Derlique Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 Pavel Zacha- B Guy is a man child who has great hands, a plus shot, very good wheels and plays mean. You'd like to see him produce more but he was on a terrible team, he was playing his first season on NA ice, had injuries and was probably playing hurt as evidence by some scouts' quotes. His ES production was actually very good so Im guessing the Sarnia PP was ass. Plus, it seems like he's very happy to be here. Would've preferred Barzal but Zacha has a chance to be a gamebreaker. Kyle Palmieri Trade- A- A 2nd and a 3rd (basically the Jagr trade) yielded us a young goal scorer who is capable of being a perennial 20 goal guy. You'd be thrilled if any 2nd rounder could do that and Shero took advantaged of a cap strapped Ducks team. Mackenzie Blackwood- D He was the #1 ranked NA goalie and has good size, but he put up mediocre stats which are more telling than his "measurables". He may end up proving us all wrong but they absolutely needed a forward here. Blake Speers- A- Really like this pick. Guy was well over PPG with limited ice time. He was also a high pick in the CHL draft a few years back so he also has pedigree. I dont think anyone should be surprised if this guy goes out and gets 80 points next year. Colton White- B+ He got buried on the Soo behind Nurse and DeAngelo so the points werent there. But pretty much everything I've read suggests he's a big breakout candidate next season. I like how they went with a homerun pick Brett Seney- A Another swing for the fences by Shero/Conte. Led his team in scoring in a strong division as a 18/19 year old. Has blazing speed and obviously some very good puck skills. Looking forward to seeing how he progresses. Team Philosophy- B Only thing keeping it from being an 'A' was the Blackwood pick. It was just way too high to take a goalie, especially with our other needs. With that being said, there were no grinder/gritty/enforcer types that we've seen in the past. I'm looking at you Brandon Baddock, Ryan Rehill. I think they added 3 forwards with good upside, who all move well and have great puck skills. Col(t)in White could also be a player in the future. Final Grade- B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMazz Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share Posted June 29, 2015 I think picking Blackwood was all about having flexibility 3-5 years from now, depending on the state of the team. If the Devils look like they can be one of a handful of teams that look like a legit Cup contender by then, but are a player or two short, and Schneider is still clearly the man and Blackwood has developed as hoped, Shero (assuming he's still here) can trade Blackwood as part of a package for a needed piece. If the team hasn't progressed but Schneider is still a top goalie and Blackwood looks like he's ready, then Shero can move Schneider to a team that's a goalie short and get something back. Just hope Blackwood doesn't turn into another Ahonen or Frazee. Here's hoping he becomes the next John Gibson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Leeds Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I also agree with the notion that a 2nd Rounder shouldn't have been used on a goalie. I can give a rat's ass that he's the #1 rated NA goalie, there's one rated that every year. Flyers Provorov would have been great, but I understand the whole forward issue. But honestly, I've never followed prospects like a lot of people here and couldn't have told you more then a handful of names predraft anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devlman Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I think picking Blackwood was all about having flexibility 3-5 years from now, depending on the state of the team. If the Devils look like they can be one of a handful of teams that look like a legit Cup contender by then, but are a player or two short, and Schneider is still clearly the man and Blackwood has developed as hoped, Shero (assuming he's still here) can trade Blackwood as part of a package for a needed piece. If the team hasn't progressed but Schneider is still a top goalie and Blackwood looks like he's ready, then Shero can move Schneider to a team that's a goalie short and get something back. Just hope Blackwood doesn't turn into another Ahonen or Frazee. Good point. Thats why there is a popular philosophy of taking the best player available regardless of team needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I love the grading of prospects most of which we'll probably never see in the NHL. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 I love the grading of prospects most of which we'll probably never see in the NHL. This is the time to grade them. This is the time to judge a draft - right after it has happened. Are they good picks based on the information we have? The idea that there's some occult knowledge out there - yeah, some guys are going to grow into being better players than their draft slot or stats in their draft year suggests. The question is, does it look like the Devils have made good bets? And I think at least on Speers, White, and Seney, they've made some good bets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted June 29, 2015 Share Posted June 29, 2015 This is the time to grade them. This is the time to judge a draft - right after it has happened. Are they good picks based on the information we have? This is exactly right. It's also not fair to use hindsight because often, how a team develops their draft pick once they sign has a lot to do with it. Yes, the Devils made drafting picks that were even longer shots to make it based on their skill sets. But you could argue that they rarely put them in a position to succeed. There is often something to be said about caring about your minor league team and having a team that wants to win - employing career minor league veterans and AAAA type guys. The Devils, to the extent that I can remember, have never cared about Albany's record. It's probably just a little thing in the grand scheme of whether a prospect works out. But how your team handles them besides just putting them in the NHL and saying "play well on your first two shifts or we're burying you" matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 This thread is 10 years too early It doesn't take 10 years to evaluate a draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slasher72 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 B. As others have repeated, the Blackwood pick seems unnecessary at this time unless we're shipping Schneider a few years down the line. That should have been a forward. But whatever...Shero gets my approval for at least trying for Barzal. In years past, we would have just sat there and did nothing. I don't want Frolik though...he'll cost a ton and only has a few years left at the level he's playing at. Continue with the youth movement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormJosh Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 What is the track record for top ranked goalies by central scouting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmann422 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 What is the track record for top ranked goalies by central scouting? Mixed bag- 2003 to 2010 NA top goalies: M.A. Fleury Al Montoya Carey Price Jonathan Bernier Jeremy Smith Thomas McCollum Matt Hackett Calvin Pickard In that time Rask, Enroth, Markstrom and Lehner were also top ranked Euros. Again I don't think he's a poor pick, it's just that we have more pressing needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 (edited) This is the time to grade them. This is the time to judge a draft - right after it has happened. Are they good picks based on the information we have? The idea that there's some occult knowledge out there - yeah, some guys are going to grow into being better players than their draft slot or stats in their draft year suggests. The question is, does it look like the Devils have made good bets? And I think at least on Speers, White, and Seney, they've made some good bets. You're right, I was just frustrated at the rapid look into the future everyone seems to be doing. At least you're doing it from what's in front of you. I think they made good bets on the type of players they took, focusing more on skill and skating rather than size and brutness - Baddock and Rehill come to mind. I don't mind Blackwood's pick. If he was the highest guy on their board, he was the highest guy on their board. I can only imagine this might be Conte and Co's last year - but we'll see. Edited June 30, 2015 by HellOnICE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roomtemp Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 You're right, I was just frustrated at the rapid look into the future everyone seems to be doing. At least you're doing it from what's in front of you. I think they made good bets on the type of players they took, focusing more on skill and skating rather than size and brutness - Baddock and Rehill come to mind. I don't mind Blackwood's pick. If he was the highest guy on their board, he was the highest guy on their board. I can only imagine this might be Conte and Co's last year - but we'll see. We should know soon as you usually make scouting moves right after the draft because all the work is done Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaRay Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 solid B. Zacha is going to be a franchise player down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Eco Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 B+I like the Blackwood pick. Us possibly letting go of Maxime Clermont shows that our lack of (promising) depth in goaltending may be coming sooner than later. As of now, we have 3 goaltenders signed this year across both NHL/AHL teams. I'd classify that as a "need" even if it will really only come to true fruition on the big team in 5 or so years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellOnICE Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 One of the concerns though is that the Devils haven't drafted an NHL goalie in like 20 years and generally it's the same guys calling the shots. I will say though, Ray Shero did do some scouting this season himself - so he may have seen and liked Blackwood himself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmann422 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 B+ I like the Blackwood pick. Us possibly letting go of Maxime Clermont shows that our lack of (promising) depth in goaltending may be coming sooner than later. As of now, we have 3 goaltenders signed this year across both NHL/AHL teams. I'd classify that as a "need" even if it will really only come to true fruition on the big team in 5 or so years. Agreed, The pick is growing on me the more I consider it it. I mean look at a team like Edmonton, they've gone through how many goalies through free agency and trades and still have a question mark in Talbot. Schneider will not be here forever and when he goes we probably won't be in a position to fleece Vancouver again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devs3cups Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 A- . Solid pick in Zacha, Palmieri trade was great. Great late picks. As for Blackwood, I like the pick. Even though we need forwards, as others have mentionned, when Schneiders' contract expires in 7 years (that's if he doesn't get traded, which I don't think he will) , somebody is going to have to replace him, and Blackwood might be that guy down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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