jjgallow

count on it 😅 problem is, we wont' get to pick who it is. someone can't do chin-ups, someone comes from a country attacking the Ukraine... I'm pretty convinced there's a cliff at 1. After that man, I dunno. I keep looking and looking and wasting all my free time and I feel like there's a lot of ways for a GM to go sideways (and regret it).

Luckily, after all of us closely watching the top 10 for last 10 years or so on these boards, I have Never seen it go down the way people said it "probably" would. Ever. If it goes down like this, you'll be the first. I mean after the draft, lots of people always say "yeah that's what I expected" 😅. but that's a different story Could make for a fun competition. or maybe not. it really depends less on hockey and more on the whims of GMs, how much they listen to their scouts/owners, etc.

https://milehighsticking.com/posts/colorado-avalanche-consider-starting-justus-annunen-vs-jets-01htqybfyc12 I expect this to happen, like 90%, before Avs exit the playoffs. If it goes well, everyone else is toast including Dallas.

👎

I been trying to lay low. but, I can't. I feel compelled to say this. Both Matthews and Nylander were put in all the final regular season games so that they could appease fans and chase regular-season accolades, despite both of them having put in a lot of high risk minutes and in need of a couple nights off. Weird, but...okay. Then they both get sick early in playoffs, and/or show concussion-like symptoms. not a shock. Both are played anyway, and are totally ineffective. Right. Of course. Then Matthews takes a hit, and For Sure has a concussion, or "head injury signs" as Treliving put it. Because that's the kind of direct, honest straight shooter he is. Yeah played him Anyway, despite the doctors leaking rumours that it would be incredibly dangerous to. And he was totally ineffective. right. Putting all the owner and coach and arena and "axe to burn" stuff aside, and putting aside all the hierarchical roles and "process" and the rest of that junk, and roles and responsibilities and how the GM is never really at fault, BT let this happen under his watch, and... No, it's for sure Not why he fired the coach. Very likely the opposite actually. It's...Total, and it is Total, Complete BS to be happening in 2024. He should not be a GM. He should not be in hockey. He is terrible, JUST for this, let alone all the other stuff he deflects. This is the ultimate in prioritising short term benefit. It's thinking short term ahead of the brain health of your best players. No excuses for it. Don't care if the owners told him to do it, don't care if it was the coach's decision, don't care if the players lied about it, don't care if the doctors lied about it. I seen it in Calgary, I seen it in Toronto with same GM, he should be gone. Period. A GM in 2024 who circumvents or allows others to circumvent player safety should not be a GM. Glad it's not our problem here. Toronto will be Extremely lucky if this doesn't become a larger issue. >50% chance that one or both of them does not ever play the same again.

generally speaking, these teams are in the top 10 due to a track record of making poor decisions, so...yes lol. in a really strong draft, it's less common because the decisions are more obvious. In this kind of draft... oh yeah. I say one team as making a "subjective decision" as likely. But 2, 3 teams...is quite possible imho.

Someone will be available that we don't expect to be. Only takes one team to make a "subjective decision" with their pick, which is highly likely. Assuming there will be a surprise drop, the most likely scenario is that drop will be Russian

There will be bargains to be had for teams willing to take Russians, simple as that. I hope the Flames are one of them, it's the easiest way to turn their top 10 pick into a top 5 pick, and their late 1st into an early 1st. I would throw Levshunov into the mix, if we want to go with "Slavic" instead of purely Russian. Will Levshonov drop, despite already being in NA? I think just a little. But I also think we have an outside shot at Demidov. After all, if Michkov can drop 7 spots... so can Demidov. Silayev worries me. Me and my goal-scoring rule are worried by Silayev. Would pass. Chernyshov imho is Extremely under-rated. Absolute perfect target for our late 1st.

Part of.

The difference, as you know, is that it's the scout's job to convince you of draft order. And the scout is saying "I'm not doing that" And then the GM picks the guy he was impressed by in the area he was assigned to. Speculation like speculating the earth is round.

Just,, I think we should all zoom out for a second. What's the most offensive thing in this thread, really? A. "I want D" B. "Take a D first" C. "DickInSon" D. "off the board" If you're not bothered by A, B, or C, I think it's okay to have a little "tolerance for D"

Oh dude. 48 days. But if Conroy really does surround himself with the right people and trust them like I think he will, then I won't say a word. And that's what I'm expecting to happen.

You read "don't need to convince Conroy, because he knows". And think he did what Button told him to do. I read it differently. Dude was impressed in the only playoff game Honzek peformed well in, talked about it in interviews, picked him. It's not speculation, it's interpretation. And I also think he won't do it twice. We'll see soon. If he does, then, I won't be defending him anymore. lol

I'm ready to shut up, I'm all about this upcoming draft. I've not written the guy off, never said I did, not willing to take flak when he contributes in the NHL, which he probably will. but was he off the board? yeah.

https://calgarysun.com/sports/flames-snapshots-conroy-has-extensively-scouted-2023-nhl-draft-class there's one. there's also another interview where he talks at length about one game he saw Honzek in. A playoff loss where he had 3 assists. and how impressive he was in that game. That was days/weeks before the draft. unfortunately if he'd been in any of the other playoff games, he'd have seen Honzek get zero assists.

i just listened to a direct interview with Conroy on why they picked Honzek man, and that's pretty much what he said. Just like this year, he's being pretty clear about a list. Anyway, I think we all have some level of understanding on Honzek, which we are expressing differently. I personally empathise with the "off the board" phrase, but, I understand why others don't....it's definitely not meant to offend people, especially on something that I don't think anyone is that far off on.

You know how much I support Conroy, I would love to say back off, give Conroy a chance. But facts are, there is a list, there are lists, and there isn't a single known list with professional scouts that would have picked Honzek next. Not Pronman, not Mckenzie, not Button, not eliteprospects, not any combination of any of them. Conroy said himself that there is a list, and their priority is going by that list in 2024. But in last year's draft, he didn't. He went with the guy he personally saw and scouted. And I think he regrets that, which is why he has been adamant about a "list" this year. He's boosted up scouting a ton. I think/hope he's learned. But....like Bertuzzi would say, it is what it is. It was off every single board. And at least 10 spots off of popular opinion when looking at the guys available (Pellika, Barlow) and where they were rated. Conroy's strength lies in his ability to surround himself with the right people, imho. In this case, it was his weakness, because he knew Honzek. But since then he has surrounded himself with scouting staff that he trusts, and I think we will see good results from that this year.

You beat me to it, I was all ready to dust off the Treliving thread 😅 you know my thoughts. Flames have made improvements in at least scouting. Have they made improvements in coaching? Some opportunities available with all the scapegoat firings? I think all the movement could possibly free up some actually good coaches (not sure about Keefe though, like you said). For us right now, I think the most valuable coaches are ones that can develop youth. And those ones are also the ones who sometimes get blamed for organisational failures. But I can't put my finger on one that I like, all the same. Other than in goaltending, where I think we should bring in Russian goalie coaches.

Can we just, like, draft all of the Russian goalies this year with your 6th round picks I traded you? And then bring Khabibulin in as the goaltending coach already. Open up that wallet.

some possible learnings from 2012. both good and bad

flood-proof though

Two years in a row he's sucked in the playoffs. weird. hard read. Injury gamble, same as Honzek, but hand/wrist surgery here. If the injury fully recovers he could be right up there with Cellebrini. If it doesn't he may never see an NHL game. I'd say it's worth the gamble if he wasn't another LW. Would need more info then we will ever get. While I fundamentally don't believe in targeting D unless a tie...D seems highly likely. So many of these teams will take the forwards because they aren't very smart teams to begin with (which is why they are picking so high lol)

I remember a time when things were done differently. The 89 Flames did it right actually. None of this star players doing 82 games thing. They'd take a few nights off at the end of the season and get rested up, knowing what mattered was ahead. Now, you see these Draisaitl's and Matthew's just driven (by whom?) to win all these regular season accolades and come playoff time they're just...done. Weird.