LGR4GM

Again, I don't like Pronman. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5538240/2024/06/07/nhl-draft-2024-blackhawks-demidov-levshunov/ I am taking pieces and leaving out context FTR. However, Pronman constantly and repeatedly refers to Ivan Demidov's size as one of his biggest issues. He also at one point talks about Levshunov being Burns or Karlsson (which I do not see and the ppl I read do not see). His evaluation just feels flawed based on his very real size bias. That isn't to say that Levshunov cannot end up better than Demidov but that if your logic is that Demidov is 3inches shorter so he can't be good (which is basically Pronman's point) that just seems like over valuing 1 data point. For example, Pronman ranked Zach Benson 17th overall in his final rankings. In his upside rankings (basically if he were to project every player out to their very best versions) he put Benson 26th. This is all to say that if you really want to understand the draft you need to A. read multiple evaluations from scouts (4-7) and you need to know some of the tendencies of those scouts. For example Pronman who far overvalues size compared to things like IQ and Compete. However if you are under 6ft and are an excellent skater, he ignores other issues and is perfectly good with you. He basically believes all small players have to be elite level dynamic skaters. Just something to keep in mind since I know a lot of ppl read the Athletic.

Sidenote: there are rumblings on the interwebs that Montreal really likes Sennecke. Take it with a grain of salt cuz it's rumor season.

Mock draft I just made. Not rankings.

Well... *****.

Mock draft: 1. Celebrini - Sharks 2. Demidov - Hawks 3. Levshunov - Ducks 4. Silayev - Jackets 5. Iginla - Habs 6. Buium - Utah 7. Lindstrom - Sens 8. Dickinson - Kraken 9. Yakemchuk - Flames 10. Sennecke - Devils 11. Catton - Sabres 12. Greentree - Flyers 13. Parekh - Wild 14. Eiserman - Sharks 15. Nygard - Wings 16. Jiricek - Blues

I felt like I was but events at the job have taken that away.

In what way?

Let's talk about Brandsegg-Nygard Micahel Brandsegg-Nygard is a 6'1" 198lbs RW/LW, #28: A lot of you want a stout, hard to play against, physical, middle 6 guy with skill. Okay, here is Nygard, you're welcome. Easiest one of these I have written yet, moving on. Kidding. Nygard is a physical player with a very hard and accurate shot. He can score from range but also has the physical ability to work in close and hold off defenders to clean up trash around the net. His skating is powerful and pretty good which helps him get to where he wants, aka he is hard to knock off the puck or out of position. He also seems to relish contact, he just physically seems to push guys around and he plays in a men's league, the Swedish AHL equivalent. That said, he isn't going out of his way to make hits or be physical, he just plays that way. If he can hit you, he will. If he can throw a reverse hit, he will. If he can cut your hands and drive on you, he will. He is a straightforward middle 6 guy with a booming shot and the ability to shutdown plays and start or lead the breakout. No complaints. So why isn't our friend from Norway higher? Well, he's not overly creative in any sense of the word. He has some ability to manipulate defenders but it isn't his go to. He takes mostly what he can get either through being physically better (his skating helps here too) or by finding soft spots where he can help teammates. His ability to get in a shooting position or crash the net his great, but this isn't a guy like Tuch or ROR where he has some of those nifty handles that can help him solve problems in the offensive zone. He's a very safe player, by next year (2025) he can probably slot into your bottom 6 and he will do just fine. In an ideal world with his shot, you could pair him with Benson and have a very well rounded line where Benson can be the manipulator and Nygard can maintain possession, shoot, or be a give and go option. He could even get you 25g and 25a down the line. I think in the playoffs, his level of grit and his size would be real assets on the PK and closing out games. The issue? Do you want to spend an 11oa pick on a 50pt middle 6 guy who may only end up as a 15g,20a 3rd line winger? Or do you want to spend it on say Eiserman who might be a 40g scorer and a potential first line player in 5 years? Keep in mind Nygard is going to be 19 in October, so he is old for his class. The decision is what do you want to value as an org? The high floor but most likely lower ceiling, or the high ceiling or lower floor because at 11, all the guys fit those categories whether we talk Nygard, Eiserman, Dickinson, Yakemchuk, Helenius, Connolly, Sennecke etc... all I can say is I agree with everyone, Nygard is going to be an NHL player but how high he can play is my question. If he had more playmaking and stickhandling, I would feel better but he reminds me a bit of JJP in terms of the N/S game but with more physicality and less dangling ability. Hard to gauge but for Buffalo, considering their pool, I might lean into Nygard as a guy who down the road could play with Benson - Östlund - Nygard.

Teddy Stiga 5'10" LW, #8: First, he plays on a line with James Hagens and James Hagens is probably in the conversation for the 1st overall pick in 2025. I mention that because Stiga has help and that includes fellow 2024 options Eiserman, Plante, Hutson, and Ziemer. That all said let's talk about Teddy because I noticed him throughout the year but finally sat down to look at him and I kinda fell a little bit in love. There is a play in the highlights below that blows my mind. It starts at 1:46 mark and Stiga breaks into the zone and drives the net with a defender in front of him. At first I thought he screwed up the shot and it just rebounded to Hagens but nope. Stiga corrals a pass in his skates, fakes a shot, then does this nice little slip pass back to Hagens. I have no idea how he knew Hagens was even there but it is a perfect pass. His shot in underrated IMPO as I think he releases really well. He has some of that Benson battle that I love where he just always seems to end up with the correct leverage to win puck battles. Watch some clips, you will see him win pucks and then drive inside, he does lack the elite layer of manipulation that Benson has and I think his overall handling skills are certainly less. Still, Stiga just seems to end up with pucks on his stick either from his excellent checking or simply because he's really smart. He knows what to do with those pucks as well, again refer to that earlier clip. Now Stiga needs to improve his skating, not because it is bad, he's got good edges and ok balance but if you watch him sprint, you will notice the lack of extension so he is shorting himself more speed. Also his handling is average as in he can handle but this isn't a guy like Sennecke who can just put it on a string and weave through you. Also, he is 5'10"... I think he'll measure 5'11" but either way that means he doesn't have the most weight to throw around so parts of his game may be harder to translate. All that said, I think the brain he has with the rest of his skills, even if not elite, point to a middle 6 player who connects on whatever line you want him. At 43, I think he is more than worth it. He has enough skills that his high end hockey sense will make up for any other short commings especially with his motor. Jett Luchanko 5'11" C, #7: Where Stiga plays with a future top 2 draft pick, Luchanko plays with... umm overager Braeden Bowman? Not a lot of talent left on Guelph after a certain Bruins prospect didn't come back. Good news is that if you watched the U18s, Luchanko was there and did pretty good even as he was used more as a checking line type as opposed to an offensive catalyst. His game is built on his skating, which is quite good. He has good speed, nice edges, decent balance. He is also willing to engage physically and use his body to gain position and then make a play. Making plays is his game as he tends to pass more than shoot and you will see lots of nifty little touch passes or dekes and passes to help him do this. He has a decent shot but nothing special there IMPO and even with his excellent passing, I don't feel he has some spidey-sense level to his reads. He will probably get drafted higher than Stiga and with an August 21 bday, he is only about 3 weeks shy of being 2025 eligible so we should consider that. Still, I question his abilities to a degree. He can facilitate plays for sure but I never really feel he is dictating them in the offensive zone. If you catch some glimpses of his defensive work, that is really good and you can see him cut plays off or win battles and start transitions usually with a nice pass. Overall I find him to be fine but he never really brings that something extra and considering he is a 2nd round option, that isn't overly surprising. Buffalo could do worse in the 2nd and if you believe his young age gives him more runway, take him and let him simmer. In 3-5 years you may get a really good skating middle 6 forward.

Hate my job

Go Dawgs, also, lol Diggs

You like the misleading headline? We actually don't know what most teams are spending cuz ufa season hasn't started.

I watch a lot less than I used to. Mostly just the guys that I find interesting now. EPs guide is great. I think their game reports really give you a feel for players. Their let's watch series is fantastic too.

Not really. Labatt USA is a brand under a larger umbrella which also owns Genny. FIFCO is the parent company. I can tell you that genesee beer has a mild following as a large craft brewery at least as far as Georgia. They seem to be consolidating some things judging by the Rochester investment the state is making. Sounds like genesee is doing good. https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-50-million-modernization-project-146-year-old-genesee-brewery

I am asking how you and who you move from line 2 to line 3. Benson and Skinner?

Oh, I wouldn't quite say that. We may not, but I wouldn't say that in June.

Unless one is part of a trade going out, I don't see how the Sabres bring in a 2W. Where would they play? Are you demoting Skinner, Benson, JJP, Quinn, or Tuch? Actually, which 2 are you putting on the 3rd line, keeping in mind the chances of Zach Benson being worse in 2024 are basically 0. Adams could surprise us with a blockbuster trade, I just haven't seen him be motivated to do that since he decided on his core.

I think Quinn is smarter, grittier, and better in every aspect of the game compared to Peterka with the exception of perhaps JJP is faster. This board WILDLY downplays Quinn's grit because instead of big hits, he does much subtler things to separate his opposition from the puck and gain body position.

My guess? They produce super low quality crap because it is cheap. They used the savings to bid high on these contracts with sports leagues who also see a bump in profit because Fanatics is smart enough to give them some of that cheap savings goodness. Sports leagues are run by morons for the most part who only think in dollars and cents so they see the increased profit on a fanatics jersey over an adidas one and think, WIN! Of course the market could dictate otherwise, at some point quality matters more than price and I know I specifically just bought a jersey because I won't buy fanatics anything. In the end it is basically NHL, MLB etc... saying "what are fans going to do? more money for us" and fanatics being like "yea dog!" My go to brand for hockey stuff is 47 brand apparel. They always make a good quality product and their shirts and sweaters are awesome.

The team should have been good last year and Adams should have made that happen. I don't give a flying rat***** anymore about timelines, either Adams gets us in the playoffs or Terry sells the team and we burn the front office down. Enough is enough. If Kevyn Adams is on some mythical timeline of Devon Levi being good, fire his sorry loser ass into the sun along with Terry's. This team didnt miss the playoffs because of Devon Levi. They missed the playoffs because of Adams incompetence, Granato's stupidity, and a team full of privileged children who thought they just had to show up and would make the playoffs.

Remember if you want a jersey to buy it now because they are about to be trash "Fanatics is expected to start producing their own jerseys in time for 2026-27."

I do. Of course if Quinn has another year where he can't stay healthy that will change because the best ability is availability What? We didn't make the playoffs last because we were absolutely atrocious at generating HD chances and at scoring goals due to Granato destroying the system he built and making our transition game non existent. Levi didn't do that.