I generally try to be cordial in expressing my opinion on this site, but that EDM deal is some next level idiot ****.

You absolutely aren't getting Helleson back.

Van is not giving up picks when were rebuilding

But you can't 100% convince yourself that Ken Holland wouldn't do it. Also, this is mostly me making fun of the Oilers, so you can safely ignore that if you want

But I neeeeeds him

Yeah that's kinda fair

Hahaha, I need him more though! We already gave you our sweet baby angel Josh Manson!

Take the 2nd out and the Canucks will probably do it (unless a team offers a 2nd)

Deal, no take back

switch out Helleson for Thrun though and we can both party!

were you a Thrun over LaCombe guy?

At one point...I had them both pretty much on par with each other (in different ways), but I'm definitely a "The more darts you throw at the board, the better chance you have of one of them hitting the bullseye".

Every year this type of thing happens, so I can't get too worked up about it, but I'd still like both.

I'm honestly not really familiar with either of them not going to lie, I certainly follow the juniors guys over the college ones

Lacombe is *probably* the better of the two, but they're both fairly solid. You're not getting Adam Fox out of either, but both are likely perfectly competent NHLers at the end of the day.

And I don't really blame Thrun...he's going to inevitably sign with a team that doesn't have a bunch of higher end LD prospects that are going to be fighting it out over the next 2-3 years. A clearer path to the NHL is a perfectly reasonable reason to sit back and wait.

add him to Klinger to Seattle for their 2023 1st

I see him as a nice sweetener to either Seattle Boston or Vegas if we make a trade with those guys

Semi-off topic, but I think Seattle would be a nice spot for Rico, TBH.

haven't thought about that as a Rico spot

Ive mainly thought either Colorado Vegas or even Boston but Seattle could make sense

Rico for Geekie and 2023 1st maybe?

edit: what about Carolina, probably could add them to that list

Seattle makes sense IMO because they're sitting 30th in faceoff percentage. Wouldn't mind Geekie and the 1st at all. If there's no first, I don't think you move him.

I 100% agree, must be getting a 2023 1st back imo

I know we're getting hung up on the '23 1st thing, but I'm not actually against a '24 pick in the right circumstances. For instance, if the prospect return is better because the pick is a year away, I'd be fine with that. I get that we're wild about this draft, but I don't think the difference between a late 1st in '23 and a late 1st (Or better if a gamble pays off!) in '24 is as huge of a difference as many are making it out to be.

I mean, you get an "Otto Stenberg" this year, or you get an "Adam Jecho" next. The difference in that late 1st tier isn't as big as I think people are making it out to be.

Yeah, maybe but I have guys I really like towards the back end of the 1st or early 2nd this year

I think a 1st in 24 would need to have no protections on it for me to come around to the idea but that’s just me

Oh for sure. And I'd be fine if say, Colorado put protections on a '23 pick to get it done, knowing that a bad couple of weeks could put them in the Lotto.

I'd obviously prefer the '23 1st, but it's not a deal breaker for me.

I agree with the Colorado protection

Who are some of your guys so far for 2023?

With the first pick, obviously depending on where it ends up, my top 6 would be:
-Bedard (Obviously!!!)
-Fantilli
-Michkov
-Smith
-Benson
-Dvorsky

I'm obviously not high on Carlsson, but I've been wrong many times before. I certainly liked his WJC performance, but I just don't know...

If we got a late 1st, I'd like to see Daniil But or Lukas Dragicevic. I know that between Dragicevic and potentially Smith it's a "load up on offensive dmen when we've already got a bunch on the way!", but like I said earlier-get as many darts to throw at the board as possible.

I like Ethan Gauthier early in the 2nd, and someone like Jaden Lipinski with the Boston pick. With the Colorado one looking like a mid-2nd at this point, I think I'd just snag whoever has fallen.

You?