He won't be there with our third pick, with so few defenders people are going to reach, and I feel he is the second best defender in the draft, you're getting the same defensive ability's as Sanderson if not better plus he actually brings some offense, and isn't playing college hockey. He has the best chance of any defensmen in the draft of playing next year.

Ill take Seth Jarvis with our third.
- cu45161

So you say other people will reach on D but then you want us to reach for Schneider with our 2nd pick, which could be a top 10 pick? No thanks. Others can reach for D and we'll just benefit from it by taking the forwards that drop to us. I'll gladly take him or Guhle with our 3rd pick if the team feels they're on the top of our board but neither should be taken with a top 10 pick. You dont draft for need. Take best player available, especially in the 1st round, even if that means we end up grabbing all forwards.


Hell, even look at this this way if you want. We're going to suck next year too and have the possibility of having multiple 1sts next year, where its considered a strong D class, compared to this class thats very forward heavy. There's a possibility that half of the top 10 next year is D and some people consider the top 3 or 4 D next year in the same level as Drysdale/Byram. Just take best available.

I don't think we should take him with the 2nd pick but i'd love him with the Canucks pick if we end up keeping it
- vlongo4419

That would be pretty sweet. I generally feel you should draft best player available too but we really need a big defenseman who can reach the NHL soon. It really depends on how things shake out and who's available. I mean if I'm picking and the #9 ranked prospect is a Forward and the # 10 ranked prospect is a Defender I'm not going to complain if we go D. It just depends on judgment. The Rankings aren't perfect and you should listen to your scouts to make a decision.

Ideally, I'd love to score a top forward and a top defender. The third pick is a wildcard to me and If we already have a top defender and forward I wouldn't mind taking Askarov. Or hope there is another well regarded goalie prospect in the fourth... Not impossible.

Draft lotto is the first exciting thing in my life in months. But I'm ready to be let down because 2020 is hell.

That would be pretty sweet. I generally feel you should draft best player available too but we really need a big defenseman who can reach the NHL soon. It really depends on how things shake out and who's available. I mean if I'm picking and the #9 ranked prospect is a Forward and the # 10 ranked prospect is a Defender I'm not going to complain if we go D. It just depends on judgment. The Rankings aren't perfect and you should listen to your scouts to make a decision.

Ideally, I'd love to score a top forward and a top defender. The third pick is a wildcard to me and If we already have a top defender and forward I wouldn't mind taking Askarov. Or hope there is another well regarded goalie prospect in the fourth... Not impossible.
- Queenie_5_hole

Yeah i agree it'd be really nice to land a top forward and D for sure. Look at what Ottawa can come out of this draft with, that's a really great position to be in. And its possible for us as well, theres a chance Sanderson is still on the board for our Arizona pick, i wouldnt hate taking him there at all. So walking out with a stud forward and one of the top 2 D in the draft is definitely a win. I just dont think we should be reaching on another D with a top 10 pick instead of taking the value at forward with those picks. IMO Drysdale is the only definite D that should go top 10, but Sanderson has made a case for himself to be in the 8-10 range. No other D besides those 2 should be a top 10 or even top 15 pick.

Idk why but i just have a gut feeling if we stay at 6 or drop a pick or two we'll be taking Sanderson

Man I'd love to add Stuetzle to the LW of Nico or Hughes. Right now our left wings are Bratt, Boqvist, Wood, Foote. That's just not good enough.

Is it too early to start figuring out who to take with the 2022 5th rounder we got for Keith Kinkaide (in FEBRUARY 2019)????

Seriously, I didn't think twice about dropping that 2nd on PK Subban when the trade went down and now I wish we had that pick!

"So you say other people will reach on D but then you want us to reach for Schneider with our 2nd pick, which could be a top 10 pick? No thanks. - vlongo4419"

I apologize this was my fault because I used the term reach it gave you the wrong impression of how I see Schneider, so I'll rephrase this.

I consider Braden Schneider to be a better defensemen than Sanderson and since Sanderson is considered a top ten pick now by most of the top scouts, for me personally I don't consider picking Schneider at 10 or 11 as not picking the best player available. More-so who exactly do you consider to be the best player available at that spot, for instance there are many people on this board that see picking drysdale at 6 as a no brainer, but is he a better player than Rossi, Perfetti, Raymond and Holtz, or is he the best player in a position that we need available.

Things are not as simple as you make out.

"So you say other people will reach on D but then you want us to reach for Schneider with our 2nd pick, which could be a top 10 pick? No thanks. - vlongo4419"

I apologize this was my fault because I used the term reach it gave you the wrong impression of how I see Schneider, so I'll rephrase this.

I consider Braden Schneider to be a better defensemen than Sanderson and since Sanderson is considered a top ten pick now by most of the top scouts, for me personally I don't consider picking Schneider at 10 or 11 as not picking the best player available. More-so who exactly do you consider to be the best player available at that spot, for instance there are many people on this board that see picking drysdale at 6 as a no brainer, but is he a better player than Rossi, Perfetti, Raymond and Holtz, or is he the best player in a position that we need available.

Things are not as simple as you make out.
- cu45161

People would consider Drysdale at 6 to be a no-brainer because he's realistically the only defenseman in the draft who has a top pairing ceiling, which is why he likely wont even be on the board at 6.

I'm not sure why you would think Schneider is better than Sanderson when literally nobody has Schneider ranked ahead of him. What do you see that no actual NHL scout or people who study prospects for a living dont see? Most rankings have Sanderson battling Drysdale for the top D spot with some actually having Sanderson higher. Nobody has Schneider anywhere near Drysdale or even above Sanderson. So i just dont see it. A lot of things Schneider does well, Sanderson does just as well or even better outside of maybe physicality. Schneider has better offensive upside but Sanderson is extremely good defending below the circles, probably the best D in the draft at that aspect. The only 2 D who should go top 10-15 in this draft are Drysdale and Sanderson. Drysdale will be top 5 and Sanderson will be top 10. Next D shouldnt come off the board until after 15, you're just losing value at forward at that point and drafting lower ceiling players if you actually reach for more D.

Like i said, i would love Schneider with the Vancouver pick, and he would likely still be on the board. But i would absolutely hate taking him with a top 10 pick and passing on better value of the forwards with higher ceilings.

Is it too early to start figuring out who to take with the 2022 5th rounder we got for Keith Kinkaide (in FEBRUARY 2019)????

Seriously, I didn't think twice about dropping that 2nd on PK Subban when the trade went down and now I wish we had that pick!
- Queenie_5_hole

I thought twice. I felt like I was the only human who thought that was a stupid trade because it was obvious to me PK had lost a step and was one of the worst dmen on that Preds roster that year. Such a joke. He's terrible.

yea Sanderson and Raymond are 2 players I can't put my finger on, if it's a reach to pick them 3rd-6th and 9th-11th. Idk. If either have the upside compared to other players around those spots.

I thought twice. I felt like I was the only human who thought that was a stupid trade because it was obvious to me PK had lost a step and was one of the worst dmen on that Preds roster that year. Such a joke. He's terrible.
- MartysBetter88

I just don't get how he dropped off that much. He just turned 30 when we traded for him AND you said he had lost a step the year before. So he starts visibly declining at 29?! It's surprising. I mean statically guy are certainly exiting their prime but the drop off isn't crazy.

I just don't get how he dropped off that much. He just turned 30 when we traded for him AND you said he had lost a step the year before. So he starts visibly declining at 29?! It's surprising. I mean statically guy are certainly exiting their prime but the drop off isn't crazy.
- Queenie_5_hole

Did you watch any of his playoff games? so underwhelming, and not going to get faster or better defensively. The last guy I wanted for the next 3 declining years.. at the cost of a 2nd, which is now an EARLY super-valuable 2nd.

Did you watch any of his playoff games? so underwhelming, and not going to get faster or better defensively. The last guy I wanted for the next 3 declining years.. at the cost of a 2nd, which is now an EARLY super-valuable 2nd.
- MartysBetter88

This is a bad moment for me to remember it was a 2nd rounder last year too.
So they got the # 34 pick last year and the # 37 pick this year.

yea Sanderson and Raymond are 2 players I can't put my finger on, if it's a reach to pick them 3rd-6th and 9th-11th. Idk. If either have the upside compared to other players around those spots.
- MartysBetter88

Honestly, I'm OK with Sanderson if we don't win a lottery spot.

Did you watch any of his playoff games? so underwhelming, and not going to get faster or better defensively. The last guy I wanted for the next 3 declining years.. at the cost of a 2nd, which is now an EARLY super-valuable 2nd.
- MartysBetter88

He was still at a 40 point pace his last season in Nashville. I think it was worth the risk for what we gave up.

He was still at a 40 point pace his last season in Nashville. I think it was worth the risk for what we gave up.
- rmdevil313

I'm not going to defend PK's season but can we see how bad the team was as a whole. It's not like team defense in general was a strength but PK was bad, pretty much everybody was bad. Now this could be that all of our defensemen are bad or that our coaching was terrible (most likely a combination of both).

Thanks Crusher! It's mostly a nice story because I didn't mention the girl I went with dropped dead at 32. As kids we went to Devils games all the time and if you waited until 5 minutes before the start you could get in ridiculously cheap.

We went to another game where she snagged a puck that popped over the glass. She took it and ran up to the press box because an injured Devil player was sitting there. A minute later she comes down and shows me the puck with a signature on it and says: "Peter Stasny! And your NEVER getting this puck!" Still true 33 years later.
- Queenie_5_hole

I like that!

Honestly, I'm OK with Sanderson if we don't win a lottery spot.
- rmdevil313

We win a spot I think I'd go 1-Lafrenriere, 2- Stutzle 3- Drysdale. I know a lot will disagree with Drysdale there but I think a PPG defenseman who can play all 3 zones and skate as well as he does with the puck is going to have a much higher ceiling in the NHL than Byfield or Raymond with that pick.

If things stay how they are and we go 6-10-17 I think a great draft for us would be something like: 6- Holtz, 10- Jack Quinn, 17- Guhle. Get some much needed offense on the wings for our young centers and pick up a solid shut down defender who isn't a pylon or an offensive liability.

Nice thing about this draft is if we do wind up with all 3 first rounders this year there should be players that won't be reaches that fit dire organizational needs available with each pick.

But we're the Devils so we will probably pick three 2 way centers and call it an evening, lol.

Did you watch any of his playoff games? so underwhelming, and not going to get faster or better defensively. The last guy I wanted for the next 3 declining years.. at the cost of a 2nd, which is now an EARLY super-valuable 2nd.
- MartysBetter88

At the time I don't think you can fault the Devils for making a move. We had Hall we wanted to extend, two first overall centers and we were a year removed from a playoff berth and our defense was AHL level. Cap space wasn't and issue and we added a guy who could've helped our top 4. The PK move really doesn't bother me. It shows we were aggressive about trying to win, and we haven't seen much of that lately.

I'm not going to defend PK's season but can we see how bad the team was as a whole. It's not like team defense in general was a strength but PK was bad, pretty much everybody was bad. Now this could be that all of our defensemen are bad or that our coaching was terrible (most likely a combination of both).
- Pomegrant

The team was bad but prime PK was someone that elevated the teams play, at best this season he was a non factor. I still have hope that with a better team and a more defined role he can be a serviceable top 4, but I think his days of being top pairing are long gone.

The team was bad but prime PK was someone that elevated the teams play, at best this season he was a non factor. I still have hope that with a better team and a more defined role he can be a serviceable top 4, but I think his days of being top pairing are long gone.
- rmdevil313

Agreed that he'll never be elite again. If he could just be a steady defender who eats a lot of minutes that has the ability to contribute offensively, that is something this team really needs.

At the time I don't think you can fault the Devils for making a move. We had Hall we wanted to extend, two first overall centers and we were a year removed from a playoff berth and our defense was AHL level. Cap space wasn't and issue and we added a guy who could've helped our top 4. The PK move really doesn't bother me. It shows we were aggressive about trying to win, and we haven't seen much of that lately.
- smellmyfinger

At the time I was thrilled with the move. And I don't blame Shero one bit because you have to decide if you like or don't like a trade the day it happens and not in hindsight. I'm just saying I was so happy I didn't give a poop about giving up two second round picks. Now that the draft is here and they're gone and PK has struggle, I'm like (frank) we could have used that pick! But really no biggie. I'm still praying for a bounce back to respectable defensive play from PK.

So how angry will other fans get if the Devils win 1st again I wonder?

We win a spot I think I'd go 1-Lafrenriere, 2- Stutzle 3- Drysdale. I know a lot will disagree with Drysdale there but I think a PPG defenseman who can play all 3 zones and skate as well as he does with the puck is going to have a much higher ceiling in the NHL than Byfield or Raymond with that pick.

If things stay how they are and we go 6-10-17 I think a great draft for us would be something like: 6- Holtz, 10- Jack Quinn, 17- Guhle. Get some much needed offense on the wings for our young centers and pick up a solid shut down defender who isn't a pylon or an offensive liability.

Nice thing about this draft is if we do wind up with all 3 first rounders this year there should be players that won't be reaches that fit dire organizational needs available with each pick.

But we're the Devils so we will probably pick three 2 way centers and call it an evening, lol.
- smellmyfinger

Its gona be lundell, guhle, and someone we've never heard of lol

At the time I was thrilled with the move. And I don't blame Shero one bit because you have to decide if you like or don't like a trade the day it happens and not in hindsight. I'm just saying I was so happy I didn't give a poop about giving up two second round picks. Now that the draft is here and they're gone and PK has struggle, I'm like (frank) we could have used that pick! But really no biggie. I'm still praying for a bounce back to respectable defensive play from PK.
- Queenie_5_hole

Yep and even if we are over paying him to be a second pair Dman it doesn't mean a thing since we are nowhere near cap trouble.