jetsniper Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 This kinda made me chuckle and excited at the same time, Tavares dropped to third in their rankings. According to one well-known scouting report, the top two picks in this June's NHL Entry Draft could be Swedish defenceman Victor Hedman...and Ontario Hockey League centre Matt Duchene. The latest edition of Red Line Report has rated London Knights centre John Tavares third behind Hedman and Duchene as a result of his performance this this year's OHL playoffs. "I've always felt Hedman should be the No. 1 pick," Red Line Report's Kyle Woodlief explained to New York's Newsday. "The reason we flip-flopped Duchene and Tavares is due to the fact Tavares's effort level has been underwhelming through the first two rounds of the [Ontario Hockey League] playoffs. "Tavares may score 40 or 50 goals a season, but he's one-dimensional. If he's not scoring, he's not helping." Tavares, ranked first among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting and first in TSN's latest draft rankings, is 11th in playoff scoring through Tuesday's games with nine goals and 19 points in 13 games. The Knights trail the Windsor Spitfires 3-1 in their OHL conference final series and Tavares' junior career could end as early as Wednesday if London is eliminated. Duchene, whose Brampton Battalion are one win away from the OHL final, has 18 points in 13 playoff games. The six-foot-six, 220-pound Hedman collected 21 points in 43 games for MoDo of the Swedish Elite League, earning rookie of the year honours. To be serious though, what really excites me about this is Duchene is starting to show he's at the elite level the other "Big 2" are at. That means the top 3, not 2, picks are now the best ones to have. The Avs will get the leftovers but either way we're going to get another franchise building block to work with Staz. Before this, the highest I'd ever seen my team pick was 12th overall (Tanguay) so this is all pretty cool and new to me. This is where sucking balls 3 and a half months all comes to fruition. (I guess what I'm also ignoring here is holy crap, Tavares dropped in someones rankings. The one-dimensional knock isn't anything new to anyone though) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Tavares. The next Alex Daigle? (Will he too look good in a nurse outfit?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsniper Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 Wow, the ISS put out their latest rankings today and had Hedman dropping to third. I can't wait for the draft, this is gonna be interesting. I have a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that Lacroix is stupidly going to trade down but I hope I'm wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Wow, the ISS put out their latest rankings today and had Hedman dropping to third. I can't wait for the draft, this is gonna be interesting. I have a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that Lacroix is stupidly going to trade down but I hope I'm wrong. Since Tb needs a Dman I doubt that they'll pass on hedman. if so, good for the Avs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsniper Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share Posted April 24, 2009 Since Tb needs a Dman I doubt that they'll pass on hedman. if so, good for the Avs. We're dieing for D as well as offense so no matter who falls to 3rd, it's gonna be good for us. One could make the argument we need D more but seeing as we were the only team last season to not score at least 200 goals.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mils Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 We're dieing for D as well as offense so no matter who falls to 3rd, it's gonna be good for us. One could make the argument we need D more but seeing as we were the only team last season to not score at least 200 goals.... I agree with the end of that. I'm no scout, but I have cautious faith that Williams and Shattenkirk will be NHL defensemen, and if you add in Liles, Cumiskey, and the necessary assortment of veterans, I think we are much more in need of elite-level forwards than defensemen. Victor Hedman would still be a good pick, but of Tavares, Duchene, and Hedman, I think the Avalanche would benefit more from Duchene or Tavares. Of course, that may not be our decision to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsniper Posted April 25, 2009 Author Share Posted April 25, 2009 Yeah, I've definitely come around on Shattenkirk since watching these past Juniors. He's not big but still plays very smart in the defensive zone. Of course he's got future captain potential as well. I'd throw Cohen into the mix with Williams and Shattenkirk too, he played well for BU in the Frozen Four tourney and was a 2nd round pick. In a couple years though Stastny won't really have any support so I'd definitely look at forward first. Like you said though, it'd be a stretch to take Kane if Hedman drops. Actually it'd be downright stupid (no offense to Kane). Galiardi and Stewart both impressed me this season but they still have a long to go before being legit NHL scorers. Wolski can play well at times when he wants to and I'm about ready to give up on Svats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAK Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 We're dieing for D as well as offense so no matter who falls to 3rd, it's gonna be good for us. One could make the argument we need D more but seeing as we were the only team last season to not score at least 200 goals.... without you're 1st 2 centers its kinda hard to score many goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetsniper Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 without you're 1st 2 centers its kinda hard to score many goals. We still should've had a better offense then the Islanders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.