2014 NHL Draft Q & A [Dean Youngblood]

[mounD]

No replies for 4-5 days. This thread looks pretty dead.

[keytolife]

Dean, non Fantasy question but since you know quite a bit more than i do about this years crop. Which of the potential #1 guys would fit best for the plans of my Panthers or do you think trading the pick is the best option?
Best regards
key

[Zorro]

1)Points only, no salary, no positional requirements, long term.................. Bennett or Palat ??

2) Will Ekblad be a 30, 40, 50, or 60 point dman in his prime??

[plug]

1)Points only, no salary, no positional requirements, long term.................. Bennett or Palat ??

2) Will Ekblad be a 30, 40, 50, or 60 point dman in his prime??

This I would like also... Dean... Dean.... Come back dean!

[SteelCity14]

Lol, this thread should've been locked like the June 3-4 mailbag was. It was a great thread when open tho.

[Dean Youngblood]

Thanks for the answer on my previous question Dean! Another quick one:

-Domi, Lazar and Wennberg are still available in my keeper points only league. Where do you rank them with the 2014 prospects?

Thanks!

Domi's upside is still intriguing but he took a step back this year for me. I'd put Domi still in the Top 15 but he'd end up behind guys like Fiala, Perlini for me. Wennberg would be ranked in the same area as he went last year. Similar to a guy like Perlini IMO. Lazar would move up...probably have him in the Top 10. Kid's going to be a great player.

[Dean Youngblood]

Love your insight Ross, thanks for doing this.

I've got the third overall pick in our FA draft this fall and I'm considering my options at this point.

Palat, T. Johnson and Kucherov are going to be draft options at my pick. Where would you rank them in comparison to the 2014 draft class (points only here).

Also, considering the top 3-4 centers in this draft class, do you foresee any of them making a move to the wing at the NHL level. I know it's tough to predict this, but do any of them have a history of playing wing or have any shortcomings that might make a move to the wing more likely. Our league counts FW, so drafting centers that stay there is important.

Keep up your solid work!

I'd still have Bennett, Reinhart and Draisaitl ahead of those three. Draisaitl has experience on the wing but I'm sure the team who drafts him will want him to remain at C

[Dean Youngblood]

Which prospects do you feel have top pairing potential on the blueline outside AE and HF ?

Good question. I actually think AE and HF end up as Top 4 defensemen but there's a chance they become top pairing. Jullius Honka, Jack Dougherty, Roland McKeown, Jack Glover and Travis Sanheim are all guys who will play in all situations so they'll have a chance to become a top pairing.

Honka is one defenseman I really like. He's small but he's extremely competitive.

[Dean Youngblood]

Hey Ross, thanks for doing this again this year, I got some good ideas for later drafting from your last year's thread. This year's question:

In one of my points-only keepers, I've got the 7th and 13th overall picks this year, and have just finished a complete re-tooling. I'm pretty happy with my young roster going forward, so anyone I draft will have to bump someone from the roster to make it through next year. Who would you target with those picks? This year's crop, and a few decent left-overs from previous years: Jurco, A Lee, Morin, JT Miller, Mark Stone, Poirier, Vey, Rakell, Samuelsson, Namestnikov, as well as Gelinas, De Haan, Morrissey, Clendening, Theodore and Severson on D. Do any of these kids make the 7th or 13th pick? Or who would you target out of this year's bunch?

Thanks again!

Samuelsson, Poirier, Morrissey, Gelinas, Theodore, Clendening are all worthy of those picks as most of these guys are closer to making an impact.

i'd keep an eye on wild card guys like Jake Virtanen, Ehlers, Fabbri, Nylander, Fiala, Kapanen, Ho-Sang. Any of these guys could still be available and their upsides are very attractive.

[Dean Youngblood]

DY, I own the 2nd, 3rd, and 11th picks in the first round of my draft coming up on June 5th. The league is a standard multi-cat + FW, Hits, BLKs. I'm almost positive that one of the Sams will be drafted first overall, so I'll be selecting the other Sam with the 2nd pick. I'm just not sure where I should go from there. I really like Draisaitl, and in a league with these categories Centers are a bit more valuable; however, guys like Nylander and Ehlers are REALLY intriguing with their offensive upside.

Assuming no glaring deficiencies at any particular position, who would you select at #3 overall in my spot? Also, with respect to the 11th pick: do you think that's too high to pick a guy like Kevin Fiala? Or would Virtanen be a better selection if he were available? THANKS SO MUCH for doing this, DY. We all really appreciate this.

Flip a coin with Nylander vs Draisaitl. Nylander has a huge upside but he's going to need some coaching. In saying that, Draisaitl is the guy I'd take. Like his upside and I feel he's very close to making the NHL

No, picking Fiala at 11th isn't crazy at all. However, I'd give the edge to Virtanen...kid can skate and few can score goals like him. In the end, do you want a playmaker (Fiala) or sniper (Virtanen)?

[Dean Youngblood]

Thanks Dean,

Who are this years best previously undrafted prospects?

Kulda is one, who else?

Kulda is one...

Gavin Bayreuther - offensive defenseman
Hunter Smith - massive power forward
Lucas Wallmark - skilled forward
Hunter Garlent - may not get picked but I really like
Matt Iacopelli - high scoring forward with size

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You would really rank Reinhart below Nylander, Ehlers and Draisaitl in a points only league?

In fantasy yes but it's not by a wide margin

[Dean Youngblood]

I have the 2nd overall pick. Currently I'm only doing research on Bennett, Reinhart and Draisaitl. I want a combination of high NHL certainty and good upside, so I haven't even considered anyone else. We don't use PIM or FW, so most of the rankings don't really apply. Most of our skater stats are about offense (G, A, Pt, STP) but we also have two stats I'd like to hear from you regarding these players: hits and TOI-SH. How would you rank those three players keeping these stats in mind? And is there anyone else I should consider? (We also have +/- and blocked shots but you can't really predict +/- and I'm not expecting my forwards to block a lot of shots.)

Of course points are the most important thing but I think these three have similar upside, so I'm curious to hear if anyone has a clear advantage or disadvantage in hits or TOI-SH. And by clear advantage I don't mean 60 hits vs 80 hits. More like 20 hits vs 150 hits. Also, is Reinhart the most likely to play in the NHL this fall or do they all have a good chance to do so?

I posted a reply here earlier but I can't find it anymore. And I never got a reply. Weird.

I like Sam Bennett here but you really can't go wrong with any of the three. Bennett is highly competitive and isnt afraid to throw the body. Doesn't hurt that he's got some tantalizing upside too.

Sam Reinhart is a high-certainty forward too.

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Hey Dean,

Thanks as always. Not sure if you can answer this, but how would you rate college prospects that were recently signed to teams in comparisons to players in this draft? Guys like Folin, Carr, Bodie, Carpenter, who played well in NCAA have a few more years, but how would they rate.

Sorry tgraveline, I'd be lying if I said I knew much about the college group

[Dean Youngblood]

Who are you're "red flag" players? Guys who are highly rated but you want no part of?

Good question. Compared to some of the draft hype they're receiving, some players who don't really get me excited for fantasy are Brendan Perlini, Jared McCann and Josh Ho-Sang. Now saying that, there's a time and a place to select these guys. But, I'm not as high as others on them. That's the biggest thing, determining where they should slot in because they're certainly not duds.

Others include: Nick Schmaltz, Eric Cornel, Spencer Watson, Ryan MacInnis. I've got these guys slated lower than most. But like you said, it's pretty wide open so I feel as though there's an argument for and against these players.

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No replies for 4-5 days. This thread looks pretty dead.

Sorry guys. I always have other commitments

[Dean Youngblood]

Dean, non Fantasy question but since you know quite a bit more than i do about this years crop. Which of the potential #1 guys would fit best for the plans of my Panthers or do you think trading the pick is the best option?
Best regards
key

Aaron Ekblad would be their guy if they keep the pick. Or at least should be. William Nylander or Nikolaj Ehlers would be solid options if they traded down as they need some skilled wingers. Hard to say if trading down is the best option without knowing what they'd give.

I'd say that if they think they can land Nylander or Ehlers by trading down that it'd probably be worth pursuing.

[Dean Youngblood]

1)Points only, no salary, no positional requirements, long term.................. Bennett or Palat ??

2) Will Ekblad be a 30, 40, 50, or 60 point dman in his prime??

1. Bennett
2. 40-50 with the maybe his career year being mid-50s. Think Ryan Suter type of production

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Lol, this thread should've been locked like the June 3-4 mailbag was. It was a great thread when open tho.

Good thing you aren't a mod