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Post by Forum Ghost on Jul 22, 2005 19:42:43 GMT -5
At 6'0" and 210 lbs. Bobby Ryan seems to have NHL size already.
He would definitely be my second choice behind Brule.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Jul 22, 2005 19:51:07 GMT -5
We are going to get a shot at one of Johnson (a franchise Dman), Pouliot (tall, skilled, late blooming LW), Ryan (huge power forward with big finish, but somewhat awkward skating), Kopitar (the new King of Slovenia, who at 17 played on his national team at the Worlds and people are drooling about his offense and great size), and Brule (the undersized buzz bomb who plays "big").
I say take this pick and run to the hills, the prospect depth just took another big step up!!
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Post by roke on Jul 22, 2005 19:55:07 GMT -5
My predictions for how the draft will turn out for the Habs next week:
Pittsburgh-Crosby Anaheim -Johnson Carolina -Pouliot Minnesota- Brule Montreal -Ryan/Kopitar.
Personally, Johnson would be the guy I want other than Crosby but with Anaheim's forward depth taking him would be a no-brainer in my oppinion
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jul 22, 2005 20:17:33 GMT -5
My predictions for how the draft will turn out for the Habs next week: Pittsburgh-Crosby Anaheim -Johnson Carolina -Pouliot Minnesota- Brule Montreal -Ryan/Kopitar. Personally, Johnson would be the guy I want other than Crosby but with Anaheim's forward depth taking him would be a no-brainer in my oppinion I hope you're right. In two years, Kopitar and Chipchura would add the size and toughness we've been missing.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2005 20:41:32 GMT -5
5th pick? Not bad considering where we finished last year.
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Post by Andrew on Jul 22, 2005 20:42:39 GMT -5
Personally, Johnson would be the guy I want other than Crosby but with Anaheim's forward depth taking him would be a no-brainer in my oppinion I don't know how much merit there is in drafting a franshise type defenseman. By the time they realize the potential, they were drafted for, they're UFA. Same with goalies.
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on Jul 22, 2005 20:55:35 GMT -5
Actually, maybe it was a good thing that the Habs didn't get Crosby now. There is an immense amount of pressure on Sid the Kid as it is. On top of being annointed The Next One by the hockey world, including Wayne himself, there is pressure on Crosby to revive the league after a year-long lockout, to live up to his own hype and to live up to all the media attention that he's gotten in the last few years.It's bad enough that he has been tagged as the kid who saved hockey in Pittsburgh. That's a pretty tough billing to live up to as it is. If Crosby came to Montreal now, the pressure on him would've been ten times worse, especially considering that he's wanted to play there all along. With all that pressure, there is a good chance that Crosby could've cracked and not lived up to his hype.Right! Ask Doug Wickenheiser, John LeClair or Jocelyn Thibeau. On the flipside ask Guy Lafleur. Considering everything now, the Habs get the 5th overall pick and will end up with a mature, established Crosby in seven years. In my optimistic world, I'm thinking that it's better that the Habs didn't get Crosby today. Does anyone else see it like this? Well as one of the panel members put it, "... when would you like Crosby in your lineup? When he's 18, or when he's 25? I know which I would like." True enough. And as Doc pointed out, Lecavalier is coming into UFA soon enough. He's already played six seasons in the NHL. Cheers.
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Post by duster on Jul 22, 2005 21:31:53 GMT -5
At 6'0" and 210 lbs. Bobby Ryan seems to have NHL size already. He would definitely be my second choice behind Brule. I haven't seen Ryan play but I have seen Brule play plenty of times with the Giants. He's an excellent player. The problem is size, imho. Kelowna shut him down fairly easily. A tough decision... I am all for trying to move up to get Johnson. This is our big chance at a premier defenseman.
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Post by The Habsome One on Jul 22, 2005 21:58:28 GMT -5
I would be very disappointed if we picked Brule. He's compared to an enhanced Peca, whereas Kopitar is a potential superstar.
Kopitar is often called the complete package and he held his own against NHL stars in the World Cup! I remember one wicked defensive effort he put in, racing back to catch and deflect an attempted shot on net from a surprised Doug Weight. This player creates stuff out of nothing and is a major reason why Slovenia was able to knock off Germany and Austria in the relegation round.
I think McGuire said Brule wasn't ranked higher than 6th by any of the dozen or so teams he's spoken with.
I expect Johnson, Pouliot, Kopitar, Ryan, and then Brule to be the order behind Crosby. Maybe Brule before Ryan if the Habs fear Ryan's past.
I would personally pick Kopitar before Pouliot, however. A full year younger and very mature for his age..and again, the complete package (offense, defense, size). Some scouting reports suggest he may be even the best "sniper" in the entire draft.
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 22, 2005 22:16:17 GMT -5
4. Bobby Ryan TEAM: Owen Sound Attack (OHL) POSITION: Right Wing HEIGHT: 6'0 WEIGHT: 210 lbs. BORN: 03/17/87 - Cherry Hill, N.J. NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Led Attack with 1.44 points per game and was +30...tallied 128 regular season points over 127 OHL games...Ryan and the Attack went on a string of 20 games with only one loss in 2004-2005...invited to U.S. summer evaluation camp for 2006 World Junior Hockey Championship. BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: This player's "life" story has been well documented. The son of a father who so severely beat his mother that the father went to prison for five years, but not before the entire family moved to California and changed the family name from Stevenson to Ryan to avoid the authorities. All that aside, the Owen Sound Attack forward is a big, strong power forward type who can make plays and score goals with a flourish. Scouts debate whether he's a bad skater or just an awkward skater, but he moves well enough to be rated a sure-fire top 5 pick who could go as high as No. 2. Lots of speculation as to how hard Philadelphia Flyer GM Bob Clarke, a close friend of the family, will try to move into a spot to draft Ryan. Statistics GP G A PTS 2004-05 62 37 52 89 5. Anze Kopitar TEAM: Sodertalje SK, (SweJE) POSITION: Centre HEIGHT: 6'2 WEIGHT: 202 lbs. BORN: 08/24/87 - Jesenice, Slovenia NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Finished third in scoring with six goals and two assists and led Slovenia to a second-place finish at the 2004 Under-18 World Championship...split time between the SuperElite League and the Slovenian Senior National Team...selected in the second round by the Regina Pats in the 2005 CHL Import Draft. BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: The Slovenian big man played junior hockey in Sweden this season, but it was his ability to play with the men in the senior world championships that demonstrated to many scouts that he's a legit top five pick, in spite of his country's lack of hockey pedigree. Kopitar is physically mature and has excellent offensive instincts, but there are bound to some reservations. As one scout said, "The kid could turn out to be a great player, but if you're picking that high, do you really want to take a chance on a kid from a country that has produced no NHL talent? Look at what happened to those Swiss first rounders. I don't care what you say, it's a gamble taking kids with unconventional backgrounds." Statistics GP G A PTS 2004-05 30 28 21 49 6. Gilbert Brule TEAM: Vancouver Giants (WHL) POSITION: Centre HEIGHT: 5'10 WEIGHT: 175 lbs. BORN: 01/01/87 - Vancouver, B.C. NOTES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Grabbed the spotlight at the 2005 CHL Prospects Game with a hat-trick...named the WHL Rookie of the Year in 2004...named CHL's 2005 Scholastic Player of the Year and the WHL's Western Conference First All-Star Team. BOB MCKENZIE'S TAKE: They say the combative Vancouver Giant forward is only 5-foot-10, but he's much bigger when you take into account the chip on his shoulder. One scout described him as a more skilled version of Michael Peca, which is why a guy like Don Cherry thinks the world of Brule. Brule likes to score goals, and is good at it, but he also enjoys hitting and scrapping and battling as much or more. Some scouts wonder, at Brule's size, how that will play at the next level, but there's no disputing his talent and many believe he'll be a better player when he learns to pick his spots on the physical side and concentrate more on his skill game. Statistics GP G A PTS 2004-05 70 39 48 87 - www.tsn.ca/nhl/draft/feature.asp?fid=7329
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 22, 2005 22:33:47 GMT -5
#5 is the highest the Habs have picked in the entry draft in 21 years.
*
We also select at #56 and #65.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Jul 23, 2005 9:43:28 GMT -5
#5 is the highest the Habs have picked in the entry draft in 21 years. * We also select at #56 and #65. Correctomundo. I am compiling a short list of favourites for those picks as well. Darn, isn't the draft fun?!?!
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on Jul 23, 2005 10:22:31 GMT -5
#5 is the highest the Habs have picked in the entry draft in 21 years. * We also select at #56 and #65. We're #5! We're #5! We're #5! No Crosby, too much to hope for, but Anze could be the star we have been missing.
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Post by BadCompany on Jul 23, 2005 14:15:34 GMT -5
Personally, I would not be adverse to trading down.
I'm not as sold on this year's draft crop as others seem to be. Aside from Crosby, the next 5-10 guys all seem to have serious questions about them. Or more serious questions than top 5 picks should. Maybe not Johnson, but he'll be gone before #5 in my opinion, probably #2.
But after that...
* Pouliot had a great year, but he really came out of nowhere. He wasn't even playing major junior last year, because he wasn't good enough. That's worriesome for me. Andrew Ladd also came out of nowhere, got drafted very high, then really tailed off the next year. 30 goals in his draft year, 19 the next. Chad Kilger pulled the same stunt. Not saying he's a bust, or that Pouliot is going to be a bust, but he's only had one good year. He'll probably go #3 or 4 anyways.
* Ryan comes with a lot of personal baggage, and a brutal skating style. They say he can get there, but... The new NHL is supposed to be all about speed and flow, and he seems more like a throw-back player, all size and strength and parking himself in the right spot. Again, not saying he's going to bust, but...
* Kopitar hasn't really played against anyone for any significant amounts of time. Big fish in Slovenia? Big deal. Sure, he played pretty well in the Swedish leagues, but still. I think it was the Swedish Junior league, no? While he looked great in the World Championships, and held his own against men, we're talking 5-7 games here. Jani Rita looked great for 5-7 games too. That quote about Swiss players (or German) still applies.
* Brule is just small. Sure, he's feisty, and speedy, and full of spunk, but so are Saku Koivu and Tomas Plekanec. While the new NHL is supposed to be all about opening up the game for these guys, that still remains to be seen. He could be a Martin St. Louis, but what if he's only a Daniel Briere, or Stanislav Chistov?
I trust Andre Savard and Trevor Timmins, but I would still consider moving down. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of Bourdon, Bourret or Latendresse (this year's Bernier, for HFLA), but #5 is too high for those guys. If we could drop down to 12-15, while picking up a solid young defenseman, I'd be all over it. If I thought Latendresse would last until 20, I'd be ringing up Bobby Clarke, trying to work some package that would get us Pitkanen (Zednik, and the #5 for Pitkanen and the #20?).
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Post by duster on Jul 23, 2005 15:15:31 GMT -5
My thinking as well. I don't think the team will get a chance to pick this high again for a while (It did take 21 years). Imo, this is the time to put it to good use.
In another thread, I've way overvalued Ryan for the sake of conversation but if what people are saying about Clarke are true, I can see him overpaying to get what he wants. This is the same guy who gave us a second round pick for Chouinard on more or less a whim. I'm a big fan of Carter but realize a defenseman is what may be needed.
I agree, Pitkanen would look good on the Habs blue line. We'd miss Zednik I think...
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Post by seventeen on Jul 23, 2005 15:22:58 GMT -5
Ain't no way Booby's trading Pitkanen. Then again, he did steal Eric Chouinard from us. I haven't heard anything about the overall quality of this year's draft in relation to any other year. Crosby sets the bar so high for #1, that it's easy to assume the drop off at #'s 2 to 6 or whatever puts them equally far behind the #1 of other years, when it may not be the case. I don't know. I'm never philosophically against trading down if you can pick up the right guy ( a young d-man for sure). Pitkanen's a stretch, but there may be other guys who have not proven themselves yet and if their team covets someone still available at #5, who knows. Guys who come to mind as unproven are Klesla and Mezei and a couple of the Chicago prospects, including Seabrooke. That last name may be more available if the Hawks need a forward badly. If that particular team (Chicago is a great example) also needs a goalie, then maybe we can throw in Theo and get their young forward (Ruutu?). Both teams would be trading contract headaches. Then we'd only have to find another goalie. Easy.
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 24, 2005 3:40:49 GMT -5
ISS – Anze Kopitar Height: 6’2" Weight: 202 Position: Center Team: Södertälje Slovenia might not be regarded internationally as a hockey nation, yet one of the best forwards eligible in 2005 hails from this small Balkan country. With a population of approximately two million people, Slovenia has yet to produce a notable pro player. According to International Scouting Services (ISS) Director of Scouting, Dennis MacInnis, that is all set to change with Anze Kopitar. The 6’2 center hails from the city of Jesenice near Slovenia’s northwest border to Austria. Kopitar developed his skills in both the nation’s senior and junior leagues. In thirty junior games, Kopitar racked up 60 points and even more impressively, he played 21 games with senior club Casino Kranjska Gora and tallied 15 goals and a dozen helpers for 27 points. ISS’s European scouts first acknowledged Kopitar as a rising star after his huge performance at the January 2003, European Youth Olympic Festival in Bled, Slovenia. Then again at the 2004 U-18 Division I World Championship, in Austria, Kopitar impressed scouts with his uncanny ability to lead, finishing third in scoring with six goals and two assists and leading Slovenia to a second place finish. The year was such a breakout for Kopitar that at one point he was even seriously considered for the men’s National team as well despite his young age. "The head coach wanted to call me for one tournament in Slovenia because the National team in the first division had tough competition," explained Kopitar who speaks nearly flawless English. "He wanted to call me but my father said it was a little bit too early for me." - hockeysfuture.com/article.php?sid=7373&mode=threaded&order=0
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 24, 2005 4:09:47 GMT -5
* Pouliot had a great year, but he really came out of nowhere. He wasn't even playing major junior last year, because he wasn't good enough. That's worriesome for me. Andrew Ladd also came out of nowhere, got drafted very high, then really tailed off the next year. 30 goals in his draft year, 19 the next. Chad Kilger pulled the same stunt. Not saying he's a bust, or that Pouliot is going to be a bust, but he's only had one good year. He'll probably go #3 or 4 anyways. I don't particularly want the Habs to meet Pouliot down by the schoolyard. Flashback: Jason Ward, (by now) well aged sides of western beef... He's the guy, and not just because he has the coolest name. Kostitsyn, Chipchura, Kopitar—bigger, stronger. Last year our number one was a "safe" pick. This year we swing for the fences. Should Kopitar be gone and Brûlé still be available, grab him—Koivu ain't gonna be around forever. Besides, a name (and talent) like Gilbert Brûlé won't hurt at le Centre Bell.
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Post by seventeen on Jul 24, 2005 11:24:27 GMT -5
* Kopitar hasn't really played against anyone for any significant amounts of time. Big fish in Slovenia? Big deal. Sure, he played pretty well in the Swedish leagues, but still. I think it was the Swedish Junior league, no? While he looked great in the World Championships, and held his own against men, we're talking 5-7 games here. Jani Rita looked great for 5-7 games too. That quote about Swiss players (or German) still applies. Tsk, tsk, painting a Slovenian with a Swiss brush. Here's where I take a huge generalizational leap and suggest that the Swiss ethos works against them making the NHL. There's no hunger in the land of the white cross. Babies emerge from their mother's wombs rich and comfortable. Why pay the price to play in the bigs, when you can make a very satisfactory living, staying in the Alps and eating good chocolate? Consider this....if Kopitar was Finnish, say and had the same credentials, what would you think of him then?
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 24, 2005 12:14:06 GMT -5
* Kopitar hasn't really played against anyone for any significant amounts of time. Big fish in Slovenia? Big deal. Sure, he played pretty well in the Swedish leagues, but still. I think it was the Swedish Junior league, no? While he looked great in the World Championships, and held his own against men, we're talking 5-7 games here. Jani Rita looked great for 5-7 games too. That quote about Swiss players (or German) still applies. Jani Rita (a girl's name), the Finn?
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Post by TheCaper on Jul 24, 2005 14:40:17 GMT -5
Santa came early this year. What a break.
Johnson – Brule – Ryan – Pouliot - Kopitar
I’ve been reading this weekend and it’s clear that the scouts have had little trouble identifying these five as being a tier above the rest, but they have had a very difficult time ranking them 2-6. They are very close.
It’s hard to say that one has more upside than the other. They all have question marks, but all 5 have big time upside, “trophy” upside, as in Calder, Norris, Richard, Ross, Hart.
Any way you slice it, we are going to have ourselves one hell of a prospect this time next week. Unless of course we do something crazy – like trading away the pick!
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Post by The Habsome One on Jul 24, 2005 16:42:43 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2005 20:08:53 GMT -5
I think a more important question is, do we go with a safe pick, or try to hit a home run? For me, the Habs have done too many safe picks over the years, and I say with the talent pool as questionable as any, we should just go for it.
Sure, Kopitar doesn't seem to have enough credentials, as do Pouliot or Brule. Then again, most players coming into the draft seem to be a big question mark. I say that if an opportunity to get a potential sniper/power forward is still available when our pick comes around, I say Bo should just go for it and grab him.
The Habs have an excellent prospect training program anyway; we're bound to get something out of whoever we get...hopefully. We're still waiting the word on Hainsey and Hossa.
We need to be risk takers for once!
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Post by The Habsome One on Jul 24, 2005 20:43:45 GMT -5
Most RDS forum posters seem to agree with us: www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/183999.html The only thing that bothers me about passing on Brule is that he's apparently a big Habs fan. Although by all accounts Kopitar has a great attitude, you gotta love having players who really want to be in Montreal. If Brule isn't selected by the Habs, I'm sure he'll be crushed. But, as Pierre McGuire called it during the WC, Kopitar has it. I believe he's going to be really something special.
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Post by Bob on Jul 24, 2005 20:49:25 GMT -5
Interesting Players and their rankings by CSS
Anze Kopitar #1 Europe (C) 6'3 202 GP-30 G-28 A-21 Pts-49 PIM-26 Sasha Pokulok #39 NA (LD) 6'5 220 GP-22 G-3 A-7 Pts-10 PIM-31 Evan Brophey #46 NA (C/LW) 6'1 194 GP-63 G-28 A-42 Pts-71 PIM-55 Tom Gorowsky #97 NA (C) 6'1 190 GP-54 G-18 A-35 Pts-53 PIM-88 Mathieu Roy #105 NA (LW) 5-11 190 GP-70 G-33 A-25 Pts-58 PIM-85 Tim Miller #140 NA (LW) 6'0 184 GP-59 G-17 A-21 Pts-38 PIM-128 Kalvin Sagert #158 NA (LD) 6'1 211 GP-70 G-5 A-10 Pts-15 PIM-70
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Post by Deleted on Jul 24, 2005 21:07:45 GMT -5
Most RDS forum posters seem to agree with us: www.rds.ca/canadien/chroniques/183999.html The only thing that bothers me about passing on Brule is that he's apparently a big Habs fan. Although by all accounts Kopitar has a great attitude, you gotta love having players who really want to be in Montreal. If Brule isn't selected by the Habs, I'm sure he'll be crushed. But, as Pierre McGuire called it during the WC, Kopitar has it. I believe he's going to be really something special. He could very well go 2nd or 3rd for that matter. I doubt him being around by the time the Habs get to their 5th pick.
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 24, 2005 21:27:37 GMT -5
Bloody Hell, now I may have to to swing my vote over to Brûlé. Central Scouting Service's synopsis: Big, strong Slovenian born player who spent the 04-05 season in Sweden with Sodertalje. Good skater but could use some more first-step quickness. Excellent over all skill level. Has good size and fine tools.Excellent understanding of the game, good positional player. Has a good shot, can score in many ways. Smooth hands, effective at face offs. Good, hard working competitor with excellent attitude. Has the size but do still need muscle and strenght. Had an excellent season with Sodertälje U20 in the Swedish junior league. Also played on the league-team,first games in the Swedish league in January,on the 4th line with limited icetime. Won scoring-title SWE Jun league, World JUN U20 Div I in Dec. World Jun U18 Div I,in April. On the Sloveninan National team in February at the Olympic qualification tournament and at teh World Championship. Has all the tools needed to be the first Slovenian born player in the NHL. * Man,CSSneedsaproofreader.
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Post by BadCompany on Jul 25, 2005 7:10:52 GMT -5
Consider this....if Kopitar was Finnish, say and had the same credentials, what would you think of him then? Ah, but he's not Finnish, now is he? It should be noted that Bob Gainey rarely uses his first round picks on Europeans. From 1993 to 2002 (Gainey's tenureship), the Stars did not pick a European with their first draft pick. They did pick one in 2003 (the great Loui Erickson), but I am not sure whether that was Gainey's pick. I think he had left by then, no?
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on Jul 25, 2005 7:39:41 GMT -5
Consider this....if Kopitar was Finnish, say and had the same credentials, what would you think of him then? Ah, but he's not Finnish, now is he? It should be noted that Bob Gainey rarely uses his first round picks on Europeans. From 1993 to 2002 (Gainey's tenureship), the Stars did not pick a European with their first draft pick. They did pick one in 2003 (the great Loui Erickson), but I am not sure whether that was Gainey's pick. I think he had left by then, no? The Stars did take Martin Vagner with their first pick in 2002. The list of North American first picks during Gainey's tenure is underwhelming: Todd Harvey, Jason Botterill, Jarome Iginla, Richard Jackman, Brenden Morrow, John Erskine, Michael Ryan, Steve Ott, Jason Bacashihua. Mind you, the Stars usually placed themselves out of high pick territory with their regular season finishes. So far, since he has been GM of the Habs (May 2003) they have drafted seven European players (out of 20 total)—Andrei Kostitsyn, Christopher Heino-Lindberg, Oskari Korpikari, Jaroslav Halak, Alexei Yemelin, Mikhail Grabovsky, Mark Streit. This seems to indicate that Savard and Timmins pretty much have had free reign over the process. Now, with the new CBA provision that Europeans, like their North American counterparts, must be signed 2 years after being drafted or they become free agents, we are likely to to see fewer Europeans being drafted—especially in the early rounds. Kopitar sounds like a Gainey-type player. As do Brûlé and Ryan.
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Post by HabbaDasher on Jul 25, 2005 8:24:07 GMT -5
Johnson Pouliot Ryan Kopitar Brule
We're going to get an exciting, promising pick regardless. Would anyone really be unhappy to see one of these guys in the Habs' system?
Anyway you look at it, we'll have more talent in the system by the end of the week.
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