I would suggest that our Carey signing allows Bowman greater flexility on the 2014 draft strategy.
- jhawk59
My strategy for the Hawks because the are most likely out of the top 24 and the picks all come with warts are that, (if I am in charge)so I determine which defenseman left has the best long term potential
Now Wiz .... Do not go accusing of anything wrongly.
- jhawk59
Why would I do that especailly to you?
I am thinking it might be advantageous to draft a big sized dman. Not necessarily a bruiser, just someone mobile enough who can tie up or effectively handle the larger size forwards (those who are pugnacious like Backes). Seabrook and Keith will be here throughout their next contract? So having a dman develop is only going to be a big deal if this dman prospect projects as a top two pair. I mean, Johns has size but he is probably never a top pair for projection for anyone.
- jhawk59
This last paragraph is the "tell" to me that what you are writing is really saying, "Wiz, Dontcha think the Hawks should draft a big defensemen who has the potential to develop into a first pair guy?"
I will start by saying in
any draft any team
that is able, late in the first round, to get a first pairing defender is pretty darn fortunate.
As far as I am concern Aaron Eckblad a great skating giant may
not be a first pair guy, and after
Haydn Fleury, who I presently have as going at #9, there isn't anybody who fits the bill for already predicting they are strong enough players to be second pair guys in the NHL, in my opinion.
InNovember I thought the defender in Kingston,
Roland McKeown look like he had potential and am warming up to Edmtn Oil Kings
Aaron Irving in the Dub. Surely McKeown is gone before the pick and Irving may be too, and he is just 6 1 no the seabrook type size lines you are thinking about replicating.
If you go to the site,
http://www.draftsite.com/nhl/mock-draft/2014/
you can see that I have
Jack Glover a reach as the hawks pick, because he is a big kid
far from polished but really can skate in all four directions very effortlessly.
I bet if you start trolling the draft sites you will see the name
Brycen Martin, and in November I thought he was gonna be a possible second pairing guy, but he crapped the bed in prospects gain and in most views since.
(He will be there for the Hawks -again, almost 6 foot two.)
I actually think it is a good idea to try and get a Seabrook type who is strong on his skates and balances, with excellent aceleration, but 6'3" defenders like Seabrook are tough to find with all those excellent moving parts.
A you know what? I wouldn't throw the towel in on Johns quite yet, granted it is a four year college career where
he has clearly developed a very good attack game...almost like he knew
how the Hawks play and
figured to fill his toolbox with more precision tools. Johns is a mean tough kid. Makes you pay. Good in transition and even better over the last season
in readng the ice so if he gets/takes on while near his blueline, he gets it to a teammate in position to penetrate and get a scoring chance.
Just because I said I saw him leaving a far to big gap on the Boston College team, that could have been coaching that told him to not get caught too close to Johnny Gaudreau or he'll blow by you.
It is really tough to draft dee-men with the idea theya re going to be first pair guys...that's what happened last draft when so many teams took little time to egt up to the podium because it is rare that drafts have that many.
(The kid Tallon took,
Michael Matheson now with BC, looks like a real good one with time too.)
...and just so I don't get skewered by ever draftnik out there about Aaron Eckblad, he is a great kid superb skater for a giant man, but I don't think he has figured out the etam game yet, and since he has been able to rely on the size to take matters on his own, he tends to not read his teammates just go solo.
With time he could be a beast but I base my doubts b/c he was one of that Canada Jr group that just were very unimpressive as teammates...you look at him and say gotta have him. He will eb a decent pro even if it is only a real second pair guy...
Interestingly enough I went back to that HockeyNews Future Watch issue and on the very last page they take a couple draft years and show where they predicted the players would be selected if
they were picking, and the number of games those players have actually p[layed in the NHL...
(Teams feel their drafts are successful if they are able to select a prospect that develops into a long time NHL contributor...granted many will try to swing for the fences in hopes they get a first pair first line guy with time over contributors...it seesm clea teams are happy with making conservative picks that play, because the game is no so Cap spoace related and the draft is in some ways your buffer.)
Anyway back to the Hockey News, I had forgot they
Brent Seabrook as the 45th overall pick. His 658 games is tied with Fedor Tyutin as the most from that 2004 class.
I had him as a late first round along with Gretzlaf & Perry.
The issue was while Seabrook was consistent over the course of his junior career he played hurt most of his draft year and that was what had scouts like Dion Phaneuf was the slice out of the dub.
WESTERN most part of L.I. 
