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There are always risks when drafting 18 yr-olds ... but 2018 was a weak draft in terms of top-end talent, and Bergevin et al compounded things by REACHING for KK and drafting for need instead of BPA.

I would of said that about Carolina, really surprised they were eliminated. I'm still saying Florida is winning the cup. They have that playoff grit that makes for a miserable season for them, but great playoff team that other teams hate to play against and a goalie that can steal a game or 2 a series.

It also helps when you give a damn ... he NEVER wanted to be in Montrèal.

It will be interesting to see how VAN manages their cap ... they have 14 current NHL contracts and almost $25M in cap space ... they need to re-sign Joshua and Lindholm are playing key roles up front, Hronek (RFA), Zadorov and Myers 20-ish minutes on defence.

No question it's a rare occurrence. I just think that this year the probability is just a little greater because of so little consensus between 2 and 12.

The last time a top 3 pick was moved (after teams knew the draft order) was 2003 before the salary cap. Yes the Leafs gave up 2nd in the Kessel.trade but didnt know it would be 2nd when they traded it. The last time a top 5 pick moved was 2008. So its just so rare.

It most certainly would be nice. I think there will be more discussion than usual about moving up or down. Whether anything results from those discussions is another matter but the Habs have the extra pieces/draft picks to make something happen. Time to get an elite forward.

Button says Demidov is the only player worth trading up for after Celebrini is gone at #1, McCagg also thinks Demidov is better than Michkov. There seems to be a growing consenus that Demidov is #2.

I hope he plays more inspired than against Poland...

It helps when you are playing with tqlented NHL players rather than AHLers. also helps when there is a solid leadership group. Wasn’t one of the reasons cited for the Weber-Subban trade was mountain man’s leadership impact and how that impact would be felt longer after he was gone🙄 as a captain, he couldn’t even be bothered to come to Montreal for Lafleur’s funeral.

IMO Dallas is probably the most complete team in the league. Solid at every position. If only Nill was hired as our GM instead of MB. If I recall, he was approached, but had personal family health issues to deal with. He has drafted well, made solid trades and done a masterful job developing his picks.

That is another similarity to Turcotte. It would be nice if Chicago or Anaheim wanted a Dman and felt that they could get him at #5.

Rumours are that Hughes/Gorton love him. I think we should. A lot of people wanted Michkov last year, Demidov might be better and with less risk.

4-3 Canada 🇨🇦 8 minutes to go in the third. Anyone hear Gord Miller talking about a NHL sponsored tournament of a team North America vs. team Europe? Holy hell Europe would get completely destroyed 2:00 today France is getting Slafkovskied

If Demidov falls to us is he a nobrainer?

A classic guy who seems overpaid in the regular season but has absolutely the right game and mindset for playoff hockey. He LOVES it and it shows. I doubt Van will be able to afford him, but perhaps if they let Hronek - who is basically the opposite - walk, as expected, they may be able to figure it out.

Frugging Dadonov looked like a dog here in Montreal but in Dallas he is a flying. Seems to be quite a few vets on Dallas and they all look very good so far. Perhaps Demko returns just in time to goalie the hell out of Dallas - after Vancouver eliminates Edmonton tonight of course

I Hope Vancouver signs him. The guy is a playoff performer

The Blues were built completely different than the leafs are. Not to mention a stud Dman that I can’t be arsed to look up the spelling of his name Peterangelo Much will depend on what Treliving does with the roster too.

Not sure I agree with the last bit. I haven’t watched much of Dallas, but those who do have been banging the gong for some time about how complete that team is - possibly the league’s strongest team up and down the lineup. I picked them to win the Cup mostly on the irrational theory that they’re the most soulless franchise among the contenders, and that the most soulless outcome usually seems to be what happens in the NHL 🤷‍♂️

I’m sure Berube won’t hurt. What worries me more is that the Leafs will go out and sign Zadorov this off-season. Any team signing him will regret the contract in the long run, but in the short term, he could make a huge impact - bringing that team exactly what it needs, a mobile, surprisingly skilled behemoth in the top-4.

I can’t remember a draft where there is no consensus on picks 2-12. Even Demidov floats from 2-5. Habs are going to get a shot at a great player but a draft like this also has potential land mines like Kotkaniemi.

Catton and Lindstrom were pretty close in points per 60 minutes of play. However Catton was the one who carried his team on his back while Lindstrom had a guy named Gavin Mckenna to play with. This will be the most interesting draft in a long time because of the unpredictability after #1. Should be fun to watch. Trading up and down happens infrequently but more likely to happen this year because of the unpredictability.

LOL

That's the AI accounting for the tight checking McDavid has faced with someone's arms wrapped around him frequently during a game.