deepdrive

18 hours ago, gotbeer said:

Lol.  I'm sorry, but WTF were you guys thinking?  Do you want to have a piss poor shitty special teams?

Kings Hire Newell Brown As Assistant Coach

?

Why

1 hour ago, gotbeer said:

Sidorov might be one of those players where we say "In Madden we trust" again, for plucking someone in the third round.

If he keeps it up. His numbers are crazy and still show progression every year. He'll be in San Diego next year. We'll see how he does with professional hockey. Not many players transition as well as, say Zellweger. So, if he scores there from the first half of the season, you know he's probably legit

Another one to pay attention to is Dionicio. 5th round defense pick scoring in the OHL like a forward. I think the Ducks just signed him to a 3 year entry contract. They should have an article covering the defense prospects in the next day or two. It will be interesting what they he has to say about him.

I think it's more than Madden that's responsible for this. Verbeek has a guy he knows who he brought in close to when he started. I don't remember his name. But, he mostly freelance scouts the guys the duck scouts are most interested in drafting.

Great article on the Ducks site. Head of player development goes over a lot of Ducks prospects. Not fluff; real insightful comments.

https://www.nhl.com/ducks/news/ducks-of-tomorrow-forward-prospect-update-with-director-of-player-development-jim-johnson

The best fix for this and comparable problems is to lower the limit on LT contracts. Probably 5 tears (6 home team) would work. Just give the players arbitration rights after the first year as compensation for the change. Solves a lot of problems.

Your GM better show something quick. Like in the next year.  Because, from the outside observer point of view, his decisions are looking kind of suspect.

Is it me or are Kings fans concerned too?

19 hours ago, gotbeer said:

I love how dejected the ESPN announcers sound that Florida won game 1.  

I hate having to watch hockey on ESPN. Everything about it seems second rate compared to TBS.

And, if I'm correct, this is a year they have the finals. Oh well, doesn't look like anyone i wanted in the end is going to make it.

18 hours ago, arch stanton said:

None of the contenders can afford Marner without major overhaul. If he moves it'll be to a team looking to establish themselves. Off the top of my head I could see Seattle looking for a legit play driving wing to play with Beniers or even Wright but the extension would probably have to be negotiated in advance

I would go to the point of saying the three teams i listed wouldn't trade for him if they had the cap space. Not at the price it would cost to sign him. There are better guys to build a team with.

1 hour ago, gotbeer said:

And regarding Lindstrom, or really anyone else.  I wonder what the chances the Ducks trade down in the draft.  Say Chicago takes Levshunov.  Demidov is the best available, but isn't a Beeker type player, being as he's 5'11", and his big weakness is skating.  So would a Montreal, Columbus, Utah want to jump up to take Demidov?  Utah especially may want to make the splash.  And looking at capfriendly, my god, they have $43 million in cap space for next season.  

I would say no. Just from what I've seen of the guy. I think he's going to have his pick already worked out and than just sit on it as firmly as SJ is with Celebrini.

I also feel he's going to go for solid 2-3 line guys with the Edmonton and our own 2nd round picks. I don't see him being a high risk, high reward guy in those spots.

But, hey if you have two guys that look to be 4-8 and you would be happy with either one, who knows.

What do you know about Cayden Lindstrom ?

What, if any, chance do you think he has at going #3 to us ?

On 5/17/2024 at 11:30 AM, gotbeer said:

I highly doubt that. Close to 100 point players, doesn't take penalties, positive +/-, mid fifties corsi and fenwick. Only 9 players scored over 100 points last season. Only 17 over 90 points. Toronto is doing what Toronto does. Drives out skilled players, then complains that they need players like the ones they jettisoned.  They lost because their goaltending sucks.

Numbers don't mean a lot to me without the story behind them. Strome had numbers that supported being a little overpaid with the contract he signed. But now we know he's just an add on piece to a line, not an important piece. The line tends to make him. Not the other way around. Kind of like  Hyman on Edmonton. Would you pay him or give up value to get him like you would a 50 goal scorer that leads the line?

Marner has been exposed in more than one playoff as a guy who's not a difference maker. I don't think he's worth what he's going to get if you're a team trying to go far in the playoffs.

I have to pass on him (and I'll bet Vegas, Colorado, Florida, etc. does too)

On 5/21/2024 at 7:46 AM, gotbeer said:

@deepdrive

So a viable plan b/c/d? I just think stamkos is plan a.

Hurricanes won’t offer him the contract he wants, according to Friedman

What a Martin Necas Trade to the Ducks Could Look Like

The last line in the second article was funny.

But say Edmontons first, which is now 29-32, and vakanainen? Vaks is a nhl caliber defenseman, cheap, but a lefyy that we just have too much of. Add in a prospect like regenda or Tracy that just seem to be ahl players more than nhl types. Who are rfas and we might not sign anyways judging by beeker past.

It looks like we have a place for him on our team. I just don't think that late of a first round pick would do it and 3rd overall is too much. Maybe a 25-26 first if we wanted him.

Damn, it hurts that Edmonton moved on. 24th would have been a nice addition.

On 5/17/2024 at 6:16 PM, gotbeer said:

@deepdrive  Would you?  Obviously, depends on what the injury was.  But might be a good pairing with Mintyukov.  More of a stay at home Dman to open up Minty.  Of course that means, probably a top line of Fowler and Little Z.  But since Little Z was paired with Fowler, it really made Fowler a D man first, and let Little Z handle the offense which really did make Fowler much more effective.

Hurricanes Not Expected To Re-Sign Brett Pesce, Martin Necas

https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/pescebr01.html

RHD, 6'3", 208 lbs, 29 YO, 13 pts, 70 gp, low penalty minutes, low 50's corsi/fenwick.  

I don't know that Verbeek would be willing to go 6 years on a guy like this. But whatever he did, I think he would want a reasonable means to trade him after no more than 3 years (and the first 3 years wouldn't be full no trade). 

There's still a lot to learn about Verbeek the GM. We've seen some patterns emerge, but there's more to show up. And then there's the unexpected. Like how many guys he moved to the Ducks roster when he specifically said he thinks prospects should spend more time in the system to mature and build up their bodies. The next 3 years will open up a lot more info on how Verbeek will operate.

On 5/8/2024 at 12:34 PM, gotbeer said:

They are saving the #1 pick for the Blackhawks for when Landon dupont gets draft eligible.

That's the first time I ever heard his name.  Is he the next big deal to come along?

12 minutes ago, gotbeer said:

Ouch.  That's a huge hit for game 7.

Canucks' Brock Boeser expected to miss Game 7 with blood clotting issue

Is our 24th pick slip-sliding away? It feels like it. But we'll see

 Teams can rise to the occasion for one game.

20 hours ago, gotbeer said:

@deepdrive  Would you?  Obviously, depends on what the injury was.  But might be a good pairing with Mintyukov.  More of a stay at home Dman to open up Minty.  Of course that means, probably a top line of Fowler and Little Z.  But since Little Z was paired with Fowler, it really made Fowler a D man first, and let Little Z handle the offense which really did make Fowler much more effective.

Hurricanes Not Expected To Re-Sign Brett Pesce, Martin Necas

https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/p/pescebr01.html

RHD, 6'3", 208 lbs, 29 YO, 13 pts, 70 gp, low penalty minutes, low 50's corsi/fenwick.  

I don't know enough about any of them to say. But I would like to know who we get at 3 before commenting on any new signings.

We're starting to get a logjam at D. It will be interesting to see what Verbeek does with all the prospects we have.

17 hours ago, gotbeer said:

How to really not say much in an article.  lol.

What a Mitch Marner Trade to the Ducks Could Look Like

So let's play devils advocate.  So say there isn't a difference between 2 and 12.  If we can have an extension to Marner in hand for max at a reasonable rate.  Not the $10 million he's getting, because that would handcuff the Ducks long term when Z, Leo, Minty, Zell, McT need deals.  But in the $8-9 million.  

Would you, would they?

The #3 pick, Pittsburgh's third round pick, and LaCombe for Marner and the Maple Leafs first round pick.  I'm trying to take the sting out of losing the #3 pick by getting the Maple Leafs first rounder, this way if someone they want is available in picks 6-12 maybe they can offer both Toronto and Edmontons first rounders.  

Other offer is the #3 pick and Vakanainen for Marner.  

Nope, don't want him. More of a reason why Toronto failed in the playoffs than Nylander or Matthews. There's some guys at 3 who will probably be better than Marner.

2nd para:  I agree with this outlook after the 15th overall pick. But, for the first fifteen picks I think you need to approach it like there's a winner out there the GM needs to find it. Not hitting on the first fifteen picks can usually be traced back to not having or using the info that could have been obtained properly. It's not baseball. It's closer to basketball where you can pick the right guy early in the draft.

3rd para:  I don't know.  I think the consensus is mostly sports writers and Internet people just regurgitating each other's lack of info/knowledge. I think the guys who are really good at picking will see a noticeable difference. The sportswriters/fan writers rely too much on talent because that's pretty much what they have access to. That leaves a lot of important stuff out.

4th para:  No, I'm pretty sure Verbeek won't trade down. He's not that type of risk taker. He's going to go in knowing the one,two, three guys he values most and he's going to take the one that's left. And yeah, very hard to find a trade partner and put together a trade of that type. 

At least how I see it. But, hey, I'm just a fan reading the same junk all the other fans read.

23 hours ago, gotbeer said:

Pretty fair assessment of the Ducks RFA's.

Evaluating the Anaheim Ducks Pending RFAs

Pretty much what we already came up with, don't you think ?

Silfverberg is gone.  Grouix and Meyers will probably follow. Leason and Jones are on the bubble for another year. Johnston can't be moved until we get a physical presence to take his place. Lundestrom is probably here as long as his contract price fits in. The top defensive players stay until someone better can push them out.

I'm thinking we should start our own podcast, since we know as much as most people posting.

I could have lol'ed, but I'm kind of right.

I don't get these organizations that don't treat the goalie position as one of the three most important players on the team. They always seem to suffer because of it.

It's another thing I like about Verbeek. Every draft he's focused on getting a high quality goalie prospect.

17 hours ago, eaterfan said:

I'm not trading any assets to move up in this draft. I'd love to acquire more and move down.

I like Levshunov the best and I think he'd be a great fit, but there's no consensus he's the second best player. There's not even consensus that he's the 3rd or 4th best player. I think so many of the guys who could go 2-12 are very close in talent and potential. I wouldn't bet on any of those guys to end up being the best of the bunch with any conviction. 

As for team fit... This team is bad and the pick will probably be at least 1 year away from making the team and maybe 2-3. A lot can change over the next 2 years. No one on this team is a sure thing high impact player. They need to improve everything. Passing on someone because Zellweger is blocking them would be like passing on the number one SS in the MLB draft because Neto is there. I'm hoping all the young guys (NHL and prospects) work out, but don't pay to target a need. The needs may be very different when the player is ready to contribute.  

I don't think you trade down from a top 3 pick and from what I've seen, Verbeek has no interest in trading down.

You're right about no consensus on the 2-12. But, is that because they're so equal in value or is it because the info the writers  (and some teams) have available to them just isn't good enough to differentiate,  Draft history has shown that there almost always is a significant difference in the prospects in the top 12. But, you have to have good enough info to be able to see it (and know how to interpret that info).

No hate on Zellweger from me. I think he's the real deal. His biggest issue is size and then only because of the greater likelihood of injury. But hey, he seems to be of the mold of Vatrano and Cogliano. They've held up pretty well.

On 5/8/2024 at 11:53 AM, eaterfan said:

I believe that only moving up counts as winning the lottery. They didn't move up this year, so they can move up again. Finishing 1 or 2 isn't counted as winning if you are in your original slot.

Lots of ways to look at it. I see it as a probability situation. The odds were more likely that we ended up fourth than 1st, 2nd or 3rd combined..  So, in that sense we won.

9 hours ago, gotbeer said:

@deepdrive  Would you?  Would they?

Ducks trade the #3 overall pick + the third round Pittsburgh pick to Chicago for the #2 overall pick.

Why should the Ducks do it?  The Ducks are guaranteed to get Levshunov.  He would be the perfect fit in the Ducks lineup.  Your #1 line would be Fowler/Little Z.  Your #1a line would be Minty/Levshunov  This would also let Luneau get a full season at the Gulls, every game, instead of the in and out he got last season.  That would move Gudas to the 3rd pairing, where he might be most effective.  He is getting older, and plays a grinding game.  Towards the end of the season he was in and out with injuries because he was playing 1st and 2nd line time.  And we have 3 third round picks with a deep ass farm system.  I don't think losing the higher of the 3 picks would hurt the system at all.

Why should the Hawks do it?  Extra pick.  They may or may not go after Levshunov.  Demidov might have been their target all along, and if so, why not get the extra pick.  

I don't think you can really say on something like that. We just don't have access to the info that would make a difference. All I know about these prospects are some numbers and sparse write-ups. Character and dedication  are huge at these spots in the draft. Without that, I'm just playing fanboy.

You're right about the 3rd round pick being minor if it got you the guy you want. But, that's still a good pick. To move up one space? I really don't see it happening.

Don't you think the place to move up might be with Edmonton's pick ? If it meant getting a RHD that they want (after getting a scorer @ 3)., I could more easily Invision that.

5 hours ago, gotbeer said:

Didn't take long.

Maple Leafs fire coach Sheldon Keefe after first-round playoff exit

Firing the coach won't help unless they get a GM with the skills to put a team together.  How many years have been, and will continue to be, wasted because of Edmonton's lame GM's. With some organizations, it just goes on and on.

I'm for Vancouver in the series.  But I didn't think they had much of a chance.

Hope I'm wrong. The difference in the pick the Ducks get from Edmonton would be huge if they don't get to the conference finals.

7 hours ago, gotbeer said:

Mock 2024 NHL Draft: Experts split after Celebrini, Levshunov, Silayev go top 3

Interesting.  Not unsurprising though, but interesting that the top 3 are now kind of consensus.  I wouldn't mind the big Russian though.  The only bad thing is he's a LD.  But more than likely, we don't have to rush him to the NHL also.  

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/835541/anton-silayev

https://thehockeywriters.com/anton-silayev-2024-nhl-draft-prospect-profile/

Is that the end of Lacombe if we draft a left hand defender ?

I don't know that he's the way to go at 3. You only get so many chances at high level scorers. You would have to be pretty confident that this guy is going to develop offensively. There are some quality RHD in the first two rounds.