de Haan, Rundblad, etc.

[jman]

There's been a lot of threads regarding ranking dmen from the 09 draft focusing mainly on Ellis, OEL, and Kulikov.

How do these guys rank with the 3 aformentioned?

de Haan
Leddy
Rundblad
Moore
Erixon
and what the hell, Cowen.

Thank you.

[PrairieDog]

Rundblad
Moore
de Haan
Leddy
Erixon
Cowan

[jman]

plus, where does elliot fit in this mix?

[PrairieDog]

plus, where does elliot fit in this mix?

I'd probably put him right after de Haan...

[ultrawhiteness]

solid list. i think personally i would draft Kulikov first, and I wouldn't ever draft Cowen or Erixon.

Erixon is years off. years!

[jman]

Kulikov over Ellis and OEL as well?

[ultrawhiteness]

Kulikov over Ellis and OEL as well?

ya, i like him over OEL who i see as more of a complete "real life" puckmover, but not necessarily an automatic fantasy gem... like say ottawa's erik karlsson.

and while Ellis has a much higher upside, i'm not as confident as some that he'll have an easy transition to the NHL... and it for sure will take a few years to happen. whereas Kulikov has opportunity and is reportedly NHL ready right now.

[Chicleteur]

ya, i like him over OEL who i see as more of a complete "real life" puckmover, but not necessarily an automatic fantasy gem... like say ottawa's erik karlsson.

and while Ellis has a much higher upside, i'm not as confident as some that he'll have an easy transition to the NHL... and it for sure will take a few years to happen. whereas Kulikov has opportunity and is reportedly NHL ready right now.

Yeah, I should have drafted Kulikov instead of Ellis in the Comish Dynasty... You don't know I often I changed my mind between them.

[jman]

I think I like him better than Ellis. But I'm unsure of him vs. OEL. The Russian factor burnt me hard before (Radulov) and I can't help be a bit on edge about Russians.

The real question for me is de Haan. The Islanders are famous for screwing up but the guy tweeks my interest.

Rundblad: I like his offense but doesn't he have EJ and Pietrangelo ahead of him on the PP?

Moore: I like his situation in Columbus. Not much in front of him for PPQBs aside from Russel really. Or am I missing someone?

The other guys I'm not too keen on.

Thank you for te replies.

[fungchen3]

Out of those guys, I like OEL and Ellis the best.

OEL will be a stud, log tons of minutes and will contribute offensively.

Ellis has the potential to be one of the best fantasy defensemen (outside of Green) in a while IMO.

[PrairieDog]

Rundblad: I like his offense but doesn't he have EJ and Pietrangelo ahead of him on the PP?

True - but the Blues will also have about half a dozen young stars up for new contracts in the next few years - they are going to have to trade a couple of them to fit under the cap because you know some of them are going to want big bucks, and I could see one of them moving - especially with Rundblad & Cole coming up.

[First Round Pick]

True - but the Blues will also have about half a dozen young stars up for new contracts in the next few years - they are going to have to trade a couple of them to fit under the cap because you know some of them are going to want big bucks, and I could see one of them moving - especially with Rundblad & Cole coming up.

But if those guys prove themselves, why move them so early in their careers and start over again? I know it's more about an embarassment of riches for St. Louis prospects than anything else, but why would they move a guy like Pietrangelo just to get Rundblad minutes?

I don't think EJ moves anywhere at all, neither will Oshie, so that would leave Berglund, Perron, Pietrangelo on a youth "move list" with Rundblad, Cole and Eller coming up (just looking at the high-end talent, I know their positions don't match up). In the cap world after 3 years you have to pay top $ to keep those RFA's, we're in agreement there. It's going to be a tough call.

Kariya and Colaiacovo are UFA's while Perron and EJ are both RFA's at the end of the year. My bet is EJ will get close to Kariya numbers if he's healthy ($5-6 M per year) and Colaiacovo will hit the market, that's just my feeling right now. Perron is the wild card here, he's gifted offensively but what's his potential niche with the club? Boyes and McDonald are signed long term. So is St. Louis prepared to pay the price up front to find out where he fits?

I'll go out on a fairly big limb here and say that he has a potential Kessel-type battle shaping up.

EDIT: My bad, I got a wee bit off topic.

My list by the way:

Moore: best situation, very good offensive skills, good development curve
Rundblad: great offensive d, risk taker, insurance in case Pietrangelo doesn't perform
De Haan: great situation, will he continue to develop as quickly now
Leddy
Erixon
Cowen