Draft Options

[brickwall30]

So it's been a bit dead the last couple days here it seems like and seeing as our season is officially 3 lost points from over it seems like about that time to start checking out what out options are for this years draft.

Despite the negative stigma this years draft class has gotten there really is quite a few very appealing players to be had especially in the top 10:

(as of the most recent mock drafts and mid-season rankings)

1. RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS C 6'0 170 L

2. ADAM LARSSON D 6'3 200 R

3. GABRIEL LANDESKOG LW 6'0 207 L

4. SEAN COUTURIER C 6'4 195 L

5. JONATHAN HUBERDEAU C 6'1 168 L

6. RYAN MURPHY D 5'10 176 R

7. RYAN STROME C 6'0 183 R

8. TYLER BIGGS RW 6'2 210 R

9. DOUGIE HAMILTON D 6'4 193 R

10. NICKLAS JENSEN F 6'2 188 L

11. BRANDON SAAD LW 6'1 208 L

12. JOEL ARMIA RW 6'3 191 R

13. DUNCAN SIEMENS D 6'3 197 L

14. ALEXANDR KHOKHLACHEV F 5'10 188 L

15. DAVID MUSIL D 6'3 200 L

Personally I would be exstatic about getting the any of the picks in the top 8 there and especially the ones from 5-7 and, at the moment, we sit in 6th draft position and while that could change we are actually relatively far away from moving up or down as the standings are currently:

21) Leafs 6GR - 78PTS

22) Blues 7GR - 77PTS

23) Jackets 7GR - 77PTS

24) Thrashers 7GR - 76PTS

25) Devils 7GR - 73PTS

26) Islanders 6GR - 70PTS

27) Panthers 6GR - 69PTS

28) Senators 6GR - 68PTS

29) Avalanche 8GR - 64PTS

30) Oilers - 7GR - 57PTS

I think that could put us in good position to get either of the highly skilled centers (Huberdeau or Strome) or hands down the most talented offensive defenseman in this years draft in Murphy who also happens to be the apparently extremely elusive (for the Devils anyway) right handed defenseman that we have needed since Rafalski left.

I think If I had to make a choice out of the lot I would go with Huberdeau just because I think he has almost as high a ceiling as Nugent-Hopkins, and could be something to behold if we put him with Kovalchuk, but there truly is no losing with any of the top 10.

Thoughts?

[Marshall]

I think the organization is better off drafting a D-man than a C. One hole is more glaring than the other.

[DevsMan84]

I think the organization is better off drafting a D-man than a C. One hole is more glaring than the other.

I think we need both just as much. Plus we do not have really much of a sizeable center either. Either a center or D-man would be good this draft.

[brickwall30]

I would agree but we don't have a number 1 centerman (Zajac is not a number 1 center) and I think that really hurts us in all aspects of the game, most notably our scoring consistancy. Number 1 centers make people around them better and big time assist guys tend not to dry up scoring wise like goal scorers do (see Kovalchuk part 1 (oct-dec) part 2 (jan-feb) and part 3 (march-now)).

I think with some of the prospects we have comming up who are good offensively (nothing like Murphy mind you but still servicable or better) in Merill, Urbom and hopefully even Burlon and/or Gelinas we should be ok back there especially considering defense has NEVER been an issue with the Devils ... defensively anyways.

[CarpathianForest]

I'm still holding out for Landeskog at RW especially with Parise's return we'll have a hole on that line with Langs gone. There are a lot of centermen out there in the league right now that can be had to service the Kovy line. I think Peverly has a year left on his contract but if we can make a deal with the B's it would be pretty potent to have Kovy-Peverly-Palmieri.

[Marshall]

I see Zajac as a 1B center. Not top tier but good enough, given the wingers he plays with. Scoring and puck movement from the D has been a problem for ages it seems and that would be my priority.

[Triumph]

I would agree but we don't have a number 1 centerman (Zajac is not a number 1 center) and I think that really hurts us in all aspects of the game, most notably our scoring consistancy. Number 1 centers make people around them better and big time assist guys tend not to dry up scoring wise like goal scorers do (see Kovalchuk part 1 (oct-dec) part 2 (jan-feb) and part 3 (march-now)).

I think with some of the prospects we have comming up who are good offensively (nothing like Murphy mind you but still servicable or better) in Merill, Urbom and hopefully even Burlon and/or Gelinas we should be ok back there especially considering defense has NEVER been an issue with the Devils ... defensively anyways.

People love to underrate Travis Zajac around here, but the truth is, it's seriously unlikely that either of these players becomes as good a center as Travis Zajac. The Devils are fine down the middle with Zajac, Elias, and Josefson, though I wouldn't mind another guy for when Elias begins to falter/has to move back to wing or if/when Zajac leaves in free agency. Strome is also a right-handed shot so he could be converted to right wing, the position that is the Devils' real need. I was high on Huberdeau before, but now seeing Elias dominate as a center, and seeing Josefson play well, I'm not convinced it's an organizational shortcoming.

I don't trust offensive defensemen in the draft. They are a tricky bunch to predict.

[NJDevils1214]

I'm going to pray for Ryan N-H....PLEASE RYAN N-H!!!!!!!!!

[Risky]

I think the Devils need to go BPA, wherever they pick. I like Strome with his right-handed shot, since we could easily make him a RW to complement Kovalchuk or Parise.

Best outcome this off-season is getting a player out of this draft who can contribute quickly (next season or 12-13), re-signing Parise and getting another one of our D prospects to make the big leagues out of camp (because he's good, not because we need warm bodies). If we put all that together, we're in position to have a good season next year.

I'm also really hoping that Lindy Ruff doesn't re-up with the Sabers and comes to Newark to coach the 2011-2012 Devils.

[Derlique]

One thing most people need to realize is that having a top ten pick does not automatically result in a superstar. A lot of players outside the top 3 can be very unpredictable

[stevestevens]

Lou tends to go with the best player available, not necessarily what plugs the holes. I think a player like Strome is most realistic if the pick is around 7 or 8, although if it ends up being 6 or 5 I can see Couturier if he falls a bit.

[justdo3043]

i would love hopkins or larrson but since we can't get them...i would like murphy

feel that we have solid defensive d man but could really use raw talent for power play and breakout....to me based on youtube vid's and what ive read would be able to play better with better players...meaning if you give him talented guys like kovi and parise then he will get them the puck in good situations

strome im not to sure on...seems like a talents guy who's small with a lot of moves but i skeptical on how well it will translate in the nhl...i also question whether COUTURIER or HUBERDEAU will be such an improvement over zajak (not a true 1st like center imo)...Huberdeau i think would be better than zajak down the rd or couturier but not better than getting an extremely talented d-man

[justdo3043]

Lou tends to go with the best player available, not necessarily what plugs the holes. I think a player like Strome is most realistic if the pick is around 7 or 8, although if it ends up being 6 or 5 I can see Couturier if he falls a bit.

whats kinda funny about this is when the world juniors were going on Couturier was thought of as a probably number one and the devils were falling fast into the number one position....then both the player and team reversed course and seemed to have met in the middle

[brickwall30]

People love to underrate Travis Zajac around here, but the truth is, it's seriously unlikely that either of these players becomes as good a center as Travis Zajac. The Devils are fine down the middle with Zajac, Elias, and Josefson, though I wouldn't mind another guy for when Elias begins to falter/has to move back to wing or if/when Zajac leaves in free agency. Strome is also a right-handed shot so he could be converted to right wing, the position that is the Devils' real need. I was high on Huberdeau before, but now seeing Elias dominate as a center, and seeing Josefson play well, I'm not convinced it's an organizational shortcoming.

I don't trust offensive defensemen in the draft. They are a tricky bunch to predict.

What I said is not a knock on Zajac he is a great player and a solid center that can be servicable at the #1 spot, but he is not a player that is gonna turn average goal scorers into dominate forces out there. Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me otherwise? or better yet are you going to try to tell me that the statement I made about him not being a number 1 center isn't accurate?

True there is no garentee that either of them turns out better than Zajac, but to say, "it's seriously unlikely that either of these players becomes as good a center as Travis Zajac" is just posturing for your stance on the issue. I would bet it's at worst a 20-25% chance that huberdeau turns out as good or better than Zajac by the same age and given the same opportunity. Zajac is a 50-60 point guy with good linemates and 60-70 with our superstars playing with him (Parise and Kovalchuk). Taylor Hall was in a very similar situation to Huberdeau a year ago playing on a powerhouse junior team and putting up 100+ points and IMO Huberdeau has contributed more to his team than Hall did to his as well as Huberdeau being a rediculous +56.

Oh and as for converting Strome to a winger, that isn't as simple as it sounds. Ask Josefson. IMO play them at their natural position, not every player has the versitility of a Brylin or Elias.

I still stand by Huberdeau if hes there because I believe he is the safest bet out of the 3 closest to our draft position as Murphy is SUPER talented but still very raw and raw in significant places. His defensive positioning is bad he tries to jump out of the zone before controlling the puck and he often has trouble with forechecking even at the junior level. He has plenty of time to adjust but he is, no question, a project pick if we get him. Strome is kind of in the same boat being super talented but less adept defensively and not as good in the corners.

I agree with what you said about our primary need being at RW but as Lou preaches, you take the best available player. Not to mention I'm hoping for Seth Ambroz with our 2nd pick whether that be with the caps pick or Dallas's pick assuming that one gets upgraded. He is a right handed, talented RW who plays a tough in your face kind of game and could be a 20-20 or 25-25 kind of player and his draft stock has been falling because he's having a "rough year" (still nearly ppg) on a crappy Lancers team.

[brickwall30]

I'm going to pray for Ryan N-H....PLEASE RYAN N-H!!!!!!!!!

here's to winning the lottery (literally) cause that kid is gonna be a phenom!

I think the Devils need to go BPA, wherever they pick. I like Strome with his right-handed shot, since we could easily make him a RW to complement Kovalchuk or Parise.

Best outcome this off-season is getting a player out of this draft who can contribute quickly (next season or 12-13), re-signing Parise and getting another one of our D prospects to make the big leagues out of camp (because he's good, not because we need warm bodies). If we put all that together, we're in position to have a good season next year.

I'm also really hoping that Lindy Ruff doesn't re-up with the Sabers and comes to Newark to coach the 2011-2012 Devils.

Didn't even realize he was up for re-signing but if this happens I'm buying you a beer for callin it! definatly one of the best coaches in the game IMO.

[DevilNurn]

I say we go for a D-man or a RW. It may not be a popular opinion, but I think we're okay at center for a while. We could really use a top-tier RW. Tedenby seems like he'll be a good #2 RW, we have Elias and Zajac at center, Kovy and Zach at LW, but we really lack that top-line RW. It's not Zubrus, it's not Rolston, and it certainly isn't Clarkson, and I don't think Palmieri's ever going to fill that role.

[DevsMan84]

I think the Devils need to go BPA, wherever they pick. I like Strome with his right-handed shot, since we could easily make him a RW to complement Kovalchuk or Parise.

Best outcome this off-season is getting a player out of this draft who can contribute quickly (next season or 12-13), re-signing Parise and getting another one of our D prospects to make the big leagues out of camp (because he's good, not because we need warm bodies). If we put all that together, we're in position to have a good season next year.

I'm also really hoping that Lindy Ruff doesn't re-up with the Sabers and comes to Newark to coach the 2011-2012 Devils.

Wha has Lindy Ruff won in his stay in Buffalo? Yeah he has made a lot of seemingly little, but nothing from him screams as being a Stanley Cup coach.

[Revan]

What sucks is that we're just one spot out of the lottery. Let the Isles catch us in the standings and we're in. And then - you never know. Chicago got #1 after finishing 26th in 2007.

Getting to top 2 would really be awesome. Larsson/Nugent-Hopkins is a win-win.

[brickwall30]

I say we go for a D-man or a RW. It may not be a popular opinion, but I think we're okay at center for a while. We could really use a top-tier RW. Tedenby seems like he'll be a good #2 RW, we have Elias and Zajac at center, Kovy and Zach at LW, but we really lack that top-line RW. It's not Zubrus, it's not Rolston, and it certainly isn't Clarkson, and I don't think Palmieri's ever going to fill that role.

Elias can play RW if need be (he does it all the time on the PP), but there really isn't any big time talent at RW in this years draft. The best there is to offer at that position is Joel Armia, Tyler Biggs, and Ty Rattie none of which are anything special IMO.

[Marshall]

I wonder why Ruff would want to leave now, considering they finally have the owner backing them.

[NJDevils1214]

I wonder why Ruff would want to leave now, considering they finally have the owner backing them.

He doesn't like the GM and and he just resigned in Buffalo so Lindy might want to move elsewhere...

[Triumph]

What I said is not a knock on Zajac he is a great player and a solid center that can be servicable at the #1 spot, but he is not a player that is gonna turn average goal scorers into dominate forces out there. Are you seriously going to sit there and tell me otherwise? or better yet are you going to try to tell me that the statement I made about him not being a number 1 center isn't accurate?

I am going to tell you that players that turn average goal scorers into dominant forces are exceedingly rare. And probably half the guys who you think do this aren't as good as Travis Zajac because they suck on the back end, giving back a lot of what they do on the offensive end.

True there is no garentee that either of them turns out better than Zajac, but to say, "it's seriously unlikely that either of these players becomes as good a center as Travis Zajac" is just posturing for your stance on the issue. I would bet it's at worst a 20-25% chance that huberdeau turns out as good or better than Zajac by the same age and given the same opportunity. Zajac is a 50-60 point guy with good linemates and 60-70 with our superstars playing with him (Parise and Kovalchuk). Taylor Hall was in a very similar situation to Huberdeau a year ago playing on a powerhouse junior team and putting up 100+ points and IMO Huberdeau has contributed more to his team than Hall did to his as well as Huberdeau being a rediculous +56.

You are comparing stats across leagues, which is a mistake. The QMJHL is regarded as a weaker league than the OHL. Why do you think Huberdeau is not talked about more despite putting up those kinds of numbers? Whether the QMJHL's reputation is deserved might be an issue for another thread, but it has not put out super top end talent in the last 10 years besides Crosby and probably a few guys I am forgetting about.

I don't sort by points when I think about who's better than whom at the NHL level. I don't put a lot of stock into that.

Oh and as for converting Strome to a winger, that isn't as simple as it sounds. Ask Josefson. IMO play them at their natural position, not every player has the versitility of a Brylin or Elias.

The idea of a 'natural position' isn't really supported by very much. Many top wingers are drafted as centermen but are moved later in their career for a myriad of reasons. Ask Parise how moving to wing worked out for him. Or Elias, or Sykora, or etc., I could go on forever.

I still stand by Huberdeau if hes there because I believe he is the safest bet out of the 3 closest to our draft position as Murphy is SUPER talented but still very raw and raw in significant places. His defensive positioning is bad he tries to jump out of the zone before controlling the puck and he often has trouble with forechecking even at the junior level. He has plenty of time to adjust but he is, no question, a project pick if we get him. Strome is kind of in the same boat being super talented but less adept defensively and not as good in the corners.

I agree with what you said about our primary need being at RW but as Lou preaches, you take the best available player. Not to mention I'm hoping for Seth Ambroz with our 2nd pick whether that be with the caps pick or Dallas's pick assuming that one gets upgraded. He is a right handed, talented RW who plays a tough in your face kind of game and could be a 20-20 or 25-25 kind of player and his draft stock has been falling because he's having a "rough year" (still nearly ppg) on a crappy Lancers team.

I don't want Lou to draft for need, but Strome looks like a talented player. The Devils cannot draft an LW or a player who would move there if he didn't work out at center.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Triumph

[Tedenby21]

So it's been a bit dead the last couple days here it seems like and seeing as our season is officially 3 lost points from over it seems like about that time to start checking out what out options are for this years draft.

Despite the negative stigma this years draft class has gotten there really is quite a few very appealing players to be had especially in the top 10:

(as of the most recent mock drafts and mid-season rankings)

1. RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS C 6'0 170 L

2. ADAM LARSSON D 6'3 200 R

3. GABRIEL LANDESKOG LW 6'0 207 L

4. SEAN COUTURIER C 6'4 195 L

5. JONATHAN HUBERDEAU C 6'1 168 L

6. RYAN MURPHY D 5'10 176 R

7. RYAN STROME C 6'0 183 R

8. TYLER BIGGS RW 6'2 210 R

9. DOUGIE HAMILTON D 6'4 193 R

10. NICKLAS JENSEN F 6'2 188 L

11. BRANDON SAAD LW 6'1 208 L

12. JOEL ARMIA RW 6'3 191 R

13. DUNCAN SIEMENS D 6'3 197 L

14. ALEXANDR KHOKHLACHEV F 5'10 188 L

15. DAVID MUSIL D 6'3 200 L

Personally I would be exstatic about getting the any of the picks in the top 8 there and especially the ones from 5-7 and, at the moment, we sit in 6th draft position and while that could change we are actually relatively far away from moving up or down as the standings are currently:

21) Leafs 6GR - 78PTS

22) Blues 7GR - 77PTS

23) Jackets 7GR - 77PTS

24) Thrashers 7GR - 76PTS

25) Devils 7GR - 73PTS

26) Islanders 6GR - 70PTS

27) Panthers 6GR - 69PTS

28) Senators 6GR - 68PTS

29) Avalanche 8GR - 64PTS

30) Oilers - 7GR - 57PTS

I think that could put us in good position to get either of the highly skilled centers (Huberdeau or Strome) or hands down the most talented offensive defenseman in this years draft in Murphy who also happens to be the apparently extremely elusive (for the Devils anyway) right handed defenseman that we have needed since Rafalski left.

I think If I had to make a choice out of the lot I would go with Huberdeau just because I think he has almost as high a ceiling as Nugent-Hopkins, and could be something to behold if we put him with Kovalchuk, but there truly is no losing with any of the top 10.

Thoughts?

I bolded all the players that I would want as a Devil.

[NJDevils1214]

I bolded all the players that I would want as a Devil.

You must have missed....ummm...yea Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is on that list....

[Jas0nMacIsaac]

I'm sick of reading this BS thread after thread. YOU DO NOT DRAFT BASED ON NEED. BPA is the only way to go in regards to the draft. Most of these players are 3 or 4 years away and so much will change in that time. For all we know Merrill and Gelinas turn into studs and then we have too many defensmen. New Jersey will take the best player available and from past drafts, smallish defensmen are most certainly not the BPA. I will puke if we select Murphy.