How often does a player make the NHL right away as a 3rd overall? I don’t think very often at all, Kotkaniemi did but he probably shouldn’t have. Tkachuk was a 4th overall and he played well as a rookie but probably cuz he already had the body and physicality for the NHL. To be fair, Hughes and Kakko didn’t have good years either. The whole draft class is too small and still need to put on muscle

Ottawa wont trade guys like formenton and batherson, dach has tons of potential but formenton and batherson are extreamly important pieces to our rebuild. if anything we will trade chalapik, abramov, davidson, guys like that.

norris, formenton, batherson are "not untoucable" but close enough.

Couldn’t agree more! That’s a big issue I have with teams these days. Sure, the ones who go straight to the nhl in the last few years have been good, mostly. Hischier and Patrick has decent rookie years in 2017. Dahlin was great, svechnikov definitely showed he stuck, kotkaniemi, as you said, was okay but poor mostly, and Tkachuk was fantastic in 2018. Hughes and kakko both adjusted poorly but made some strides, but not like Dach, who showed good ability on defense and that he could take lumps this year.

That all being said, while Dach showed he could hack it, I still think he needed a year to grow offensively. In the W, he was never an offensive force statistically. His best was 73 points in 62 games. Not bad, but I’m pretty sure that wasn’t even top ten that year. Every one of those players I named that went straight to the nhl, every one of them, even kotkaniemi, outscored Dach.

I don’t disagree with anyone about Dach looking good this year, but I’m just saying it’s not unanimous. He looked great on defense, and showed promise on offense, but he definitely didn’t excel on offense.

I respect that. I like your guys’ prospect pool. If anything that at least gives me a clear answer on the trade too. Cheers.

Oh jeez here you go again. "If he ever learns" as if the guy has been playing a few years in the NHL. He's 64 games into his career and you crap all over him. Strome is just as bad at faceoffs and also doesn't have a shot and doesn't have near the talent of Dach, so if I were you, I'd shift your frustrations to strome the guy that's 5 years older and will be hitting the Hawks cap at $3M more per year starting next year.

Takes more then speed; look at Fortin...guy has some of the best wheels in the league but other then that....well??

Lol, never said I was a fan of strome either. Actually, I’m pretty I’ve mentioned how much I dislike him since we traded for him. 😉😉

1000% he does, anyone suggesting otherwise is bad at evaluating hockey talent

Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you comparing formenton to fortin? Cuz with respects, there is no comparison. Formenton is light years ahead of fortin.

My big issue has been how all those centres with high potential, haven’t lived up to expectations the last few years. Strome, Patrick, Glass, Steel, Borgstrom, Vilardi, Mittelstdt, Kotkaniemi, etc. I’m not doubting their potentials as top 2C on their team but they’ve all struggled their first 2 years in the league

So focus there. Dach is going to be night and day better then strome. Also, pretty sure Dach got at least one goal off a deflection in the front of the net, in fact I'm pretty sure he had 2 goals standing in front. He had 64 games and 23 points. Had a very rough drought adjusting after the first few games he played but the last 20 games he had 12 points and played under 15 minutes per game, that's pretty darn good for rookie. Faceoffs he can work on and like someone else said, rarely does a rookie come into the show and do well with faceoffs. His shot can be worked on, it's not brutally bad like you make it. He needs to put some pace on it for sure, but he's a net front guy, not a shooter and we need that plain and simple. How do you think Toews got so many points during his career?

I'm saying, speed guys are great IF they have great puck handling which a lot don't. Kappanen is another example of this, overskates a lot and loses the puck despite lighting quick speed. Kap is working on it and getting better and I think he can get better on his puck/stick skills. Point is, there are a ton of fast guys that never make the show. Skaters need to show a lot more then speed and a shot as you know, so no I'm not yet sold on formenton and mainly because speed guys look great in the AHL that is much slower and often come up and look bad in the NHL...aka Fortin....aka Bracco.

Why commit to a rebuild just to trade Dach?

Dach looks better then those guys hands down. I think a couple of those guys you mentioned will turn into busts large in part. I was totally against the Dach pick but after watching him for 20 games, I see what the Hawks scouts see and why Colorado and Anaheim wanted Dach; the kid is extremely smart on the ice, great vision, not afraid to use his body, he's tough on the puck, goes to the dirty areas, plays D....really a complete 200 ft player...that shocked me. I'm not saying he's going to be Toews, but looks very similar in the way he approaches his game minus needing work on faceoffs and needing more pace on his shot.

If the Hawks get lucky and draft a guy like Holtz, Dach/Holtz will be a dangerous combo for years to come and won't matter if they are 1st or 2nd line guys.

You’re not wrong with the names you listed. I don’t judge potential as a black and white issue either. Plenty of factors go into it. Dach made good strides with his defensive play this year. That was what he was sold on, and it showed. His offensive was heavily inconsistent though. That showed in the W as well. Point is, given his great defensive play, and his inconsistent offensive play (with plenty of room to grow granted), I’ll ask you. What’s his potential look like?

My low end for him is Jordan staal. Still very good. My high end for him Is closer to Ryan o’reilly, especially if he fixes faceoffs. I don’t get the getzlaf comparison because I still don’t see the offensive upside yet.

That depends, are you saying that toews got the vast majority of points in front of the net? I’m not saying he didn’t, but Jesus man, toews has had a great wrist for years and years. He is strong in front of the net, that got him points, but he’s always had a good shot.

I was gonna say, I’ve seen a lot of formenton and he’s got great puck control. Not elite, but exactly what he needs as a speedster. Fortin is just, well I don’t know, but he’s no where near formenton. Formenton has 25 goal potential for Ottawa if they use him correctly.

I think Holtz if he’s there, you don’t hesitate. But Lundell could be a Toews replacement. Flip Strome for a Dman and I think this team can be super solid longterm.

Toews got a majority of points being in front of the net not with his shot at the points. Toews always had a good shot no doubt, but again, Dach can work on it...the kid is just a kid. Let him turn 21 before you fry him. Dach is right now the best center out of that draft year plain and simple.

Yeah, if the Hawks draft Lundell, then you flip strome no doubt for a top 3 LHD as our right side is pretty well solidified.

Not sure who will be better, Lundell or Dach but my money would be on Dach. Needless to say, they would be a big two way 1/2 punch on the first and second lines. For the next few years though, you'll probably have Toews, Dach, Lundell, but Toews is going to regress and slow down and end up as a 3C hopefully when we re-sign him for his last contract before he retires.

If we get Holtz, that would be amazing. Either way, I agree the Hawks are in pretty darn good position to be a solid team for awhile with Dach, Boqvist, Mitchell, Cat, Kubalik, Beaudin, Holtz/Lundell and maybe even Nylander pulls it together. Then you've got a couple other really interesting D propects like Regula and Vlasic who could really pan out.

I put together a mock draft today that I think is interesting if Sanderson jumps up into the top 6 then Holtz, Perfetti, Raymond may all be available to the Hawks if they stay at the #9 position.

I get it, I do, you make good points and he is a kid. Just a flippin kid. But I swear to god, people have to stop saying he’s the best center/player in a draft a year on! Especially when asking to hold judgement for two more years. Jesus Christ! It’s like devils fans saying they got the best center in 2017 a year after the fact only for pettersson to make him look like a joke in 2018.

I’m sorry, I’m not trying to come off mad or anything. I’m just venting...

Dach RIGHT NOW is the best center in last year's draft....that's okay HatterT that he is; it's a fact. Things change quickly in the first 3 to 5 years so we will see, but to be upset with Dach right now is anti-hawks fan...so far the pick looks hands down like the best pick the Hawks could have made at 3. Turcotte, again...i know the family and watched the kid grow up on the ice, would have been demolished in the NHL had he'd played...much like Kotkeniemi. I'm pretty sure he will struggle next year in the NHL much like Dach did at times this past season. Will Turcotte be better in 3 to 5 years...quite possibly and really hoping he does succeed but as of right now, Dach is the best so zero sense in trading him.

If I can just be a little tongue in cheek for a second, if the hawks draft lundell, I swear my buddy from St. Louis is gonna call me and ask why the hawks wanna be the blues so bad.

The prospect pool does look strong, especially the defense. Offense could use another draft of restocking. The only thing that scares me is a division with Colorado for the next ten years. I doubt holtz or Raymond drops far enough for us given their upside, but perfetti seems to keep slipping...

Simply put, yes he is the best NOW. Nothing is wrong with that.

Depends on where the Hawks draft and what the NHL does. If it's a 24 team playoffs that they do, my guess it becomes a 7 team lottery and whoever gets knocked out first grabs the 8 spot, so forth and so on. If say Montreal and Hawks both get swept, then regular season record will dictate. Point being, Hawks could get through the first round and we end up drafting 15th or they could get swept and draft 8 at which point the Hawks have a real shot at Holtz or Perfetti is my guess as Raymond gets taken by MTL or Buffalo.

Here's to hoping this is the case and the Oilers sweep the Hawks although at least we get to watch 3 games again!