Colorado Wins 1st Pick

[ShawneePanthers]

Definitely Jones #1, especially because its Colorado..

Maybe Colorado goes after Bernier in the summer??

That would be awesome - I do think Bernier has a lot of good upside, even more than Varly.

I'm not trying to bash on Varly by any means, I understand that his situation is pretty bad being with one of the league's worst teams and all - but Bernier will be better for colorado, if they can get him.

[Veritas0Aequitas]

Yes I am, get over it.

Upside-wise I just see more with Mason.

Lol "get over it" ...listen to this guy.

I've seen plenty with Mason. I think he's a fine goalie but does not have the head to be an elite tender. The biggest part of of being a successful goalie is mental. If he can't handle the pressure in Columbus, what makes you think he's going to thrive in Philadelphia?

I want NO part of Mason in Colorado, thank you. I don't want Luongo here either. He does not fit in with our youth growing together. Bernier is unproven, how is he any better than Varly? Answer: he's not!

Varly has stolen games and can steal us a couple of playoff series when we get there. He just needs some defense that doesn't consist of Matt Hunwick and Shane O'Brien in the top 4 as well as a competent coach who can implement an effective system... you know, like breaking out of the zone which we couldn't do all last year.

[JagrBomb]

i think florida is the true winner of the lottery.

they are now "forced" to pick mackinnon/drouin, and that will be a lethal combo with huberdeau for years to come. it's going to be really fun to watch the panthers soon.

you would think the avs would have learned with EJ that just because you are projected as 1st overall doesnt mean drafting a dman 1st is a good idea (yes i know STL drafted EJ, but avs did trade for him). duchene, landeskog and mackinnon/drouin would be disgusting.

anyways, i just think if jones goes to an actual rebuilding team he's gonna suck for the first few years. if he landed on a team like tampa/carolina with actual stars and a good supporting cast, it would help take pressure off him (both from the media and from being forced to produce).

just my two cents. not a draft expert but if i'm the avs I trade down to 2 or 3.

[dmvincent]

Definitely Jones, but they need more than that to turn things around.

[SeaDawg]

Jones will go first overall for sure, and would have probably done so regardless of the team selecting first, but with Colorado now picking first, this is a slam dunk. Jones has a connection to the area/team and the Avs really need Jones more than an elite forward.

That said, Jones will not have any fantasy potential for a long, long time. I honestly think he will develop his offensive game slower than even Hedman has done. Skill-wise, they are about the same, but if Hedman can't put up serious points with Stamkos and St. Louis on the team, no way Jones will do that either.

He is the right choice for the Avs, but no one should be expecting much offense from him for a long-time, if ever.

I think a great comparison for Jones is J-Bo. Once people got over the fact that he wasn't going to be an offensive star, they started to realize that he was still an extremely good dman who could play close to 30 minutes a night and carry the puck up the ice and control his own zone.

[Pengwin7]

Just caught this thread... Seth Jones to Colorado.
Very nice. The West is ripe for a bit of a turnover (with VAN aging, NAS sputtering, PHX finally in their place)... EDM & COL should be playoff fixtures very soon.

[SeaDawg]

Just caught this thread... Seth Jones to Colorado.
Very nice. The West is ripe for a bit of a turnover (with VAN aging, NAS sputtering, PHX finally in their place)... EDM & COL should be playoff fixtures very soon.

you forgot Detroit...they almost missed this year and with Datsyuk retiring after the upcoming season, I don't think they will continue their impressive playoff streak much longer

[wopap]

This will set them back a few years I think. You would think they would realize this having Johnson on their team. What's easier to obtain, a high impact elite forward or a solid stay at home defender with a bit of offensive punch?? I don't get why defencemen are valued so high in the draft.... it's a total crapshoot for them. Name me some of the best defencemen in the league and where they were drafted.

[SeaDawg]

This will set them back a few years I think. You would think they would realize this having Johnson on their team. What's easier to obtain, a high impact elite forward or a solid stay at home defender with a bit of offensive punch?? I don't get why defencemen are valued so high in the draft.... it's a total crapshoot for them. Name me some of the best defencemen in the league and where they were drafted.

I agree with this. I don't really know why the big, lanky, rangy dmen are so coveted at the draft. I think it is the "Chris Pronger" syndrome. Everyone wants to grab that big dman who still has potential to grow and develop. When at the top of his game, no one was better at controlling the game than Pronger. He had so much value that now teams are chasing the "next" Pronger.

Personally, I don't think any of the big dmen drafted early after Pronger have been nearly as nasty as he was, which is why none of them will dominate the way Pronger did in his prime.

[Loch]

This will set them back a few years I think. You would think they would realize this having Johnson on their team. What's easier to obtain, a high impact elite forward or a solid stay at home defender with a bit of offensive punch?? I don't get why defencemen are valued so high in the draft.... it's a total crapshoot for them. Name me some of the best defencemen in the league and where they were drafted.

Top 11 D-men (points) ordered by draft position:
Suter 7 1st
Phaneuf 9 1st
Kronwall 29 1st
PK 43 2nd
Weber 49 2nd
Letang 62 3rd
Franson 79 3rd
Yandle 105 4th
Markov 162 6th
Byfuglien 245 8th
Timonen 250 10th

Compared to the top 12 forwards (there was a tie at 10, 11, 12)
Stamkos 1 1st
Crosby 1 1st
Ovechkin 1 1st
P. Kane 1 1st
Hall 1 1st
E. Staal 2 1st
Kessel 5 1st
Getzlaf 19 1st
Ribeiro 45 2nd
Datsyuk 171 6th
Kunitz undraftet undrafted
St. Louis undraftet undrafted


Hmmm... looks like lottery picks are better used on forwards (actually it proves nothing, it just really looks that way)

[Carcillo]

you forgot Detroit...they almost missed this year and with Datsyuk retiring after the upcoming season, I don't think they will continue their impressive playoff streak much longer

They're moving to East though.

[SeaDawg]

They're moving to East though.

ah shit...forgot about that...thanks for the reminder

[4T2]

i think florida is the true winner of the lottery.

they are now "forced" to pick mackinnon/drouin, and that will be a lethal combo with huberdeau for years to come. it's going to be really fun to watch the panthers soon.

you would think the avs would have learned with EJ that just because you are projected as 1st overall doesnt mean drafting a dman 1st is a good idea (yes i know STL drafted EJ, but avs did trade for him). duchene, landeskog and mackinnon/drouin would be disgusting.

anyways, i just think if jones goes to an actual rebuilding team he's gonna suck for the first few years. if he landed on a team like tampa/carolina with actual stars and a good supporting cast, it would help take pressure off him (both from the media and from being forced to produce).

just my two cents. not a draft expert but if i'm the avs I trade down to 2 or 3.

I agree with praba here.

Jones goes first.

Huberdeau with either Drouin or MacKinnon is sick, but even sicker is the leftover lining up with Stamkos!

[SeaDawg]

...even sicker is the leftover lining up with Stamkos!

oh yeah...Stamkos found his new line-mate for when St. Louis retires!

assuming Drouin goes to Florida, I wonder if MacKinnon will be ok playing as a winger in the NHL?