Gravesy

Is it?

Georgiev has done very well, but I don’t see anyone giving up a 1st round pick for him. He’s still got a lot to prove and a 1st rounder in this draft is a valuable asset.

I'd probably have a better year than Wahlstrom at BC to be fair.

He's very different from Laine going by what I've read. Plays a very complete game, isn't seen as a sniper but scores his goals from going hard to the net and playing smart. Barkov might be a better comparison style wise although I haven't really read much at all about Kakko's defensive game. Also, this just in from Pronman:

That's what the Pronman's and Wheelers are saying. 2 excellent young players who will contribute a lot to their franchises. But not in the generational tier necessarily. I'm absolutely over the moon with this. We'll get a fantastic player either way. And whilst I understand the fear of Rangers reaching and going off the board, to my memory they have never done something comparable to passing on Kakko/Hughes at #2 this year. It is such a clear divide between two elite prospects and a 7 or 8 good ones. Passing on one of those guys would be insane. I mean, it would be comparable to something like Buffalo taking Barrett Hayton at #1 last year.

McDavid won’t be traded this offseason you lunatics.

I honestly don’t think there’s a chance they go off the board should they get the 2nd pick in this draft. Too much between the top 2 and the rest.

No, this is obviously from a fans perspective. Clearly Gorton & co will have one guy rated over the other by some metric or other, so for them having #1 would be preferable. As a fan, however, having pick #2 would remove the stress of it all.

These things often have to do with momentum as well. Hughes started the season as the undisputed, Dahlin-style clear number one. Now they're neck and neck. Certainly, if Kakko has a strong showing in grown-up worlds I could see him go first. I'm actually warming to the idea that the 2nd pick is the best one in this draft. Have someone make the decision for you. Pick 2 will be a no-brainer either way.

If Shestyorkin looks good they're definitely going to give him enough playing time. I could easily see something approaching a job share.

Fully agree.

It's this basically. Or you could obviously shop him around to see what's out there. But there's no rush with him, it only seems a bit unfair to ship him to Hartford after what he's done. But it is what it is. I have a similar feeling on Hank as well. If the team is poor and his play continues to suffer I could see him pulling the plug. He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who will play one season too many.

Right. I agree in principle. But in reality, Shestyorkin isn't signing a deal that doesn't include a get out clause in case he ends up in the AHL. He's played north of 120 KHL games as a 23 year old goaltender and is seen as one of, if not the best goaltending prospects in the world. He's not going to leave a good KHL contract on the table to play in the AHL.

It would be a brutal team. But part of me is on board with a Shesty/Georgiev timeshare, Kreider trade, no UFA's and turbo tanking next season.

But that's not really the point here. He may be great, he may not live up to expectations. We don't know that yet. What we do know is that the Rangers have a decision to make this off season. People thinking they could just send this guy to Hartford for a season are living in la-la land imo. He's not going to play in Hartford, because why the fuck should he when he could just re sign with SKA. Folks thinking the AHL is somehow "better" than living and playing in St Petersburg are deluding themselves to be honest. So unless Hank u-turns, which is incredibly unlikely at this point, a decision will have to be made on Georgiev. It's either send him to Hartford or trade him. It kind of sucks because of how good he's been, but it is what it is. That's unless they're willing to take their chances with Shestyorkin signing a new deal in Russia of course.

Pure filth.

That, and we also need Buffalo to have a word with themselves and sort their shit out. Absolutely pathetic.

Scott Wheeler: 1. Hughes 2. Kakko 3. Cousins 4. Krebs 5. Boldy 6. Dach 7. Byram 8. Turcotte 9. Zegras 10. York 11. Caufield 12. Newhook 13. Kaliyev 14. Podkolzin 15. Honka https://theathletic.com/786254/2019/02/18/wheeler-midseason-ranking-for-the-2019-nhl-drafts-top-62-prospects/

Not even close if you play for SKA. Those guys are catered for.

I think it would undercut the meritocracy. And I'm not entirely sure the Rangers should be giving out guarantees. The question is, what's on the table from SKA vs what's on the table from the Rangers. If, for arguments sake, it's 3 times the money to re sign with SKA or risk ending up in Hartford then I would sort of see his reason for staying on for a few years. And that puts the Rangers in a bind, assuming they're as high on him as everybody else.

That’s entirely dependent on where you play. With SKA that isn’t the case.

Well, it's a bit of both really. There are more skill guys playing top 6 roles in the KHL than in the A. But parity is much more of an issue and the bottom 6 guys are often at a significant level below. I don't think it's necessarily true that the KHL is a superior place to be for a developing goalie, particularly when you factor in he's playing for such a good team and at some point he needs to adapt to NA ice. From Shestyorkins perspective I can see why he'd choose to play for SKA on more money over humping the bus in Hartford though.

The grand total of goal scoring wingers on the Rangers is 0. I don’t see how adding one isn’t as big a need as any other position.

Based on nothing more than preliminary research I’m leaning towards the WHL/USDP guys if they pick in that range. Krebs, Boldy, Turcotte, Dach. Edit Josh :rofl: What is it you don’t like about those guys?

The Athletic guys aren't as high on him. Wheeler didn't have him in his top 10, Pronman I think had him around 5 or 6. The draft is supposed to be stronger on forwards than last years class. I don't know much about Podkolzin but it seems like he performs at a very high level wherever he goes.