Heres some quick and unsolicited commentary!!
tfan- very interesting strategy loading up on Washinton players even after the "locks" were taken. Im curious to see how that plays out even if they take a deep run. Its a really good debate as to wether you bank on top players or throw your picks behind a team in general. I bought in late on Minny too- hard to nail down whose gonna step up in the playoffs with them being such a scoring by committee type of team but they are generally well oiled offensively- I think we might get some value out of that team! I do not believe in the Oilers but cant bet against McDavid.
Duster- I have a soft spot for your team- lol! The Bs were my dads team and they actually won the cup in the same year he passed away. I ended up with Habs by accident basically (I actually hate the habs) so I think we'll have have a grudge match going in round two. I just think the Bs are in tough after a gimme round with the Sens. Mtl/NYR is a tough enough matchup and then they run into a brick wall of Pit or Was after that. That being said if anyone can do it I hope its the B's. Also Panarin on the west doesnt hurt either- lol!
PenguinHunter- with the potent pit/anh combo. Im very jealous of your top Penguin players and then a lot of quality players dropped in anaheim after that. That bracket is wide open- I can easily see the ducks making at least the conference finals. Crosbys a beast in the post season. Stl players give you some insurance on the other side of the west and AP has kicked his game into high gear recently.
PMorrow- Interesting choices! Its unusual to see so many players for teams opposing each other in the first round- 3 sharks, 2 oilers- but that being said it should be a high scoring series- and a lot of fun to watch- lol! You ended up with so many "elite" options off teams though- Tank, Karlsson, and Gaudreau- that its hard to pigeon hole your team. If any of those teams take a legit run it will be with those guys as the main catalysts. definitely a wild card team- potential to go a lot of different ways- look forward to seeing how you fare.
Stuntman- i took SJ and Minny cause they fell but honestly I think there is no reason not to think the Hawks will be a our de force again this year. They are literally built for the playoffs and having Toews, Kane, Keith on the same playoff roster is pretty sick- lol! A few depth picks off the rangers makes sense to throw some darts at the eastern conference board but i feel like a deep blackhawk run will be the key to your roster. Vatanen a nice wild card- and Kudos to you- Im not sure Id be comfortable singling out one ducks defender. Imho- this is the roster to beat and it will take a pretty big upset to get knocked out...
EB- Loaded up with all the right Washington players! I cocked my head at that first Backstrom pick but have since re-evaluated and its pretty much the savviest early pick imho. In points only I think he could be the playoff MVP. Schwartz seems like the type of guy who kicks his game into high gear for the finals. It seems like in our draft everyone seemed to get a small part of the STL cakewithout one person totally buying in which should make the pool more competetive (interesting) if they can go relatively deep. I LOVE those Nashville picks- I really LOVE them- lol! Took a lot of cojones though- I was going to take a flyer on a last round predator but I waffled- lol! Such a bad draw for them against Chicago. Massive bragging rights if they can though- youd get an internet high five!
HockeyRobot- Definitely diversified in this draft! Ovie and Chicago goaltending are huge anchors out of each conference and definitely a good base to build on. Cant fault the top end talent off Anaheim (Perry, Rackell) or Pittsburgh (Kessel) as they are prime candidates to get to their respective conference finals (albeit with some difficulty- especially when the pens run into the caps- ugh
). I found it daunting to hone in on exactly who scores on NYR (basically why I rolled with MTL) but you took anice stab at it with Kreider- and their goaltending should be safe (although Im not confident who is their starter by the end of it). Stepan could end up being the steal of the draft if NYR goes anywhere. Hossa and goaltending give you a nice solid piece of that blackhawk pie- which should be really yummy this time of year!
FightingEmu- botched his draft with an early MTL goaltending pick and then doubled down on a habs team he hates with Patches and Radulov. Taking an injured Malkin puts the brain trusts mental faculties up to question- which was not bolstered by selecting an injured Thornton one round later?? I basically picked a winner out of each 4 team "bracket"- so Sj, Minny, Mtl, and Pitt. I dont think I committed enough to a single team but I like the names on the back of the jerseys :P
Anyways great draft guys- interested to see how this plays out!!!