Jack Finley has signed a new contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Big kid. Hope he does well.

Cirelli replacement

Decent prospect and with that cheap of a contract might help Tampa

He really shot up the draft board. I wanted the Hawks to draft him, but he wasn't there in the 3rd. I expect him to be back in Spokane. He needs more time to develop. I'd like to see him take over that captaincy from Ty Smith. He an Beckman can continue their growth at least 1 more year there.

Really wanted the Wings to take this kid. We need all the help at Center we can get

Almost a point per game in the WHL, a 6'6 / 213 pound centremen, and one of the youngest players in the draft.

What's the knock on this kid? There has to be a reason he's a late 2nd who was ranked even lower?

Anyone know?

Tough call. I wanted the Hawks to draft him...so I do like what he brings. I didn't think he'd go in the 2nd though. From what I saw/read speed is slower than other big guys like Byfield Dach. I don't think the game is going to a PURE speed game like alot of people think, but it is going to a faster game with size. I also didn't think his hands were quite as good, but I'm going from memory. Thats why a Byfield/Dach are top 3 picks. But to be fair, Thats also a tough comp. Those two are crazy talented. For his sake I'd like to see him get 2 more years in Spokane. He's had the benefit of being on pretty good teams. Ty Smith 2x WHL dman of the year...over guys like Bowen Byram. I'd like to see him become the leader next year and take another step forward. He'll need to stay a full ppg or more too.

I think the reason TBL took him in the 2nd was because they're willing to wait the time it might take for him to fully develop. IF he does...could be a huge pick.

Big kid. Going to need some time in the AHL first though. Coming from a season ticket holder for a W team.

As a Habs fan I was destroyed when I saw the deal, convinced we were going to pick him there, but why did he got picked later in the second round?
- He centered Adam Backman the leading scorer of the WHL and only 13 points behind Rossi for the CHL lead, obviously that pumps up the stat sheet.
- His skating isn't great and that's a concern when you're picking earlier in the draft, it just seems to be a lot harder to help a bigger guy with his skating for some reason and some just never gets it up to NHL speed (RIP McCarron).
- He's tall but isn't a bulky type of guy either (He's 5 pounds lighter than Myers) and that's kind of my biggest red flag there. If the kid isn't a great skater at this weight what will happen if/when he picks up 10 or 15 pounds of core muscle? If he loses speed he becomes nothing more than a good defensive fourth liner because he won't be able to keep the pace with better opponents.

Now the overview, I love the player and would be thrilled to have him in my pool but looking around and seeing analyst compare him to Getzlaf or Hayes isn't fair. Ryan had roughly the same numbers in his draft year but I'd argue that he wasn't playing with a leading scorer like Beckman, following his draft he had 130 points in 100 games in his next two year with the Calgary Hitmen, I doubt Finley has that much of an offensive touch. A fairer comparison at this point in time should be Jordan Staal, a steady-ish 20 goal scorer because he has the size to go grind his goals in front of the net that can play on both side of the ice. Should he be predicted to be your 2C, no but can he do the work if needed, yes he could because of his two-way game. On the other side of the spectrum I'd say his floor resemble Brian Boyle, a big guy that isn't going to give you much offensive numbers but will grind out minutes and be able to get faceoffs and defensive assignments when needed, he would still be a premium fourth liner because of his size but mainly a defensive one.

I look at him as a cheap man’s Kopitar. Big guy, ok skating, good on offense. Hope he does well.