You win regular season games when you attack, you win playoffs when you defend.
- paulr

Why cant you do both?

Interesting. What do you like about him more than Levshunov? I'm not saying anything against him at all. It's just that most of what I've read is that Levshunov is the most complete D-man available.

I always love when guys are projected to be a top 2 or 3 pick, then the only issue is that there is too much time to pick them apart.
- Chunk

To me everything about levshunov screams a little sbove average. You take the bpa and that is demidov. I dont even think levshunov is the best defenseman available.

Blackhawks are very proud to select from OHL London Knights..Sam Richardinson!
- MjulQvist

I'm good with this..... D!ckinson projects as a top pairing, 25 minute a night, rugged/mean, 1st unit PP, ++ skating player who plays the sport like a man.

Edit: Kinda dude like Getzlaf who stood over Zetterburg and tells him "get the fu$@ up you fuc*$*@ cu&%". .... I like, no love, these kinda guys.

Misiak signed..........
- Mr Ricochet

Saw him three times and a number of games on TV. Not sure about him? Big guy but almost an exclusive perimeter player. He’s a pretty good forechecker that’s all about speed and pressure. He didn’t really have great numbers for a drafted player in the OHL.

Why cant you do both?
- LFS

You most definitely can, but you cannot win in the playoffs without defence.

Why cant you do both?
- LFS

Ask Marner. Probably because everything is more difficult in the playoffs, and not every player has the ability to turn things up to 11.

You most definitely can, but you cannot win in the playoffs without defence.
- paulr

You also cannot win without offense. If you dont score you dont win.

Saw him three times and a number of games on TV. Not sure about him? Big guy but almost an exclusive perimeter player. He’s a pretty good forechecker that’s all about speed and pressure. He didn’t really have great numbers for a drafted player in the OHL.
- paulr

IMO Misiak a high floor 3rd line hopeful. Plays the right way, plays 200 ft as a shutdown centerman, maybe a crack PK guy. A lunch pail type who coaches love.
Lotta nuance and poise type...... If he hits as an NHLer I expect it will be as a 23-24 yr old.

Somebody in the organIzation liked what they saw and convinced KD to draft him, in rd 2 IIRC. Watched him his draft yr with Youngstown of the USHL win a cup as the 2C doing all the hard shutdown work. I think they overdrafted him a bit and the reason I think someone convinced KD to take him.

I hunted Erie games just to see Misiak this yr. A couple games it took me 1/2 a period to find him, and I was looking. Not a good draft +1 yr, I agree.

Regardless of who the Hawks draft there will be segments of the board that complain.

Demidov - Russisans bad, he's never coming over to North America
Lindstrom - Back issues, he'll never be an impact player
Levshunov - he's a #4 d-man at best, a waste with the #2 pick
Parekh - soft, small d-man
Eiserman - lazy, one-dimensional forward
Buium - small, soft d-man
- DarthKane

Ive read criticism on eiserman but lazy was not one of them.

You also cannot win without offense. If you dont score you dont win.
- LFS

You need both for sure. Like for example right now, all 4 teams remaining were essentially in the upper 3rd of the league in both offense and defense.

Kakko may have fallen out of favour with the Rangers. He’s also an RFA at the end of this season.

Is he worth pursuing? He’s not worth a first round pick, but maybe a second (50) plus something else (maybe Taddysh).

Peters still has him at 5'11 while there was an interview a week or so ago,I think it was Powers, where they said he'a tad bit over 6 feet tall.
His size and weight don't concern me.
But I do trust Wiz saying his skating could be an injury waiting to happen.
- captainserious

Playing hockey is an injury waiting to happen.

Ive read criticism on eiserman but lazy was not one of them.
- LFS

Indeed. I think the most common gripe was that he routinely lost his poop on the ice if he didn't score or messed up. Also, not the best defensively or without the puck. Kid is young, I'm sure he can learn (especially with that good of a shot).

How does Lindstrom compare to Slavkovsky and Byfield? If they were in the same draft, how would you have the 3 ranked?
- LAHawk

These are always tough cuz watching players a couple yrs apart we develop biases. But I feel safe saying going into the drafts Byfield for sure was the higher rated prospect then a coin flip between Slafkovsky and Lindstrom with an edge to Slaf cuz of a larger body or work. ...... That's not taking into account if, or how much, Lindstrom's back prognosis comes into play.

You beat me to it, I was going to see if I could track everyone that ever had a knee injury in the NHL and see if when i watched them, they skated like Demidov
- vabeachbear

Orr skated “wiz’s” way. What did that get him?

Kakko may have fallen out of favour with the Rangers. He’s also an RFA at the end of this season.

Is he worth pursuing? He’s not worth a first round pick, but maybe a second (50) plus something else (maybe Taddysh).
- DarthKane

Is Raddysh really all that appealing to anyone?

That said, I was thinking the same. Kakko is rather sound defensively, but is said to have more untapped offense. Kind of stuck behind a bunch of guys in NY, but is he just a younger version of Raddysh?

I do. It’s the guy half the board will love and half the board will say they reached for him.
- Chunk

If its levshunov its a reach. I see nothing special that separates him from some of the other defensemen. I would hardly call him bpa after celibrini.

I do. It’s the guy half the board will love and half the board will say they reached for him.
- Chunk

If its levshunov its a reach. I see nothing special that separates him from some of the other defensemen. I would hardly call him bpa after celibrini.

Ask Marner. Probably because everything is more difficult in the playoffs, and not every player has the ability to turn things up to 11.
- Chunk

Because marner is the reason leafs cant advance. Id look at matthews and goalie before blaming it on marner

If its levshunov its a reach. I see nothing special that separates him from some of the other defensemen. I would hardly call him bpa after celibrini.
- LFS

I suggest we re-examine Sam Richardson, younger RD who MYQuist likes. Perhaps we have overlooked him

Because marner is the reason leafs cant advance. Id look at matthews and goalie before blaming it on marner
- LFS

I said that jokingly. Leafs have plenty of problems to point at.

You need both for sure. Like for example right now, all 4 teams remaining were essentially in the upper 3rd of the league in both offense and defense.
- breadbag

Point made. I just dont agree with the opinion that defense wins championships. If you dont score the best you can hope for is a tie. You also dont win without playing defense. I guess I way offense a little more than defense in the equation.

Kakko may have fallen out of favour with the Rangers. He’s also an RFA at the end of this season.

Is he worth pursuing? He’s not worth a first round pick, but maybe a second (50) plus something else (maybe Taddysh).
- DarthKane

A third.

I suggest we re-examine Sam Richardson, younger RD who MYQuist likes. Perhaps we have overlooked him
- jhawk59

I would take him over levshunov all day…but not with the #2. Bpa is demidov after celibrini.

I said that jokingly. Leafs have plenty of problems to point at.
- Chunk

Sorry i missed it. My bad.