This is why i keep telling people we need to just draft our picks this year and be patient. We are young dumb and full of ..... spirit. Plus we have makarov and Dolzhenkov coming over the next 2 years. Plus with 22 and 34OA this year theres a chance we could get Simashev and/or But. Patience is a virtue for the jackets fans right now.

d core is beautiful

It's definitely a questionable thought process to be trading away picks from 2023. I feel like this is the last draft where they should really be using all the draft capital they have to stock the cupboard and then picks for 2024 and beyond are what they should gamble on bringing in aid where they need it.

I am in the same thinking boat. Esp if the russian guys fall due to "RUSSIA" and we can get them in late first early second round. They would be looking to make the jump right as we enter a completive window. Just think of bringing in a 6'5 215 Dman that has been playing against men for 2 years that we didnt have to pay to develop. or a 6'4 210 winger to run along side Vorony.

Yep, also I think having a second wave of talent would be really important to drive competition and be a security measure incase some players don't work out. I'm not entirely sold on Sillinger, Dumais, LDBB, Chinakhov or Ceulemans working out at the moment.

I completely understand your thoughts. Though I see silly turning it around. Chinny wasn't off to a horrible start of the year and in the preseason (yes i know its preseason) showed he could find space and time. Corson i am 50/50 on. And as for our super skilled yet undersized forwards (LDBB Dumais Mala) I see at least one of them panning out though its also why i want Sim and But this year so bad. Bring me 2 guys with some size to protect and open the ice up for the smaller skill forwards.

Yep, I agree. I'm not down on all those guys either, I just don't see them as being as solid as Jiricek, KJ, Marchy, Mateychuk, Leo, and Vronk.

I'll be surprised if either of Makarov or Dolzhenkov become NHLers. If they do it's certainly not going to be in the next 2 years.

Making smart moves is important, and I'm not saying we should be selling the farm, but the CBJ are closer than you think. This team has a lot of talent and should be trying to compete for a playoff spot right now. The cupboard is already stocked and overflowing. They have a surplus of young assets, and some of those should be used to upgrade on defense. I don't want them to trade away all their picks, but the extras should definitely be used to get better now so we're not wasting years of Werenski, Gaudreau, Laine, Jenner.

3OA is off limits because we HAVE to get a franchise centerman there, but the 22OA pick and the surplus 3rds should absolutely be in play, as well as a few prospects in the system. I really like Ceulemans and Mateychuk, but they're not guaranteed to be studs in the NHL. Same with Dumais, even Sillinger and Chinakhov. Again, I don't want to sell off all these guys, but if one or two can be included in a package that bring in a mid-age, legit impact top-4 defenseman or 1C, then I think we'd be foolish to turn that down.

I think Dolzhenkov will have a difficult time getting his skillset to work in the NHL. He's just too damn big to play a skill game at the speed the NHL demands. The puck control is unreal and he's fun to watch, but I only see it translating if he can control the puck at the far ends of his wingspan and he is ready and willing to put other players through the glass. The good thing is he's going to be good in front of the net and he's got a shot that punishes anyone who wants to block it.

Makarov doesn't have that problem, being a standard D-man, but I don't know if he jumps gets past the prospect logjam of Svozil, Mateychuk, and Knazko to take NHL time. But who knows.

As for picks, I would label the 3OA untouchable and the 22OA and 34OA damn near close to it. Everything else could be up for sale. My pipe dream is still Carlsson, Haltunnen, and Hrabal and that fills in a couple of the pipeline holes on RW and G. Haltunnen is a potential Laine clone (size-wise) to develop into a true Power Forward and Hrabal gives the Jackets a blue-chip G prospect and really makes the NHL team a lot of fun if Sergei Ivanov makes the jump to NA soon.

If the 22 or 34 are packaged with any of the top end prospects, the return has to have long term team control.

Definitely agree on the return having to have long term control. What really bothers me is the talk that they want to move 22 OA for a player to bridge them to Mateychuk and Svozil. That's so horribly short sighted and really feels like it will come back to bite them despite Jarmo's pretty awful drafting record in the mid to late first round.

I haven't heard anywhere that 22 would be used as a bridge. Jarmo has said multiple times that they're looking for a long-term fit. To me, that means they're looking at a player like Hanafin that can be re-signed. Of course, it takes two to make a deal, so it's still possible they keep the pick and try to sign a FA, but the pick should absolutely be available for the right deal.

I suppose that's more of my own inference. Letting Gavrikov walk over term leads me to believe they are not interested in a long term commitment at LD, which makes sense with the incoming prospects. There have also been multiple reports that 22 would be available for immediate help at LD. That leads me to believe they would trade 22 for a player that gets them 2-3 years of play at 2LD, which seems horribly short sighted considering the depth of this draft.

I would rather overpay for Graves or Soucy in FA than trade the picks. There are some real home run picks in the late first and second rounds.

Yeah, hopefully a trade is the backup if they can't sign someone from the FA pool.

Late 1st rounders are a crap shoot in general. I get that this is a great draft at the top and deep through the first 20 picks or so, so there is a chance a landing a good player there, but it's still far from a slam dunk. It's just enticing enough that I think it could make another team bite.

Mateychuk and Svozil should only be one more year away IMO, and Svozil could be getting NHL minutes this year already. A bridge player to those guys would be for 1-2 years, but I think a dman on a 3-year term could be acceptable too depending on who it is.

I like the idea of bringing in Murphy to play on the top pair with Z to allow Jiricek to ease in, then Murph can be slotted on the second pair when Jiricek ascends, but a guy like him with experience, style fit, 3 years left and great off-ice characteristics will probably cost 22OA or Ceulemans. I know it's somewhat of a risk, but it's equally a risk to bet on either of those players (22OA or Ceulemans) panning out. Waiting on either of them also pushes back the contention window, which is a cost in itself.

While I agree in a sense that a 1-2 year bridge on the left side absolutely is not worth 22OA, the Jackets also have to be careful not to get committed there long-term and end up blocking Mateychuk and Svozil from being able to get those minutes if they've earned them. Both Matey and Svozil can play the right side as well, so there's flexibility, but if we're bringing in two top-4 defensemen this year, one is probably going to be signed for 3+ years and the other is probably going to be a 1-year bridge.

I'm hoping for Murphy and Grzelcyk, but there are other good options out there too. If they're dealing 22OA plus some other stuff for Hanafin, it would absolutely have to come with an extension, and would also limit what they're able to do to improve the right side.

Fans definitely have miscalculated expectations for late 1sts weighted by some excellent hits in that range. Pastrnak, Kulich, Boeser, Barzal, K'Andre Miller being really loud points that stand out. I think it's useful to look back at those drafts and try to guess who would have been a guaranteed better pick in the range behind them. Jarmo hasn't hit any homeruns but Foudy and Chinakov don't look bad (not perfect by any means) considering who was drafted behind them. Still a lot of time to tell.

I don't mind 22 OA as a bridge but it has to be the right player (I'm not convinced there are many left that are also worth 22OA after Chychrun, Ekholm were dealt and Gavrikov wanting "too much term"). We need veteran talent that can provide a stable learning platform for rookies and that will provide a lot of value. We've seen what it looks like when we throw rookies to the wolves without proper support (Cole Sillinger drowning this last year, Jake Bean and Adam Boqvist the year before). We have a young center corps and a young d corps and that makes success very hard to come by. Rookies make mistakes and if there are too many rookies making too many mistakes it creates a sort of gravity that their skill can't overcome and a playstyle that is heard to learn from. Giving just a bit more veterancy will give us a return on investment. Think of it this way, you're paying 22OA to make it more likely that Jiricek, Svozil, Mateychuk but also Cole Sillinger, 3OA, Kent Johnson hit their ceilings. A player with deep playoff experience (Cam Fowler, Ryan McDonagh, Nick Leddy, despite their varying abilities at their ages) can simply be a calming factor that reassures these young players that they are, in fact, good enough to be here.

In terms of long term picture, I would like a Werenski partner (the Grzelcyk to McAvoy, Lindgren to Fox, Walman to Seider, Toews to Makar). I don't think Peeke or Boqvist are it. Blankenburg could be, but his injuries are costing valuable development time. I think, in time, Jiricek will be better served playing away from him and dominating his own pair (theoretically paired with Mateychuk for matchups or Svozil for offence). I can see 22OA being used to find a really good partner for Z considering Jarmo missed out completely on John Marino.

I like making the pick at 22 also. I don't think Jarmo makes a trade for the sake of making the trade. I think he and Davidson realize that we aren't trying to contend for only the next 5 years. I especially like it if we can get Simashev or Wallinder.

If we can get Carson Soucy in FA we can easily double his projected cap hit. Unfortunately, I don't think you can really construct a plan around a FA unless you have prior knowledge.

For drafting this year I know that late firsts and seconds are dice rolls so I want to take the big swing. As for cupboard depth that part of why Tampa as been able to sustain for as long as they have. Good trades for the most part. (Not this year) and depth. If and it’s a BIG if we get a cup the cup tax hits hard and depth will be needed to sustain success. So my picks for 22 and 34 would be simashev and but. I think they are both available around those areas because of “Russia”. We don’t have to pay for development for two years which frees up spaces in Cleveland for other guys to try and earn shots. They bring size and skill to the lineup and fit a three to five year timeline for refill.