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Hockey Buzz Mock Draft: NYR pick is in, STL deal pick to CGY, Flames pk in

June 20, 2018, 10:26 PM ET [243 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Hockey Buzz Mock Draft rolls on. Rasmus Dahlin went first to Buffalo, Andrei Svechnikov to Carolina, Filip Zadina to Montreal, Noah Dobson to Ottawa, Oliver Wahlstrom to Arizona, Quinn Hughes to Detroit, Vancouver selected Brady Tkachuk, Chicago picked Adam Boqvist, the Rangers selected Evan Bouchard and Edmonton drafted Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Starting the next 10 pick, the Islanders picked Joseph Veleno and Ty Smith, Dallas grabbed Vitali Kravtsov, Philadelphia selected Joel Farabee, Florida took Grigori Denisenko, Colorado added Rasmus Kupari, New Jersey added K'Andre Miller, Columbus added Bode Wilde, Philadelphia picked Jonatan Berggen and Los Angeles selected Dominic Bokk. San Jose started the last 11 picks by picking Martin Kaut, Ottawa selected Serron Noel, Anaheim selected Barrett Hayton, Minnesota grabbed Mattias Samelsson and Toronto traded the pick, Kapanen and Sparks for Hanifin, then selected Ryan Merkely. The Rangers selected Akil Thomas, while Chicago went with Benoit-Olivier Grouix.

The consensus was that Thomas was the right pick, with 67% of the approximately 112 votes agreeing with the selection. For Grouix, it was 53% of the 96 votes against, so fairly close to even. Personally, that wouldn't be the pick I would have made. If it was overturned, Panarin27's second choice was Ty Dellandrea. The rationale was: although a center, he plays the game like James van Riemsdyk in a lot of ways. He's not afraid to go to to the front of the net where he can use his quick hands and coordination to score goals close in on rebounds. He is also a great skater and has the potential to slot in as a 2nd-line center for Chicago.

As noted in my blog last night, the plan is to finish by tomorrow morning, allowing almost all day Thursday for rumors etc. leading into the draft Friday. Picks 22-23, Ottawa and Anaheim were posted Monday night. Minnesota and Toronto, picks 24-25 were posted Tuesday AM with the Rangers and Blackhawks selections, 26-27 posted that evening. I am posting picks 28-29 (Rangers and originally owned by the Blues,) in this blog and 30-31 (Detroit and Washington) Thursday morning.

Overall Rules and Process :
After the pick or trade is made, a poll will be posted to rate the selection or deal. If the majority of people like the pick or trade, that selection stands and it moves on to the next team’s picks. If not, the majority rules and that’s what happens with that team and pick. I have the last right of refusal to keep everything on the up and up and avoid ballot box stuffing. My request to you is that you take this serious and not make a mockery of the mock draft, because that would be an insult to the others who are participating and makes the whole process a sham. But by playing this out, we get to have healthy debate and conversation to remain engaged up and possibly beyond the draft. If teams make deals and they occur before a team’s selection is due, that deal will play a part as to when each person’s selection occurs.

Here how this is working: each evening (for now, one pick per day, but we will go to two when we get to second half of the mock draft and possibly even before that, so that we complete on time) the team’s selector emails me their pick and rationale for that selection to [email protected]. If making a trade, the same applies, and all the selectors have been listed below along with their screen name if from this site or their twitter handle if external to help facilitate making trades. I am posting that pick and rationale on the site and create a voting poll. For now, we are using just a yes or no vote for the poll, but if people want me to list other options for the selection at that pick number in cases of a no vote, I am happy to do so, to help make it more robust.


With the 28th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the New York Rangers, represented by tomburton99 select Nils Lundqvist. defenseman, Lulea (SHL)

Rationale for the selection:

The Rangers need as much skills as possible on the blueline. He can create zone exits by himself due to his skating ability and is succeeding at doing that against older and bigger players in the SHL. He needs, as almost all prospects do. He needs to shoot the puck better and work on closing gaps defensively

Rangers select Nils Lundqvist
 
pollcode.com free polls


We have a trade to announce, we have a trade to announce


St. Louis, represented by Vukota, acquire:
Adam Fox
Fourth round pick

Calgary Flames, represented by Flamin' Irishmin, acquire:
First round pick (29 overall)


Rationale for the trade from St. Louis side:

I pulled the trigger because I feel Fox who is a puck moving d-man who will help Pietrangelo & Parayko in a year or so. Outside of those two they aren’t getting much help points wise from the D.

From the Calgary side, the likely rationale is that the team was looking to move back into the first round and the rumors that Fox does not want to play in Canada may have the team getting what they can now for him before losing him for nothing. Acquiring the first round takes away some of the sting of trading him.

Blues trade 29th overall pick to Calgary for Adam Fox & 4th round selection
 
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With the 29th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, the Calgary Flames, represented by me, select Rasmus Sandin, defenseman, Soo (QMJHL)

Rationale for the selection:

The rationale below in the box is taken from Todd Cordell's recent Devils' blog. I debated going with Ryan McLeod or Isac Lundestrom or Liam Foudy with this pick, knowing that Flames need a second/third line center and each of these three could fill the role. If Dellandrea slides here, he also could be the pick. But Sandin has slid lower than expected and even though Calgary still has Oliver Kylington, Jusso Valimaki and Rasmus Andersson in the pipeline, the rumors that Dougie Hamilton, and to a lesser extent T.J. Brodie could go, swayed my view a bit.

The only OHLers I have ranked higher are Andrei Svechnikov and Evan Bouchard. Suffice to say, I'm a really big fan of Sandin's game.

At 5'11', he's a little undersized but strong positioning and gap control help him make up for that. He's good at tying up sticks around the net and he has some bite to him. Think Sami Vatanen.

He doesn't posses high-end speed or explosive strides – again, like Vatanen – but he gets around the ice well. Sandin is a very good puck mover who seemingly always makes the right decision, be it in the defensive zone or quarterbacking a power play.

Sandin's statistical profile is very impressive as he averaged more 5v5 ePoints/60 than the likes of Aaron Ekblad, Vince Dunn, Dougie Hamilton, Olli Maatta and Mikhail Sergachev, among others, did during their draft years.

I think he can be a solid top-4 guy who contributes on the power play *and* penalty kill.


Flames select Rasmus Sandin
 
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Lottery teams :
Buffalo - Rasmus Dahlin
Carolina - Andrei Svechnikov
Montréal – Filip Zadina
Ottawa - Noah Dobson
Arizona - Oliver Wahlstrom
Detroit - Quinn Hughes (Pete will also pick 30th)
Vancouver - Brady Tkachuk
Chicago - Adam Boqvist (Panarin27 will also pick 27th)
Rangers - Evan Bouchard (Tom Burton will also pick 26th and 28th)
Edmonton – trade overturned, Oilers pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Islanders (2x) – Joseph Veleno and Ty Smith
Dallas – original trade overturned, select Vitali Kravtsov,
Philadelphia (via st Louis)- Joel Farabee
Florida - Grigori Denisenko

Non-lottery teams :
Colorado - Rasmus Kupari
New Jersey - K'Andre Miller
Columbus - Bode Wilde
Philadelphia - Jonatan Berggen
Los Angeles - Dominic Bokk
San Jose- Martin Kaut
Ottawa (via Pittsburgh) - Serron Noel
Anaheim - Barrett Hayton
Minnesota – Mattias Samuelsson
Toronto - traded to Carolina, who selects Ryan Merkley
Rangers (via Boston) - Akil Thomas
Chicago (via Nashvile) - Benoit-Olivier grouix
Rangers (via Tampa Bay) - Nils Lundqvist
St. Louis (via Wnnipeg) - traded to Calgary, who selects Rasmus Sandin
Detroit (via Las Vegas) - Pete V
Washington - Russ Cohen (@sportsology)

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