2017 Draft Thread

[CalamityX11]

What we need, for discussion purposes unless one of us is truly a NJ Devils staffer in disguise, break down what Nolan and Nico do, pro's n cons, and what separates them....

How injured is Nolan? is he currently injured? or had past injuries that people bring up a lot?

Is Nico capable of going higher and become a scoring threat?

Who fits better with Hall? Who is the leader we need to groom?
etc........

 

[nj_cup]

well thats the thing what is our true need?

patrick is the legit #1 center type two way and can score goals hes got size and speed.

nico while also a center is more of a goal scoring type player it seems has great hands and flash.

i think hall needs that legit center to set him up and also be able to finish halls nice passes. i think patrick is also better on the face offs which are huge.


neither player are the same caliber but would you rather have matthews (patrick) or laline (nico)?

 

[rp2five]

Its not just one injury season.
He broke his collarbone when he was 13, then again the following season.
Top NHL prospect Nolan Patrick doesn’t think injuries have affected his stock

 

[nj_cup]

well on the bright side it isn't concussions or knee issues. broken collarbone can happen to anyone. but your right he does have that jj/bennet vibe to him.

i am 100000000000000000% certain that i am very happy that shero and cranston are making this decision and not lou and conte.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I trust the team to do their due diligence in regards to Patrick's injuries. If they are one off fluke injuries then he's the guy. It's difficult to quantify how valuable it is having a guy that can play in every situation.

 

[rp2five]

Yep. I do trust Shero.
Anything can happen at the combines. We have seen stocks soar or drop the weeks leading up to the draft.

If it is Nolan, then please start drinking milk for calcium and taking your vitamins. NHL schedule is nothing like you have seen so far in your career.

 

[CalamityX11]

I want a player that plays hard and makes plays every game. Be a difference maker. Be a talent that works well. Be the centerpiece, be that guy that experts rave about. Be someone that takes us over the top.

Lets try and break the two apart.

Who's the better skater?
Who's the better puck handler?
Faceoffs?
Shot power?
Sniper?
Vision?
Two way?
C or C/F?
Health?
Passing?
Finisher?
Leadership?

 

[CalamityX11]

I do trust in Shero n co. They beasted it, IMO, with McCleod n Bastian....

 

[rp2five]

I am not a scout but based on what I read and what I saw hightlights, live action (I watched Junior tournament which Nolan Patrick missed due to injury), here is how I understand it.

Who's the better skater? Nico
Who's the better puck handler? Nico
Faceoffs? Patrick
Shot power? Patrick
Sniper? Nico
Vision? Nico
Two way? Patrick
C or C/F? I think Patrick is more of true center
Health? Nico
Passing? Tie? I seen some slick passes by Nico though.
Finisher? Tie
Leadership? Probably Patrick but like I said earlier, Nico had to carry teams on his back

I will add one more.
Higher ceiling? Nico

 

[nj_cup]

i agree with everything said ^ leader too isn't that big of an issue since all i keep hearing from mclode is that he has natural leadership skills so thats plenty for me.


what double sucks though is that whoever we dont draft will end up down the road from us. its like the hall and seguin draft with the two picks being that close. difference is they were on other sides of the continent. these two will be seeing each other 6x a year? only thing that would make this even more juicy of a matchup would be if it was the rangers picked #2

 

[MCDevils]

All the major scouting services have Nolan1, Nico2. Sure there are guys flipping it, TV pundits, because they want ratings. Having no debate between #1 and #2 makes for a boring 2 months. Would be shocked if Devils buck the trend unless they really see something they don't like with Nolan's physical.

 

[Vortimous]

Why am I not surprised Cup wants to deal the pick.... LOL.... Classic Cup... I am happy we finally won something, esp after this season... Its a shame we get a great player in Hall and its wasted with such a mediocre team and time right now... But that #1 can turn things around, esp with someone that can come in and start... I will trust your judgement on who is the better.... either will work for me as long as its a center that can be what we need. Although I do think winning faceoffs is such a must.... if you cant control the puck in either zone from the start, you are already behind the gun.....

 

[nj_cup]

lol hey if this was matthews or mcdavid yeah you keep it. i'm just worried by the time this kid MAYBE even reaches his potential hall is probably a ufa.

 

[rp2five]

Faceoffs a concern?
Nico Hischier – His Coach’s Perspective

That's his coach. The more I find on this guy the more I say draft nico

 

[Nasty_Magician]

 

[nj_cup]

would've been better last year though

 

[DevilishWon]

One interesting thing I saw actually on a flyers fan web page when I googled Nico. Because his rights are owned by his Swiss team and was only loaned to a Canadian junior team last year he could play in the AHL or NHL if signed by an NHL team. Patrick can only play for an NHL team or be sent back to juniors.

Don't know if that enters into Shero's decision making but I thought it was interesting

 

[nj_cup]

One thing that worries me about nico. He's Swiss. Without googling it and cheating what are some if any of the great Swiss players

 

[Nasty_Magician]

There's a handful but yeah, not a powerhouse by any means.

One thing that worries me about nico. He's Swiss. Without googling it and cheating what are some if any of the great Swiss players

I know Josi on Nashville and Mark Streit, so maybe they're good at producing D? So yeah a handful but not a powerhouse by any means. I won't hold that against him though. Kopitar is from some random Eastern Bloc country.

 

[CalamityX11]

I think I'll be happy with either Nolan or Nico.....

Strangely, I'm still on the Tippett wagon....