Draft Pick Watch - WE PICKED NYLANDER!!1!!

[Kin]

To give all a good laugh.....Healy was on HNIC radio today and said that if Tallon makes that deal with Phaneuf Kadri and 8 for 1 and Jovo and "I'd call him into the office and fire him".

I would too, quite frankly. Even if you believe that that trade is lopsided talent wise in favour of the Panthers I think a lot of people would look at where the Panthers are and say that they're in no position to trade away a 1st overall pick without getting franchise-level talent in return.

 

[Corn Flake]

To give all a good laugh.....Healy was on HNIC radio today and said that if Tallon makes that deal with Phaneuf Kadri and 8 for 1 and Jovo and "I'd call him into the office and fire him".

I would too, quite frankly. Even if you believe that that trade is lopsided talent wise in favour of the Panthers I think a lot of people would look at where the Panthers are and say that they're in no position to trade away a 1st overall pick without getting franchise-level talent in return.

True, or at least a couple of extremely high end young players, already established in the NHL and their best years ahead of them.... on reasonable contracts.

Sooo like Kadri + Gardiner, maybe?  Which then becomes a weird deal for the Leafs to make.

 

[Kin]

True, or at least a couple of extremely high end young players, already established in the NHL and their best years ahead of them.... on reasonable contracts.

Sooo like Kadri + Gardiner, maybe?  Which then becomes a weird deal for the Leafs to make.

Yeah, still, I just don't think you trade a #1 pick unless you get a player of a quality that you would be happy with drafting with a #1 overall pick. I wouldn't make a two fives for a ten trade in that scenario.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Only Tallon really knows what the direction of the Panthers is, but I don't think that they're too far off from taking the next step and making a run for the playoffs. Barkov, Huberdeau, Grimaldi, Bjugstad, Trocheck, Shore is a very good forward core under 23. They have some good defence prospects plus Gudbranson and Kulikov who are already in the NHL. They just acquired a top-10 goalie so anything is possible because of him.

With that said, while I can see them making an effort to become a playoff team, this proposed deal still doesn't make a ton of sense to me. They really don't need a guy like Kadri because they're pretty stacked down the middle. It's on the wings where they really need to bolster their prospect group. And while they can use a top-pairing defenceman like Phaneuf, Ekblad seems to project to be a Phaneuf-like defenceman. So why not select that guy that will be able to fit in better with your core? It's really a trade that doesn't make much sense for either team.

 

[Kin]

Only Tallon really knows what the direction of the Panthers is, but I don't think that they're too far off from taking the next step and making a run for the playoffs. Barkov, Huberdeau, Grimaldi, Bjugstad, Trocheck, Shore is a very good forward core under 23. They have some good defence prospects plus Gudbranson and Kulikov who are already in the NHL. They just acquired a top-10 goalie so anything is possible because of him.

With that said, while I can see them making an effort to become a playoff team, this proposed deal still doesn't make a ton of sense to me. They really don't need a guy like Kadri because they're pretty stacked down the middle. It's on the wings where they really need to bolster their prospect group. And while they can use a top-pairing defenceman like Phaneuf, Ekblad seems to project to be a Phaneuf-like defenceman. So why not select that guy that will be able to fit in better with your core? It's really a trade that doesn't make much sense for either team.

I agree and, to build on that, I think it's a good example of why you just don't see a lot of top draft picks being dealt. Even in years like '12 where it made a lot of sense for the Oilers to move out of the top spot(or at least take someone different with the top spot) I think there's always going to be tremendous organizational pressure to use a high draft pick.

 

[Corn Flake]

True, or at least a couple of extremely high end young players, already established in the NHL and their best years ahead of them.... on reasonable contracts.

Sooo like Kadri + Gardiner, maybe?  Which then becomes a weird deal for the Leafs to make.

Yeah, still, I just don't think you trade a #1 pick unless you get a player of a quality that you would be happy with drafting with a #1 overall pick. I wouldn't make a two fives for a ten trade in that scenario.

In this draft  I would, because that $10 is just as likely to become a $6.50 and you may have to wait 2-3 years to find out.  Where you know those two $5's you got are going to play now and have at least a moderate impact on your team now.

Fla is almost in the same boat as Edmonton. At some point they need to turn some of their stockpile into players who can help them now, otherwise the rebuild will go on another 3-4 years.

 

[Kin]

In this draft  I would, because that $10 is just as likely to become a $6.50 and you may have to wait 2-3 years to find out.  Where you know those two $5's you got are going to play now and have at least a moderate impact on your team now.

Except there are lots of other ways for a team to acquire 5's and, in fact, it looks like the team already has a bunch. Likewise, the reality is that when it comes to players the age of Kadri and Gardiner, their being "established" is a mixed blessing, especially to a relatively poor team.

Fla is almost in the same boat as Edmonton. At some point they need to turn some of their stockpile into players who can help them now, otherwise the rebuild will go on another 3-4 years.

I mean, I don't think there's ever going to be a time where a team says that they have too much young talent but best of luck convincing someone to make a trade on that basis. The reality in a place like Edmonton isn't that they're losing because they had too many top picks, it's that they didn't do a very good job with the picks they had.

 

[L K]

In this draft  I would, because that $10 is just as likely to become a $6.50 and you may have to wait 2-3 years to find out.  Where you know those two $5's you got are going to play now and have at least a moderate impact on your team now.

Except there are lots of other ways for a team to acquire 5's and, in fact, it looks like the team already has a bunch. Likewise, the reality is that when it comes to players the age of Kadri and Gardiner, their being "established" is a mixed blessing, especially to a relatively poor team.

Fla is almost in the same boat as Edmonton. At some point they need to turn some of their stockpile into players who can help them now, otherwise the rebuild will go on another 3-4 years.

I mean, I don't think there's ever going to be a time where a team says that they have too much young talent but best of luck convincing someone to make a trade on that basis. The reality in a place like Edmonton isn't that they're losing because they had too many top picks, it's that they didn't do a very good job with the picks they had.

Obviously they went away from drafting very similar forwards when they got Nurse last year, but if Edmonton gets the chance to draft Ekblad this year, I'm not sure how they could turn their nose at a move like that.  It doesn't prevent them from still considering a trade of one of their forwards but it significantly shores up their defense for the future if they could potentially have a pairing of Ekblad-Nurse in a few years.  It doesn't change their fate in the 2015 season but if Edmonton has any sense they wouldn't start tearing apart prospects in favour of overall talent downgrades just to get older and eek out a low seed in the West.  The Oilers aren't a player away from beating Chicago/LA unless their top prospects take a big jump in their development this offseason and they really haven't shown that ability thus far.

 

[Kin]

Obviously they went away from drafting very similar forwards when they got Nurse last year, but if Edmonton gets the chance to draft Ekblad this year, I'm not sure how they could turn their nose at a move like that.  It doesn't prevent them from still considering a trade of one of their forwards but it significantly shores up their defense for the future if they could potentially have a pairing of Ekblad-Nurse in a few years.  It doesn't change their fate in the 2015 season but if Edmonton has any sense they wouldn't start tearing apart prospects in favour of overall talent downgrades just to get older and eek out a low seed in the West.  The Oilers aren't a player away from beating Chicago/LA unless their top prospects take a big jump in their development this offseason and they really haven't shown that ability thus far.

And for all the talk about impatient fans...even when the Leafs were at their worst with all of their years of missing the playoffs I still hated the Kessel trade because there's really no point where bad team building is made good because of a perceived demand for expediency. The Oilers are in a tough spot because augmenting their picks through free agency is proving tough but it's that reason why I think they'd be very wary of trading for Phaneuf. They certainly know that just because you have a top defenseman under contract doesn't mean he'll want to stick around.

 

[bustaheims]

They certainly know that just because you have a top defenseman under contract doesn't mean he'll want to stick around.

That's true, though, with Phaneuf being from Edmonton, they'd probably expect there's less chance he'd ask out than most others.

 

[Kin]

That's true, though, with Phaneuf being from Edmonton, they'd probably expect there's less chance he'd ask out than most others.

I guess. But if the marginally less salacious rumours are true re: Pronger it was his wife who wanted out and considering who Dion is married to they might think she's less inclined to live away from a major media center than most wives.

 

[bustaheims]

I guess. But if the marginally less salacious rumours are true re: Pronger it was his wife who wanted out and considering who Dion is married to they might think she's less inclined to live away from a major media center than most wives.

Possibly, but, at the same time, her work has had her spending a lot of time not in Toronto any way, so, I'm not how much of an issue it would actually be. She doesn't need to be in a major media centre to find work, she just needs to be comfortable not living in the same city as her husband for stretches - and, she already seems to be.

 

[Kin]

Possibly, but, at the same time, her work has had her spending a lot of time not in Toronto any way, so, I'm not how much of an issue it would actually be. She doesn't need to be in a major media centre to find work, she just needs to be comfortable not living in the same city as her husband for stretches - and, she already seems to be.

Well, but it's an unpredictable profession. Things are going one way now for her but if she moves into features or the stage or their marriage becomes one where they don't want to live apart for large stretches of the year...I'm just saying it's an element of concern that could be added to their existing wariness. Besides, it's not like Pronger was from Paris himself.

 

[KW Sluggo]

True, or at least a couple of extremely high end young players, already established in the NHL and their best years ahead of them.... on reasonable contracts.

Sooo like Kadri + Gardiner, maybe?  Which then becomes a weird deal for the Leafs to make.

Yeah, still, I just don't think you trade a #1 pick unless you get a player of a quality that you would be happy with drafting with a #1 overall pick. I wouldn't make a two fives for a ten trade in that scenario.

Logically speaking you are correct but logic often does not rule decision making of  any GM whose job is at risk (see: John Ferguson Jr.).

Tallon has to produce a playoff team sooner rather than later and next season would be a good place to start.

He needs NHL experience to do that, Ekblad or any of the others will only help his successor. Plus he has to make to the salary floor which means a big contract must be taken on or two decent size ones - the problem with that latter solution is that such players may not be good enough to make an impact.

Too many people here see only the negatives about Phaneuf and while they are certainly there, his good points cannot be overlooked. These include such things as minutes on ice, effectiveness when properly used (not as the principal defenceman) and quite surprisingly his contract.

That contract is going to pale in comparison with what top flight Dmen get (starting with Subban) and the disparity between market price  and Phaneuf's contract will only grow.

The next question is where else is Florida going to get that calibre of blueline help? There are no UFAs (Phaneuf would have been the top of that market had he not extended with the Leafs). Trade perhaps but Florida really has no decent youg player that it wants to give up or can afford to surrender in such a deal if it really wants to make the playoffs next year.

So I see this a s a motivated swap from the Florida side somewhat more than i do for the Leafs. We have other possibilities for trades, whether it is Phaneuf to another team (San Jose? Oilers? Dallas? Islanders if they cannot sign Boyle?) or negotiating rights to some of our soon to be UFAs that we cannot or will not sign (Bolland? Kulemin?).

I think the greater risk here is to the leafs in taking on an older and injured defenceman from Florida (unless they can do an injured reserve salary dump in which case they will only be out the money) while giving up early on a decent young forward in Kadri (yes, I have some doubts about him too but we have traded away so many of our picks and young players).

Glen Healy may think such a trade is excessively one-sided in the Leafs' favour but I see it as a much more even trade than that with us taking the gamble on just how good yet another "can't miss" first rounder will turn out to be in another 2 to 3 years. We would be compensated but part of the price is that we have to wait for the drafted player to develop while weakening the NHL roster immediately.

 

[L K]

They certainly know that just because you have a top defenseman under contract doesn't mean he'll want to stick around.

That's true, though, with Phaneuf being from Edmonton, they'd probably expect there's less chance he'd ask out than most others.

Or more...he's seen things.

 

[lamajama]

Kipper tweeted today that he's hearing Leafs are
working phones big time to make a deal and the only names not being shopped are Kessel, Bernier, Bozak and Reilly.

 

[Chev-boyar-sky]

Kipper tweeted today that he's hearing Leafs are
working phones big time to make a deal and the only names not being shopped are Kessel, Bernier, Bozak and Reilly.

I think that's just not wanting to miss out on the Leafs page hit parade.

Put some obvious names down and then make a controversy by putting Bozak instead of JVR.

JVR is younger and a lot better than Bozak for about the same money.

 

[Kin]

Logically speaking you are correct but logic often does not rule decision making of  any GM whose job is at risk (see: John Ferguson Jr.).

Tallon has to produce a playoff team sooner rather than later and next season would be a good place to start.

The idea that Tallon's job is in jeopardy is a complete supposition and, quite frankly, not really one that the facts support. He's not JFJ, he's a very well respected GM who got his team into the playoffs two seasons ago despite working with a shoestring budget. The current owner has owned the team for less than a full season and is busy crying poor in order to get a better deal on the team's lease from the county. A deal, by the way, that isn't finished. Probably because Viola knew that he'd be trying to get that better lease, the team pared down this season by trading away just about every veteran making real money. That isn't a team that's desperate to make a serious playoff push.

And making the cap floor for them isn't going to necessitate the sorts of decisions you think it will. Yes, they'll have to spend 10-11 million to get there but they only have 12 skaters under contract for next season. Just signing their own RFA's and guys at the minimum to round out their roster will take them more or less to the floor. They definitely won't need to add someone making 7 million a year to get there.

Honestly, I don't think there's a worse team to argue is going to trade the first overall pick. They're in a terrible spot, they have a reason not to spend money and their owner only bought the team in September. I'd bet that if you asked incoming owners what one thing they would want in their first season owning the team, having the first overall pick would be a strong second place to winning a championship.

 

[Hampreacher]

As for Trade for first with Florida I would put gardnier instead of Kadri. Kadri has too much upside. He would be another Alex Steen result

 

[Kin]

As for Trade for first with Florida I would put gardnier instead of Kadri. Kadri has too much upside. He would be another Alex Steen result

Heck, why give them anything at all? We're not in the business of helping the Florida Panthers.