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2015 NHL Entry Draft

http://leafshub.com/leafs-draft-preview-with-mark-seidel/

Jude: Let’s charge out of the gate, Mark. Leafs Nation have talked draft long enough and now we want input from a trusted voices such as yourself. So let’s hear it, who do you have us taking at 4? How does this play out?

Mark: I feel that the Leafs will have to decide between Marner and Hanifin with the 4th overall pick. Hanifin has a chance to become a franchise Defenseman and I have always believed that you build your teams from the back-end out. Having both Hanifin and Rielly going forward would be a solid start for the Leafs. Conversely, there will be the temptation to go after Marner because he has such a high ceiling and has a chance to become a superstar in the NHL. He isn’t as small as many suspect, although like many young players, he needs to get MUCH stronger. He has a unique offensive arsenal that would be very tempting for the Leafs going forward and although he doesn’t have the size you would covet in a #1 centre down the road, Marner & Kadri could make a formidable 1-2 combo down the middle as the league continues to trend towards skill…The outlier in the mix is Lawson Crouse and although it’s less likely that the Leafs would take him at #4, there is a lot to like about his overall skill set. He is big, mean and skates exceptionally well. Crouse can also go to the net on the PP or play on the PK with his foot speed and long reach. Many that criticized Vancouver for taking Horvat a couple years ago are now realizing how important he was to that team this year. He will have a HUGE impact for the Canucks in the future and Crouse is a bigger, faster, meaner version of Bo Horvat! Neither will ever put up huge numbers, but they are big time keys to a winning team in the NHL.

Jude: Looking into the later portion of round one, where the Leafs own Nashville’s pick, what names stick out to you as both a possible steal, as far as high end talent, or possible fit/target for the Leafs?

Mark: It is so hard to say because you never know who will fall into their spot and there is always the possibility of them moving up if someone they really love is still sitting there in the teens. There are a couple kids I REALLY like that some teams and rival companies have lower down their lists. These include: Jake Debrusk who is the son of former tough guy, Louie Debrusk, and Brandon Carlo from Tri-City. Debrusk is a ballsy kid that has some offensive touch, but has a very high hockey IQ. Although his game is completely opposite to his Dad’s, he has that same work ethic that made Louie so successful. Brandon Carlo struggled in the latter part of the season, but he has a long frame and moves surprisingly well for a kid that big. He also has a big shot and some bite to his game. If the Leafs pick Hanifin at #4, then I’d expect them to draft a forward with their 2nd pick because the grading of players at that spot is very similar. This is of course, unless something outrageous happens and somebody REALLY drops in the draft. If the Leafs take a centre with the 1st pick, then I’d expect them to simply draft the best player available at their next pick.
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The outlier in the mix is Lawson Crouse and although it’s less likely that the Leafs would take him at #4, there is a lot to like about his overall skill set. He is big, mean and skates exceptionally well. Crouse can also go to the net on the PP or play on the PK with his foot speed and long reach. Many that criticized Vancouver for taking Horvat a couple years ago are now realizing how important he was to that team this year. He will have a HUGE impact for the Canucks in the future and Crouse is a bigger, faster, meaner version of Bo Horvat! Neither will ever put up huge numbers, but they are big time keys to a winning team in the NHL.
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This explanation just really annoys me.
 
Oh yeah, Horvat's 13 goals during the regular-season and 1 goal in a 6 game first round exit were clearly of paramount importance to Vancouver's success this past season.

How do these people manage to keep their jobs?
 
2013 draft was pretty good and has turned out some good hockey players already. Only guys drafted ahead of Horvat that have had less NHL impact thus far are Drouin and Nurse. Horvat looked solid from the minimal amount of games i watched.
 
Scouting reports on prospects that tend to focus on "big", "mean", "tough" and ignore skill/talent/production really worry me. Especially when we're talking 4th overall.
 
It’s an exciting time to be a top prospect in the upcoming NHL Draft.

Top-rated defenceman Noah Hanifin, who just finished a successful season with Boston College, spoke with Dean Blundell & Co on Sportsnet 590 The Fan Tuesday morning as he prepares for the NHL Scouting Combine (June 1 to 6) and Draft (June 26).

Most assessments have Hanifin going to Arizona (No. 3 overall pick), Toronto (4) or Carolina (5). When asked about the possibility of landing with the Maple Leafs, the 18-year-old native of Norwood, Massachusetts spoke highly of Toronto’s tradition of being a hockey town.

“I’ve been to Toronto a bunch of times and it’s an unbelievable city,” he said. “The hockey environment there is so special and if it ever works for me to be in Toronto, it’d be such an honour.”
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http://pmd.fan590.com/audio_on_demand-3/Noah-Hanifin-with-Dean-Blundell-and-George-Rusic-db-20150512-Interview.mp3

Would be an interesting scenario if the Leafs pick Noah Hanifin. I haven't watched him as much as Dylan Strome or Mitch Marner so i can't say how happy i would be but from all the scouting reports he sounds like he would help our team significantly from a defense standpoint. If we want to build from the net out he could be our guy.
 
Hypothetical Kessel trade scenario with Seth Jones being the main piece coming back. I doubt Nashville makes a move like that but you never know. This would be one of the scenarios where i feel we get decent value back for our elite goal scorer.

At the draft we take Noah Hanifin at 4th overall.

Rielly - Jones
Hanifin - XXXX

Talk about building from the net out. :worshippy:

/fantasyland idea.
 
Leafin' said:
Hypothetical Kessel trade scenario with Seth Jones being the main piece coming back. I doubt Nashville makes a move like that but you never know. This would be one of the scenarios where i feel we get decent value back for our elite goal scorer.

At the draft we take Noah Hanifin at 4th overall.

Rielly - Jones
Hanifin - XXXX

Talk about building from the net out. :worshippy:

/fantasyland idea.
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Works great on ps4 and xbox one, fails in real life.
 
Leafin' said:
Hypothetical Kessel trade scenario with Seth Jones being the main piece coming back. I doubt Nashville makes a move like that but you never know. This would be one of the scenarios where i feel we get decent value back for our elite goal scorer.

At the draft we take Noah Hanifin at 4th overall.

Rielly - Jones
Hanifin - XXXX

Talk about building from the net out. :worshippy:

/fantasyland idea.
Click to expand...

incredulous.gif
 
[video=youtube;0tJGk4ofc18]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tJGk4ofc18[/video]

I don't see anyone coming up with ideas on this board as to what to expect in a trade for Kessel. No one wants to be wrong. I'm just looking to spark some discussion on an otherwise boring board at this time of year. I don't care if the trade scenarios i post are incorrect or a fantasy.

So i challenge anyone on this board to come up with a prediction as to what we can get for Kessel. We have a group of people on this forum that believe Kessel should be moved, so what would you like to see him moved for?
 
I don't think Nashville will ever trade with the leafs again..... but, they like Minnesota needed scoring in these playoffs and I think Kessel would be very open to going to Minnesota. The return wouldn't be the best but. IF Nashville did trade us Jones for Kessel, then I wouldn't draft Hanafin, I'd draft Marner, cuz Jones and Reilly would be your number one and two defense.
 
Leafin' said:
Hypothetical Kessel trade scenario with Seth Jones being the main piece coming back. I doubt Nashville makes a move like that but you never know. This would be one of the scenarios where i feel we get decent value back for our elite goal scorer.

At the draft we take Noah Hanifin at 4th overall.

Rielly - Jones
Hanifin - XXXX

Talk about building from the net out. :worshippy:

/fantasyland idea.
Click to expand...

Doesn't building from the net out mean you're supposed to start with the goalie?
 
So, our "bonus" first rounder from Nashville is officially 24th overall. That's the same spot we drafted Alexander Steen in, way back in 2002. Hopefully we can have the same kind of success with that draft slot this time around, except for the part where a senile caretaker GM traded him away for magic beans, or something.

Anybody have any particular players in mind for our 24th overall pick?
 
Here's what I'd like to have our crack research team search up....

Of all of these scouting report sites (Mckeens, ISS, etc) who place their draft predictions, which ones have picked the better players earliest in the draft??

Which player, in past drafts, have they put in the top ten or rank higher than other players and then they actually are?

Does one site historically do a better job of ranking talent?
 
LeafGm said:
So, our "bonus" first rounder from Nashville is officially 24th overall. That's the same spot we drafted Alexander Steen in, way back in 2002. Hopefully we can have the same kind of success with that draft slot this time around, except for the part where a senile caretaker GM traded him away for magic beans, or something.

Anybody have any particular players in mind for our 24th overall pick?
Click to expand...

It's also where the Leafs drafted Brad Boyes in 2000 who, for all of his shortcomings and warts as a player, put up seasons of 43, 33, 26, and 21 goals.

In that range the Leafs should have a few options available to them:

Daniel Sprong, RW, Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL): Tremendous offensive winger with explosive speed, finishing skills, and creativity. Potted 30 goals and 68 points in 67 games as a rookie before improving to 39 goals and 88 points in 68 games this season.

Jérémy Roy, D, Sherbrooke Phoeneix (QMJHL): Strong two-way defender with a high hockey IQ and strong passing skills. Doesn't project as a big-time points producer, but a reliable top four guy like Stuart Percy. Makes excellent decisions with the puck and few mistakes.

Noah Juulsen, D, Everett Silvertips (WHL): Smooth-skating offensive-minded defenceman with intriguing upside, and an assertive power play force who gets the puck on net. Handles the puck well and attacks in all three zones with confidence. Needs to improve his gap control and box out attacking forwards more consistently.

Nick Merkley, C, Kelowna Rockets (WHL): Undersized centre projects as one of the best play-making forwards in the draft. A supremely talented passer that makes those around him better. Great puck possession skills, but will need to get stronger and improve his skating and strength. Similar profile to Marc Savard but the offensive talent is there.

Jeremy Bracco, C/RW, USNTDP (USHL): Diminutive offensive-minded forward with excellent speed and skating ability. One of the best pure offensive players in his draft class and exciting offensive upside. Had more of a pass-first mind-set but can score goals in bunches. Needs to add strength so as to not get knocked off the puck so easily and improve defensively.

Paul Bittner, RW, Portland (WHL): Massive 6'4, 220 pound frame power forward with high-end finishing skill (34 goals this past season). A behemoth of a pure goal-scorer with an NHL-quality shot that has no problems dominating opponents using his size or offensive skill. Not a great play-maker or the fleetest of foot. Skating is average.

Joel Ek-Eriksson, C, Färjestad (SHL): Profiles as a superb two-way player with excellent goal-scoring ability and puck-handling skill. A defensively mature player that is not limited offensively despite his ability on the other side of the puck. NHL-sized body and strength, but is not a pass-first centre.
 
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