2012 NHL Entry Draft

[BigTed3]

I agree that we'll need some strong forward prospects but having a strong d line in the NHL is good.

You're right about that, and in general, I agree with the philosophy that you take the best player available because it's very hard to predict what your needs will be a couple of years down the line. In general. But in this case, let's say we do end up with the #5 or #6 pick and that the top 4 forwards are off the board. There are still some decent forwards out there, but the draft rankings fairly consistently say the choice should be Murray or Dumba, for example... if you look at the Habs roster, we already have Subban, Emelin, and Gorges on the team as guys who will likely be here long-term. In the short-term, you have Markov and Kaberle penciled in as potentially-untradebale offensive defencemen for the next two years and Beaulieu coming up to fill that role when they're gone. Then throw in two more young offensive D men in Diaz and Weber and two more young defensive D men in St-Denis and Tinordi... the bottom line is that while our defence right now is sub-par, things are going to get crowded in 2-3 years.

Now obviously, this doesn't mean we can't trade or let go of some of these guys. But as it stands, outside of Subban, the other guys (Beaulieu, Tinordi, Diaz, Weber, Emelin, St-Denis, Nash, etc...) aren't going to get you a walloping return right now because they haven't proven enough at the NHL level yet. If we draft a D man in the top 6-8 picks, we're looking at adding yet another offensive guy to a group where that shouldn't be the biggest concern. Yes, if there was a Chris Pronger or Drew Doughty type in the mix, you'd think about grabbing that guy regardless, but I don't see any of the top 2-3 D men as filling that role. I think we'd be better off either trying to trade up into the top 4 or else trading down into the 8-10 range and taking a forward there. Right now there are too many variables to make that decision (as it also depends on what we trade at the deadline, which teams are sitting in front of us and their needs, etc.), but this would be something I'd consider instead of picking up a puck-moving D man with that pick.

[hatethosebruins]

I am concerned about some public comments that Gauthier have made in the past. He has said that at the draft, you dont pick the player you need, but the best player available. What if the 4 centers (Yakupov, Grigorenko, Galtsenyuk and Forsberg) are gone, as predicted, in the top-5 picks and we pick in the 6-10 range (quite likely). Does this mean he will draft another defensemen (Dumba, Trouba, Reilly, Reinhart, Murray)? If so, is he willing to make a package of, an already Canadien d-prospect (Tinordi-Beaulieu), to gain the much needed offensive prospect, we lack? I have a bad feeling about this...we might well end up, with the deepest d-prospect pool (Tinordi-Beaulieu-Dumba-Subban) in the league, and no offensive talent at all...

Realistically I see some teams drafting Defense. Namely Edmonton. Their going to have the 2nd/3rd overall pick and while I dont follow that team Id be pulling my hair out on how blind their GM is acting. Such depth at forward and almost none at defense. Carolina could also use some defense so if we pick 5/6th we should have a chance at Forsberg or Faksa.

[habsonbrain]

What do you think it would take to get Columbus to agree to swap 1st round picks this year, which in effect would guarantee us one of the top two Russian centres. Do you think they would do it for David Deharnais and a 2nd round pick ? (I certainly would). I'd even sweeten the pot if I had to.

[BigTed3]

What do you think it would take to get Columbus to agree to swap 1st round picks this year, which in effect would guarantee us one of the top two Russian centres. Do you think they would do it for David Deharnais and a 2nd round pick ? (I certainly would). I'd even sweeten the pot if I had to.

Well ask yourself what it would take for another team to swap with you? And keep in mind that Columbus is a mess and is still looking for a 1st line player to line up with Nash... if I were Columbus, I'd ask for the 1st (assuming it was actually still in the top 5-6 picks), a 2nd, and PK Subban. Which is why it won't happen because I wouldn't give up Subban in that deal if I'm the Habs.

[BigTed3]

Taking a look at where we may end up in the draft, here are some of the better guys who have been chosen at various positions over the past few seasons:

3rd: Huberdeau, Duchene, Bogosian, Turris, Toews, J. Johnson, Horton, Bouwmeester

4th: Larsson, E. Kane, Pietrangelo, Backstrom, Ladd, Pitkanen

5th: L. Schenn, Kessel, Price, Wheeler, Vanek

6th: Zibanejad, Gagner, Brassard, Michalek

7th: Skinner, Kadri, Voracek, Okposo, Suter, Lupul

8th: Couturier, Setoguchi, Coburn, Bouchard

9th: Cowen, Couture, Phaneuf

10th: Paajarvi-Svensson, AK46

11th: Kopitar, Carter

12th: Myers, McDonaugh, Little, M. Staal

Each draft offers a different crop of talent, but based on the above, I see divisions in talent occurring in a couple of places. In general, the guys drafted in the 3rd and 4th slots over the past 10 years have become solid NHLers. Some have become stars. As you get into the 5th-7th picks, you see guys who are still very good players, although the number of "hits" drops off. Outside of Price and Kessel, none has really become a star yet. Below the 7th spot, you see even fewer hits and the majority of guys are #2-#3 D men or complementary scorers. Outside of Kopitar, there hasn't been a single star forward in that section of the draft (thus far) over the past decade.

Bottom line is that this somewhat confirms the need for the Habs to get up into the top 4-5 picks if they really want to get a game-changing, top-line forward. After this, the chances of finding that guy drops down considerably.

[Aussie6898]

You're right about that, and in general, I agree with the philosophy that you take the best player available because it's very hard to predict what your needs will be a couple of years down the line. In general. But in this case, let's say we do end up with the #5 or #6 pick and that the top 4 forwards are off the board. There are still some decent forwards out there, but the draft rankings fairly consistently say the choice should be Murray or Dumba, for example... if you look at the Habs roster, we already have Subban, Emelin, and Gorges on the team as guys who will likely be here long-term. In the short-term, you have Markov and Kaberle penciled in as potentially-untradebale offensive defencemen for the next two years and Beaulieu coming up to fill that role when they're gone. Then throw in two more young offensive D men in Diaz and Weber and two more young defensive D men in St-Denis and Tinordi... the bottom line is that while our defence right now is sub-par, things are going to get crowded in 2-3 years.

Now obviously, this doesn't mean we can't trade or let go of some of these guys. But as it stands, outside of Subban, the other guys (Beaulieu, Tinordi, Diaz, Weber, Emelin, St-Denis, Nash, etc...) aren't going to get you a walloping return right now because they haven't proven enough at the NHL level yet. If we draft a D man in the top 6-8 picks, we're looking at adding yet another offensive guy to a group where that shouldn't be the biggest concern. Yes, if there was a Chris Pronger or Drew Doughty type in the mix, you'd think about grabbing that guy regardless, but I don't see any of the top 2-3 D men as filling that role. I think we'd be better off either trying to trade up into the top 4 or else trading down into the 8-10 range and taking a forward there. Right now there are too many variables to make that decision (as it also depends on what we trade at the deadline, which teams are sitting in front of us and their needs, etc.), but this would be something I'd consider instead of picking up a puck-moving D man with that pick.

I believe that if our defensive corps gets over crowded a player that I would move would be Weber because right now he is our 7-8 defensemen and it will stay that way with all of the prospects on top of of Gorges, Subban, Emelin and Diaz. Another D we could move would be Frederic St-Denis who lacks in size as well as has trouble with larger forwards in front of the net. I believe that if we have d line that goes something like this we could excel after a few years.

Gorges-Subban

Emelin-Diaz

Tinordi - Nash/ Beaulieu

[grecohab]

Taking a look at where we may end up in the draft, here are some of the better guys who have been chosen at various positions over the past few seasons:

3rd: Huberdeau, Duchene, Bogosian, Turris, Toews, J. Johnson, Horton, Bouwmeester

4th: Larsson, E. Kane, Pietrangelo, Backstrom, Ladd, Pitkanen

5th: L. Schenn, Kessel, Price, Wheeler, Vanek

6th: Zibanejad, Gagner, Brassard, Michalek

7th: Skinner, Kadri, Voracek, Okposo, Suter, Lupul

8th: Couturier, Setoguchi, Coburn, Bouchard

9th: Cowen, Couture, Phaneuf

10th: Paajarvi-Svensson, AK46

11th: Kopitar, Carter

12th: Myers, McDonaugh, Little, M. Staal

Each draft offers a different crop of talent, but based on the above, I see divisions in talent occurring in a couple of places. In general, the guys drafted in the 3rd and 4th slots over the past 10 years have become solid NHLers. Some have become stars. As you get into the 5th-7th picks, you see guys who are still very good players, although the number of "hits" drops off. Outside of Price and Kessel, none has really become a star yet. Below the 7th spot, you see even fewer hits and the majority of guys are #2-#3 D men or complementary scorers. Outside of Kopitar, there hasn't been a single star forward in that section of the draft (thus far) over the past decade.

Bottom line is that this somewhat confirms the need for the Habs to get up into the top 4-5 picks if they really want to get a game-changing, top-line forward. After this, the chances of finding that guy drops down considerably.

I am going to argue your point, my friend. After a little research i made a list of players that now have a major impact in there respective teams. I am not mentioning the last two draft classes as they, almost all, are prospects. But going down from 2009 to 2003, i can find some trully elite players drafted after the 19th spot. They aren't all game-changing super stars, but definetely some players that i would want in my team. Of course i haven't listed the steals of the century in Zetterberg and Datsyuk (DET 6th-7th round). Its all about drafting wise...

24th (2009) Johansson Markus (WSH)

33th (2009) O'Reilly Ryan (COL)

35th (2009) Clifford Kyle (LAK)

55th (2009) Orlov Dmitry (WSH)

98th (2009) Smith Craig (NSH)

127th(2009) Horak Roman (CGY)

22th (2008) Eberle Jordan (EDM)

51th (2008) Stepan Derek (NYR)

82th (2008) Henrique Adam (NYD)

186th(2008) Demers Jason (SJS)

207th(2008) Lindback Anders (NSH)

22th (2007) Pacioretty Max (MTL)

26th (2007) Perron David (STL)

43th (2007) Subban P.K (MTL)

61th (2007) Simmonds Wayne (LAK)

129th(2007) Benn Jamie (DAL)

22th (2006) Giroux Claude (PHI)

25th (2006) Berglund Patrick (STL)

50th (2006) Lucic Milan (BOS)

71th (2006) Marchand Brad (BOS)

72th (2006) Clutterbuck Cal (MIN)

21th (2005) Rask Tuukka (TOR)

24th (2005) Oshie T.J (STL)

33th (2005) Neal James (DAL)

44th (2005) Statsny Paul (COL)

62th (2005) Letang Kris (PIT)

72th (2005) Quick Jonathan (LAK)

105th(2005) Yandle Keith (PHX)

108th(2005) Hjalmarsson Nicklas (CHI)

222th(2005) Cumiskey Kyle (COL)

20th (2004) Zajac Travis (NJD)

29th (2004) Green Mike (WSH)

60th (2004) Dubinsky Brandon (NYR)

63th (2004) Krejci David (BOS)

91th (2004) Edler Alexander (VAN)

97th (2004) Franzen Johan (DET)

127th(2004) Callahan Ryan (NYR)

134th(2004) Versteeg Kris (BOS)

258th(2004) Rinne Pekka (NSH)

262th(2004) Streit Mark (MTL)

19th (2003) Getzlaf Ryan (ANA)

20th (2003) Burns Brent (MIN)

23th (2003) Kesler Ryan (VAN)

24th (2003) Richards Mike (PHI)

28th (2003) Perry Corey (ANA)

33th (2003) Eriksson Loui (DAL)

45th (2003) Bergeron Patrice (BOS)

49th (2003) Weber Shea (NSH)

62th (2003) Backes David (STL)

205th(2003) Pavelski Joe (SJS)

239th(2003) Enstrom Tobias (ATL)

245th(2003) Byfuglien Dustin (CHI)

263th(2003) Moulson Matt (PIT)

271th(2003) Halak Jaroslav (MTL)

P.S The 20-25 spots have been incredible, for draft picks, through out those years.

[Aussie6898]

I believe that if our defensive corps gets over crowded a player that I would move would be Weber because right now he is our 7-8 defensemen and it will stay that way with all of the prospects on top of of Gorges, Subban, Emelin and Diaz. Another D we could move would be Frederic St-Denis who lacks in size as well as has trouble with larger forwards in front of the net. I believe that if we have d line that goes something like this we could excel after a few years.

Gorges-Subban

Emelin-Diaz

Tinordi - Nash/ Beaulieu

Just to add to that I believe that St-Denis could probably stay with the club for a few seasons until another prospect is ready for the NHL. A guy we could go after in the offseason is Danny DeKeyser a 6"3" defensemen with good penalty killing skills, he is a free agent this summer and has never been drafted so he may be a good addition when Gill is gone.

[BigTed3]

Grecohab, to address your post, I don't think we're saying anything that's different from one another. I'm not saying you can't find gems with lower picks, but let's face it: you've highlighted maybe 5-10 players in a given draft out of hundreds picked. The odds of coming up with a star in those picks is low and the majority will be role players or never make the NHL.

The point of my original post was merely to show that if you are going to have a bad year and draft somewhere between the 3rd and 12th spots, then there is a clear drop-off in talent occurring most years after the 4th-5th spot and another occurring around the 8th spot. This drop-off doesn't mean you won't find a star anywhere below #7, just that the odds become stacked against doing so. If the Habs are serious about finding a 1st-line NHL forward who can step into the league just about right away, history suggests they will need to draft in the top 4-5 to do so.

[grecohab]

Grecohab, to address your post, I don't think we're saying anything that's different from one another. I'm not saying you can't find gems with lower picks, but let's face it: you've highlighted maybe 5-10 players in a given draft out of hundreds picked. The odds of coming up with a star in those picks is low and the majority will be role players or never make the NHL.

The point of my original post was merely to show that if you are going to have a bad year and draft somewhere between the 3rd and 12th spots, then there is a clear drop-off in talent occurring most years after the 4th-5th spot and another occurring around the 8th spot. This drop-off doesn't mean you won't find a star anywhere below #7, just that the odds become stacked against doing so. If the Habs are serious about finding a 1st-line NHL forward who can step into the league just about right away, history suggests they will need to draft in the top 4-5 to do so.

BigTed, i am trying to understand your thinking, so can you please answer one question to me? Would you prefer to have a top-3 pick and draft one of Yakupov, Grigorenko or Forsberg, or do you prefer to have two top-15 picks and draft two of Galtsenuyk, Gaunce, Faksa or Grigersons? If your answer is the latter, then in the original post, we would rather not trade down in the top-3 spot, but we better keep our original pick and try to land another one at the deadline, so that we can have two picks in the first 20 spots.

[BigTed3]

BigTed, i am trying to understand your thinking, so can you please answer one question to me? Would you prefer to have a top-3 pick and draft one of Yakupov, Grigorenko or Forsberg, or do you prefer to have two top-15 picks and draft two of Galtsenuyk, Gaunce, Faksa or Grigersons? If your answer is the latter, then in the original post, we would rather not trade down in the top-3 spot, but we better keep our original pick and try to land another one at the deadline, so that we can have two picks in the first 20 spots.

The short answer to your question is that I would rather have one top 3 pick than two top 15 picks. We have enough scoring depth right now but have lacked a true 1st-line star for many years. My general point, though, is that unless we tank enough to end up in the top 4 picks or so (which will be hard to control, even if we sell some assets) that there is not a lot lost by drafting 12th or 15th instead of 8th or 9th. I think once you get down past the top 4 picks and then again past the top 7, there are really just a group of prospects (mainly D men this summer) who have a fairly equal chance of panning out.

To address the other question you posed, I actually think it would be hard for us to acquire a second top 15 pick. If we end up picking 8th or 10th, for example, we would likely have to trade that pick to move up. And any team dealing their 12th or 14th pick would likely be doing so to move up into our pick, not to dump the pick altogether. If we were to get lucky enough to get a 1st round pick out of dealing one of our impending free agents, it would undoubtedly be a lower-round 1st from a team like Vancouver, Detroit, NYR, etc. So the only way I could see us garnering a second top 15 pick would be by dealing a young core player like Subban, Pacman, or Eller, and in that case, we'd be going in circles trying to draft someone to replace the guy we just dealt. My best guess is that we end up drafting in the 7-12 range, but if that's the case, I would either try to trade up or trade down a few picks.

[grecohab]

The short answer to your question is that I would rather have one top 3 pick than two top 15 picks. We have enough scoring depth right now but have lacked a true 1st-line star for many years. My general point, though, is that unless we tank enough to end up in the top 4 picks or so (which will be hard to control, even if we sell some assets) that there is not a lot lost by drafting 12th or 15th instead of 8th or 9th. I think once you get down past the top 4 picks and then again past the top 7, there are really just a group of prospects (mainly D men this summer) who have a fairly equal chance of panning out.

To address the other question you posed, I actually think it would be hard for us to acquire a second top 15 pick. If we end up picking 8th or 10th, for example, we would likely have to trade that pick to move up. And any team dealing their 12th or 14th pick would likely be doing so to move up into our pick, not to dump the pick altogether. If we were to get lucky enough to get a 1st round pick out of dealing one of our impending free agents, it would undoubtedly be a lower-round 1st from a team like Vancouver, Detroit, NYR, etc. So the only way I could see us garnering a second top 15 pick would be by dealing a young core player like Subban, Pacman, or Eller, and in that case, we'd be going in circles trying to draft someone to replace the guy we just dealt. My best guess is that we end up drafting in the 7-12 range, but if that's the case, I would either try to trade up or trade down a few picks.

Scenario No1:

We dont make the playoffs, and our pick is in the 7-12 range.

Scenario No2:

We trade Gill + Moen to VAN for a 1st + 3rd pick in 2012 (likely).

We trade Kostitsyn + VAN 1st for Geoffrion + NSH 1st (likely 15-20 range)

Scenario No3:

At the draft we trade our 3rd, VAN 3rd and CGY 2nd in 2013, to a team like DET that likes to trade down for more picks for their late 1st. They did this in the last years draft.

As we can see with some luck and creativity we can end up with three 1st rounders. A 5-10 pick (Faksa), a 15-20 pick (Grigersons) and a 25-30 pick (M.Subban). Add to this the 2nd rounder of ours 35-40 pick (Zharkov/Matheson/Maidens). Now thats a hell of a draft.

[Aussie6898]

Scenario No1:

We dont make the playoffs, and our pick is in the 7-12 range.

Scenario No2:

We trade Gill + Moen to VAN for a 1st + 3rd pick in 2012 (likely).

We trade Kostitsyn + VAN 1st for Geoffrion + NSH 1st (likely 15-20 range)

Scenario No3:

At the draft we trade our 3rd, VAN 3rd and CGY 2nd in 2013, to a team like DET that likes to trade down for more picks for their late 1st. They did this in the last years draft.

As we can see with some luck and creativity we can end up with three 1st rounders. A 5-10 pick (Faksa), a 15-20 pick (Grigersons) and a 25-30 pick (M.Subban). Add to this the 2nd rounder of ours 35-40 pick (Zharkov/Matheson/Maidens). Now thats a hell of a draft.

I like your ideas but I would rather ship out just AK46 and a fifth for the first rather than AK46 and VAN1st for Geofffrion and Nsh1st

[grecohab]

I like your ideas but I would rather ship out just AK46 and a fifth for the first rather than AK46 and VAN1st for Geofffrion and Nsh1st

First of all Geoffrion is a good prospect. Secondly AK+5th for NSH 1st, is something i think they wouldn't consider. They would consider though, a later 1st and AK for their earlier 1st and Geoffrion. Maybe they even have to add, which means its absolutely doable for them. Another prospect maybe like Taylor Beck should even up the value, for sure.

[hatethosebruins]

Heres an interesting fact. While I always assumed the KHL avoided drafting NA players, a team selected Jonathan Huberdeau 5th overall last year.

[grecohab]

Heres an interesting fact. While I always assumed the KHL avoided drafting NA players, a team selected Jonathan Huberdeau 5th overall last year.

After the 4 game winning streak, if someone told me that we will win 3 out of the next 4 games, and could chose from which team i would prefer to lose, it will definetely be Carolina. It keeps the fail for Nail hopes high...

[31Careyprice]

Common Habs we need to tank more.

[grecohab]

The 2nd pick in 2012 we just acquired from Nashville, may turn out to be, a very good player. It is probably going to be in the 48-55 range and i suspect a number of good prospects may slip down there like projected 1st rounders (Wilson, Athanasiou, Maidens) or even one of the 3 top goalies (Subban, Vasilievski, Dansk) that may have a great amount of value in the future.

A late 2nd pick in the 50-60 range, is expected from a potential Moen trade, so maybe we can package both late 2nds for a late 1st, from a team like Detroit, Vancouver, New York. This means we may be able to draft an even better prospect like Hertl, Maata, Skjei, Frk, or even Grigersons, if he falls down a little.

[BeanCountingHab]

The 2nd pick in 2012 we just acquired from Nashville, may turn out to be, a very good player. It is probably going to be in the 48-55 range and i suspect a number of good prospects may slip down there like projected 1st rounders (Wilson, Athanasiou, Maidens) or even one of the 3 top goalies (Subban, Vasilievski, Dansk) that may have a great amount of value in the future.

A late 2nd pick in the 50-60 range, is expected from a potential Moen trade, so maybe we can package both late 2nds for a late 1st, from a team like Detroit, Vancouver, New York. This means we may be able to draft an even better prospect like Hertl, Maata, Skjei, Frk, or even Grigersons, if he falls down a little.

You start getting some extra seconds, there's always the possibility we could package one (or our own) with our first to move up in the draft.

[fansince1975]

Grecohab, to address your post, I don't think we're saying anything that's different from one another. I'm not saying you can't find gems with lower picks, but let's face it: you've highlighted maybe 5-10 players in a given draft out of hundreds picked. The odds of coming up with a star in those picks is low and the majority will be role players or never make the NHL.

The point of my original post was merely to show that if you are going to have a bad year and draft somewhere between the 3rd and 12th spots, then there is a clear drop-off in talent occurring most years after the 4th-5th spot and another occurring around the 8th spot. This drop-off doesn't mean you won't find a star anywhere below #7, just that the odds become stacked against doing so. If the Habs are serious about finding a 1st-line NHL forward who can step into the league just about right away, history suggests they will need to draft in the top 4-5 to do so.

I would 100% agree that there is a major dropoff in talent after number 5. And in most draft years after the first 3. Over the past 10 years. It is always possible to find exceptions includes some gems that Montreal has found with lower draft picks like Subban, Max Pac, and Pleks. The only high draft selected by Montreal is Carey Price who was #5 coming out of the locked out season when our team got a higher draft pick thanks to some luck.

I think that this coming draft has 5 players that will become star or superstar players in the NHL. Therefore Montreal should target either a top 5 draft pick or make a run at the playoff so our team can be the 12 - 18 range in the 1st round while adding draft picks for UFA players like the Gill trade did.

It is a difficult thing for myself as a fan. I am okay with tanking this season so long as young prospects are not traded and we land a top 5 draft pick. I am also okay with cleaning house of some of the veteran players for draft picks and if the team can somehow make the playoffs then they did something most people didn't feel was possible. And with players like Gorges, Price, Subban, Max Pac, Cole, and Eller maybe take out one of the Cup favorites. The GM should assume our team is not going to make the playoffs. Trade away as many UFA players as possible for draft picks. Deal with the Gomez contract somehow this summer. And then hope that the combination of several draft picks or a top 5 draft pick that our team will have a much better chance over the next 3 to 5 years to compete for the Cup and not just be happy with making the playoffs.

It appears that we are either going for top 5 by trading Gill or at the very least picking up a draft pick which is better than nothing for UFA player.

I hope that PG can trade one or two more UFA players for draft picks. Maybe even a 1st round draft pick. A late 1st round draft could become a star player. More likely just a late 1st round pick will be a marginal player in the NHL. Simply the reality that most players do not pan out. Hence the reason some late round players become star NHL players.

[rob2h]

I hear the draft is deep this year.If we get a lottery pick like 4th or 5th I would strongly consider Filip Forsberg.He will be a big 1st or 2nd line power forward in 3-4 years.

[grecohab]

I hear the draft is deep this year.If we get a lottery pick like 4th or 5th I would strongly consider Filip Forsberg.He will be a big 1st or 2nd line power forward in 3-4 years.

I agree that Forsberg is top-5 in this draft, the best winger available, and i like the success that the Swedes have in the league, but do we need a winger? In the same spot i bet Galtsenyuk will be available, and he is the big talented centerman we lack for ages. Choosing him would be a non brainer, but his injury, is something that must be thoroughly evaluated, and i have no trust in Montreal's medical staff, especially after what i saw in the Markov situation.

Thats why i wouldn't actually draft, either of them. My opions would be to either trade up the draft, to pick Grigorenko, or trade down a few spots to pick Faksa or Gaunce. These are theories good on paper, but obviously difficult to pull off, thats why i wouldn't be suprised if we picked a defensemen again this year, like Dumba, Trouba, Reinhart, Murray. Of course this is something that doesn't maximises our benefits, from this draft, so the conclusion of our interests are, that we either draft at the top-3 spots, or we better draft at the 8-12, range.

From the above an option just popped in my mind. I would strongly consider a trade of Kostitsyn and MTL 1st to WSH for the COL 1st and WSH 1st round pick. I know its a gamble but both teams wont make the playoffs so they are both likely top-15 picks, 7-15 actually.

WSH does this because they think that with AK, they make a playoff push, and that MTL pick is a top-7 pick, having a shot at Galtsenuyk. MTL does this because we pick twice in the top-15, and we can either go forward-forward or forward-defender. Good picks from the forwards pool are Faksa, Gaunce, Grigersons, Hertl and from the defenders pool i would go with Lindholm, Ceci, Koekkoek, Maata.

[Guest habs1952]

Radek Faksa

[hatethosebruins]

Radek Faksa

If I'm timmins hes who I am drafting.

[fansince1975]

I think you draft the best player available. Russian born is however a potential huge issue. Otherwise pick the best. If this means a defenceman even though it appears that Montreal has several good prospects and some good young player already in Montreal. If the scouts are not sure betwen center or winger. Pick center. If the scouts are not sure between winger and defenceman. Pick defenceman. When the scouts are not sure about player from Quebec or some other place. Select Quebec. The way Montreal played on Sunday I think it is more likely that our team will have a top 5 draft pick. I believe that Detroit has always believed in picking centers and defencemen in the draft. Therefore copy their drafting system.