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Steadevils

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Everything posted by Steadevils

  1. Given the talent at the top of this draft would you trade Hall for a top 10 pick this year?
  2. Steadevils

    Hughes or Kakko

    Unfortunately the youtube stream is geographically blacked out in the ol' US of A thanks to NHL network hoarding the rights I assume. Wish it was easier to watch here. International tournaments should be free to watch for all to help bring world peace! Youtube would have been a great work-friendly stream on a Friday afternoon...
  3. Well believe it or not I was giving my opinion and I wasn't actually trying to pitch him....unless he's a reader in which case....Hi Taylor a discount would be great!
  4. Steadevils

    Hughes or Kakko

    I'm to the point where I'd be pretty devastated if it wasn't Hughes....Great article on the U.S. U-18's last run and their push to get the bronze to keep a streak of 15 straight tourneys with a medal alive (didn't know that was a thing) https://theathletic.com/955458/2019/05/02/hockey-has-no-feelings-inside-team-usas-heartbreak-and-redemption/ Highlights on quotes about/from Jack: Hughes thought it was going in. Everybody did. “It would have been nice,” Hughes said simply afterward, the crushing disappointment of the eventual shootout loss surfacing as a blank stare while he answered postgame questions in three- or four-word sentences. His conclusion is one all players come to at some point in this unforgiving sport. “That’s hockey,” he said. “That’s what happens.” “Jack is at another level. The best part about that, if he’s on that next level, they want to be like him,” said Caufield’s dad, Paul. “They’re striving to be like him every day.” “It’s a very competitive game,” Shero said. “From the first shift, Jack is dialed in. It’s hard to be on all the time and the effort is always there from him. But you can see, he’s making a difference. He sees the ice, makes plays. Obviously uses the ice well. He’s a selfless player who has the instinct to buy time and when you have the edges he has, it’s hard to contain.” From Jack's dad: “These kids are elite hockey players. If they don’t know it now, they learned it yesterday but hockey is a very humbling sport,” he says. “I’ve always said that. People don’t understand what that means. You’re high. You’re low. You’re in the middle. You have no idea what’s around the corner, so you have to treat it that way. There’s no room for arrogance. There’s no room for anything other than the fact that the sport is bigger than all its parts.” Jack Hughes quickly found his parents waiting for him. And after hugs and a quick chat with his mom and dad, he searched out all the other parents who helped along the way for a hug and thank you.
  5. Sorry if this is the wrong thread, but what do you guys think about signing Taylor Hall? The story I would sell him on: This playoff year has shown how fast a team can rise in to contention. If he leaves to go to someone who will "contend" while he's in his prime he's chasing the dragon. Also, you want to be surrounded by young talent in your 33+ years when the statistical pressure to contend can be passed down and you can age out gracefully as the veteran leader whose "points might be down, but their off-ice presence is worth every penny". This is a really good pitch the owner's have now. Might have some homer-blinders on, but I truly believe we have 3 star forwards in the making. The World's will feature a 20 year old Bratt on the 1st line for Sweden (putting up some #'s and highlights in the warm up games), a 20 year old Nico leading the swiss (hat trick the other day), and a 17 year old American as the youngest ever to wear the stars and stripes for the adult squad. (Also Blackwood, but he might not get many minutes). Unless you are signing with the Avalanche I think you'd be hard pressed to find a squad that is better positioned for a sustained run of contention in the next 8 year period (iff D is solved by trade/fa/prospects/this years picks..big IF, but not that huge of an if given all the assets shero has to work with..). But back to being a leader. Hall in interviews has always been a guy who is aware of analytics and seems to live/breathe hockey. Nico/Hughes have this same trait. The veterans we do have are all ageing out..there is going to be a leadership void in the next 2 years and hopefully Hall sees that as an opportunity and seizes it. Also I'd pitch him by paying him money..yeah that is the other part of the sell..$$$$. Estimates?: https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/2019/5/1/18518163/how-much-is-taylor-hall-worth-to-the-devils-and-for-how-long
  6. Steadevils

    Hughes or Kakko

    IIHF U-18 World Championship USA vs. Sweden is on NHL Network at 1:30 PM today. Lets see what Hughes can do! I'd imagine this is an important tournament for these kids. Last shot at gold for a group that his heralded as one of the best U.S U-18 teams ever.
  7. If anything I like the extra games to simulate some playoff games if he's healthy enough to play. Hopefully his seasons will be extending into May/June in the future. How about "The Bratt Jack" as a nickname for a Bratt Hughes line? Too soon for that?
  8. Steadevils

    Hughes or Kakko

    The way Hughes moves east-west on his edges and glides looks like he's playing a different sport in some clips. Like a figure skater out there (in a good way). Then you add in his hands and ability to make moves at full speed...makes defenders look silly.
  9. Steadevils

    Hughes or Kakko

    Yeah I agree they should not get killed for it and my post was a bit harsh in that regard. There are obviously a huge number of variables especially since these players are humans entering an organization made up of other humans. Luck/randomness plays an ENORMOUS role in success in all facets of life. (humbling study for anyone that has been fortunate enough to be successful https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323302956_Talent_vs_Luck_the_role_of_randomness_in_success_and_failure). I guess my main point was that not getting the best player should lead to some introspection and I wouldn't want the devils hiding behind "well it was a 1/1A draft; hindsight is 20/20!". If it is "we me made the right decision given the information we had at the time" then you need to look at what information you are gathering, how you are analyzing that information and find out if you failed to set the player to maximize their chances to succeed after the draft (Luck/randomness again will play a huge role in this in terms of (most) injuries, motivation, the players off ice life...). I do realize they are people too, so the scouts can always point fingers at the coaching/development and vice versa, but the organization as a whole needs to have a holistic view and if looking back you didn't get the best player there should be accountability to find out how it could have went the other way. When you pick #2 you don't get that chance to look back at it as clearly. Now to get back to the thread: Hughes skating is crazy good when watching highlights...Looks like he is playing a different sport out there with how he moves around the ice....
  10. Steadevils

    Hughes or Kakko

    I completely disagree with the "I'd rather have the 2nd pick that way we can avoid embarrassment" take (saw this one: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/maybe-winning-the-nhl-draft-lottery-wasnt-as-big-of-a-win-for-devils-134219748.html). It is such a playing scared mentality. You want the top pick, because as an organization you should WANT to be the one who has the challenge to research and make the correct and right decision. It is a great opportunity to test your GM, scouts, analytics department and organization from top to bottom and find out what you have in terms of people/process for player evaluation/development and then get a high impact testable result. This is in no way a 50/50 coin flip......It might look like that for the fans and the draft "experts", but for an organization it is an opportunity to prove that your process works. If you choose wrong it is not "aww shucks that was a coin flip" it is we have to make changes. And the 2nd pick isn't "no pressure because the public says it is a 1-2 draft" (see elias petterson).
  11. Thanks for this insight! Very helpful. You have plans to update your "Riding Pine" blog with updated rankings/mocks etc?
  12. I have read that Cozens and Dach could both be guys that play right away due to their size and skating ability. If we all expect Ty Smith to make it next year then no reason to think Byram couldn't too given their similar productions in the same league.
  13. Down Goes Brown Lottery Preview ended with a ranking of who would win the lottery: 2. Edmonton Oilers – Their unprecedented success in ending up with the No. 1 pick is well-documented. What the 1980s Oilers were to the Stanley Cup, the 2010s Oilers have been to picking first overall. It’s almost as if they came into possession of some sort of magic monkey paw in 2010, a talisman that manipulated the laws of random chance, an unbeatable advantage that guaranteed lottery success before the draw was even held … 1. New Jersey Devils – … that they then traded to the Devils. Congratulations on yet another win, Taylor Hall. https://theathletic.com/912422/2019/04/09/down-goes-brown-the-2019-draft-lottery-power-rankings/
  14. Yeah, but I see so much parity from 3-10 in the mocks and Byram is rarely outside the top 6, which I can't say for Podkolzhin who is either #3 or falls far in the mocks I've seen. Byram should fill the production box that Podkolzin doesn't for you too since he has produced at a similar level as the top forwards Krebs/Dach/Cozens did in the WHL this year. Told myself to stop thinking about prospects until we knew where we were picking...needless to say that has not happened!
  15. Yeah I kind of agree...Not sure I would take the boom or bust risk of Podkolzin with the 3/4 overall or really at any spot after 2 if Byram (who has really become the consensus top D in the class) is available..now if we end up at 5/6 and he slides....I'd have more appetite to gamble there.
  16. Found this in an article about Hughes by Cory Pronman. It is not concerning at all about Hughes specifically (he's a stud as known), but concerning about all of the USDP players projected to go in the top 15 of this draft: "The NTDP scoring numbers are very impressive but some context is required. First is the fact that, aside from Hughes, the 2001 age group he plays in is very strong, with several first-round, if not high first-round, candidates that all collaboratively prop up each other’s numbers. Second is the lower quality of the USHL. Scouts around the NHL agree the quality of the league declined in recent years in part due to expansion. In the 2010 season, the USHL had 14 teams. They now have 17 teams. That may not seem like a lot, but it’s changed the league substantially." Article is here and there is also an article about Kakko..Wish I had waited to read until we know where we are drafting at, because it is going to add to my disappointment if we don't end up in the top 2: https://theathletic.com/898571/2019/04/08/pronman-why-jack-hughes-is-an-elite-nhl-prospect/
  17. In an effort to get way way way ahead of myself I found this interesting... An article from our new VP of analytics Tyler Dellow: https://theathletic.com/821381/2019/02/19/dellow-do-left-shot-defencemen-produce-less-on-their-weak-side/ We will have 1 extra left handed D if both Davies and Ty Smith make the team in 19-20 (green, butcher, ty, davies). The "problem" of having more than 3 LD will extend beyond this year if Byram is the pick in the draft. The article is Toronto playing 5 LD focused and the conclusion to his analysis was: "1) What we really need is data that enables us to look at how a team functions with a given player on the left as compared to the right. The Maple Leafs presumably subscribe to SportLogiq (and have access to god knows what else); SportLogiq produces enhanced play-by-play files that would permit a better look at this question. This may well have informed Babcock’s thinking; 2) There are players who produce points just fine on their weak side; and 3) Rielly’s history doesn’t really support a conclusion that he falls apart on his weak side. Does this mean Babcock’s wrong? I wouldn’t go so far as to say that; I’d only say that I don’t think it’s as cut and dry as “You want your best players on their forehand.” I mean, that may well be true, but it’s a principle that has limits and the principle itself doesn’t help you identify those limits. Even if you accept it as true, one of the things I’ll be interested to see is whether the needs of the moment dictate different approaches for the Maple Leafs. If you’re less concerned about creating offence, do you worry more about getting your best defencemen on the ice and less about what side of the ice they’re on? Unless Kyle Dubas makes Babcock’s life much easier by airlifting in a right-handed defenceman or two over the next week, it’s an issue that Babcock will have to grapple with into the spring."
  18. Awesome news! I have high hopes for the next bunch of D (didn't learn my lesson after the flame outs of Gelinas/Merrill). Davies is already 23, so hopefully he earns a roster spot next year. We have Walsh and Zaitsev who are tracking to be NHL caliber too. At the start of next year we will have a 4 players under 25 who all should be on the NHL roster or challenging for a spot. Wild card will be if Byram will be added to the crop. Severson (25), Butcher (24), Davies (23), Ty Smith (19)
  19. Buffalo's fall has been amazing. 3 points in their last 15 games it looks like? That team is really limping in to the offseason after a good start. And now their last two games are against two other terrible team..really just a sad sad 2nd half to the season up in buffalo. I have been 100% on-board team tank, but now I kind of want to beat the Canes on Thursday tank be damned. Would be kind of sweet to be a part of knocking them out of the playoffs. That fanbase really doesn't like the Devil's, so would be nice to add to that hatred.
  20. Turcotte is definitely rising fast on these mock drafts. I mean he does have pretty impressive PPG rates (1.77 vs Hughes 2.10). 1.77 PPG this season is one of the best ever for the USDP it looks like according to this: https://www.eliteprospects.com/league/usdp/stats/all-time-season?sort=ppg
  21. Agreed. My mind-set is if we fall out of the top 3 I would be happy drafting Byram in any of the spots from 4-6. Cozens and Dach scare me a bit just because they haven't really put up huge goal numbers in the WHL. Hell Byram is right with them in goals as a defender... The other thing that kind of scares me is all of the USDP players in the top 15...I can't recall having seen that before. Is this just the best USDP ever or is there something funky going on with the schedule they played that has inflated their stats...I don't know enough to have the answer it just seems odd to see that many USDP players ranked this high.
  22. Todd Cordell with a little write up on the WHL bunch of forwards in Cozens, Dach and Krebs: https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=98588 Excited to be locked in to a spot on 4/9, so that this discussion won't have to start off with % math on where we might pick. I think I am pretty set on 1. Hughes, 2. Kakko, 3. Podkolzin. But could really be talked in to lots of players if we end up in the 4-6 spot at this point.
  23. Losing in regulation tonight and then beating Carolina in regulation would be my preference. At this point I base my happiness on other fan bases misery, so helping knock out Carolina would be nice.
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