Potential Traps and Risks in the NHL Draft for Defenders: A Look Back at the 2018 Experience

2023-06-19 22:30:03

For a long time I was one of those who believed in Jesperi Kotkaniemi. But I have to admit that the flame of my confidence is flickering and could be extinguished forever if things don’t unblock for him very soon. He will never be able to say that he has not been given a chance to assert himself. Both in Montreal and in Carolina, KK has always been in a more than enviable mood. If he had been a late first-round pick, he would never have been the target of a hostile offer, he would never have started his NHL career on day one and he would never have been offered. a fantastic counter by his organization before having displayed more consistency in his game and having put points on the board.

KK is a hockey favourite. He is one of those in whom we think big, but who never really delivers. So much so that he was the 3rd kid to be called to the stage in the 2018 draft.

But his selection did not come out of nowhere. It is the result of a combination of circumstances. The Canadian, like many teams, had a crying need for talent in the center, but the manna, that year, was very slim. Too likely. To the point where the Canadian selected a young person who clearly had no place in this rank. There were better options available such as Quinn Hughes, Noah Dobson, K’André Miller, Evan Bouchard and, of course, the most egregious of them all, Brady Tkachuk.

The Arizona Coyotes, with the 5th overall pick, also bet on a center to fill their need by selecting Barrett Hayton. Again, this was not the optimal choice. As if it weren’t already blatant enough, the two young men just scored 43 points last season. Life is sometimes poetic where you least expect it!

All this being said, the next draft could well harbor the same kind of trap.

In his text of the day, Guillaume Lefrançois evokes that a situation similar to the 2018 draft seems to be emerging on the horizon, but this time featuring the defenders.

NHL Draft | The Defenders Puzzle and the Specter of 2018

– The Sports Press (@LaPresse_Sports) June 19, 2023

Basically, three names seem to stand out as the demand for top guards seems very high among NHL teams. David Reinbacher, Axel Sandin Pellikka and the Quebecer Étienne Morin (in his case, the evaluations vary enormously according to the observers questioned), these are the three young defenders in question.

The trap is that teams risk selecting them much earlier than they should, because the commodity (defenders) is very rare and the needs are very great.

To give you an idea, Reinbacher’s name has been regularly associated with the Montreal Canadiens who will pick 5th in a few days. According to the admission of his current coach with the Zurich Lions, Marc Crawford, he would be at best a 2nd or 3rd defender.

As much as a right-handed defender would be useful in Montreal, it can be the equivalent of a succulent piece of cheese installed on a mousetrap. In the absence of a good meal, the rodent may regret having been tempted.

Even Kent Hughes mentioned that David Reinbacher was the best defenseman available in the draft according to him. The question now is whether he values him enough to take a chance Jesperi Kotkaniemi with him and maybe get his nose stuck in a rodent trap watching his friends gobble up the cheese left behind.

A lot of

– Here is the summary in photos of the F1 weekend of the Canadian boys.

Spot any Habs at F1 this weekend? ????#GoHabsGo

— Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) June 19, 2023

– Another great honor for Chantal Machabée

Very honored to receive the Larry Fredericks Media Award! Thanks to @mikecohencsl @HerbZurkowsky1 @zababes1 and everyone from the @cjcsfoundation Merci!! ????❤️ pic.twitter.com/dXqI3jIzN4

— Chantal Machabee (@ChantalMachabee) June 19, 2023

– I think it’s safe to say that Connor McDavid is good.

Since coming into the NHL in 2015

Connor McDavid ranks:

Points: 850 (1st)
Assists: 547 (1st)
PP Points: 289 (1st)
EVS Goals: 225 (1st)
GWG: 64 (1st)
P/GP: 1.49 (1st) pic.twitter.com/IDbkjg0m0q

— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) June 19, 2023

– There were a lot of people at mass, as they say.