Let's do 3 rounds eh?

I feel like we've been over this, but sure, one more try. The Blues are NOT:

- Taking Wood at 10. And almost certainly no other winger there, either.
- Taking wingers with their first two picks.
- Taking wingers with three of their first four picks.

I cannot impress this stuff enough. Simply not happening. Period.

The problem is that the Blue are picking too high. The top tranche of centers will be gone, it may be early for many of the dmen or next tier of centers.

So unless Barlow or Moore, get to them….it could be mostly wingers as best available. Or take first dman.

(Of course, the best solution would be to win the lottery)

If that is draft board for NJ at pick 62, I’d hope we would be all over Anton Wahlberg.

It’s some draft for Chicago

Bedard
Musty
Stramel
Lapinski (he just sounds like Chicago)
Brindley
Lardis
McCarthy
Wahlberg

It’s like all my favorite guys

Moore or Reinbacher would presumably be their first two preferences. Maybe Danielson as well, though they might feel they can trade down a little and still get him.

But yes, winning the #2 pick would be massive. And #1 of course, but that's not gonna happen. As long as he doesn't go to Chicago I'm fine with not getting Bedard.

1. CHI: Bedard
2. ARI: Fantilli
3. ANA: Carlsson
4. CBJ: Michkov
5. SJS: Smith
6. MTL: Moore
7. PHI: Reinbacher
8. WAS: Barlow
9. DET: Dvorsky

The Blues are on the clock…

Choices at #10 are pretty much…

A) undersized NTDP winger
B) Undersized European winger
C) Undersized CHL winger
D) go off script

I probably shop it around to see who wants it bad. If nothing blows my doors off, then I probably grab Danielson or trade down a few spots to grab Danielson. Wingers, let alone small ones, let alone small ones who are minus skaters, aren't on the #10 menu this year.

I always see you say this but the truth is you can't just pass on good players to take current needs. Most of the picks the Blues will take will be 3 years away so you're telling me in 3 years we won't have addressed our need at center or defense??? You don't draft for your current need unless you're top 5 as those guys are like a year or 2 away. So yeah if the best player available is a winger, the blues are taking the winger. Your draft style is how teams draft busts because they just take a need and way overdraft someone. I'm not saying I like the picks the Blues make in this mock but dang you comment on every one saying the same thing.

Dude, I'm not talking about the current roster with the draft. I never said the LD and C issues/holes we have in the current team are going to be fixed in this draft (aside from lucking out big to win Bedard or Fantilli). What I keep saying is we have loads of young wingers both up and in the pipeline already. Kyrou, Neighbours, Bolduc, Snuggs, Torp, Robertsson - that's not even counting Vrana, Blais or Kap (all currently 26), plus we still have Buch for at least 2 years and Saad for 3. There's no room at the inn. Meanwhile, the pipeline of bona fide top 4 D types (maybe one out of the current bunch if we're lucky... maybe) and bona fide top 6 Cs (we have exactly one).

As for the Blues going BPA, they do not a majority of the time. Go look at their draft history. They draft for upcoming need all the time. And since 2005, they have drafted well almost every year (including plenty of players who took less than three years to have impact, some much less). So yeah, teams definitely draft for foreseeable future need and do it quite well. The Blues have been one of the best for nearly 20 years now, AND that's despite rarely picking higher than the 20's and only having a top 10 pick twice in the last 18 drafts.

I know the Blues are great at drafting so I'm excited to see who they pick this year. But really looking at the wingers you listed. Kyrou and Snuggs are really the only 2 I have full faith in to be top 6 wingers. In 3 years Saad will be gone and Buch might price himself out of being a blue (hopefully not). On top of that I can't see the Blues keeping both of Vrana and Kap and whichever one they keep would ideally be on your third line. Blais is also ideally on your third line. Looking at the rest Neighbours looks good but I don't think he has super high upsdie, same with torpo. I'm not a big fan of Bolduc he will have to change his game a lot to make it with Berube. So you would have an open spot in your top 6 wingers in 3 years that a player at 10 could perfectly fill.
Either way go Blues I hope they get another steal like Snuggs I personally love Cristall there (I know you wouldn't like that lol but he has elite hands and IQ) but I could also see the blues looking at leonard or sale. I think the best center available will be Danny (I have to believe Moore goes top 9 and Dvorsky probably sneaks in there too) and for defense Pellikka and Reinbacher will both go top 9.

I think you need to cheer up, man. I think you're refusing to see upside when everyone else in and out of town does. Bolduc is a near consensus top 30-ish overall among drafted prospects right now, and some have him up in the mid teens. He's gonna be a weapon, and one that plays 200 feet very well (really not sure why you think he'd have issues with Chief). Neighbours is a top 50 or so, and is already showing signs of having some Backes/Schwartz in him at 21. Robertsson has platooned against men in Sweden's top league rather well for a couple years by age 20, and is another Bolduc sniper type who plays a complete game. He's usually ranked in the 70's. Torp is a longer shot, but he has all the tools. If he ever puts them together, he could be scary, especially going up against bottom 6ers. And all of these guys showed good progress this past year.

Mentioning the three 26 yos, Saad and Buch just rounds out the picture of the depth chart climb any new winger would be up against, as well as potential competition for minutes once they reach the NHL. It's crowded as hell. As far as top 4 Ds and top 6 or even 9 Cs, we have a combined total of one. Also, go look at the current roster. The oldest players we have are: D, D, C, D, D, D, W, D.

This soon to be worsening imbalance needs to be addressed, and to not do so while having three 1sts featuring a #10 (or better) in one of the most bountiful drafts in memory would be wanton incompetence.

so then why on capsleafs447 mock, where he has the blues selecting Cristall, Perreault and Dragicevic, you stated "good job" lmao

That post was a ranking ( as the title indicated ) not a mock draft

Have you actually watched Bolduc play? He plays a junior style game. On top of that no he does not play a 200 ft game at all and he floats a lot. And neighbours is also not top 50 like yes he is very good but his ceiling is not high. At best he is a good second liner which you would take but that is not a top 50 prospect in the entire league. Robertsson is an unknown because of the little playing time he is getting. We will see more of him if he plays in the AHL next year.

Those were rankings, not a mock draft.

- No idea how you figure Bolduc doesn't play 200 feet, man. And as he plays C in juniors, I'm not sure how he could even float.
- Neighbours is rated right around 50 by pretty much every prospect pundit. And bro, being a good 2nd liner is a high ceiling.
- I don't know what you mean that Robertsson is an unknown. And even getting 3rd line ice time against pro men at 18-19-20 is pretty impressive and great for development. Like I said, he's not rated too far behind Neighbours by most.