NHL 2017 -Official Discussion Thread

[Smitty-48]

Thats the thing, everybody said that the Leafs could never handle a proper rebuild, because it would take too long, but that might have beem tru for Harold Ballard, but with Rogers and Bell, Auston Matthews money is chump change, Auston Matthews himself is the money, the money is in the content, they paid $5.3 billion for NHL rights, and then found out how much of that was actually just Leaf fans. Then something had to be done, to milk this cow even more, and couldn't be done, without doing it right, and now even a cheap bastard like me wants a Matthews sweater, but you know, I'm waiting till they make him captain.

[StCapps]

MacKinnon, Jost, Rantanen, Makar, Chabot and Zadorov, not a bad young core right there.

Duchene, Barrie, Landeskog and Johnson are expendable to bring in Chabot and upgrade elsewhere as desired, all while get a few more high end draft picks along the way. Paying salary to acquire Chabot won't be issue given cap space. Where do I sign up?

[Smitty-48]

Yeah, I went through all these kinds of scenarios when the Leafs were spiralling down, but after Nylander, Marner, and Matthews, you don't even look at other teams players anymore, it's all about the draft, because very unlikely anybody is going to trade you a top prospect for anything other than a top prospect, Drouin for Sergachev, that sort of trade, so it's one in and one out, you don't get to dump your old and expensive for their young and cheap, who is making trades like that in the cap era? Only suckahs, and who of them is even left to go to?

I could trade Nylander for Hanafin, just like that, but I don't want to give up Nylander, even for a young D, so, enter Liljegren falling into our laps, me likey.

But what's up with Rutherford? Ryan Reaves and Oscar Sundqvist, for Klim Kostin, the top ranked skater in Europe? Wow, that's a lot to pay to get a middling prospect and a goon, makes the Matt Martin signing look so much better now.

[Smitty-48]

Seriously tho, look at the skill on this kid, I mean, it's top five pick skill, maybe even top three, he might not be complete, but that is elite, it really looks like Billy Nylander from the backend...

[Smitty-48]

Heck, never mind Nylander, looking a little like Karlsson at that level, the effortless stride, the lateral movement, dancing around everybody like it ain't no thang, the rushing, the quarterbacking. D-men like that, crushing body checks don't even matter, can't catch them to hit them, and they never throw them because they always have the puck.

Leafs already had a top three powerplay this year with Marner, now throw this kid in on the second unit? Look the fuck out.

[StCapps]

A lot of teams are going to regret passing on Liljegren, especially Tampa, Las Vegas and Calgary who each picked another defensemen on the board, right before the Leafs took him. Third best D-Man on my draft board, and without the mono and trying to come back too soon from it, he would have been a top 5 pick. Should have gone in the top 10 easily, it's a steal, anyway you slice it.

The NHL Network has Petruzelli ranked at #49, if he drops 10 spots from there, you never know Smitty, but I have doubts that he makes it passed #50, but stranger things have happened.

[StCapps]

Avs take Conor Timmins at #32, not trading down, as usual. Loaded at RHD now, he's a better skater than Hague, and should have gone in the first round. No goalies other than Oettinger taken through 50 picks, the Petruzelli watch is on, another goalie should go fairly soon. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen goes #54, getting close.

Keith Petruzelli on the board with the Leafs picking, if they want him. They pass on him for Eemeli Rasanen, 6'7" 209 lbs RHD, that's one huge motherfucker on the back end.

[StCapps]

Travis Hamonic and a 4th round pick to Calgary, for a 1st round pick and two 2nd round picks.

Keith Petruzelli still on the board after 82 picks. Ostap Safin still hasn't been drafted either, both would be a steal at this point. A lot of goalies not named Keith Petruzelli have gone at this point, not sure why scouts are so low on him. Hell he could even fall to the Avs here, just 12 more spots to 94, crosses fingers, knocks on wood. But of course Detroit takes him at 88, I hate the Red Wings so much.

Safin goes one pick after some random 6'1" overage goalie gets picked by the Avs at 114, sigh. Oilers are lucky.
Fucking Sakic, drafting, get some.

[StCapps]

Apparently Makar's head coach at UMass Amherst, Greg Carvel, was an assistant coach in Ottawa during Erik Karlsson's first two seasons. Me likey.
Now it makes sense why he choose to go there, I was wondering why UMass Amherst, now I know.

[Smitty-48]

Rasanen, eh? That's interesting, at least he can actually play and is not just a 6'7" pylon. Middleton and now Rasanen, loading up on giant sized OHL defensemen. Could pay off, who knows? The draft is a total crapshoot at this point anyways, nobody knows.

He's growing into his frame, but he's got skills, I think they're shooting for a Colton Parayko type there.