the-ottawa-senators-report.html