Geekie for sure

No thanks on Brad Lambert, If he falls to us i want Matthew Savoie.

Kasper. If Kasper is off the board, it likely means one of the D is still on the board. BPA, not position of need is the way to go. If Nemec falls, you have a logjam on D but a ton of tradeable assets. Seider, Hronek, Edvinsson, Johansen, plus Nemec, Biuim, Sebrango, Mcisaac, Wallinder. Lots of tradeable assets . Maybe in a year, Hronek plus a pick gets the 2C that is needed. Otherwise, Kasper is your 2C next year.

kasper seems like the yzerman pick for sure

Probably Kaspar or Savoie.

Lambert is a reach. Was high on Savoie but the size probably shifts him to wing. We don't have time for him to develop a la the Hudler route.

Kasper is near NHL ready, by most accounts, but he is projected as a 2C for a ceiling and floor.

I think taking Kasper would be a trade chip in a couple years. Let's say he goes the Krejci route and puts up very well as a 2C that can float to the top line. Maybe in 2-3 years, you package Kasper with one of the glut of Dmen prospects that can't all be part of the future in Detroit and pick up a true 1C.

great points, but I don't think Yzerman is thinking of drafting a guy just so he can package him with someone else to get another guy

Lambert is definitely a reach. I also think Geekie is a bit of a reach. Savoie and Kasper are very likely scenarios. I would not be surprised if Yzerman went off the board a little and took the best player available in his opinion, he has clearly shown he doesnt really care about concensus or how is actions will be perceived (I mean that in the best way possible). The glaring positional need is a center, but I don't think he takes a center just to take a center. If he believes that Savoie is a center (If all works out well for him, he becomes Brayden Point 2.0), then I see the wings taking him. This would be assuming ottawa takes kemell over savoie.

Yzerman absolutely would look to the future. By many accounts, Kasper is a 2C now and probably forever. Maybe that works out and Yzerman is happy with that. Or maybe a 1C becomes available, and Kasper is the guy to fill the void of the other team's exiting 1C. The other team can't get a 1C back, and a bonafide 2C who is young is a great return when you have to sell your 1C. Sending Rasmussen or Fabbri or maybe Veleno (as of today) doesn't fill the hole that is left from the exiting 1C.

Yzerman thinks years down the road.

Savoie is just too small. He won't be ready to center a line for at least a few seasons, more likely 5 or 6 seasons. By then, the Larkin window is shutting, and you still need another top 6 Center, unless Veleno really comes through or Rasmussen kicks it to a level nobody expected.

There arent many centers his size in the nhl, but there definitely are some, and some good ones at that: Brayden point, Vinny trochek, Jack Hughes (taller, but not that thick and savoie has a higher compete level), alex kerfoot. I think saying it may take him 6 years to become a Center doesn’t make much sense. What is going to change from 3 years to 6 years. At some point he either is a Center or he’s not. There is only so much he can do in the gym and the compete level is already there

Point and Hughes are the outliers, but Point played a lot of wing in his first 4 or so seasons. Hughes is a special talent that puts him at a whole nother level. Hudler was tried at center for years. He finally found his stride in his late 20s with Calgary.

I'm not ruling out Savoie but its hard enough to deal with the rigors and physicality of the NHL as a rookie or sophomore, let alone being undersized. It took Hughes two full seasons to get it, Point even longer and with sheltered minutes. Waiting 4 or 5 seasons for your 2C to develop physically just doesnt make a lot of sense to me. I'd rather get a center who can center a top 2 line competently in 2 or 3 seasons, like Kasper. I hope Veleno pans out. He has the compete level and the drive, but he got too ripped this past off-season and his speed game really suffered. He needs to find that balance. That would make Savoie a better pick than Kasper, as Savoie would be Hella good on the PP and as a platoon of centers.

But the thing you are doing is drafted exclusively for position, which is something I don’t think Yzerman will do. I think he will draft the best player available (or close to) and if it is the right position that is an added bonus

Exactly. If you see my post near the top I say very similar to this. The BPA will likely be Kasper, Savoie, or one of the D projected to go in the top 6 or 7. If any of those D are there you take them. The problem with Savoie is he is a high upside or bust, I think. I have my fingers crossed for another Seider like shocker that churns out another Calder candidate in 2 to 3 years.

at this point there are like 12-14 guys i could honestly see him taking this draft is gonna be wild