Grading the Canadian drafts
For the first time in a while, Canadian teams were not the talk of the draft.
There was no Nico versus Nolan debate in Edmonton or Toronto. Winnipeg chose to move down — not up — in the order. Montreal and Calgary’s biggest moves came away from the draft floor. That’s probably a good thing. It meant that with the exception of the Vancouver Canucks, most of Canada’s teams are no longer relying on the draft to drastically revamp their rosters. And yet, this was largely a successful draft for all involved.
Here is a breakdown of how three independent scouts believe Canada’s teams did:
Calgary Flames: A
The Flames selected Finnish defenceman Jusso Valimaki with the 16th overall pick, but their best acquisition easily came on Day 2 of the draft when the team traded acquired defenceman Travis Hamonic from the New York Islanders.
Along with Marc Giordano, T.J. Brodie and Dougie Hamilton, Hamonic gives Calgary one of the NHL’s best defence. With Valimaki also now in the system, their backend should be set for years.
“Valimaki is a work-horse defenceman in the mold of a Marc Giordano,” said Craig Button, TSN’s director of scouting. “This is a good player. He’s going to be able to give you the minutes.”
Calgary didn’t have a secondor third-round pick, but scouts believe the team found value in the fourth round with Adam Ruzicka, a 6-foot-3 centre from Slovakia who might have underperformed in his first year in the OHL.
Edmonton Oilers: A+
In the days leading up to the draft, the Oilers shed significant salary by trading Jordan Eberle to the Islanders for Ryan Strome and then re-signing defenceman Kris Russell to a long-term contract. But they still found time to have one of their better drafts.
And for once, they didn’t have to rely on a lottery pick to pull it off.
“I love their draft,” said North American Central Scouting ’s Mark Seidel. “I thought they killed it.”
It all starts with 22nd-overall pick Kailer Yamamoto, who scored 42 goals and 99 points with the Spokane Chiefs this season. Of course, the numbers most seemed fixated on concerned his height (5-foot-7) and weight (146 pounds).
“All I know about Kailer is he’s a really good player,” said Button. “He wants to jam it down your throat and he’s not going away. I love him. I think he’s a fantastic pick.”
Montreal Canadiens: C+
It was days after last year’s draft when GM Marc Bergevin shocked the hockey world and shipped P.K. Subban to Nashville for Shea Weber. This year, he pulled off a similar stunner by trading prospect Mikhail Sergachev to Tampa Bay for winger Jonathan Drouin.
In trading Sergachev, whom the team drafted ninth overall last year, the Habs lost a defenceman that Button had said “will be part of the Norris Trophy conversation in the future.”
Don’t expect anyone from this year’s draft to fill that role.
With their first-round pick, Montreal selected two-way centre Ryan Poehling, whom scouts compared to Jordan Staal, but with perhaps less offensive potential.
“He is what he is: A safe pick,” said Seidel. “I don’t think he’s ever going to be a star.”
Montreal took some chances with their later picks, which included Cayden Primeau (son of Keith) as the last goalie chosen in the seventh round, as well as some players who could end up becoming steals.
Ottawa Senators: B
With 2015 first-round picks’ Thomas Chabot and Colin White knocking on the door, the Senators have arguably two of the best prospects currently not playing in the NHL.
Adding more of the same was a bit difficult this year, considering Ottawa had only four picks. But the team might have made the most of it.
At the No. 28 spot, the Senators selected USHL forward Shane Bowers, who scouts believe has the hockey I.Q. and work ethic to fill a variety of roles in the NHL one day.
Toronto Maple Leafs: B+
A year ago, the Leafs won the lottery and drafted Auston Matthews with the No. 1 overall pick. In some ways, the team won it again this year with the selection of Timothy Liljegren.
Though Toronto selected the Swedish defenceman with the No. 17 pick, Liljegren had entered the season ranked second on most draft boards. If not for a rollercoaster-type year, where he developed mono, was cut from the world juniors and played for five different teams, he might have gone in the top-3.
Instead, the Leafs ended up with a player scouts were calling “one of the steals in the top round.”
“He had no business going that low,” said Malloy, who compared Liljegren’s drop in the rankings to Jakob Chychrun falling to Arizona at the No. 16 spot a year ago. “He has the hockey sense to play at the NHL level. He has the ability to be a No. 2 D -man for them, so good on Toronto on getting him.”
Liljegren might have been the easy pick, but the team took significant chances on a pair of 6-foot-6 defencemen (Eemeli Rasanen and Fedor Gordeev) in the second and fifth rounds, who scouts described as long-range projects.
Vancouver Canucks: A
The Canucks were the only Canadian team picking in the top5, which was where they picked a year ago. In 2016, the team selected top-ranked defenceman Olli Juolevi. This year, the team hopes it found its franchise centre in Elias Pettersson.
If they both work out, the Canucks’ rebuild could go faster than many assume. But first, the 6-foot-1 and 165-pound Pettersson is going to have to put on some muscle.
“He’s rail-thin, but if you like smooth, intelligent playmaking centremen, then he’s your guy,” said Malloy. “His hockey sense is at an elite level. He’s a guy who can be a no. 1 centre on an NHL team as a playmaker.”
Added Seidel: “He reminds me of Nicklas Backstrom. The more you watch him play, the better he gets.”
Winnipeg Jets: C
From Mark Scheifele and Jacob Trouba to Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, scouts consider the Jets to be the gold standard in hitting on top-10 picks. This year, the challenge was greater — and according to scouts, it showed.
“I’m not as high on what they’ve done in past drafts,” said Malloy. “Out of all the Canadian teams, I probably like their draft the least.”
The team initially had the 13th overall pick, but traded down to prevent the Vegas Golden Knights from potentially selecting defenceman Tobias Enstrom in the expansion draft. With the 24th overall selection, the Jets chose Kristian Vesalainen, a big, strong-skating winger from Finland whose comparisons to Laine end right there.