I think Horvat's gone by 10.

I wouldn't move up to take Nichushkin as he's not necessarily going to tampa. There's no way they have him above Drouin
- TheNugeIsHuge

I dunno, I think Nichushkin could be an absolute beast in the NHL..I haven't watched him play so I'm just going by youtube highlights, what I've read and looking at his size..he could be a big answer to Oilers size issues..Him with Gagner and Yakupov could be an excellent line..if Oilers could also pick up either Lazar or Horvat in three years Oilers second line could be Nichushkin-Horvat-Yakupov or Nichushkin-Lazar-Eberle.
I'm dreaming, but it may be possible.

did anyone actually say that another pick, regardless of what it is, is too much for barkov?
i doubt many anyway.
i did see people frown at the idea of a proven roster player like prv or gagner along with the 7th. which would be terrible as it just goes along with the forever rebuild you constantly propose.

and i wonder if you're serious about the barkov, hartikainen and rajala line as the 3rd next year? uve troll blogged for so long now, i literally dont know if you're serious or not. and that sucks.
2 true rookies and hartakainen whos barely much more than that???!!

ur the worst

I dunno, I think Nichushkin could be an absolute beast in the NHL..I haven't watched him play so I'm just going by youtube highlights, what I've read and looking at his size..he could be a big answer to Oilers size issues..Him with Gagner and Yakupov could be an excellent line..if Oilers could also pick up either Lazar or Horvat in three years Oilers second line could be Nichushkin-Horvat-Yakupov or Nichushkin-Lazar-Eberle.
I'm dreaming, but it may be possible.
- oilers2k14

I don't know if his game'll translate to NA. Yak was playing in the OHL so we knew. Look at filatov, good in the K when he was drafted, never translated. Russian factor is too much for me to see EDM move in to the top 5 to take him.

I dunno, I think Nichushkin could be an absolute beast in the NHL..I haven't watched him play so I'm just going by youtube highlights, what I've read and looking at his size..he could be a big answer to Oilers size issues..Him with Gagner and Yakupov could be an excellent line..if Oilers could also pick up either Lazar or Horvat in three years Oilers second line could be Nichushkin-Horvat-Yakupov or Nichushkin-Lazar-Eberle.
I'm dreaming, but it may be possible.
- oilers2k14

I doubt tampa would pass on nichuskin so he is probably gone I like horvat especially after the mem cup and from what I saw with lazar he isn't anything to be to excited about. I just looked up more on lindholm and I never realized he's six feet 190lbs if he gained ten more lbs I actually would be fine with the oil taking him

I doubt tampa would pass on nichuskin so he is probably gone I like horvat especially after the mem cup and from what I saw with lazar he isn't anything to be to excited about. I just looked up more on lindholm and I never realized he's six feet 190lbs if he gained ten more lbs I actually would be fine with the oil taking him
- BleedOil06

if Lindholm and Monahan are gone by 7, I wouldn't mind taking Horvat at all. Kind of exactly what EDM needs on it's 2nd/3rd line

I think Horvat's gone by 10.

I wouldn't move up to take Nichushkin as he's not necessarily going to tampa. There's no way they have him above Drouin
- TheNugeIsHuge

Don't bet your next paycheque on that. Tampa love Nishushkin & if you listen to their reporters close to the Lightning, he is exactly the player they are targeting.

Again, if the interview process at the combine goes well & he tells the Lightning no question i'm coming over then whether Drouin is there or not, I think the Russian is their pick & Canadian or not, Steve Y loves his size & skill level.

I've decided that Lindholm is a fine pick. He will be ours. I've decided that a two way game is more important than size. Now if Monahan is on the board at 7, I'd still take Monahan over Lindholm, but will still be happy with Lindholm.

The two second rounders, and the 2014 first is what I would use to upgrade our centre position and our D.

Let's look at this scenario, Gagner and both seconds for Burmistrov and a 1st. I'd strongly consider this, personally. Burmistrov is fairly good defensively, just a bit unproven offensively. But I feel that there is loads of potential. He may not be as good as Gagner in the past, but I don't fully buy into it making us worse next year as Burmistrov has 3 years of NHL experience under his belt.

Assuming our Top 4 is:

Schultz Schultz
Smid Petry

We could add that additional 1st rounder with one of those guys (probably not Schultz Jr) and upgrade. We can use the 2014 first rounder as well to upgrade.

Does Schultz Sr plus 2 firsts get us a Marc Staal or Keith Yandle? Hopefully.

I've decided that Lindholm is a fine pick. He will be ours. I've decided that a two way game is more important than size. Now if Monahan is on the board at 7, I'd still take Monahan over Lindholm, but will still be happy with Lindholm.

The two second rounders, and the 2014 first is what I would use to upgrade our centre position and our D.

Let's look at this scenario, Gagner and both seconds for Burmistrov and a 1st. I'd strongly consider this, personally. Burmistrov is fairly good defensively, just a bit unproven offensively. But I feel that there is loads of potential. He may not be as good as Gagner in the past, but I don't fully buy into it making us worse next year as Burmistrov has 3 years of NHL experience under his belt.

Assuming our Top 4 is:

Schultz Schultz
Smid Petry

We could add that additional 1st rounder with one of those guys (probably not Schultz Jr) and upgrade. We can use the 2014 first rounder as well to upgrade.

Does Schultz Sr plus 2 firsts get us a Marc Staal or Keith Yandle? Hopefully.
- ystoil

unless one of those is 7th overall+ some, then no.

I think EDM needs to keep ANA's 2nd and take Jarry or Comrie. Need goalie prospect depth since Bunz is sh1t now

Wayne Gretzky is the best player in NHL history, and he couldn't bench press a house cat.

The game is different now....you have to be able to bench a house cat if not a dog.

No way Barkov is going to the Oilers because A) Nashville loves the player & needs a centre so he's gone at 4 & Monahan isn't slipping past the Flames at 6 so if the Oilers, as you suggest, want either player, they'll have to move up but because the talent level is so high in the top 6 picks, there's no way it's happening unless a GM gets the Oilers to overpay.

Best scenario that can happen is the Oilers deal the pick for a team that wants to move up from the middle of the first round & is prepared to part with a roster player who can step right in a help the Oilers. Enough of worrying about draft picks, next year Cloutier, you'll be saying the same thing instead of adding to the team with proven players.

It's time the Oilers move their next 2 first rounders and bring in immediate help, not players who can't play or contribute for 2 or 3yrs.

Now that I've cleared that up for you, stop talking about Barkov because he isn't ending up in Edmonton.
- newmy

You don't think a jump of 2 or 3 spots is doable in this draft? You think Lind or Nurse is that much of a difference from Monahan, Nich or Barkov? I say keep Barkov, he is not as good as Lind. Monahan or Nich would be cool. Nashville is fine at center. So is Carolina really. They could both use wingers or defense more. Neither team is competing for a spot next year. Moving down and getting something while taking a playmaking winger to play with Eric Staal or Colin Wilson makes sense. Calgary has also expressed interest to the lind camp.

Edmonton needs a top 6 player. Who is parting with a top 6 player for two first round picks? You list a seller and I am listening.

I also agree that you will find Edmontons centers are not the smallest "by a country mile. They would improve just as much by adding a large winger as a large center. Plus I don't see any trade that gets us a top 6 large center with our assets. Horton as a UFA is our only chance at a top 6 large winger that I can see. Unless Vinny comes up and we get cool with old or NYR gives up on Nash.

Our trade options are almost non existence if we are to keep our youth. We have no assets. However moving up in the draft is the one thing we can do. Other than that, UFA's are our answer.

unless one of those is 7th overall+ some, then no.

I think EDM needs to keep ANA's 2nd and take Jarry or Comrie. Need goalie prospect depth since Bunz is sh1t now
- TheNugeIsHuge

Never know, Fucale could fall to us at 37, assuming we keep it. I was pissed when we missed out on Dansk last year.

I've decided that Lindholm is a fine pick. He will be ours. I've decided that a two way game is more important than size. Now if Monahan is on the board at 7, I'd still take Monahan over Lindholm, but will still be happy with Lindholm.

The two second rounders, and the 2014 first is what I would use to upgrade our centre position and our D.

Let's look at this scenario, Gagner and both seconds for Burmistrov and a 1st. I'd strongly consider this, personally. Burmistrov is fairly good defensively, just a bit unproven offensively. But I feel that there is loads of potential. He may not be as good as Gagner in the past, but I don't fully buy into it making us worse next year as Burmistrov has 3 years of NHL experience under his belt.

Assuming our Top 4 is:

Schultz Schultz
Smid Petry

We could add that additional 1st rounder with one of those guys (probably not Schultz Jr) and upgrade. We can use the 2014 first rounder as well to upgrade.

Does Schultz Sr plus 2 firsts get us a Marc Staal or Keith Yandle? Hopefully.
- ystoil

why are we dealing gagner who just had a breakout season after all the growing pains we waited through for someone whos either in the middle of the same growing pains or may never turn out as good?? more potential??

when do we ever move forward people? i just dont understand

I don't know if his game'll translate to NA. Yak was playing in the OHL so we knew.
- TheNugeIsHuge

The KHL translates better to the NHL than any of the CHL leagues. Men play in the KHL whereas boys play in the CHL. There r certainly a few adjustments to be made in both leagues but moreso in the CHL.

Seth Jones was his team this year. He was also the American JRs team that won the gold medal. He is also a local Colorado boy. He is going first overall. He will play next year and he might win them their second rookie of the year in 3 years (because their is a large group of voters in the city of Colorado itself).

Druin out played Mackinnon all year. Was the second best player behind Nuge on the Jr team. Looked, IMO just as good as Mackinnon in the playoffs. Florida however has a need for a center. They will take him. Tampa also has a need for a Center if they are buying out Vinny. But they also only have 1 winger. Drouin is miles ahead of barkov and Nich might be a few inches taller than druoin but there is no comparing the two for Canadian GM Yzerman. The top 3 will go as predicted by everyone. Mackinnon will go first ONLY because of the need for centre and because him and Drouin are so close in talent.

Here is my thought. I am not against using our first round pick to get a player who improves the team this year. However why not move up with Nashville or carolina by using one of our defensive prospects. Gernat, Musil or Marincin. All great prospects and future NHLers. We could be giving away a gem but I don't see how they are ever going to fit into our lineup. Schultz, Petry, Klefbom are all the same age roughly and our core. We pick 2 of the 3 prospects we want and trade the third. Then we have 5 guys at the age of 22 ish coming up. Its easy to see who will Fedun being number 6 if his leg really did heal. It is easy to predict who will be 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6. Until then I think we add Streit rather than two rookies for next year.

I think Carolina especially would be interesting in taking a D prospect that could compete this year for their line up and still be AT WORST stuck with playmaking forward Lind.

As for Barkov who is not as good as Canadian Monahan offensively. He gets out of military service by changing his citizenship to Russian if he hasn't already. His dad is. Hello NHL, good by training for an army that never does anything globally. Seriously guys. Watch a game or two at random of Barkov playing and Monahan (Nich is better than both but a center is better for us unless hall moves). Monahan is the more skilled forward. Barkov's goals are almost all capitalizing on rebounds or passes from teammates that give him an open net. Monahan has to make entire plays by himself and then finish them alone. He is the only player on his team.
- bsteinley

Florida needs wingers they have a ton of young centres.

Huberdeau
Bujkstad (wrong spelling)
Shore
trocek
Howden

Their need is on the wing

why are we dealing gagner who just had a breakout season after all the growing pains we waited through for someone whos either in the middle of the same growing pains or may never turn out as good?? for potential that we dont know will turn out??

when do we ever move forward people? i just dont understand
- hugefemale dog77

Well Burmistrov is supposedly solid defensively. Now even, with Gagner having a breakout year, he was still out scored, out chanced, etc. If we keep a lineup full of players who are outchanced and out shot, we won't move forward. I can agree with you that Burmistrov is more unproven offensively than Gagner, but his defensive side of the game is fairly good. He has decent size at 6'1 so maybe he isn't pushed to the perimeter that easily.

I also have little faith in Gagner's ability to develop that two way game we need as a 1-2 punch since his skating is sub par. He needs to go to a team that has wingers and a better defensive core to cover his short falls. Burmistrov on the other hand is, and this was fact at the 2010 draft, is faster than Taylor Hall. So the ability to play both sides of the ice may come easier than Gagner.

You don't think a jump of 2 or 3 spots is doable in this draft? You think Lind or Nurse is that much of a difference from Monahan, Nich or Barkov? I say keep Barkov, he is not as good as Lind. Monahan or Nich would be cool. Nashville is fine at center. So is Carolina really. They could both use wingers or defense more. Neither team is competing for a spot next year. Moving down and getting something while taking a playmaking winger to play with Eric Staal or Colin Wilson makes sense. Calgary has also expressed interest to the lind camp.

Edmonton needs a top 6 player. Who is parting with a top 6 player for two first round picks? You list a seller and I am listening.

I also agree that you will find Edmontons centers are not the smallest "by a country mile. They would improve just as much by adding a large winger as a large center. Plus I don't see any trade that gets us a top 6 large center with our assets. Horton as a UFA is our only chance at a top 6 large winger that I can see. Unless Vinny comes up and we get cool with old or NYR gives up on Nash.

Our trade options are almost non existence if we are to keep our youth. We have no assets. However moving up in the draft is the one thing we can do. Other than that, UFA's are our answer.
- bsteinley

Never said you couldn't move up however the chances are slim based on the top-heavy talent in this draft.

Again, if you think GM's are just going to move down and pass on players like Drouin, Nishkushkin, Monahan, MacKinnon, Barkov without getting a GM to overpay, then I think you're living in a dream.

It doesn't matter that certain teams don't need a player at that position, all teams who enter the draft take the best player available(on their boards) regardless of position so if say Nashville doesn't need another centre yet Barkov is around when they pick & he's their top-rated player at that point, no question they'll take him UNLESS some team overpays to move up.

Having said that, the Preds would never move down more than 2 or 3 spots anyways but the chances of any team moving down from their top 5 drafting position is going to be slim.

Seth Jones was his team this year. He was also the American JRs team that won the gold medal. He is also a local Colorado boy. He is going first overall. He will play next year and he might win them their second rookie of the year in 3 years (because their is a large group of voters in the city of Colorado itself).

Druin out played Mackinnon all year. Was the second best player behind Nuge on the Jr team. Looked, IMO just as good as Mackinnon in the playoffs. Florida however has a need for a center. They will take him. Tampa also has a need for a Center if they are buying out Vinny. But they also only have 1 winger. Drouin is miles ahead of barkov and Nich might be a few inches taller than druoin but there is no comparing the two for Canadian GM Yzerman. The top 3 will go as predicted by everyone. Mackinnon will go first ONLY because of the need for centre and because him and Drouin are so close in talent.

Here is my thought. I am not against using our first round pick to get a player who improves the team this year. However why not move up with Nashville or carolina by using one of our defensive prospects. Gernat, Musil or Marincin. All great prospects and future NHLers. We could be giving away a gem but I don't see how they are ever going to fit into our lineup. Schultz, Petry, Klefbom are all the same age roughly and our core. We pick 2 of the 3 prospects we want and trade the third. Then we have 5 guys at the age of 22 ish coming up. Its easy to see who will Fedun being number 6 if his leg really did heal. It is easy to predict who will be 1-2, 3-4 and 5-6. Until then I think we add Streit rather than two rookies for next year.

I think Carolina especially would be interesting in taking a D prospect that could compete this year for their line up and still be AT WORST stuck with playmaking forward Lind.

As for Barkov who is not as good as Canadian Monahan offensively. He gets out of military service by changing his citizenship to Russian if he hasn't already. His dad is. Hello NHL, good by training for an army that never does anything globally. Seriously guys. Watch a game or two at random of Barkov playing and Monahan (Nich is better than both but a center is better for us unless hall moves). Monahan is the more skilled forward. Barkov's goals are almost all capitalizing on rebounds or passes from teammates that give him an open net. Monahan has to make entire plays by himself and then finish them alone. He is the only player on his team.
- bsteinley

Most of this is just wrong. First off, FLA doesn't need a C. Huberdeau, Bjugstad, Grimaldi, Shore, Knight, Trochek.... They are loaded. The thing they most need is a LW, hello Drouin. He and Huberdeau payed together at the WJC and had good chemistry.

2nd, laugh if you will but Jones was mediocre at the WJC given his hype and he benefits from playing with a very strong defensive minded D man in Wotherspoon in Portland.

And to say Monahan is better than Barkov is ridiculous. He's good, no doubt, but Barkov has been dominating a men's league since he was 16.

I think Datsyuk (5'11 190) and Zetterberg (5'11 195) are the centres for detroit right now and they're not doing so bad against the hawks. Not always about size, although like we're talking about in the surrounding comments, I'd like EDM to try to sign Bryan Bickell
- TheNugeIsHuge

Yea, small centres but surrounded by large wingers.

Most of this is just wrong. First off, FLA doesn't need a C. Huberdeau, Bjugstad, Grimaldi, Shore, Knight, Trochek.... They are loaded. The thing they most need is a LW, hello Drouin. He and Huberdeau payed together at the WJC and had good chemistry.

2nd, laugh if you will but Jones was mediocre at the WJC given his hype and he benefits from playing with a very strong defensive minded D man in Wotherspoon in Portland.

And to say Monahan is better than Barkov is ridiculous. He's good, no doubt, but Barkov has been dominating a men's league since he was 16.
- TandA4Flames

All depends what order Florida has these guys rated on their draft board. Again, all teams use the best player available thinking when going into a draft, especially when they have a top 10 pick.

With a top-heavy draft, if Florida has MacKinnon rated higher than Drouin, there's still taking him regardless if their deep down the middle. Reason - they can always move another centre for help elsewhere & that's what people seem to forget, you have a luxury at one position so you move one or two players at that position to strengthen other positions.

Simple as that.

that lineup has 0 grit/toughness. You wont win without some guys who can bang bodies when they need to. Take Clarkson off our hands

[quote=RedC21]


Agreed that they have good center depth. But you gotta take best player available. If their organization sees McKinnon as the BPA then he's gonna be the pick. You can even move Hube to Mckinnons wing in a year or two and have the starts of one of the best lines I the game. Hube played some wing this year and I think his goal scoring ability would only thrive on the wing having McKinnon feeding him the puck.

Drouin would be a great pick for them too though. He could be Hube's St. Louis. That being said, if jones ends up not going one, I think he'd be too tempting for Florida to pass up

And personally, I think very few GM's have Drouin ahead of MacKinnon.

Have u seen MacKinnon at the Memorial Cup?? He might be the best player in the tournament, an absolute beast & that's taking nothing away from Drouin or Jones.

I don't think Horcoff gets bought out. Gregor speculated that this might be the year they give someone else the captaincy, which is more likely, but I don't think that happens either. I think the idea that Horcoff is just here to collect a paycheque has been overblown. He's a pretty good, massively overpaid player who for the majority of his captain tenure was on a supremely untalented/unbalanced team (that was often comprised of many locker room cancers).

Looking forward to getting bigger through trades and free agency. He's not big, but we should also look at Burmistrov.
- Morris

In a diplomatic way Mac T as much as said both Hemsky and Hork will be gone this summer . listen to his interview with Bob Staufer

If MacKinnon has a whale of a game in the final today, don't be so sure Jones will be the top pick either.

Sakic knows franchise centres are extremely hard to find & anyone who says MacKinnon has bust written all over him, is simply wrong!!!

If MacKinnon has a whale of a game in the final today, don't be so sure Jones will be the top pick either.

Sakic knows franchise centres are extremely hard to find & anyone who says MacKinnon has bust written all over him, is simply wrong!!!
- newmy

Good idea to add what Mackinnon would look like if he had one more full year in the Q. He is almost a full year younger than Jones. I've said from the start I'd take Mackinnon as he is a safer pick with a high ceiling. Colorado can trade Statsny or O'Reilly to address defense as well.