Official Draft Day Thread

[sakiqc]

excepted their 1st round dmen.. komisarek, fisher, mcdonaugh, tinordi.. that's 50% of last 8 years first rounders. I found that interesting what they said about Carolina never drafting dmen because they become good around the time they reach free agency. It sounded good but when you think about it, there are a lot of great young dmen lately in the league.. ex: chicago, myers, phaneuf, doughty, subban and green. I guess those are exception because they are ultra talented. I'm wondering what can be different with Tinordi compared to our last 4 big midwest dmen. *crosses fingers*

You can't help but notice that most of these guys do seem pretty small. It appears that the organization just does not prioritize size. Not a criticism necessarily - it's just interesting.

[BlueKross]

We got a guy that scored 52 goals (41 regular season, 11 playoffs) at age 17 in the WHL in Round 5. Smallest player in the league, so you size nuts won't be too happy, but man... he can play. And he fights, too.

I have no quarrel with the player drafted, other than what you have said I don't know the player at all. Hope it works out. I would say that there are many small forwards who light up their respective junior leagues and really have to take the long route to make it to NHL. Locke, Beauregard, Desharnais, Pare come to mind. Saskhab- for all you TURF BUILDERS there is plenty of fodder left in the juniors each year that are extremely talented but remain undrafted. Just invite them to camp, you don't have to use a draft choice.

[JCPetit]

I really like our 1st round pick. Of course, I don't know him but from what I have learned so far, he looks really good. As for the others, they are long shots.

Also, I was surprised by Gauthier's comment about his lack of knowledge regarding the draftable young players. His logic is that since he is too busy with the big team he doesn't have the time to learn all there is to know about all the players available. In his opinion, it is better to know nothing than to know a little bit. He did not say it, but I understand, between the lines, that it is the scouts job to make a choice and convince management to make the pick. If they don't do a good job, well, I guess that they are ones who will pay the price.

It makes sense to me: have faith in the men under your leadership, delegate; you might be surprised with the results.

[mineral]

I'm also happy about that Gallagher kid. His old man is the team strength and conditioning coach and you can kind of tell that as the young lad looks beefy and cut for his height. He also is tenacious in the Gionta mold and even scraps a little bit. He looks like he's got the drive. That goofy grin of his tells me he's looking to prove them all wrong. A smurf of the right stuff.