Top 7 D Men Prospects

[smack]

Having a really hard time seeing what good D Men prospects might have the biggest impact the quickest and maybe how they rank . Excluding the obvious Johnsons, Russell and Letang? Read the prospect guide but just wondering what the consensus is.

Thanks!

[angelofharlem]

Well, you\'ve clearly identified the top 4. One who could make a decent impact quickly is Cory Murphy (FLA). Some other top prospects to consider: Marc Staal (NYR), Cody Franson (NAS), Jakub Kindl (DET) and Luc Bourdon (VAN).

[big_dl]

I dont see a lot of other immediate impact prospects. Murphy\'s the obvious immediate impact guy. Don\'t forget Koistinen in Nashville, there\'s a lot of other guys there and he\'s gotta make the team first but he\'s a definite option.


Marc Staal, probably wont make a big offensive impact ever. Brain Lee\'s a possibility in Ottawa but I wouldnt bet on him this year. Dobber has Coburn going off for 30+ points but I dont see it, he should get some solid pims though. Stralman in Toronto and Edler in Vancouver are also both possibilities. I dont like Bourdon a lot.

I\'d also like to throw in Nick Grossman from Dallas as a possibility.

These are just guys who have a shot ths year.

[Bluenorth]

I like Jakub Kindl fron DET, if he makes the squad, he could have an immediate impact (30-40 pts).

Oystrick from Atlanta could put up decent numbers knowing Zhitnik will mostly get hurt at some point.

I agree C. Murphy will have the biggest impact this year, he\'s very skilled for a Dman.

Blue.

[digitalmonkey]

Matt Niskanen should see a few games this season with Dallas but I don\'t expect him to stick until next season. He is the Stars\' replacement for Zubov. Also, as someone mentioned, Grossman may surprise at the NHL level. He WILL be in the Dallas lineup this season and although he\'s not known for offense, he does have some untapped offensive talent.

Take a long look at Nashville also. They seem to specialize in drafting quality d-men. Kevin Klein may get a chance to stick this season and Cody Franzen isn\'t too far behind.

Be careful with Cory Murphy; he\'s 29 years old and could be playing behind Bouwmeester in the depth chart.

Others that may be worth a gamble are:

Nathan Oysrick - Atlanta
Andrej Sekera - Buffalo
Cam Barker - Chicago
Jakub Kindl - Detroit (as someone above pointed out)
Ladislav Smid - Edmonton
Andy Greene - New Jersey
Brayden Coburn - Philadelphia
Brian Lee - Ottawa
Marc Staal - NY Rangers
Alexandre Picard - Philadelphia
Oskars Bartulis - Philadelphia
Alex Goligoski - Pittsburgh

Obviously, there are plenty of other prospects, but I just listed some of those that I think are either already playing or close to making it.

Also, I like Milan Jurcina of the Capitals. I think the Caps really like him too and should give him plenty of icetime. He\'s big and has an excellent shot and I\'m ecpecting 30+ from him this season.

[hockeypoolfanatic]

Take a look at Vishnevski in Dallas. He may be 2-3 years away but he\'s got crazy offensive upside and the heir to Zubov\'s throne.

[Number1]

Even though he plays for Columbus lets not forget about Kris Russel. Could be all star potential!!

[digitalmonkey]

Number1 wrote:

Even though he plays for Columbus lets not forget about Kris Russel. Could be all star potential!!

smack1919 wrote:

Having a really hard time seeing what good D Men prospects might have the biggest impact the quickest and maybe how they rank . Excluding the obvious Johnsons, Russell and Letang? Read the prospect guide but just wondering what the consensus is.

Thanks!

[Jason_Banks]

Grossman will be a solid Defencive D man for dalls for years to come... Excellent player... wont put up many points...

[SirKnight]

Matt Lashoff. I like this kid. He\'s a good camp away from grabbing a roster spot. AHL All Star. Pick him up, no other Boston D-men have his upside on the point (Ference, Ward, Wideman, Stuart).

[YearOfTheFish]

digitalmonkey wrote:

Also, I like Milan Jurcina of the Capitals. I think the Caps really like him too and should give him plenty of icetime. He\'s big and has an excellent shot and I\'m ecpecting 30+ from him this season.

I like him a whole lot more in Washington than Boston, that\'s for sure.

[DAW]

SirKnight wrote:

Matt Lashoff. I like this kid. He\'s a good camp away from grabbing a roster spot. AHL All Star. Pick him up, no other Boston D-men have his upside on the point (Ference, Ward, Wideman, Stuart).

I like alexandrov on boston better, than lashoff....

[SirKnight]

Take all the Russians you want, I\'ll stick to the American with 12 NHL games under his belt and an all star game on his resume. He is bigger than Yuri and has better offensive numbers.