San Jose Sharks
Seven Prospects for Sharks To Consider at No. 2
It’s a whole new world for the San Jose Sharks at the 2026 draft.
The Sharks were likely to come out of Tuesday’s draft lottery with the No. 9 pick. Instead, ping pong ball luck got them the No. 2.
The Toronto Maple Leafs also moved up, winning the first-overall selection.
So now, the 2026 draft, to be held on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, is basically the San Jose Sharks’ oyster.
“It’s a good day for the organization,” GM Mike Grier said after the lottery.
Who could Grier and his scouting staff be looking at for No. 2?
Gavin McKenna
The winger is the consensus No. 1 pick, not likely to be available at No. 2.
But McKenna also isn’t the unanimous first-overall a la Matthew Schaefer, Macklin Celebrini, or Connor Bedard in previous years.
If the Leafs pass on McKenna, it would be hard for the San Jose Sharks to ignore him. McKenna is the “most dynamic offensive playmaker of this draft class”, a future first-line winger.
Read the Full Article at NBC Sports Bay Area
Totally trust Grier in the draft. He and his team have made some savvy decisions.
If he can find an opportunity to trade down and get multiple pieces to add to our blue line, so be it.
If hockey stays hockey and there is no trade movement, I hope that they stick with the BPA mantra. Stenberg looks like a stud. No need to overthink it.
We have a great young forward core as well as solid forward prospects close to NHL ready. I say we leverage the draft pick we got for immediate non geriatric help on defense if we can find it 🤷♂️
Agree 100%.
Non geriatric 🤣
I think that was a swipe at me. It’s ok I deserved it. 😜🤣
in the search for elite d-men, I’d offer up this. To get Quinn Hughes, the Canucks got Buium, Ohgren and Rossi plus a Wild rd 1 pick. The Wild 1st is going to be a late first. Call that a 25th overall Buium, in a re-draft, probably goes around 10-ish. That assumes he’s middle of the pack among his d-man peers (4 out of 6) and 5 forwards (Macklin, Sennecke, Demidov, Catton and iginla). Hage and Chernyshov might also pass him in a re-draft. 10th is about right. Could argue a few slots in either direction, but that’s close enough.… Read more »
If I’m picking one D man to anchor my D going into a playoff run I’m picking Seider, (other than Makar) why would anyone Trade the Best defender in the game who is a 6-4 RHD and puts up 60 points with very limited fire power around him? There is no way Sieder is going anywhere.
The issue will likely be more akin to what happened with Quinn Hughes, where the player wants out of the situation he’s in. For Seider, he might look at DET’s situation, realize they only seem close but really aren’t. After all, Buffalo passed them up and left them in the dust. MTL passed them up and left them in the dust. TB is still really good and probably has a few more years at or near the top while Florida is likely to bounce back after this injury-riddled season. Unless they can pass one of these 4 teams, its down… Read more »
Exactly. Not even a single rumor he might be available or disgruntled.
I personally don’t think you need an 85–90 point defenseman, and I think it’s a foolish allocation of funds if you’re serious about winning a Cup. That’s strictly based on historical data. Sure, it’s fun to have a dandy boy defenseman like Quinn Hughes, but I would far rather have someone like Zdeno Chara, Moritz Seider, or Victor Hedman if I’m trying to be the last team standing.
Agree. My poster child for ideal D is one Pronger type and someone who can do at least some of what Niedermayer did. So a big shit down guy and a PP1 QB. Could be as simple as Nemec and Schneider if they achieve their peak.
I think this is the sort of guy I’d like to see with the Sharks. Big and physical with respectable offense. Pronger was so good at keeping pucks in at the blue line. With the forward group the Sharks have, stealing a few extra possessions in the o-zone is going to be worth a ton.
In this year’s draft, the two names that come closest to this description seem to be Smits, Gustafsson and maybe Verhoeff.
Oh, it would be my dream for the sharks to get whoever the second coming of Pronger is. If I’m building a team from scratch, with anyone from history, he might be my first overall pick. Cause he can skate with any of the fast guys and he’s big enough to handle all the big guys. And he is cruel as hell. Worst defenseman to play against that I’ve seen in my lifetime and plays 30 minutes a game and is where offensive scoring chances go to die, sometimes literally. You find him and the Sharks can sign, trade for… Read more »
Both Beast and Musty are RD1 material. If you’re really adding a super stud D at the right age you give up the 2OA and then you only need to give up 2 more assets or maybe 2 1st round level and a 2nd round level. You’re still trying to trade Smith which won’t happen now so you’re whole long as comment is DOA. Figure that shit out dude. Love the brainstorming but if you’re going to keep making completely unrealistic proposals it’s a waste of everyone’s time. Also the Seider obsession is unfounded unless you can provide some link… Read more »
I have no idea what Seider is thinking. Neither do you. Is it possible he’s wondering how much more loyalty he wants to give to a GM who gave away a 2nd rd pick to move off his teammate in Jake Walman, only to see Walman return a 1st a few months later? Would I have confidence in my GM, who jsut gave a mid-round 1st for Justin Faulk? Roman Josi — I could see it. But Justin Faulk? Seider could easily be looking at the Yzerplan and thinking WTF? Walman is gone, a 1st is gone, a 2nd is… Read more »
lol! You don’t get to try and support your hairbrained scheme about Seider by saying I also don’t know. Yeah no shit. That’s the point, there’s literally no rumor anywhere that he might be available at any price. You pulled that out of your ass. It’s like saying maybe Makar is available. Maybe he hates the smell of McKinnons body wash and he can’t take it anymore. He wants out. He’s not available either. At least when you had a raging hard on for Dahlin, the team was completely in the tank and it was somewhat plausible that he could… Read more »
More insanity, but hey, at least it was long.
🥴 🤣
Unlike others, I appreciate these realistic discusions about what it would take to get a 1D. I don’t think the sharks should make a trade like this (yet), but I agree that this is what it would take.
They’re not realistic though. His valuations always have just enough nut sauce to throw off the entire equation.
then you do it.
That’s a good joke Zeke. Imagining SnarkFan making a well thought out post (even if it’s something I disagree with) is pretty hilarious.
eat shit putz.😜🖕💩
I have. To be clear I said I appreciate the creativity but just don’t throw in the Willy Wonka part of it where you’re just trying to make shit out of thin air that there’s no basis in reality for.
There’s only 1 data point where a team traded a top tier defenseman. Gotta believe Vancouver took the best offer.
Just doing the equivalencies as I see it.
If you want to do it differently, then go ahead and do it.
The problem with hypothetical fan discussions around what a team should or shouldn’t do is the scope and scale of the exercise. It’s really only fun if you at least attempt to put the guardrails of realism in place. The more assumptions your plan requires, the further removed your ideas become from reality. By the end of the idea, you’ve essentially created a reality in which the idea works — whether that reality exists or not. It’s extraordinarily hard to track, and frankly it breaks the bubble of imagination required to make this stuff entertaining. This latest, for example, requires… Read more »
its not that hard and its not that complex. I did complex deals for a living. Most in the single and double digit $millions. I get the business process. Making deals work always included what the other side wanted and expected. The Quinn Hughes deal set a market value for a top tier d-man. There’s no question that other teams wanted Hughes and there was a market for him. That’s the expectation. Valuing the assets Vancouver acquired isn’t rocket science. Its also not an exact science. But talking it piece by piece, its pretty straightforward. So I got a valuation… Read more »
No no. I understand what you did. I don’t understand why you did it.
🤣
Incredibly well put. My analogy was going to be, it’s like playing tag with a kid who never admits they got tagged. 😜
You sure about that? What happened summer of 2019?
2018 for EK65? I’d say its not that recent. But sure, lets go for it. The Sharks gave up Josh Norris (19th overall pick) 1st round pick two 2nds (upgraded to a 1st if Sharks get to SCF which didn’t happen) Tierney Balcers DeMelo At the time, I’m pretty sure management didn’t expect the collapse that led to the 3rd overall spot. Norris was a late first The other 1st was expected to be a mid to late first (Sharks make the playoffs) — they kind of blew that!! I might be able to argue that, at the time, Tierney… Read more »
2019 is plenty recent when you’ve been watching since the ‘80s. 😉 it also happened in a non frozen cap environment so totally reasonable data point.
I had no actual idea how it’d play out. But turned out to be really similar valuation to the Hughes deal.
Of course, lots of deals look one way on the day they happen and very different in how it plays out. EK65 was supposed to keep the Sharks in the Cup hunt for several more years. Not the way it worked out.
You can blame a sports hernia and a once in century pandemic on that.
but no they weren’t equal value. You’re squinting real hard to make your self feel right.
I have no vested interest in putting out anything other than what the data says. I got 5 mid-to-late 1sts with the EK65 trade when it happened and 3 mid-to-late 1sts + a 10th overall with the Hughes trade. I was pretty surprised at close it is. The only guy in that whole deal who actually came out better off was DeMelo — and that came mostly after he went to Winnipeg. Norris kept getting hurt, Tierney fell off fairly quickly, Balcers never really did hit and of course, EK65 got hurt. The winner was the pick that was supposed… Read more »
Norris despite being a late pick already outpaced his draft spot at the time of the trade. They thought he looked like a legit guy already so simple draft spot comparison isn’t a good view of it at the time.
I personally appreciate the thought and effort that went into this post. At least it’s actually thoughtful, not like the usual homer trade ideas. Having said that, I don’t know about these types of trade projections. I think they can get very misleading (note how far off projections were about Panarin.) Both in the NHL and other negotiations, assuming the last deal by two other parties will set the price for the current two parties can be a bit misleading. For a real life demonstration of this phenomenon, you only need to look at eBay auctions and see how seemingly… Read more »
There’s a strong case to be made that allocating a large portion of the salary cap to an undersized, offense-first defenseman isn’t a proven formula for winning a Stanley Cup. While high-end puck-moving defensemen can drive play and rack up points during the regular season, history shows that playoff success is typically built on depth, physical durability, and defensive reliability. The postseason is a different animal—tight checking, reduced space, and relentless forechecking tend to neutralize the open-ice creativity that offensive defensemen thrive on from October through April. When you look at many recent Cup winners, their blue lines are anchored… Read more »
I agree.
Florida and Tampa have big, heavy blue lines — and Cups.
Heard someone (Button? Bucci? forget who but someone in that space) say that many NHL teams have concluded you can have a smaller defenseman. But just one.
Yup just one but he better be really good.
I think so.
But I can see a case where a guy like Cagnoni is really good at power plays and deficient elsewhere. He’s not “really good”. More of a specialist.
Then I look at the success Tampa’s had — and they often ran 7D with 11 forwards. I wonder if there might be a formula for a smaller, specialist defenseman. Its not really been tested, but I can see the potential.
I don’t see Cags as a cup winning D ever. Love the guy but to win a cup I don’t think he can be in the lineup.
His best shot is to be great on the PP while the rest of the team’s defensemen aren’t. I liked what I saw in his 2 NHL games this season. So I’m saying there’s a chance.
I could see the Sharks borrowing Cooper’s 11/7 thing, making Cags more valuable at 8-10minutes at even strength + PP specialist.
Its a longshot, but i can see it working.
i Can’t see the Sharks running 7 d ever unless there are a ton of injuries. The forwards are too deep.
I see it the other way, but for similar reason.
Because the forwards are so deep, can run three lines giving each plenty of minutes and using the 10th and 11th forwards to fill in shifts a few times a period and do PKs.
Playing a 3rd line 18 minutes isn’t something most team consider. But if that line is Eklund, Wennberg and Stenberg (at least this year), why not?
The team would never last four rounds over playing your stars that much.
100% but he can’t play 30 minutes and makes 16 million dollars lol.
Tell that to the Avs, Devils, Ducks, Rangers, Pens, Hawks, etc etc etc…
One of those teams have won in the past decade. And you can make an argument that the Avs won because the Lighting were running on fumes.
All except the Avs did it in a much more brutal time though. Add Tampa too. Can’t believe I forgot Boyle.
The Avs won because they were really good. They are still really good
Who is the MVP of their cup? 😳 I’ll give you a hint. He’s maybe the greatest small defenseman I’ve ever seen and his name rhymes with the fragrance Drakkar….
There is no universe in which the price on Makar is remotely reasonable. And this assumes there even exists a universe where he is even available. Let’s say Makar wants $20M a year. It’s a lot, but we are having fun here. He’s going to be 28 next year, and if he signs an 8 year deal, we can safely assume that 5-7 of those years are in his peak prime to the point where the team still probably gets value (and I’m defining value as the production is worth more than the payout) from the deal. By the end… Read more »
you have to give up a 3rd piece in your deal for Quinn. Way too much homer valuation. You’re talking one of the top 3 D in the world. It’s just like trading for EK65 when the Sharks did. The 2OA skews it but it’s not worth 3 1sts. It’ll be 2OA, Eklund (even they’ll even take him), and another 1st or an NHL ready prospect like Musty or Bysty Boy… minimum. ideally I would prefer to grab one of Chicagos young D if possible. It would be spectacular to grab Lev just to see what Zeke does. 😜 not… Read more »
I wouldn’t freak if the Blackhawks offered Levshunov and their 4th overall for Sharks 2nd overall and GMMG took it. I’d probably prefer Vlasic because he’s got more certainty. But I’m not losing it over that.
It’d spread out the risk on the blue line. If this 2nd overall turns into a strong middle pair on defense for the next decade +, that’s a decent result. That’s probably the downside scenario. Smits + Levshunov, for example, seems like a major upgrade. Even if its not a major upgrade in 2026-27.
I would take that in a heartbeat since it would mean the Sharks get Reid and Levshunov. I don’t love Levshunov, but I think he would be a strong 3rd pair RHD. I doubt Chicago would offer that much, but we won’t know for awhile.
Don’t be surprised when Lev plays higher in the lineup than SD in that scenario.😉
I would absolutely love that as an outcome from this draft. Before the lottery, I assumed there was no way the sharks were getting first overall. I watched a ton of footage on Levshunov. Absolutely love the guy.
You are just an Eklund hater. He has a lot of value. And the 2OA is absolutely worth 3 1sts in the back half of the round. Probably more than that, actually. So we might just have to disagree on this. There are too many unknowns here to be able to ever tell who was right unless the improbable happens and the exact trade we build goes through. But you’re undervaluing both the 2OA and Eklund. Remember that Rossi, Ohgren, Buium and a late 1st got it done. 2OA and Eklund are the top 2 pieces in that group of… Read more »
We’ve already been through this. I’m not an Eklund hater and you guys sound dumb when you try to position me as such. He is a small winger who plays small, especially against big teams. He’s just not worth what you guys think he is. He has the skill to play well with really great players, but even then he still disappears for stretches. Will Smith out scored him sleepwalking through the season if you compare their time on Celes wing. Per game. How many three and four-point games did Eck have playing with Cele? Cherny is already an obvious… Read more »
You are absolutely an Eklund hater, and you sound goofy when you claim to be objective.
You guys sound like idiots when you try and pin that on me. I guess you’re right if you specify that I hate undersized wingers with no elite traits who disappear against big physical teams? Sure, I hate all those wingers. You got me. Why? Because they aren’t winning you a cup. Especially if they’re in your top 6. As far as Eklund the person? Seems like a great dude, love the effort and dedication, can be a decent regular season player if he gets to ride shotgun with elite players. But barring that he’s just empty calories. You guys… Read more »
Trades inside the top 10 are really rare. At least according to the people who track this stuff. One of the few trades even near the top 10 involved the Sharks moving from 14 to 11 and ultimately getting Dickinson. I forget which pundit said it, but the challenge is both finding the team wanting to trade down, but also the team wanting to give something up to trade up. Most of the teams drafting early are there because they are several players away, not just one. Giving up two shots to take one for team which need a bunch… Read more »
Vast majority of trades happen for a relatively small number of reasons (maybe 6-8 ). I don’t see any of those reasons with Makar. Reasons existed with Quinn Hughes and those reasons led to his trade. Similar reasons might exist with Werenski, Seider and Fox . In each case, around playoff and Cup potential vs where the team is now and where it is headed. I think its unlikely Hughes leaves Minnesota, though the ‘brother’s issue is still out there. But the “playing for a contending team” part is solved. And Quinn is the one brother who is winning. He’s… Read more »
Now Werenski is at least a slim possibility. Dude was clearly unhappy at last presser and they re-signed the coach who shit on the team culture. Fox could be there too. Those guys at least have a slight spark if not a tiny bit of smoke. Seider and Makar are wet logs no chance of fire.
I don’t see Makar at all. None of the elements are present. Nothing contractual, they compete well, no cap challenges, no conflicts with teammates or coaches I’m aware of. Hasn’t worn out his welcome. About the only thing that might make any sense is his deal is expiring after next season. But I can’t imagine that’d be the reason unless he has some ungodly asking price. And I’ve heard nothing of that sort, either. With Seider, I can see elements of why he might consider leaving. Even if nothing’s come out. I hadn’t seen anything about Werenski. All I’ve heard… Read more »
A situation like that the most you do is retool around a guy like Sieder. The GM and coach get fired first. Then they sell him on the revamping and keep going. No way that god on skates gets moved. It would cost Misa, Dickinson, plus, plus, plus, plus.
But hey, as with Dahlin, if it happens I’ll buy you a round if I ever see you.
Lalalala I can’t hear you Makar to the Sharks confirmed
If you will it, it is no dream, dude!
Bruh.
I was going to write a long response to this, but my only addition, outside of the above, is start investing more of the $ you are giving to your dispensary.
It’s thoughtful, sure, but yeah.
The wife is overseas at the moment and I’m retired. I’ve got the time, the money and the keyboard. Which I’m gonna do until the arthritis kicks in!!!
Take up piano. Helps with the arthritis.
I’m working this keyboard instead …
Yeah not the same and far more likely to result in carpal tunnel and arthritis.
May also be just a two year rent before Hughes unifies with his brothers in New Jersey. In that case the price was way to high for the Wild. The Sharks should find their No 1 or No 2 via draft and find some less costly D via trade or FA in the meantime. We will get some growth from inside. Mukh is better than the ice-time he was given and I think Pohlkamp will surprise many next year. Thanks to Macklin we are at least one year ahead in the rebuild, but the lottery luck gave us what an… Read more »
The idea behind trading for Quinn is that he does re-sign. No one is suggesting getting him and risking him walking
Shak earned the ice time he got. If he shows up the guy who played the last couple weeks then he’s legit. Needs to get over his tentative fraidy cat play from earlier.
The idea trading for EK65 was also that he resigns. In the end we had to sign him to a cap hit that made him a bad contract player. He just was not what the team needed. The thing that he knew DW would have to sign him after that costly trade gave him all the leverage. We can be happy our game later completely was focused on him so he could produce the 100+ points season. Before that it was a bad contract that was untradable without a substantial retention. Sign and trade is ok. Trade and hoping to… Read more »
Cap hit on EK65 would have been fine without the multiple injuries and a once a century pandemic.
you can think whatever you want about Shak but he’s mid 20s and if he played all season with the confidence he showed the last week or 2 he’d be signing long term for 5+ mil a season instead of a couple mil for 2 years.
quit trying to blame the coaches for a players failings.
but are the sharks actually a better team when they lose Eky, Cherny, and Graffer, but gain Seider?
I don’t think so. This sets us as back and we may as well be talking about how we need to build up our middle 6 again next year
Wingers are far easier to acquire than defenders like Sieder. Zeke has the best of targets there’s just not a snowballs chance in hell it happens. Mainly, for Sieder Detroit likely takes Misa, Dickinson AND Eklund. That’s how good the guy is.
Not that it is an immediate problem, but longer term planning is going to require thinking about how the money is allocated across the roster too. Example: If you want to draft Stenberg, and eventually pay him and Celebrini and Misa and Smith and Chernyshov and Dickinson and the goalies, you might well be pushing up near 70% of the cap just with that. If they all live up to expectations, you probably don’t need to work about acquiring a true number one D – you won’t be able to afford him and still ice a quality bottom six forward… Read more »
That challenge happens at some point. But we’ve seen teams manage things pretty well over the years. Having a pipeline is a meaningful part, because the younger players are less expensive. Which means there’s more room at the top. The Sharks, in a few years, are going to enter a phase where they try to find the right fit. They’ll have the talent, but championships require players which help the team gel. Barclay Goodrow was an example of that for Tampa. He was inexpensive and played a meaningful role in two Cup wins, then went off and got paid …… Read more »
It’s all about roster management. Sure there’s going to be cheap, impact 4th liners and bottom pair D that are the last touch needed on a Cup winning team. But you don’t get to that point unless you manage the build up to that properly. The star players take up most of the cap (obviously), and you have to find the right balance. IMO, you can’t responsibly say you will find the right fit in a few years when it starts to get expensive because at that point your star players – your core – are already drafted and in… Read more »
Edmonton and Toronto made a lot of questionable decisions aside from overloading forwards, and I think it was more all those peripheral bad decisions that hamstrung them.
I think drafting and paying stars is always a good choice, but over committing to guys who aren’t real needle movers is the biggest mistake teams make, and both Edmonton and Toronto have done that repeatedly and gummed up their rosters with mediocrity
Fair, BUT, a lot of those questionable decisions were driven by a lack of options due to no room to maneuver because of cap constraints. This is what happens when you get top heavy somewhere – solid options are no longer options because you can’t afford them, and so you start taking risks that you shouldn’t take, hoping that they work out. The stars you have are the stars you have – when you are a playoff team, you don’t start trading them away as part of the solution or to clear cap space. You’re always supplementing the stars, and… Read more »
that is exactly why I am leery of will smith. Exactly what you just so eloquently stated. I don’t have anything against the dandy personally.
Will Smith moves all kinds of needles. He’s going to get so much better, don’t even worry about it
You’re leery of smith because you suck at talent evaluation. You’re like a caveman who’s afraid of fire. 😜 🤣
All due respect to whatever brought you to that final and absolute conclusion, but what evidence or proof do you have to make this vexatious defense?
I dunno, everything you’ve ever said about Smith? Yeah, that.😀
we haven’t made the playoffs yet!!!!!!!!!! You don’t know one thing about the guy until then!!!!!! You’re the one who says he’s going to score 100 points and be con smyth winner and Wayne kucherov. The jury is still out!!!! You act like you’re a clairvoyant with hubris and a know it all.
Yeah I do know. Previous results are the best predictor of future results. Dude has been big in any big games he’s played at other levels. Go ahead, get mad. Use all the punctuation. Stamp your feet and pee your pants. I don’t care. You’re wrong about Smith. Quit yer bitchin.
He’s missing one crucial component to his game, heart, desire and urgency. He doesn’t have that chip on his shoulder like an Alberta farm boy who doesn’t want to go back to the farm and shovel shit so he better out work everyone,
You don’t know that. And no, he’s not. You’ve made it up in your head. Everything about his childhood says he’s a clutch performer who delivers when it matters most. You’re mistaking being a spaz for grit and icy veins for indifference. You’ve been doing it for a long while now.
He was brought up working in the farm or carrying hod for dad? What about his childhood?
So only people born on a farm can win a cup or be clutch? Are you just trying to craft the dumbest possible statement you can and post it here? Dude… take your meds.
That kind of cap management is exactly why I’ve said that Grier pretty much has to be all in and make sure they’re at least a playoff team with a legit chance to do some damage as early as next season. You just can’t waste the time that you have with an MVP candidate like Cele. Really he’s got a thread the needle this off-season and then hope the team catches lightning in a bottle. I would definitely use next year‘s first to try and get the young future number one defenseman in some package. The clock is ticking.
Definitely need to threat the needle. Definitely want to see the D upgraded enough to be a playoff team. And I would definitely rather use next season’s number one than 2OA for a big move – winning the lottery is a gift from the hockey gods, and drafting the right player (when you are this high) is far more valuable to the long term success of a team in a rebuild than packaging it. I still think the single biggest factor that will drive us forward or hold us back next season is the development of Smith/Misa/Cherny/Dicky/Askarov. There’s nothing that… Read more »
If you can trade 2OA for a 20 year old 1D who’s had enough development that you’re closer to 100% sure is going to hit, that easily worth it IMO. Giving up 2 years for more certainty is an easy trade off IMO.
Sure, but how many 20 year old D are there who we’re pretty certain are 1D, who are available, and the team who owns him thinks a winger (the only reason you’d trade for 2OA) is more valuable than a 1D? You’re talking the 2023 and 2024 drafts, and it this point I don’t see anyone who meets all the criteria (available and probably a 1D).
I don’t know enough about everyone else’s prospects but there’s always a guy like this. That’s what the scouts are for. Could be a guy like Lev or one of the other righties from that draft. Maybe the scouts like a guy from this draft best but the certainty would be 70% at best whereas getting a player who’s D+2 is easier to project. Maybe a guy buried in a teams system because they’re contenders and don’t want to break in a young D. There’s someone out there. We’ll find out at the draft if Grier is able to make… Read more »
Nobody fits that bill though. The guys available are either 29 or not real
I don’t believe you or I have enough in depth knowledge about all the other teams prospect pools to make that statement with any certainty.
https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/2025-26-nhl-prospect-pool-hub-everything-you-need-to-know-about-your-teams-future
good place to look.🙂
I can say with absolute certainty that if there were a player like this available, I would know about him
Yeah, I don’t believe that even a little. It requires a scouting dept.
One addition, when I say 20 year old 1D I mean a guy who’s progression over his 2 season post draft make him a higher confidence bet that he’ll be a 1D. Not a guy playing as a 1D in the NHL at 20. I thought that was apparent from my comments about confidence and percentage. Like I said, it’ll take a scouting staff to actually be able to determine that.
What does “20A” mean? I keep seeing it but I can’t figure out what it stands for.
#2 overall in the draft
Thanks!
2OA not 20A. 2nd overall. Where the sharks are now picking.
Take BPA (probably Stenberg). Teach Macklin to play defence, pair him with Burnsy (who comes back for 5 more years after winning the cup with the Avs). D problem solved.
This is the way
I’ve been looking at some of these guys a little and it’s melting my brain to try to decide which guy to take if the Sharks hold on at #2. Seems like there’s a world where Toronto could fall in love with Stenberg and McKenna could fall to #2, which would make the pick more valuable to the Sharks on draft day if they hold it until they are on the clock. If Toronto goes McKenna, the team will have a separate plan of attack. To me, though, the interesting challenge is not figuring out which player the team should… Read more »
The scouts doing media (Ellis, Robinson, etc) seem to have converged on Reid as the top d-man in the class. And then .. they tend to caveat it with “but they’re all really close.” The idea that 9th overall might not be much different than 2nd overall if is kind of strange. But history is pretty clear, there are a lot of top d-men that aren’t first off the board. Including Werenski (3rd off) and Seider (2nd off). The guys taken ahead of them were Hanafin, Provorov and Byram. Good players but not a close to elite. And that’s before… Read more »
Verhoeff’s skating is pretty widely regarded as a huge question mark. Don’t think comparing him to Dickinson makes much sense in that regard.
Ah bummer. Avoid like the plague then. Don’t need a heavy footed D.
I can see reaching down to draft Reid if the Sharks scouts truly believe in his long-term value. We’ve seen some surprises on draft day pay off. Shane Wright sank 3 spots on draft day, and now Habs look really pretty smart for picking Slafkovsky. People made fun of Pat Verbeek for picking Carlsson over Fantilli (who was #2 on most rankings.) But he is looking pretty smart now. Having said that…if Grier reaches down, I sure hope he hired and retained the right people on his scouting staff. Because that’s one of those decisions that can haunt a franchise… Read more »
The problem with reaching is simple. You aren’t maximizing the value of your picks even if you truly are smarter than everyone else and you’re always taking the right guy. I call this the Jon Lynch School of Drafting. Lynch, as we all know, is the 49ers GM. He went to Stanford, and he thinks he is the smartest guy in the world. The Niners routinely take guys with pick 33 who are rated in the 70s. And it goes about as well as you’d expect. Lynch led with his head a lot. But let’s pretend Lynch actually nailed his… Read more »
The idea of trading down definitely is intriguing but the more I’ve looked into it the more unrealistic it seems. A team hasn’t traded a Top 5 draft pick at the draft since 2008 let alone the number 2 pick in the draft. Maybe this is the year that changes but precedent tells me it’s pretty unlikely.
Most teams in the top 5 don’t have the flexibility to make a deal, and I think a lot of the time, they can’t really make a trade because they are in desperate need of a franchise player and they can’t afford to mess around. In this case, the 3 biggest pieces in this draft are forwards and that really isn’t a need for the Sharks. So they can afford to look at other options.
Hey, we hadn’t had a goalie fight since 2002.
Didn’t the Sharks trade the #2 overall pick w/the Preds in the early 2000s? I think the Preds ended up picking Legwand, the Sharks picked Stuart #3 and Cheechoo with the 2nd round pick they go from the Preds for moving back one spot… that sound right?
Yes. A shockingly good move.
Umm I thought the rights to Vinny LeCavalier were involved in that somehow?
Huh? I don’t think so. Please share if you know different though.
I don’t disagree with any of your logic, but it’s based on a false premise — that all NHL GMs agree on the value of each player. The perception you want Grier to exploit is a perception largely created by fans and media, not his colleagues. Are there GMs who are dumb enough to be distracted by that noise? Absolutely. Is it enough of them to create an all-out bidding war for the second overall pick? Doubtful. They have other levels to pull, like Vancouver leaking information about how they were leaning toward Malhotra all along. Here we are two… Read more »
No, actually I am not basing any of this on fan perceptions and my entire premise is based on exploiting different valuations. Now fan and pundit rankings aren’t completely wrong, there is value in consolidating the various rankings. But the best way to maximize value in this environment is to rank the players and assign values to them. If there are 8 players you think are pretty much equal and you have the 2nd pick, you want to find the guy who has the most different ranking from you who will pay to trade up so you can take the… Read more »
And I did say multiple times that sometimes the simplest move is the best move. If they just take their favorite D man at #2, or even their favorite player, I won’t have all the info to prosecute anyways. I’ll have to trust Grier. He’s earned our trust. Last year, I think maybe the Frondell misdirection could have been an attempt to bait Chicago into making a move up and it didn’t work, but if any of that were even true, it only didn’t work because Misa is amazing. Did Vancouver already say they wanted Malhotra? If so, that’s found… Read more »
Only useful if you get them to bite.
How was the noise around sharks liking Anton bait for Chicago to move up?
What? The hawks didn’t make a bad pick. You better hope Lev doesn’t have his break out next season. 😜
you’re making all these determinations in hindsight. Nobody knew who these teams were drafting at the time. There is no way of knowing that other teams didn’t also view those players as highly. They got the players they wanted with no risk. What you’re proposing is classic galaxy brain. And stuff like that it’s just too easy to backfire on you.
If Sennecke thought he was going within 10 picks, he would have mouthed, “told ya so”
This is how I know
Why would be know in the first place? His reaction doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t prove the point you think you’re making.
Players talk to teams. Normally they are in the know about who is interested. Anaheim went very off script. Maybe they didn’t want to telegraph their interest. We will likely never know
Yeah and a lot of times you hear players say the team didn’t talk to them. The teams hide their likes so they don’t have teams trade ahead of them.
“No, actually I am not basing any of this on fan perceptions.”
Dude, that’s literally all we have to go on here. Fans and media. You’re absolutely basing your opinions on those perceptions.
Agreed. I would prefer he moves down if he likes someone further down the consensus list but it’s not going to be a deal breaker assuming he’s right. He’s shown a willingness to do similar when he moved down the grab Bysty Boy. This is more dramatic but same idea.
If the discussion ends up being between Stenberg and Reid, it seems right now as if the broad consensus has them at 2 and 3. Is going for 3, especially when the guy in that spot plays in a much more premium position (not just D, but RD), really a reach?
They’re close enough that I don’t see an issue, and anyway, it wouldn’t surprise me one iota if within a year of the draft they’ve swapped rankings among many prospect rankings.
It’s not a reach at all. There’s no indication that Reid is a demonstrably inferior prospect. If they have ratings 0-100, hypothetically, Stenberg is maybe an 82 and Reid is a 78. Close enough to just pick the one that fits your organization best.
Having said that, Stenberg may also fill a need despite the generally strong forward group. Although he is not big, Stenberg is supposedly physical and wins puck battles. Having a winger with those kinds of tools matched with high level offense will valuable.
Stenberg projects to be better than Smith. Smith is great with Macklin. But not great without. Stenberg won’t need Macklin to be productive. Said for a long time, I’d rather have one player too many than one too few. Stuff happens and the guy you thought was going to be great/essential doesn’t work out as well as hoped. I think the two highest picks Doug Wilson ever had were used on guys where things went wrong. Setoguchi had life issues while Milan Michalek had his knee torn up in is 2nd NHL game. 2nd overall, at least to me, is… Read more »
He does not project to be better than Smith. Not close
Yeah, not necessarily “better”, but from what I’ve read it sounds like he projects to be a more complete 200′ player.
A lot of third line centers are better 200 ft players but they’re not gonna pop in points the way Smith is. Sorry I’m not buying at all that this kid is supposed to be better than Smith. That’s like saying Wenberg is better than Smith because he plays 200 feet.
not the way I’m hearing it. Yes, he’ll be better than Smith
He’s doing things at the same age Smith didn’t at the same age. He’s playing better competition and doing things that have been rarely done by anyone his age.
And the one thing, after listening to lots of people opine on Stenberg that stands out — there’s no one who is finding fault in his game. The harshest critique is that he doesn’t have the upside of McKenna.
Here’s Scouch’s take.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LiV_V0o89U
None of that says he’s better than Smith. You need to go reacquaint yourself with Smith’s draft profile. “Dynamic 1st line center” is what I remember. You’re high trying to connect dots to say he’s projected to be better than Smith. I assume you already forgot that Smith was the leading scorer in college hockey as a 18 year old freshman? He did it playing almost exclusively against older kids and he did it with out Celes physique.
I guess that was his D+1 season but the point remains. He was projected as a dynamic 1C with high offensive upside. Higher than Stenberg who although played against men in a pro league had a smaller sample size of games. He appears to be an upgrade on Eklund, not Smith. That shit is crazy…🤣
Sounds like a gentlemen’s bet in the making
You can’t possibly predict that with any level of certainty.
Where do you see that he’s projected to be better than smith? Or did you just make that shit up?
We all have dream scenarios for the draft, and why not? Love reading what everyone is thinking. One of mine (there are a few) is taking Stenberg and then moving up with the EDM pick to take Malte Gustafsson. He is gonna be a great NHLer, he’s 6’4 and has all the tools to be a solid Top 4 guy. Perfect add to this roster. It doesn’t solve any immediate blueline issues, but having he and Sam long term looks pretty damn bulletproof. I also think he’s a guy that excels in a playoff series, which must come into the… Read more »
I think you’d be able to move Eklund for a pick that’d get you Gustafsson. Not sure which trade partner that’d be, but its in that range. Moving up from 19/20 to get him would likely require a player, not sure they have the picks to do that. The Avs 2nd rounder is very late and they don’t have a 2nd rounder in 2027 to apply to a deal that gets to 11-ish. Not sure which player gets it done. Still, if the Sharks finish the draft with Stenberg, Lin and Gustafsson, but not Eklund, I think that’s a really… Read more »
Agree, it would take a player.
And yes, it would be a great day!
I actually think that would be a pretty bad day. Trading an established NHL forward who looks like a pretty sure thing 2nd liner for a 17 year old defenseman has huge bust potential. Maybe down the road it would work out but the Sharks shouldn’t be trading established young NHL players for uncertainty. I’m not opposed to trading Eklund but if you do it needs to be for someone you know is going to be an NHL defenseman and part of your future.
Well, you’d have to believe the player you’re acquiring would be a Top 4 guy for the future. I think he is absolutely that player, in fact, I think he’ll turn out better than 2 or 3 of the top 5 D guys in this draft. Adding Stenberg improves your forward group even with subtracting Ecklund, considerably!
But you just can’t be certain with draft prospects. You’re trading for uncertainty. This is also why I’m opposed to the idea of trading Eklund for Nemec who is another guy with a lot of uncertainty still. Even it would require adding more value, trading Eklund should be for someone you’re certain is going to be a part of the contending core of the Sharks.
That’s true, you can’t be certain. But, at some point your evaluations have to be acted upon.
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Player
https://cdn.eliteprospects-
(D)
2008HV71WJC-18 • Apr 30th, 2026
Czechia U18 vs Sweden U18
Gustafsson quietly drove play in several areas and logged a ton of minutes in the process. They had him out there for pretty much every second shift in the back half of regulation and overtime. As usual, he was sharp defensively. Broke up a dangerous slot chance early with a clean stick check, showed good timing stepping into rushes to close in, and consistently used his length to disrupt plays before they developed. Also handled pressure fairly well on retrievals, using small, deceptive moves to escape and move pucks cleanly. There were a couple of lapses. One notable one where he took the shooter off a scrambled rush but lost track of the backside threat, leading to a tap-in goal. But it was hard to lay the blame fully at his feet there. What stood out more was his involvement. He jumped into the rush, activated low in the zone, and even transported pucks end-to-end on a couple of sequences. Grabbed up a secondary assist on the OT winner and led the game in ice time with nearly 30 minutes. Not overly flashy, but very steady, mobile, and impactful. He’s such a reliable, projectable profile.
That’s true, you can’t be certain. But, at some point your evaluations have to be acted upon.
Exactly at some point you have to be able to lean on your scouting staff and trust that they know what they. This one’s been pretty good so far.
From one of the scouting services: Cam Robinson
Grabbed up a secondary assist on the OT winner and led the game in ice time with nearly 30 minutes. Not overly flashy, but very steady, mobile, and impactful. He’s such a reliable, projectable profile.
I agree I would want more for Eklund than this. I feel like people are just bored of Eklund and forgot he’s got a lot of value.
Lots of ways to move up 6-8 spots. Doesn’t need to be Ecky
Eklund gets you the pick that gets Gustafsson. I don’t see that as a “move up” situation.
Yeah, I think some misunderstood
I’m not sure who’s valuing Eky for a pick like that. Who wants a winger with his limitations in a 1 for 1 deal like that? Someone really have to love him. I think he gets moved in a bigger deal.
I want more than that for Eklund.
I think you need to look at the overall outcome instead of just that specific aspect of it. Coming away with those players only giving up what you did should be considered a win. Having depth at forward means you have a little bit of gambling money for a prospect or two.
Bored with him disappearing against big teams? Sure I guess? It’s not boredom buddy it’s realism.
He had a weird year and if he has a less weird year he could be a point a game player
Holy fuck no he’s not a PPG player. He can’t score enough goals and his passing isn’t good enough. Not to mention he gets eliminated in the offensive zone too easily to put up that kind of production. He would have to crack PP1 too which likely never happens again on this team except in short bursts with this group of talent. Only reason he put up the points he did the season before is because he got extended run with Cele and a ton of extra ice time that he’s not likely to see anymore.
He isn’t very far off as it is. Your take is just irrationally negative. That is my entire point. I agree he is the most tradable asset the Sharks have and you can even use the word expendable. But this doesn’t mean he’s not valuable. He is.
No, it’s actually pretty simple math.
I’ve never been more excited about eklund then after this year.
Bruh…🤣 Cmon man, what could possibly make you say that?
If you look beyond his points it’s pretty obvious to see why someone might feel that way. His play driving took a big step forward last season.
Now show a good big winger? In a vacuum this is meaningless to me.
It’s not a vacuum. They’re percentiles, measurements against the rest of the league.
I want to compare what he’s good and bad at to a bigger winger that produces.
Here’s your guy Alex Tuch who is 7 years older than Eklund that you want to “break the bank” for.
Better in some areas but a lot worse in other areas specifically the play driving ones like zone entries and in-zone offense.
Goals and assists which are the most important he’s hilariously better. Am I reading that right? Rush offense, shot contributions etc, etc… not to mention he’s not getting eliminated by 6’1” D consistently in the o-zone. Thanks. You proved my point.😁
You would trade an established 23 year old top six player for the chance at a mid round defense prospect?
He’s not a top 6 player on a playoff team or contender. Wasn’t he on the 3rd line at the end of the season? There was some center swapping the last few games so I can’t remember but he spent a bunch of time on the 3rd line. His minutes went down this season and they’re likely to continue in that direction next season.
Eklund’s TOI went down because he’s not playing as much PK time anymore. That’s it. His 5on5 ice time was nearly identical to last year and his 18:32 minutes a night is right in line with a typical 2nd liner. Eklund was 3rd in TOI/GP among Sharks forwards this year both overall and at 5on5. Trying to paint him as someone in a declining role is hilariously inaccurate. You can obsess over Eklund’s size like he’s some liability which is also hilariously inaccurate. Yes Eklund can get rubbed off the puck too easily at times but he’s easily the 3rd… Read more »
It’s not inaccurate at all just watch him in the offensive zone get pinned and unable to battle through checks. Happens all the freaking time. He’s third best for the moment maybe… with Cherny, Smith, Misa, Sherwood, Graf, maybe Musty, Maybe Stenberg all in the mix he’ll be lucky to be top 10 on the team at puck protection.
The worst type of person isn’t the stupid person. It’s the stupid person who thinks they are really smart. Unfortunately shorky you are that person.
Aww… pointing out the limitations of your boy and now you’re name calling? I guess I get a freebie. Go fuck your self dumbass. Proving you wrong got you all bitter I see… 😁 😘
Here’s a pretty interesting chart I saw on twitter. It’s the age of the Top 2 D and Top 3 F by regular season TOI average on Stanley Cup winners.
Makes me question if trading for Werenski is something that would make sense for the Sharks considering he turns 29 this offseason. NHL is more and more becoming a young players league so not sure it would make sense to acquire a #1 D who will be 33 when Celebrini is 24.
Picture didn’t post for some reason so here’s a link to the tweet. https://x.com/AdjustedHockey/status/2052031716412346384?s=20
Very interesting chart. I think it depends on when Grier intends to try to win for the first time. Every 1D on every cup winning team the last 10 years has been between the ages of 28-33 with the exception of Makar. Werenski will be within that age range for the next five years. If Grier is looking at 2027-28 as the team’s first truly competitive year, Werenski makes sense. If not, then I think you’re right — hard to see the value in trading so much for a guy who might be outside the prime window.
I think Celebrini is absolutely ready to be the #1 guy on a legit contender. I just think the rest of the roster lags behind him. I don’t think Smith/Misa are nearly ready to be the second best forward on that type of team. Dickinson likewise isn’t nearly ready to be the second best defenseman on that type of team. That’s the tough part for Grier. Celebrini is clearly the guy driving the ship but the NHL isn’t the NBA where one super duper star is enough to make you a legit contender. How do you decide when is the… Read more »
Yep.
I think this team is a Cup contender when all of the young (non-Celebrini) players have taken multiple meaningful steps forward. And it’s very hard to predict how long that takes.
And worrying about how old any defender that we acquire is right now is not the proper question. For me, how old will they be at the start of the ’28 season is the proper question, because IMO that is realistically the first year we may be expecting a deep run. If it’s a year earlier, great, but IMO, can’t count on that.
that’s really it. The magic formula is …time.
My touchstone is the Al McGuire (legendary college basketball coach from a long time ago) who said, “the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores.”
Time
If Werenski is on the Sharks come October, the window is fully open.
Gotta hope the netminding pulls through. But a guy like Werenski who could pull 30 minutes a game during the playoffs covers a ton of deficiencies
The playoff window yes but the contender window won’t be open until the non-Celebrini young players are ready. When is that going to be? Who knows. Could be next year or could be three years from now.
Zero chance they are legitimate contenders without Askarov taking significant steps forward, even if Werenski were on the team. Maybe you don’t need Misa or Smith or whoever hitting close to ceilings to make a deep run, but goaltending is a completely different story.
You know what’s good for.netminding? A defense that doesn’t give up a dozen 2 on 1’s and breakaways every night
They really didn’t do that though. Just look at Askys GSAe. That’s the real story.
I think Byrum might be a more reasonable target. 40 points not on top PP and 24. Lines up with that chart well assuming he’s got another 20 points in him from being on the top pair and playing lotta of minutes with Cele and Smith.
For what it is worth…
I didn’t see the end of season comments (I might have to go search for it, lol), but the reporting is that when Raddysh talked to the media, he very much sounded like someone who’s gone from TB.
And there’s already rumbling about him to SJ (though that may be just based on common sense fit more than knowledge of what the SJ or Raddysh want to do).
It makes so much sense…if the term is reasonable!
I’d pay more for shorter term. Can’t afford to have bad deals on the lingering on books into the 2030s
I’d pay a boatload for short term
I don’t think it’s a pipe dream at all
Would Buffalo take the 20OA pick + Eklund for Byrum? Is he worth it?
Eklund for Byrum straight up is something I’m debating in my head. I don’t know that much about Byram, but what about him is even interesting to anyone?
straight up? Come on man… you have to know that there’s no way Eky is worth that guy.
We do not agree on the value of Eklund, I don’t think I can be more clear on this point if I sacrificed a goat and wrote it in blood on the altar. But we can keep going around in circles on it
No reasonable hockey mind agrees with you. There’s no reality where Eklund as he is right now is equal value to a 24 year old top 4 two way 40 point D on a contender. It’s as nuts as some of Zekes stuff. So yeah you keep saying shit like that and I’m going to call it out. So yeah, we’ll go round n round then.😁
I agree with him, and you do not qualify as a reasonable hockey mind.
Sure Joey… sure. Go give a kiss to the signed Eky photo on your vanity buddy.😘
Just one thing Byram was traded for Casey Mittelstadt..
Are you telling me that Eklund currently not more valuable player then him?
Come on man.
Also Byram needs a contract Eklund has a very cost contolled deal and going to be an RFA when it ends. He is freaking valuable.
Byram is good but Eklund and a 2nd should be very close to an acceptable deal for Buffalo.
Well Eklund and a 2nd isn’t the same as trading 1 for 1 which is what I have a problem with. You basically just made my point for me. I think it probably takes the Edm 1st AND Eklund to land a 24 year old RD who’s a very good 2way top 4, but clearly you and I are on the same page.
HAHAHA
I love the way you express yourself! I had a close call with my coffee when I read this.
I’ve no idea what to think about Buffalo. A year ago they were a bad team with a GM who was squabbling with Byrum about his contract, and I thought for sure he’d be gone as soon as he hit UFA (which would likely make him available prior to UFA). Now they have a winning team, which probably makes Byrum much happier, and a GM who may feel much differently about wanting to keep him. I haven’t really looked at their cap situation (and Thompson is a more immediate decision for them as it relates to big contracts – which… Read more »
I think Tuch is the contract situation you’re referring to. Thompson’s is set (and a great deal for the Sabres).
Nothing like winning to change a player’s outlook
Oh yeah – I mixed them up! Thanks.
Don’t think either team would do it. I think if Buffalo moves out one of their good young D it will be for a center not a winger. They are pretty loaded up on the wings.
They are going to lose Tuch, right?
I think he will probably re-sign there.
Pretty sure if the re-sign Tuch they have to move out a contract. It’s why Powers name has been out there.
They will probably have to move one of Power or Byram to keep Tuch which I think they will do. Don’t know which one of those two they will move though
If they are moving out a guy because of salary, they won’t be able to take back a salary. So that probably makes and talk of Eklund a moot point since it turns out he does bring home legal tender for his days at the office. Maybe a package similar to what they might pay for Hronek gets it done. Nothing about Byram has ever stood out to me, or anyone as far as I can tell. He just seems like a guy. And if he’s 4LHD on a good team, why would the Sharks want him if the cost… Read more »
The salaries aren’t comparable long term. Byram is rumored at 8-10 mil on his next contract and Powers is already double Eklund. They won’t take Eklund but they could.
Just look at ice time and role in the playoffs.
someone brought up Mrkta. 6’6″ RHD in the OHL(?) who they drafted at 9th overall. Reported he was part of the deal for Parayko.
No idea how he’s doing, but if he’s doing well, that might be a consideration.
Buffalo is in win now mode. Parayko helps with that. I don’t know who Sharks could offer that fits the description. I don’t think we have surplus “win now” players to put on the trade block at the moment.
Yeah don’t see how the Sharks could get Mrtka. It’s also not really a move that I think would make sense for the Sharks. He wouldn’t be cheap to acquire and he’s another guy with a lot of uncertainty. From what I’ve read online he didn’t really take a step forward this year towards realizing the top end of his potential.
Let me just confirm for you that the Sharks do not have surplus “win now” players. I can work through the math for you if you need me to
Sharks would do it in a heartbeat.
That’s probably an overpayment. Maybe Eklund and the Edmonton first but I don’t see them having any interest in Eky.
“I can’t see anyone liking something I don’t like.” – Shorky.
“Duuuuurrrr! 🥴”
—Joey
i was thinking Sanderson if add Bystedt or musty to that, but we really need a RHD and let our LHDs develop
That would be a tragic overpay.
🤣
Just spent hours doing a deep dive on Chat GPT and other AI apps regarding the drafting of Dmen. Very cool, was actually shocked at how in depth it got.
The biggest take away was: if you’re drafting an offensive Dman in the top 5 there are two ingredients/attributes that contribute the most to predicting
success :
Excellent skating
Excellent hockey IQ
Fwiw…there you have it.
Oh, I would suggest there is only One Dman who fits that requirement in this draft.
cheers
Who is the one defenseman you think fits that requirement? Reid or Carels?
It’s Reid – he’s the best skater among all of them – not Shaefer level, but very good skater. Hockey IQ is there too. The other thing I love about Reid is that he has size. Not suggesting he’s as physical as Verhoeff or Smits or Carels, but he’s big enough where teams aren’t going to be able to target him in the postseason in the same way the Avs were going after Hughes the other night.
That’s what I figured but I know Carels is pretty well regarded in both of those areas.
I feel like Sharks really can’t go wrong with Stenberg or Reid. Very fortunate to jump up to #2.
Yes, there are a few who think Carels could be a 1D (Craig Button is one of them – looking forward to hearing what he has to say on the podcast!). Carel’s isn’t projected by most to be a PP1 guy or bring as much offense as Reid, but he’ll likely be a little more physical, may end up a little better defender, and will still have good puck moving ability with solid skating. His projection is actually probably pretty similar to Dickinson.
It’s Reid
Scouch’s top 10 list — its kind of wild compared to most McKenna Tynan Lawrence Stenberg Villeneueve Smits Bjork Preston Verhoeff Gustafsson Reid d-men around the Sharks spot Vertti Svensk 16 Carels at 18 Hankenson at 21 Lin at 23 Lawrence is way high compared to everyone else I’ve seen Highest I’ve seen Villenueve, but not the only one to have him top 10 Preston is a lot later for most Only ranking I’ve seen Reid that low Svensk is ranked in the 30’s at best, others have him in the 40’s, 60’s and 70’s Also of note, Malhotra at… Read more »
Scouch’s brand is to go his own way on that stuff. I actually like his videos and how detailed he is in his breakdowns and he isn’t just saying everything is awesome in every video. I watched the Reid video today and he has several examples of Reid skating pucks into super hairy situations, mostly entering the offensive zone. Overall, he’s very complimentary of Reid and I’m kind of surprised he rates so many guys ahead of him. But it could be because Reid has a shorter track record of excellence. His game grew tremendously along with his physical growth… Read more »
Curious how his rankings fare compared to reality?
We might have to make peace with the idea that the teams rankings are going to differ from consensus. There was a lot of crying they didn’t take Buium or Michkov. They clearly went their own way with Wang. So far I’m pretty happy with their decisions in that regard. As much as people think they know here it doesn’t scratch the surface of a pimple on the ass of what a team knows regarding these guys. Grier even has special guys who’s only focus is on the first round.
Scouch has very different view of the game his ideal team is a fast paced, skilled, up tempo gameplay with very little focus on physicalty and grinding.
So those players are not high on his list also punishes guys that play junior hockey,
Like throwing away the pucks for low danger chances etc.
In the meantime he values effort engagement very highly rightfully.
So its a different perspective.
I love his work but his rankings are not based on reallity of the drafts.
2nd and Bystedt for 3rd and Buium, draft Reid.
Doubt they’re giving up their replacement for Hughes.