The dream scenario is Jersey is willing to trade their 1st at the draft in a Markstrom deal and it's in the 11-14, we use that pick to draft Tij. Then we use our pick to select Lindstrom or Catton.

That's my dream scenario too, Jersey fans don't like it though

It's really just 1. I don't think they would move their pick if it's top 11 but I think it's fair game anything past that.


As for a more realistic scenario. I think Calgary would take Iginla at pick 9+ and maybe still at 8 but only if Catton and Lindstrom are both gone by their pick. I doubt they would choose Yakemchuk or Helenius over Iggy for example

My dream scenario is winning the lottery, drafting Celebrini, then adding another high 1st and also drafting Iginla.

with the hype that Iginla's been getting over the last couple months, I'm not convinced that taking him at the far end of the top 10 would be considered much of a reach, or that he'd even still be there if you waited any longer. anything as early as like 9 seems feasible at this point.

Make that Lindstrom or Yakemchuk and I agree. Catton I'd pass on.

Gonna have to disagree with you on this one. Catton has top end speed and acceleration, as well as great stickhandling. His only drawback is his size but guys like Point have proven that wrong.

I would not choose Yakemchuk over Iginla. Not that I don't think he has 1D potential but I don't see him being better than Andersson. He's a physical defenseman with a hard shot but has below average skating and defensive play. I think we are pretty set on offensive defensemen between Poirier, Brzustewiczs, and Morin.

A big physical defenseman with a good shot and 1st pairing potential sounds like exactly the type of defenseman Conroy would want. Most "offensive" defensemen need to work on their defense to succeed in the NHL but that should be easier for a big physical player.

As for small players they're risky picks for every Brayden Point, Martin St. Louis or Theoren Fleury there are a whole lot of busts / marginal players. None of those 3 were drafted in the 1st round either in fact St Louis was undrafted. Even Kucherov who's a little bigger went late in the 2nd round and most were surprised he went that soon.

You have a very outdated mindset if you think small players with high skill still have trouble succeeding in the NHL. Kane pioneered it, Gaudreau, Kucerov, and Panarin proved he wasn't an exception. Now these guys are getting drafted in the top 10 all the time. Look at Marner, Keller, Hughes, Zegras, Raymond, Rossi, Johnson, Eklund, Cooley, Savoie, Smith, Michkov. Hell even Bedard is tiny. I look at Catton and see a Logan Cooley 2.0 in the making, he's so fast and has phenomenal edge work, he's just going to dance around people once he makes it.

Again I think Yakemchuk is a good prospect, I just wouldn't choose him over Iginla.

Most of those guys (Rossi, Johnson, Eklund, Cooley, Savoie, Michkov, etc) aren't proven yet. Many of the rest are soft or have major flaws (Zegras who at 6' 185lbs isn't small either). Kucherov is proven but he's bigger than most of the others you named and wasn't a 1st round pick, he was a late 2nd. gaudreau was 4th round pick and is incredibly soft. Bedard is an exceptional player and while a bit short he isn't tiny or a lightweight. Raymond (same height as Catton but nearly 20 lbs heavier) is another who really isn't that small. Panarin is a little on the light side but he's not short.

I'd only take Catton if both Iginla and Yakemchuk are already gone. I'm not sure I'd take Yakemchuk over Iginla either but I might if he's still available when the Flames pick. Most draft rankings have Yakemchuk ranked higher.

Catton isn't that short, he is 5'11. He is a little light but I'm sure he'll put on weight, he is still only 18. I dont think it matters though, I think he'll be gone before we pick.

You are not getting my point at all. There are ample examples of smaller successful players drafted in the last 10 years from outside the top 10 in drafts (DeBrincat, Robertson, Kyrou, Kaprizov, Point, Ehlers, Konecny, Aho, Bratt, Farabee, Caufield, Maccelli, Perfetti). Teams are realizing that they are missing out on legitimate talent because they spend too much time prioritizing size. The game is faster than it's ever been so big and slow has fallen out of favor. Catton is arguably the 2nd most naturally gifted player in this draft class in terms of checking all boxes, it's just things like his size that make him fall. Outside of Celebrini he is probably the only center with a legitimate shot at being a true #1

And you're missing my point size is still important. Especially once the playoffs start. Catton is worth a late 1st maybe even a mid 1st but not a top 10 (or close) pick. With a pick that high you can get a player with size, skill and grit not hoping and praying to get lucky with a small player. I never said big and slow either, it takes more than just size, it takes decent speed and skill too.

Big does not mean slow. Sutter always talked about size and speed together. Big and slow doesn't cut it nowadays but big and fast does.

Yeah we're just not going to ever agree on this. Like idk how you can say that an inferiorly skilled player is better simply because he's bigger. Brad Marchand has been one of the most effective playoff players in history, Brayden Point almost won the Conn Smyth a couple years ago. Catton is the type of player who could be an absolute home run, Yakemchuk could be a Rasmus Andersson caliber player. Like maybe if you were making the argument for Parekh sure but not Yakemchuk.

Marchand a 3rd round pick... Point another 3rd round if you get my (no pun intended) point. Just because some smaller players turn out great doesn't mean a team should start gambling high picks away on every small guy who scored some points in junior. That's a recipe for failure. If you draft a bunch of little guys expecting them all to be the next Marchand or even half the player he is you're going to have a very bad team that if they get lucky might win enough soft games in the regular season to make the playoffs but will get bounced very quickly in the playoffs.

The thing is a lot more players taken in any round who aren't small make the NHL (at all different skill levels) than small "skilled" players. Even most of the small players that do make it really aren't that small the majority of them are only a little under average height and weight, in fact many of those are short but stocky and quite strong for their size.