2010 First Round Mock Draft, Version 2.b
by Bob Wage on Jun 21, 2010 8:00 AM EDT
54 comments
Last week, Cory published the results of his very well thought out Mock Draft, but is one mock draft ever enough? As he mentioned at the beginning of his article, we thought it would be interesting if I completed one as well.
There has been a lot of talk about the Canes trading up to acquire the number two pick from Boston, but I would be very surprised if that happened. I think the Bruins and Oilers will keep their respective picks.
I also strongly considered the possibility of the Canes trading up to acquire one of the "big three" defensemen, which is a true need. The problem? The Isles, Jackets, and Panthers each need those defensemen themselves. Trading up with one of those teams would probably be too expensive.
Enough explanation.
Without further ado, here is Bubba's "Excellent" Mock Draft, Version 2.b.
1. Edmonton Oilers: Taylor Hall, LW. Hall and Jordan Eberle developed a good working chemistry during the WJC's. Look for this "dynamic duo" to continue to produce side by side in the NHL.
2. Boston Bruins: (from Toronto). Tyler Seguin, C. The Bruins will get plenty of offers, but decide to break up their current lineup to make room for this future superstar.
3. Florida Panthers: Cam Fowler, D. The Panthers need some excitement to put more fannies in the seats and this player is exactly what the doctor ordered.
4. Columbus Blue Jackets: Brandon Gormley, D. Gormley has the most complete game of the top defensemen available and possesses the offensive playmaking abilities the Jackets need.
5. New York Islanders: Erik Gundbranson, D. Islander fans will love this player's physical style and leadership on the blueline. A nice complement player for Mark Streit.
6. Tampa Bay Lightning: Brett Connolly, RW. Connolly is the highest player on the board at this point and if Steve Yzerman is assured that the hip injury is a thing of the past, he will not hesitate to grab Connolly with this pick.
7. Carolina Hurricanes: Nino Niederreiter, RW. This player has "star" written all over him, but does he have the skill level to match his charisma? Caniacs will soon find out.
8. Atlanta Thrashers: Alex Burmistrov, C. The Thrashers don't mind drafting Russians and this kid looks like he would be a perfect set up guy for Evander Kane and company.
9. Minnesota Wild: Mikael Granlund, C. If there is any team in the NHL who loves Finns as much if not more than Carolina, it's the Wild. Granlund is rated as one of the best players available out of Europe.
10. New York Rangers: Vladimir Tarasenko, RW. The Rangers always like to make a splash and will do so with this pick. They also have the money to buy Tarasenko's way out of the KHL if they want to.
11. Dallas Stars: Mark Pysyk, D. This versatile defenseman has been rated all over the top 30 by various sources, but the CSS has him in the top 10. The Stars need help on the blueline and will hope that Pysyk will help out sooner rather than later.
12. Anaheim Ducks: Ryan Johansen, C. The Ducks will take the highest rated player on their board at this time and will not be disappointed with this choice.
13. Phoenix Coyotes: (from Calgary) Derek Forbert, D. The Coyotes wanted Pysyk but will settle for Forbert, the next best defenseman.
14. St. Louis Blues: Jeffrey Skinner, RW. Skinner is a deadly sharpshooter who will soon make Blues fans forget about hot prospect Lars Eller, one of the players recently traded to Montreal for Jaroslav Halak.
15. Boston Bruins: Trade this pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2nd rounder, (46th overall from Ottawa) and a 3rd rounder, (67th overall). After rebuffing several advances by Carolina for the second overall pick, the Bruins agree to this trade as the Hurricanes go off the board a little bit and select Dylan McIlrath, the "most feared player" in this draft. The 6'4 bruising defenseman was ranked a few spots lower by several services but fans will love him and the Canes did not want to risk losing him later in the first round.
16. Ottawa Senators: Austin Watson, RW. Watson's scoring exploded after being traded to St. Pete's and the Sens are more than willing to take a chance on him here.
17. Colorado Avalanche: Jack Campbell, G. The American goalie and WJC hero is much too good to slip any further. The Avs are very happy to grab him at this spot.
18. Nashville Predators: Jonathan Merrill, D. The Preds begin the process of replacing Dan Hamhuis with this promising young American prospect who was rated as the11th best North American skater by the ISS.
19. Los Angeles Kings: Emerson Etam, C. The Kings can not resist but draft the hometown talent who grew up playing roller hockey just down the road at Long Beach.
20. Pittsburgh Penguins: Jarred Tinordi, D. You can not teach size, and Tinordi, already at 6'5, could be another Brooks Orpik which would be perfectly fine with everyone in Pittsburgh.
21. Detroit Red Wings: Nick Bjugstad, C. The 6'4 center was dominating in high school, but how will he do at the next level? The Wings will take a chance to find out.
22. Phoenix Coyotes: Quinton Howden, C. The 'Yotes went for defense last pick and will try this responsible, two-way center from Moose Jaw with their next pick.
23. Buffalo Sabres: Jaden Schwartz, C. This smallish center led the USHL in scoring last season with 33 goals and 50 assists in 60 games. His 83 points were the most scored in the league since Thomas Vanek led the league with 91 points in 2001-02.
24. Atlanta Thrashers: Riley Sheahan, C. One scout called him the "most complete player in the draft", but his stock has fallen this season due to a drop off in production. Is it just the system he plays in at Notre Dame?
25. Vancouver Canucks: Trade this pick to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2nd rounder, (53rd overall acquired from San Jose, originally from Buffalo) and a 3rd rounder, (85th overall acquired from Vancouver.) Vancouver recently went on record saying that they wanted to trade this pick, preferring "quantity over quality" and the Hurricanes are happy to oblige. With the pick, they choose Charlie Coyle, a 6'2, 202 pound power forward who plays center as well as right wing and is known for his physical play and blazing speed. He will follow his cousin's footsteps, (Tony Amonte), and will attend Boston College next season. (Joining Hurricanes' prospect Brian Dumoulin). The way he celebrates goals? "With the team." That statement says everything you need to know about this player.
26. Washington Capitals: Kirill Kabanov, LW. Arguably, the most skilled player in the entire draft, he's known to be a Russian nutcase who left for home from Moncton in mid-season and has been dropped by agent after agent this offseason. But if anyone can keep him in line, it's the brotherhood from "the world's most powerful city" and it's very possible he could fit right in and score a ton of goals, as long as he doesn't have to play defense.
27. Montreal Canadiens: Evgeny Kuznetsov, C. Here is another talented Russian who has dropped down the charts, but Montreal is more than willing to take a chance on him at this stage of the draft. The forward has plenty of skill but can be inconsistent at times. The wildcard? He played in the KHL last year.
28. San Jose Sharks: John McFarland, LW. McFarland is another very gifted player with tons of skill but also with the reputation of having attitude problems. If his head is on right, he could be a real steal here.
29. Anaheim Ducks: (from Philadelphia) Beau Bennett, RW. Another homegrown California boy, this kid scored 120 points in the BC junior league last season. He has committed to attend the University of Denver next year.
30. Chicago Blackhawks: Brock Nelson, C. This youngster can certainly light the lamp as he scored 53 goals and had 95 points in just 31 high school games last year, but he's a project. He'll be attending North Dakota next season.
The Hurricanes made a big splash in the first round of this mock draft by trading up for three picks. They still have their original second round pick, (37th overall) and have five subsequent picks after that, (one in the 4rth, two in the 6th, and two in the 7th).
Some possibilities I like for the second round:
Tyler Toffoli, RW
Ludvig Rensfeldt, LW
Tyler Pitlick, C
Ryan Spooner, C
Teemu Pulkkinen, RW
Patrik Nemeth, D
Alex Petrovic, D
In the later rounds, look for the Canes to draft a goalie, probably someone like Sami Aittokallio or Jonathan IIlahti, both from Finland.
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gee
I be first & i still want “Nino”…but like a good caniac…I’ll be content with whom JR picks…begrudgenly too hehehe
And if it Aint Hockey,It Aint Nothin !!
Nino is The One !
Nino would be a solid pick, but personally, I’d consider taking Johansen over him because we need to have a strong backbone at center. After he develops properly, having Staal/Sutter/Johansen down the center would be pretty good.
by DesertCaniac on Jun 22, 2010 7:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Granlund or Burmistrov may fit nicely as well…
by DesertCaniac on Jun 22, 2010 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Love the idea of getting McIlrath
Love it love it love it. He’s big and nasty. If the Canes can’t move up to get one of the top three blue liners McIlrath would be a fine consolation prize.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
I’ve made this suggestion a couple of times and if you haven’t done it yet go watch a couple of his fights on youtube. He’s pretty nasty for an 18 year old.
I’ve seen them. I just didn’t see how the Canes would get up in to that 15 – 20 pick range to draft him. I’ve been hoping they would move up to get Tinordi because I could see that more easily happening.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
Tinordi looks to go late 1st early 2nd, so I’m not sure you have to move up to get him or what you give up to get him. McIlrath looks to go somewhere in mid 1st, so we’d definitely have to move up to get him. The only reason to go up and get McIlrath is maybe he’s closer to playing then Tinordi. Tinordi’s probably 2-3 years away and McIlrath’s probably 1-2. I don’t have a problem with either.
Tinordi’s stock has risen somewhat over the last month. I haven’t seen a mock draft put out in the last month that doesn’t have him going in the first round. I personally like McIlrath on the team more than I like Tinordi. I think Tinordi is a Tim Gleason copy, which aint bad by any stretch, but I think McIlrath would compliment Gleason very nicely. McIlrath’s skill set is similar, but different enough so it will cause forwards some problems.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
Plus his size. He’s an athletic 18 year old who’s still figuring out his body. I think when he fills in he’ll be a nasty shut down guy for many years. I don’t know much about Tinordi, but what I like about McIlrath is how he’s kind of bully, he’ll go right after the other teams star player and will make life difficult. I think that’s something our dcore has lacked. He seems to be a young version of C.Pronger.
Definitely would be a successful draft to acquire those additional first round picks for what you suggest. I would hope that each of these possible picks could be accomplished. I think in the case of Boston it may be possible to take someone like Ryder from them and get rid of either Cole or Samsonov, although not necessary.
In terms of Nino. I love his all out effort and desire to play, but I have some concerns. Between his combine testing and late birthday I don’t think he will be ready for a year or two, which is fine as it wouldn’t be suprising for that to be the case of anyone we draft at 7. However, my major concern is that his ceiling isn’t much higher than what he has already shown. Although I love Tuomo, I think Nino would be a relatively close professional to Tuomo’s productivity. How many of these type of players do we need and how much better do they really make our team?
I know Johansen is in a similar position in the sense that he needs more time to develop, but that isn’t my argument against Nino. I don’t care how long they take to develop so long as they aren’t rushed to the NHL. Rather I feel that Johansen has a higher ceiling and has really only just begun to scratch the surface. Just my opinion, as my arguments against taking Nino could very well be the same case with Johansen, merely developing into a 50 point, defesnively solid center. Again that would be okay. I just hope for any forward we draft to really show signs of becoming a future star, instead of just a gritty player.
AGAIN, I am not saying I wouldn’t be please with taking Nino, nor would I be disappointed if he developed into another Tuomo. I am merely saying that my hope is to get someone that develops into a more productive player, with more offensive flair.
A+ for Creativity
This is a little different (and for the most part better) than “mocks” i’ve seen b4. I can’t say i hate or totally disagree with anything, and only have alternatives to the #7 pick! I believe i’d want Johansen or Granlund, ahead of Nino…partly because “center” and Granlund is super creative, and johansen is compared to Staal!!
Edmonton Sun
Thought their mock draft was intersting but pretty close to what everyone else is predicting:
http://www.edmontonsun.com/sports/hockey/2010/06/19/14450746.html
All i know is that
no matter what we all hope & guess for will either be right or oh so wrong…hey…like the power ball they call it gambling…duh…I be so old…and slow today…:-)
And if it Aint Hockey,It Aint Nothin !!
Nino is The One !
Awesome. Love the dealing – Friday should be interesting. Wonder how it will feel live in LA?
I was scouting out prospect fish at Petco this morning. If we end up w/Niederreiter I’m going for the Neno Tetra. Johansen would be another Cory Catfish to liven up my uninspired Eric and Erik. Beyond that, I’m still undecided. Though I suppose if we get Granlund, I’d get another Finn fish to match Ruutu and Jussi.
Wanted to confirm something: Before any trades, we have 3 picks in the 2nd round, yes? Our original #37, then the ones we got from Ottawa for Cullen and San Jose for Wallin. And did we get an extra in the 3rd for the Alberts trade to Vancouver? It would be funny to give that back to them in a package that gives us the Nucks 1st rounder.
Here’s a synopsis of every teams picks from NHL.com. If we give Vancouver our #53 and #85 for their #25, we would still have #37 and #46 in the 2nd, and #67 in the 3rd.
It's gonna be a long summer.
oops – never mind. You had Chiarelli and Rutherford working that out quit nicely. Apologies for scrolling too quickly on my cell phone. I like it.
It's gonna be a long summer.
by hockeymomof2 on Jun 21, 2010 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
What about Atlanta?
I don’t think Atlanta want to rebuilt and take time like Canes can do it.
They want a player with impact right now. I think they will try to put the hand on the second choice if Boston are serious. If not, maybe Canes could do a trade with them.
8th overall for a young good guy (Tlusty or Bowman or Dalpe) could play next year in the NHL and #37.
May i dream?
I don’t think Vancouver will trade their pick. It’ not time to panik in the west coast.
Vancouver’s GM Mike Gillis already said on TSN that he’s very open to trading their 1st rounder for multiple lesser picks; quantity over quality.
It's gonna be a long summer.
by hockeymomof2 on Jun 21, 2010 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions
TSN Top 75
To liven up the discussion, check out this link to TSN’s top 75 list. Connolly is down to #8 in this and Johansen is at #6. Nino is #7.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
Man, I would be very pleased if the ‘Canes managed to nab 3 first round picks, although i don’t think it will be easy.
http://www.prosportsblogging.com
by Great Ice-Pectations on Jun 21, 2010 2:46 PM EDT reply actions
Seems to me like it would take more than just a mid 2nd and 3rd Round Pick to achieve a mid-round 1st. My prediction on our picks (for fun):
We trade up with Columbus to Overall number 4 using the number 7 and number 53 Picks.
We take Fowler/Gudbranson (whichever is left)
We trade up with Red Wings, Pittsburgh, or Phoenix to 20, 21, 22 using our 46, 67, and a lowly prospect (Chaput, Pogge, maybe Picard).
We take Riley Sheahan
We take Teemu Pulkkinen or Justin Faulk at #37
If we’re going to trade up in the 1st round for a forward I’d rather go for Watson or Etem, it seems more likely if we go for an additional 1st rounder it will be a dman.
I’d have to agree with the last part of that statement. Defense is a pressing need in the system.
That said, Fowler is a puck mover and so is McBain. Drafting Fowler could make Joni much more expendable. Not saying that’s all Joni is, just saying that with the salary limitations and with two young puck movers in the system it’s much easier to part with Joni.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
???
Seems to me you’re looking at getting rid of Joni for some reason, when it’d just be much smarter to make sure we could keep him and improve the team!!
I am not looking to get rid of Joni. I am being realistic about the conflict that exists between carrying this very low self imposed budget in to the 2011-12 season and the amount of money Joni can make on the open market.
Look at Nashville. If this team stays at a low to mid $40’s salary cap then it will have to act just like the Predators do and ship out just about everyone as they come close to free agency.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
Gee Jussi
you make that sound so darn easy…but do you rreally that they’ll do that ?? But and again…somethng else worth while to think about…be safe…
And if it Aint Hockey,It Aint Nothin !!
Nino is The One !
i came over to see how likely it would be to snag at least 1 of your 3 2nd-round picks. turns out you are already expecting it to happen. well, that makes my life easier….
Nucks Misconduct contributor.
Also on Twitter.
Still waiting for the Canucks to win the Stanley Cup.....
My Prediction: Hurricanes Stay Put; No Trades Up or Down
Bob, great work. I can’t dispute the logic of your arguments; but I am convinced the Hurricanes will treasure their hard-fought draft picks and won’t budge. I happen to think the Hurricanes will take Johansen and if not Johansen then Burmistrov. I do agree that Niederreiter would be the wing the Hurricanes take if they go for a wing rather than a center.
My prediction is that the Hurricanes keep all their picks this draft and use the draft to add even more high end talent to their organization. It is a very excitiing draft.
Agreed...
As much as I would like to see JR trade up to get Seguin, I don’t think he’s ballsy enough. I’m sure there’s a way to make it work, but JR is just too conservative. I do, however, believe that the Canes will be involved in some sort of trade, although it’s difficult to pinpoint what it will be.
by DesertCaniac on Jun 21, 2010 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Doug, you’re not going to get high end talent at #37, or #46 or #53. It might be good, but it won’t be high end unless by some miracle or miracles the team makes a 1 in a thousand pick.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
I think you might be surprised with #37 and #46. Recently that’s translated to a Dalpe (45th), a Dumoulin (51st), a McBain (63rd). May not happen this year, but don’t dismiss 2nd rounders automatically as 2nd rate.
It's gonna be a long summer.
by hockeymomof2 on Jun 22, 2010 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions
We’re traditionally about 50 percent on our second-rounders, with some even then being marginal NHL’ers like Bayda or Zigomanis.
Our track record lately certainly has been good, after the busts of Hagemo (‘05) and Reed (’06). Let’s hope that trend continues.
But, the huge uncertainty of the second round is why I have no problem whatsoever using them as as currency to move up to more certainty in the first round with a second pick or a lower number pick.
It’s also why they’re tossed around like poker chips when contenders go shopping for UFA’s at the deadline (“Here, have a spin of the wheel on us”).
Two things on this …
1) Harrison Reed was a third rounder
2) The Hagemo thing … it’s hard to predict something happening like what happened with him.
For the most part, I think the team has done all right with their seconds.
by Cory Lavalette on Jun 22, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the team has done very well with their second round picks, but even so I don’t see any elite talent, other than maybe McBain. Dalpe, Dumoulin, Bowman look to be solid NHL players, but not elite NHL players. I like to bring up Zetterburg and Datsyuk when it comes to the draft, but they are the exceptions to the rule. Elite talent usually goes off the board early.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
I was watching a replay of the 2006 draft on the NHL Network yesterday, and Zetterburg went in the 7th round.
But, the Red Wing scouts were probably the only org that had any knowledge of him at all.
That was their hallmark, sweeping in on Russian prospects in the late rounds that no one had ever even heard of before, or hadn’t had a chance to see for themselves.
With video scouting growing by leaps and bounds, that advantage may be narrowing.
Zetterburg went #210 in round 7 in 1999. This year pick 210 will be the last pick of the draft. That’s how crazy that is. Radim Vrbata went two picks later.
You make a good point about better scouting and the advantage narrowing.
I just wish JR would have given up Ray Whitney for Lent.
Convinced?
I gotta think eleven guys added to our AHL and ECHL teams is way too much. JR has already talked about being able to “use” these picks, and “moving around”. I think it’s beyond likely he will package some picks to move up (more than once), to get more quality, and a better chance of hitting a “homerun”!! IMO
As I understand it, you need to be 20 yrs old before you’re eligible for the AHL. So either they play NHL or stay with their Junior team or NCAA for a couple years. None of these will be playing in Charlotte this coming year unless they are unusually old (and likely late round)
It's gonna be a long summer.
by hockeymomof2 on Jun 21, 2010 7:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Good point. All 3 of the second round picks could end up off the payroll next year, which fits in to the Canes plan for reducing spending.
yeh i know
Didn’t mean to imply WHEN those players would join “the pros”, but in the next 2-3 years they have to be added somewhere (or moved, released). so the point is it’s hard to absorb that quantity of players to an organization. the most salient point is the desire to add QUALITY, RATHER THAN QUANTITY!!!
I’m not sure we’re all that deep in Charlotte 2 or 3 years from now. But I agree completely with you that I would rather see quality over quantity.
It's gonna be a long summer.
by hockeymomof2 on Jun 22, 2010 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Reality check
Seeing some statements about “adding even more high end talent” from this draft drives me to the team history records for a bit of a reality check.
Let’s take a look at the previous Canes drafts:
1997: Shane Willis (4th round) was pretty much the only NHL’er out of 9 picks, with Nikos Tselios (1st round) being a complete bust.
1998: Eric Cole (3rd round) and Josef Vasicek (4th round) were pretty much it, with our first rounder, Jeff Hereema (Staal’s cousin), a bust.
1999: David Tanabe (1st round) was pretty much it.
2000: Ryan Bayda (3rd round) and Niclas Wallin (4th round)
2001: Mike Zigomanis (2nd round) was pretty much it
2002: Cam Ward (1st round) was our only prize, albeit a good one
2003: Eric Staal (1st round, 2nd overall) was the prize, with Danny Richmond (2nd round) morphing into Anton Babchuk via trade
2004: Finally, a good draft. Andrew Ladd (1st round, 4th overall) is now Tuomo Ruutu via trade, with Justin Peters (2nd round), Casey Borer (3rd round), and Brett Carson (4th round) joining the org. Casey’s not yet NHL, but could be a candidate.
2005: Jack Johnson (1st round, 3rd overall) was the only prize, now in the form of Tim Gleason
2006: Jamie McBain (2nd round) and maybe Nick Dodge (6th round)
2007: Brandon Sutter (1st round) and Drayson Bowman (3rd round)
2008: Zach Boychuk (1st round) and Zac Dalpe (2nd round)
2009: Phillippe Paradis (1st round) is now Jiri Tlusty, and Brian Doumoulin (2nd round) looks promising
So, that’s the track record. One or two NHL’ers from each draft is pretty much our average.
Here’s hoping for good picks in a deep draft, but now you hopefully see why some are anxious to move up into quality territory and go for the sure thing instead of simply taking lots of chances.
I agree completely with your point, but keep in mind the Canes haven’t had 4 picks in the first 2 rounds (6 in the first 3) in any of the above years. I would say that’s about double the average in fact. (we had only 1 in the first 2 rounds in 2006), Therefore I think you could extrapolate that we’d have 2- 4 NHLers from this draft.
It's gonna be a long summer.
by hockeymomof2 on Jun 22, 2010 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
Exactly right
HMof2 is right. If the draft goes well‚ 2 to 4 NHL players should come from the draft.
However if you look at the list, every single one of our 1st Round Picks in recent years has turned into (or became through trade) a legitimate NHL player. So doesn’t it make sense to trade up into the 1st Round for another sure thing?
Once you shake off the stink of ’97 and ’98 first round busts of Tselios and Heerema, and the questionable acquisition of Tanabe in ’99, we have had good success in the first round.
Other than having no first rounder in 2000 (Ozolinsh trade) or 2006 (Weight), we have consistently gotten a good performer out of the first round…except for the unfortunate 2001 Russian experiment named Igor Knyazev
But, from 2002 onward, it’s been: Ward, Staal, Ladd → Ruutu, Johnson → Gleason, Sutter, Boychuk, Paradis → Tlusty.
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