Figured we can get a thread going to talk about all things NHL draft and the various moves that come around this time. As an Av fan I am excited because we got the 1st pick in a stacked draft that many say will see the top 5 guys all play in the NHL this fall. Once we gof fhe first pick I thought we would get Seth Jones. Son of Popeye Jones he is just about the perfect 18 year old defensemen. 6'4'' 205 lbs with phenominal skating ability, great shot from the point, ability to carry the puck out f he s own zone and at 18 can play at both ends of the ice. The only knock is his mean streak but I don't worry too much about that. With defense being the Avs most pressing need I just assumed that would be the pick. But once Sakic and Roy joined the staff that seemed to change as they have put it out there that they will be taking one of the top forwards in this draft. That leads me to believe that Nathan MacKinnon will be the pick. Offensivley he is complete. Probably the best skater off the forwards in this draft he complements that with good hands and a better shot which make him a natural goal scorer. He is also a playmaker and can set up his teammates just as well as he can score. Dont know much about him defensively, but he has good size 6'0'' 185 lbs and with his great skating that has the making of a great 2 way forward. Then to complicate matters there is talk of the Avs potentially moving down a few slots to possibly geg a great haul of players and still get on of the forwards they like by staying in the top 4. The only way I couod see the Avs making a move is if a team like the Predators at 4 really covet MacKinnon and are willing to rebuild around him and send the Avs a package of Weber and Renne for that top pick. Its no secret that with Roy as the coach they want to win now and adding Weber and Renne wouod allow them to do just that. For the Preds it would allow them to fianlly build am offense as they can have MacKinnon amd Wilson center there top 2 lines and then add a winger like Drouin or Barkov with the 4th pick. At the end I don't think the Avs will get that killer package to move down and will take MacKinnon as there has already been talk of moving O'Rielly on Duchene's wing and MacKinnon could then go on a line with Landeskog.
MY ONLY CONCERN IN LIFE IS KEEPING MY TEAM HERE NEXT SEASON. Whoever the Coyotes draft, I'll be mildly interested, but it's all about keeping the team. Heck I don't even care about Mike Smith leaving. All that matters is we locked in Dave Tippett.. now to get this wrapped up.. The Jones kid's story is pretty fun too. Can't wait to see him in action.
Same. I think I was sitting in a doctors office and picked up the magazine and went "Popeye Jones.... NHL prospect... what??"
ESPN did a segment on him on their E:60 show some months ago. With all due respect to Popeye, the kid should thank his lucky stars that his mother is/was pretty and he got her looks and not Popeyes. Popeye still looks like a bloody alien. Anyone know exactly what time the draft starts? I've googled it but all I get is the day but no specific time. It would have been great marketing if the Islanders had a top 2 or 3 pick so they might draft Seth and then when they make the move to Brooklyn, possibly market him (if he develops as expected).
Crazy seeing Jones fall to 4. Just goes to show that elite forward prospects will always go ahead of elite defensive prospects. The top 4 picks should all start in the NHL this upcoming season. So pumped fo the future with the thought of Duchene and O'Rielly on one line and MacKinnon and Landeskog on the other.
Floored by the Schneider trade. Horvat is a good pick but man... that came out of nowhere. Coyotes sign Mike Smith for 6 years, 5.6 mil per. Not bad.
