No doubt. Look back at any draft and there are tons and tons of good and bad surprises. ............ And that's the saving grace about Jones. We know he's not a bust but don't know that for certain about any draft pick/prospect.
- Mr Ricochet
I think you have to put the doings of the last week in perspective:
Jones is an elite level grab that hardly anyone thinks any of this draft's defenseman except Powers (and that is way far down the line.) can be. If you want meet go into that at depth, I am more than willing. He will be the anchor each and every Hawk defender will have as their example. You don't get chances at this kind of player no matter where you perceive the Blackhawk retool/rebuild is.
The only pick at this point that you can try to compare Jones with is the Cole Sillinger.
You can convince yourself he going to be a better pro.
I cannot take that opinion, knowing this draft class and what I have gauged as their upside. The stipulation that let's the Hawks Keep the pick if it raises them into the top six OR Higher to the top picks) of the much better draft class. I have no qualms seeing
Shane Wright,
Ivan Miroshnichenko (oh no a Russian!),
Conor Geekie,
Matthew Savoie,
Brad Lambert, USA's L
ogan Cooley, all forwards that are better bets as top liners, and I am willing to throw the mean Czech we saw in World Junior U-20,
David Jiricek.
All this is preliminary but our GM had good foresight on adding the provision.(MY QUESTION in the phrasing Lottery win mean the ten slot jump or just if the jump into top two you seem to be saying IS agreement.
Here is the wording:
2022 conditional 1st round pick* (CHI)
*Conditions: If Chicago wins one of the the 2022 draft lotteries, the pick becomes their 2023 1st round pick.. They could be the #16 worst team and win a ten slot drop...
There is no provision if the Blackhawks make the playoffs.
Until I see who the Columbus 2022 Blackhawk traded pick is prospect-wise, I still see the top player you rarely get to draft: a bit nasty defenseman who is effortless on his pins and HAS offensive prowess he was willing to harness to be a set up man.
This isn't Buffalo's #1 puck Dahlin still figuring it out. This is not a Gustav Forsling (who I really liked) who "gets it" but can't handle bigger bodies with regularity.
And for all the Stan-moans, I see a guy holding back $$ from his roster guys if they inflate their value in the plan. Z will have value at the deadline because of his dirty snarl and blind-sides.
Jones is a UFA guy you pay, not a fair to middlin' UFA defender whose name the sports writers have "iconned."
This Hawk draft
was based on hope that each and every of their long term developmental picks in time improve and hammer out their armor's chinks. They clearly like them targeted them, not as short term answers.
Another thing trading two years of first rounders does, is not having any of these 2nd 3rd 4th rounders guys thinking, after a nhl season, they deserve what Pius Suter wants.
All year I wonder what the attraction was. I would pay to see him, and he may find out that's the case here & elsewhere.