FLPensFan Ranks #1 overall Teams of Need

[FLPensFan]

8 teams are in the running for the 1st overall pick tonight: Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Minnesota, Florida, Winnipeg, NY Rangers, and Nashville

TSN has an article today talking about which team benfits the most and the fit Lafreniere would have on each team. I tend to disagree to some extent with their rankings, so I thought I would do my own. You can find TSN article here: https://www.tsn.ca/the-alexis-lafreniere-index-rating-the-teams-in-the-running-1.1506923

Below are my thoughts on the quest for #1 overall, and what the need and fit of Lafreniere is like for each team.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs - Marner, Matthews, Kapanen, Nylander, Johnnson. The Leafs have been through their struggles, and loaded up on lottery picks. LW IS the biggest position of need for the Leafs (or is it still defense), but, their cap is a mess. It's Toronto, where the expectations are high, and he'll be under the microscope. Every team could use Lafreniere. There is a LW need here. But the glut of other young stars, the current cap mess

7. Florida Panthers - This is one I tend to agree with TSN. This team is a mess. They just fired their GM. They had high picks like Trocheck, Barkov, Huberdeau, Ekblad, etc....and they still haven't won a playoff series since then. Not to mention, most scouts project Lafreniere to play a similar game to Huberdeau....who already plays in Florida. Would adding Lafreniere help sell tickets? *shrug* Who knows. Winning is the only thinig I see really driving ticket sales, and the Panthers have botched a lot of things (Gallant, Tom Rowe, the Vegas expansion trades, Bob signing, Tallon firing, etc) lately. Doesn't seem like a great environment for Alexis to start his NHL career.

6. Winnipeg - Winnipeg already has Laine and Connor down the LW. They've got Ehlers. They've got Schiefele. LW isn't a position of need here. They really need a center or defensive help.

5. Edmonton Oilers - TSN had Edmonton as the best fit/biggest need. I see another Toronto situation here. Edmonton has had a long run of lottery picks. They've got McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Nurse...they've had their shot, and they still haven't put it together thanks to a lot of GM bungling. LW is a position of need for them, and would obviously make them better

4. Pittsburgh - Any good, young, cheap players the Penguins could add would be great. But, the Penguins also already have Guentzel and Zucker at LW, so, need at LW isn't one of their priorities right now. They have had a strong run of playoff success and haven't drafted in the top 10 since 2012 with Pouliot, and 2006 with Jordan Staal. Lafreniere idolizes Crosby, and would help out a veteran team, but the Penguins would have to shuffle around some players to get a true fit.

3. Nashville - The Preds are similar to Pittsburgh, in that they have had a lot of playoff success recently, limiting their top 10 picks. Fiala at #11 in 2014 and Seth Jones at #4 in 2013 were their last 2 high end picks. They were gifted Forsberg in a lopsided trade, and Forsberg/Lafreniere down the left side would give them some extra jump.

2. Minnesota - The Wild have a new GM. They have uber-star Kirill Kaprizov coming. They have Fiala and Kunin. Parise at 36 and Zucarello at 32 are their 2 current top LWs. There is a big need here, and like my #1 ranking, they haven't had a ton of lottery picks in recent years. He'd be a good fit in Minnesota, and there is a need for LW there.

1. NY Rangers - The Rangers are in a rebuild mode. Like Pittsburgh, they haven't had many 1st round picks the last several years. They have had 4 1st round picks in the last 3 years, then a 4 year gap without one. Kakko is already here. K'Andre Miller should be coming soon. Lias Andersson and 2 others are still up in the air whether they will add anything at the NHL level. The Rangers have made some smart trades and signings to add guys like Panarin, Trouba, Fox, DeAngelo, Strome, and Lemieux. Panarin and Lafreniere would give them some great LWs. They'd probably have to consider letting Kreider walk or move him to RW. But, this is a team on the rebuild that hasn't blown through a lot of high first rounders and failed to date. NY is a big city, but it isn't the same type of media scrutiny as Toronto.


Let me know what you guys think of these rankings.

[thehockeyguru]

From a pure entertainment standpoint how can you argue with McDavid- Lafreniere or Sid - Lafreniere?

[lemieuxReturns]

Even though Edmonton screws things up so badly... if the Pens dont get the kid I hope the Oilers do. Fun to watch!

[Pensfan4life8771]

If Pens don't I want someone out West to get him.

[sjnhiils]

8 teams are in the running for the 1st overall pick tonight: Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Minnesota, Florida, Winnipeg, NY Rangers, and Nashville

TSN has an article today talking about which team benfits the most and the fit Lafreniere would have on each team. I tend to disagree to some extent with their rankings, so I thought I would do my own. You can find TSN article here: https://www.tsn.ca/the-alexis-lafreniere-index-rating-the-teams-in-the-running-1.1506923

Below are my thoughts on the quest for #1 overall, and what the need and fit of Lafreniere is like for each team.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs - Marner, Matthews, Kapanen, Nylander, Johnnson. The Leafs have been through their struggles, and loaded up on lottery picks. LW IS the biggest position of need for the Leafs (or is it still defense), but, their cap is a mess. It's Toronto, where the expectations are high, and he'll be under the microscope. Every team could use Lafreniere. There is a LW need here. But the glut of other young stars, the current cap mess

7. Florida Panthers - This is one I tend to agree with TSN. This team is a mess. They just fired their GM. They had high picks like Trocheck, Barkov, Huberdeau, Ekblad, etc....and they still haven't won a playoff series since then. Not to mention, most scouts project Lafreniere to play a similar game to Huberdeau....who already plays in Florida. Would adding Lafreniere help sell tickets? *shrug* Who knows. Winning is the only thinig I see really driving ticket sales, and the Panthers have botched a lot of things (Gallant, Tom Rowe, the Vegas expansion trades, Bob signing, Tallon firing, etc) lately. Doesn't seem like a great environment for Alexis to start his NHL career.

6. Winnipeg - Winnipeg already has Laine and Connor down the LW. They've got Ehlers. They've got Schiefele. LW isn't a position of need here. They really need a center or defensive help.

5. Edmonton Oilers - TSN had Edmonton as the best fit/biggest need. I see another Toronto situation here. Edmonton has had a long run of lottery picks. They've got McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Nurse...they've had their shot, and they still haven't put it together thanks to a lot of GM bungling. LW is a position of need for them, and would obviously make them better

4. Pittsburgh - Any good, young, cheap players the Penguins could add would be great. But, the Penguins also already have Guentzel and Zucker at LW, so, need at LW isn't one of their priorities right now. They have had a strong run of playoff success and haven't drafted in the top 10 since 2012 with Pouliot, and 2006 with Jordan Staal. Lafreniere idolizes Crosby, and would help out a veteran team, but the Penguins would have to shuffle around some players to get a true fit.

3. Nashville - The Preds are similar to Pittsburgh, in that they have had a lot of playoff success recently, limiting their top 10 picks. Fiala at #11 in 2014 and Seth Jones at #4 in 2013 were their last 2 high end picks. They were gifted Forsberg in a lopsided trade, and Forsberg/Lafreniere down the left side would give them some extra jump.

2. Minnesota - The Wild have a new GM. They have uber-star Kirill Kaprizov coming. They have Fiala and Kunin. Parise at 36 and Zucarello at 32 are their 2 current top LWs. There is a big need here, and like my #1 ranking, they haven't had a ton of lottery picks in recent years. He'd be a good fit in Minnesota, and there is a need for LW there.

1. NY Rangers - The Rangers are in a rebuild mode. Like Pittsburgh, they haven't had many 1st round picks the last several years. They have had 4 1st round picks in the last 3 years, then a 4 year gap without one. Kakko is already here. K'Andre Miller should be coming soon. Lias Andersson and 2 others are still up in the air whether they will add anything at the NHL level. The Rangers have made some smart trades and signings to add guys like Panarin, Trouba, Fox, DeAngelo, Strome, and Lemieux. Panarin and Lafreniere would give them some great LWs. They'd probably have to consider letting Kreider walk or move him to RW. But, this is a team on the rebuild that hasn't blown through a lot of high first rounders and failed to date. NY is a big city, but it isn't the same type of media scrutiny as Toronto.


Let me know what you guys think of these rankings.

Couldn't you have Lafreniere-Crosby-Guentzel?

[pens_CT]

Even though Edmonton screws things up so badly... if the Pens dont get the kid I hope the Oilers do. Fun to watch!

If not Pittsburgh, I would root for Billy G and Minnesota. They could certainly use him. Edmonton has had more than their share of number one overall picks.

[lemieuxReturns]

Geeesh! The suspense!

[FLPensFan]

Bettman...Pittsburgh Penguins get the 1st overall pick...I mean, um, logo confirmed. Nothing to see here....

[Jim]

Battman's bobble head is so annoying.

[KG]

Rangers ....Metro just keeps getting harder and harder

[RentedMule66]

Oddly enough they dropped the Rangers ball in early and had to take it back out before it was officially confirmed.

[lemieuxReturns]

The Rangers are loaded!

[FLPensFan]

Spoiler:

8 teams are in the running for the 1st overall pick tonight: Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Minnesota, Florida, Winnipeg, NY Rangers, and Nashville

TSN has an article today talking about which team benfits the most and the fit Lafreniere would have on each team. I tend to disagree to some extent with their rankings, so I thought I would do my own. You can find TSN article here: https://www.tsn.ca/the-alexis-lafreniere-index-rating-the-teams-in-the-running-1.1506923

Below are my thoughts on the quest for #1 overall, and what the need and fit of Lafreniere is like for each team.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs - Marner, Matthews, Kapanen, Nylander, Johnnson. The Leafs have been through their struggles, and loaded up on lottery picks. LW IS the biggest position of need for the Leafs (or is it still defense), but, their cap is a mess. It's Toronto, where the expectations are high, and he'll be under the microscope. Every team could use Lafreniere. There is a LW need here. But the glut of other young stars, the current cap mess

7. Florida Panthers - This is one I tend to agree with TSN. This team is a mess. They just fired their GM. They had high picks like Trocheck, Barkov, Huberdeau, Ekblad, etc....and they still haven't won a playoff series since then. Not to mention, most scouts project Lafreniere to play a similar game to Huberdeau....who already plays in Florida. Would adding Lafreniere help sell tickets? *shrug* Who knows. Winning is the only thinig I see really driving ticket sales, and the Panthers have botched a lot of things (Gallant, Tom Rowe, the Vegas expansion trades, Bob signing, Tallon firing, etc) lately. Doesn't seem like a great environment for Alexis to start his NHL career.

6. Winnipeg - Winnipeg already has Laine and Connor down the LW. They've got Ehlers. They've got Schiefele. LW isn't a position of need here. They really need a center or defensive help.

5. Edmonton Oilers - TSN had Edmonton as the best fit/biggest need. I see another Toronto situation here. Edmonton has had a long run of lottery picks. They've got McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Nurse...they've had their shot, and they still haven't put it together thanks to a lot of GM bungling. LW is a position of need for them, and would obviously make them better

4. Pittsburgh - Any good, young, cheap players the Penguins could add would be great. But, the Penguins also already have Guentzel and Zucker at LW, so, need at LW isn't one of their priorities right now. They have had a strong run of playoff success and haven't drafted in the top 10 since 2012 with Pouliot, and 2006 with Jordan Staal. Lafreniere idolizes Crosby, and would help out a veteran team, but the Penguins would have to shuffle around some players to get a true fit.

3. Nashville - The Preds are similar to Pittsburgh, in that they have had a lot of playoff success recently, limiting their top 10 picks. Fiala at #11 in 2014 and Seth Jones at #4 in 2013 were their last 2 high end picks. They were gifted Forsberg in a lopsided trade, and Forsberg/Lafreniere down the left side would give them some extra jump.

2. Minnesota - The Wild have a new GM. They have uber-star Kirill Kaprizov coming. They have Fiala and Kunin. Parise at 36 and Zucarello at 32 are their 2 current top LWs. There is a big need here, and like my #1 ranking, they haven't had a ton of lottery picks in recent years. He'd be a good fit in Minnesota, and there is a need for LW there.

1. NY Rangers - The Rangers are in a rebuild mode. Like Pittsburgh, they haven't had many 1st round picks the last several years. They have had 4 1st round picks in the last 3 years, then a 4 year gap without one. Kakko is already here. K'Andre Miller should be coming soon. Lias Andersson and 2 others are still up in the air whether they will add anything at the NHL level. The Rangers have made some smart trades and signings to add guys like Panarin, Trouba, Fox, DeAngelo, Strome, and Lemieux. Panarin and Lafreniere would give them some great LWs. They'd probably have to consider letting Kreider walk or move him to RW. But, this is a team on the rebuild that hasn't blown through a lot of high first rounders and failed to date. NY is a big city, but it isn't the same type of media scrutiny as Toronto.


Let me know what you guys think of these rankings.

Checks original post....was that a guess or a prediction.

[RentedMule66]

Spoiler:

8 teams are in the running for the 1st overall pick tonight: Edmonton, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Minnesota, Florida, Winnipeg, NY Rangers, and Nashville

TSN has an article today talking about which team benfits the most and the fit Lafreniere would have on each team. I tend to disagree to some extent with their rankings, so I thought I would do my own. You can find TSN article here: https://www.tsn.ca/the-alexis-lafreniere-index-rating-the-teams-in-the-running-1.1506923

Below are my thoughts on the quest for #1 overall, and what the need and fit of Lafreniere is like for each team.

8. Toronto Maple Leafs - Marner, Matthews, Kapanen, Nylander, Johnnson. The Leafs have been through their struggles, and loaded up on lottery picks. LW IS the biggest position of need for the Leafs (or is it still defense), but, their cap is a mess. It's Toronto, where the expectations are high, and he'll be under the microscope. Every team could use Lafreniere. There is a LW need here. But the glut of other young stars, the current cap mess

7. Florida Panthers - This is one I tend to agree with TSN. This team is a mess. They just fired their GM. They had high picks like Trocheck, Barkov, Huberdeau, Ekblad, etc....and they still haven't won a playoff series since then. Not to mention, most scouts project Lafreniere to play a similar game to Huberdeau....who already plays in Florida. Would adding Lafreniere help sell tickets? *shrug* Who knows. Winning is the only thinig I see really driving ticket sales, and the Panthers have botched a lot of things (Gallant, Tom Rowe, the Vegas expansion trades, Bob signing, Tallon firing, etc) lately. Doesn't seem like a great environment for Alexis to start his NHL career.

6. Winnipeg - Winnipeg already has Laine and Connor down the LW. They've got Ehlers. They've got Schiefele. LW isn't a position of need here. They really need a center or defensive help.

5. Edmonton Oilers - TSN had Edmonton as the best fit/biggest need. I see another Toronto situation here. Edmonton has had a long run of lottery picks. They've got McDavid, Draisaitl, RNH, Nurse...they've had their shot, and they still haven't put it together thanks to a lot of GM bungling. LW is a position of need for them, and would obviously make them better

4. Pittsburgh - Any good, young, cheap players the Penguins could add would be great. But, the Penguins also already have Guentzel and Zucker at LW, so, need at LW isn't one of their priorities right now. They have had a strong run of playoff success and haven't drafted in the top 10 since 2012 with Pouliot, and 2006 with Jordan Staal. Lafreniere idolizes Crosby, and would help out a veteran team, but the Penguins would have to shuffle around some players to get a true fit.

3. Nashville - The Preds are similar to Pittsburgh, in that they have had a lot of playoff success recently, limiting their top 10 picks. Fiala at #11 in 2014 and Seth Jones at #4 in 2013 were their last 2 high end picks. They were gifted Forsberg in a lopsided trade, and Forsberg/Lafreniere down the left side would give them some extra jump.

2. Minnesota - The Wild have a new GM. They have uber-star Kirill Kaprizov coming. They have Fiala and Kunin. Parise at 36 and Zucarello at 32 are their 2 current top LWs. There is a big need here, and like my #1 ranking, they haven't had a ton of lottery picks in recent years. He'd be a good fit in Minnesota, and there is a need for LW there.

1. NY Rangers - The Rangers are in a rebuild mode. Like Pittsburgh, they haven't had many 1st round picks the last several years. They have had 4 1st round picks in the last 3 years, then a 4 year gap without one. Kakko is already here. K'Andre Miller should be coming soon. Lias Andersson and 2 others are still up in the air whether they will add anything at the NHL level. The Rangers have made some smart trades and signings to add guys like Panarin, Trouba, Fox, DeAngelo, Strome, and Lemieux. Panarin and Lafreniere would give them some great LWs. They'd probably have to consider letting Kreider walk or move him to RW. But, this is a team on the rebuild that hasn't blown through a lot of high first rounders and failed to date. NY is a big city, but it isn't the same type of media scrutiny as Toronto.


Let me know what you guys think of these rankings.

Checks original post....was that a guess or a prediction.

JINX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! j/k

[KG]

Ok no first overall pick to save the day.

Get to work JR!

[Antonio]

I'm not going to lie, ever since the rangers were knocked out and eligible for the top pick, I have been 100% sure they were going to win it. not saying it was rigged or anything, but it just was the absolute perfect outcome for the league in my opinion.

[lemieuxReturns]

So any NHL ready kids available at #15?

[lemieuxReturns]

I don’t follow junior hockey at all. I see a mock draft with Columbus at #15 taking Dawson Mercer. Anyone know anything about him?

[thehockeyguru]

From what I've read if Yaroslav Askarov is there at #15 I'd take him.

[lemieuxReturns]

From what I've read if Yaroslav Askarov is there at #15 I'd take him.

God I hope not. Goalies are a wasted pick. Seems like you can get a proven one for almost nothing.

[thehockeyguru]

From what I've read if Yaroslav Askarov is there at #15 I'd take him.

God I hope not. Goalies are a wasted pick. Seems like you can get a proven one for almost nothing.

Franchise goalies don't typically change hands. Fleury was an exception because of the expansion draft. Look how quickly Murray fell out of favor.

IF management thinks he is a franchise goalie id definitely take him.

[pens_CT]

I don’t follow junior hockey at all. I see a mock draft with Columbus at #15 taking Dawson Mercer. Anyone know anything about him?

I've read scouting reports on him from various internet sites. Looks a like a guy who could play Center or Right Wing. Seems like someone who skates well enough and plays some defense. Might be a top six kind of player. The guy I'd like to see fall is Jake Sanderson (Geoff's son). Supposedly a great skater and has some offensive upside but is a very advanced defender for an 18 year old. Chances are he goes before 15 though.

[FLPensFan]

So any NHL ready kids available at #15?

I think the odds of that are probably less than 5%. You'd have to draft a kid who is NHL ready, vs a kid who may have more overall talent but take a few years to hit the NHL. From what I have seen rankings and ratings wise, there are maybe 8-10 players in this draft who COULD be NHL ready sooner rather than later. And that's still lower much lower th

2019: Top 3 picks all played over 60 games in NHL, the 20th and 22nd overall, both d-men, played a combined 11 NHL games (basically, free look before going being sent back to Juniors)
2018: Top 4 picks all played right away. 17 picks from that 1st round have played at least 1 NHL game...11 of those 17 played less than 40 NHL games.
2017: Only 8 players from this 1st round have played over 100 NHL games. Only 4 have never played an NHL game yet, including POJ.

Typically, you only get 3-5 guys in a 1st round that make the jump, and it's usually the first 3 picks. Just not likely to happen.

[pens_CT]

I don’t follow junior hockey at all. I see a mock draft with Columbus at #15 taking Dawson Mercer. Anyone know anything about him?

FWIW the Athletic has a mock draft up and they have them taking Anton Lundell a Center out of Finland. He already plays in the top men's league over there.

[Daniel]

So any NHL ready kids available at #15?

I think the odds of that are probably less than 5%. You'd have to draft a kid who is NHL ready, vs a kid who may have more overall talent but take a few years to hit the NHL. From what I have seen rankings and ratings wise, there are maybe 8-10 players in this draft who COULD be NHL ready sooner rather than later. And that's still lower much lower th

2019: Top 3 picks all played over 60 games in NHL, the 20th and 22nd overall, both d-men, played a combined 11 NHL games (basically, free look before going being sent back to Juniors)
2018: Top 4 picks all played right away. 17 picks from that 1st round have played at least 1 NHL game...11 of those 17 played less than 40 NHL games.
2017: Only 8 players from this 1st round have played over 100 NHL games. Only 4 have never played an NHL game yet, including POJ.

Typically, you only get 3-5 guys in a 1st round that make the jump, and it's usually the first 3 picks. Just not likely to happen.

Curious, does having a 1st round pick this year mean the Penguins streak of making the playoff ends? The loss to Montreal was a qualifying round to make the playoffs so it would seem the streak is over.