Connor McDavid and the NHL Draft Lottery

[mister d]

Just pretend Edmonton had (somehow) gotten 2nd. There's a case to be made there ...

[travzilla]

Just pretend Edmonton had (somehow) gotten 2nd. There's a case to be made there ...

I think there definitely is a case, and I'd love to see it. I'd actually think it would be more itneresting to see a trade down to 3 or 4. The haul you could get for McDavid, the right package could instantly make you playoff team for a decade (though I don't think Toronto, Arizona or Carolina have enough valuable assets to create that package).

I bet 7 times out of 10 you end up with a better team taking the monster package, but those other 3 times, not only are you never hired again you're a punchline for all of history.

Of course the business and marketing side of the team may factor in, just having McDavid would mean many millions of dollars you wouldn't get with say 6 other great players.

[mister d]

Ehhhhhhh ... could you even come up with historical comps besides Lindros?

[bapo!]

I mentioned the Oilers/Otters court proceedings briefly in the first post in this thread, and I'm surprised that I haven't heard them mentioned anywhere since Saturday.

(Summary: A company owned by the Oilers was in talks to buy the Otters and move them to Hamilton several years ago. This was pre-McDavid, before attendance and revenue spiked. The Otters were losing money, so the Oilers loaned them about $4 million and promised to pay the rest of the sale price when the deal was finalized. The deal fell thru, but the Otters never repaid the loan. You know how it is: You owe somebody $4 million, so you figure if you stop answering emails and phone calls, they'll just forget about it, right?

The Otters were going to be forced to sell the team so that Edmonton could recoup its money, but they filed for bankruptcy a couple of weeks ago so that they would have more control over the sale. They're still going to be sold this summer, but they'll likely stay in Erie. Edmonton, presumably, will get its money eventually.)

And so, this might partly explain McDavid's, um, subdued reaction on Saturday night. He's reportedly close with Sherry Basin, the current Otters owner. This lawsuit has been dragging on for years, and I'm sure that he's heard Bassin complain about it. Because of that, it's possible that Edmonton was the one team that McDavid did not want to play for.

If this is an issue, it wouldn't be the first time that a player was unhappy with the team that drafted him. Lemieux, Lindros, Elway, Eli Manning, etc. But those other situations weren't personal.

The Otters are still in the playoffs, so I doubt if anybody will say anything until their season is over, if ever. It's probably not a big deal, but it's something to keep an eye on, I guess.

[sancarlos]

Ehhhhhhh ... could you even come up with historical comps besides Lindros?

Back when they were bad, the Seattle Seahawks received a boatload of picks from the Cowboys in return for the right for the Cowboys to draft Tony Dorsett. Dorsett had a great career in Dallas, while the Seahawks continued to suck for quite a few years after the trade.

Not saying that Dorsett would have changed the Seahawks. Just providing a comp.

Of course, Minnesota gave the Cowboys a bunch of picks, etc. for Herschel Walker, and that one worked in Dallas' favor, as well.

[degenerasian]

How bout RGIII? Buffalo should trade down

[sancarlos]

Wasn't sure where to put this, so I thought I'd stick it here. Thought it would amuse a couple of you guys.

[SportsDoc]

Eichel is very good, but he's not McDavid.

In Buffalo's best interest: after drafting him #2, send Eichel back to BU next year. Finish last again. Try better to get #1 next year.

Auston Matthews at US NTDP in Ann Arbor broke all of Patrick Kane's records this year. He seems a possible #1 next year. He just led Team USA to Gold at World under 18 Tournament where USA beat Canada 7-2 in semis, and Finland 2-1 in title (while outshooting them 62-20).

See, this could still work out for Buffalo, eventually.

[bapo!]

Auston Matthews at US NTDP in Ann Arbor broke all of Patrick Kane's records this year. He seems a possible #1 next year. He just led Team USA to Gold at World under 18 Tournament where USA beat Canada 7-2 in semis, and Finland 2-1 in title (while outshooting them 62-20).

I saw Matthews play back in October. I was in Oxford, Ohio, and the Miami hockey team had an exhibition scheduled with the USA U-18 team. I told my friend about it, and he said, 'That's kind of unfair, isn't it?' His thinking was that a very good college team (Miami finished the regular season ranked #4) would steamroll a bunch of 17-year-olds. I told him that these were the best 17-year-olds in the country, so it might be a competitive game. Sure enough, the U-18 team dominated. I remember Matthews as being one of about a half-dozen USA players who forechecked the eff out of Miami. I didn't know at the time that he was a year younger than everybody else on the team.

It was a great game to watch. I probably saw about a dozen future NHLers that night. Matthew Tkachuk, Keith Tkachuk's kid, is also on that team and will be a top pick in 2016.

Matthews played in an exhibition with the USA National Team last night and scored a goal. He's not going to play in the Worlds, tho. He was named tournament MVP in the U-18 tournament, by the way.

Would love to see him live up to the hype if only because I want to see a Latino star in the NHL.

[sancarlos]

Would love to see him live up to the hype if only because I want to see a Latino star in the NHL.

Too bad he doesn't have a latin name, to increase that embrace. Scott Gomez had a big following when he played in San Jose, and Raffi Torres, too.

[brian]

Sounds like a perfect #1 overall draft choice for Las Vegas next year.

[bapo!]

Would love to see him live up to the hype if only because I want to see a Latino star in the NHL.

Too bad he doesn't have a latin name, to increase that embrace. Scott Gomez had a big following when he played in San Jose, and Raffi Torres, too.

Yeah, 'Auston Matthews' doesn't exactly scream 'Latino,' so most hockey fans probably aren't even aware. I read an article a while ago in which he kind of deflected questions about it, which is understandable. Playing hockey at that level is stressful enough without trying to become a symbol, especially for a teenager.

Sounds like a perfect #1 overall draft choice for Las Vegas next year.

He's from the southwest, too. Scottsdale, Arizona.

[Gunpowder]

The Las Vegas Islanders still have an NY on their sweaters?

[rass]

V + hockey stick?

[howard]

The Las Vegas Islanders still have an NY on their sweaters?

Throwbacks

[mister d]

I don't see why anyone would care about a hispanic hockey player.

[MaxWebster]

or a team in Las Vegas

[brian]

Hispanics might care about both!

[bapo!]

I made the drive to Erie last night for the Erie/Oshawa game. Erie is in the OHL Finals for the first time in 13 years, and I figured that this would be my last chance to see McDavid play in a league that doesn't punish its star players. (And probably my last chance to see an athlete like McDavid play at this level in front of his home fans.)

I pulled into my usual parking lot over an hour before the game and grabbed the last spot. (Usually I roll into a nearly empty lot and park right next to the exit.) People were actually tailgating! Grilling various dead animals, etc. Tons of people just milling around. Spillover crowd outside a bar a couple of blocks from the arena. I think I walked thru a live shot on the local news. A half-dozen news vans lined up next to the arena.

One or two of you might remember my post about a trip to St. Catherines to watch an Oshawa/Niagara game in 2007. I posted a photo of myself in front of the Oshawa team bus, which had pictures of Oshawa greats painted on the sides. Orr, Lindros, etc. The bus has been updated to include Tavares.

Noticed something during warm-ups that I had never seen before: the linesmen were practicing their face-off puck drops. It was adorable!

Sell-out crowd of 6600. Almost everybody was wearing an Otters jersey or t-shirt. So many half-remembered names on the backs of jerseys. Those who weren't wearing Otters (or Oshawa) gear were wearing Sabres gear. One dude had a Patrick Kaleta shirtsey. Another one had a black (?!) Hasek jersey from the dark ages of Sabres jerseys. Another had an old-school LaFontaine jersey.

The game started. The crowd was LOUD and into it. A lot of oohing and aahing every time McDavid did something flashy. Oshawa scored a couple of goals midway thru the first period, but Erie scored two power-play goals late in the period to tie it. There was a long delay after Nick Baptiste jumped into the glass and broke it after scoring the first goal.

By this point, I had become temporary friends with the woman sitting next to me, Rhonda, a townie who has been an Otters fan since the beginning.

Second period, more of the same. Oshawa scored twice, then Erie scored three goals late in the period to finally take the lead. McDavid had the puck and drifted thru the slot, waiting and waiting and waiting until he scored. (It looked just like the goal that Burakovsky scored for Washington last week.) The crowd erupted, and I felt something approaching joy.

That lasted until 19:59 of the period, when Oshawa won a face-off and scored just before the buzzer. Tense, scoreless third period, then Oshawa scored in overtime. Crushing.

If Erie had won last night and tomorrow night and been leading the series 3-2, I was considering going up there again on Sunday for Game 6. That's obviously not possible now, with Oshawa up 3-1. So, if there is a Game 6, I can listen to it on-line, and still be home to watch the 'Mad Men' finale. So I have that going for me.

I'm so glad that I went. It's kind of an insane commitment to drive 2.5 hours to watch a hockey game by yourself, read a book during intermissions, then drive back home. It's an easy highway drive, but that's a long time to be alone with your thoughts. (Unless you find a high-school baseball game on the radio on the way up. I was in the dead zone between Pittsburgh and Erie, not many options on the radio. I didn't know that high-school baseball radio broadcasts were a thing, but apparently they are in Mercer County. Greenville beat Reynolds on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 7th inning. Yeah!)

I've been going to Otters games for years, and most of those years were pretty terrible. Before, I would go if they were playing a team like Windsor or Kitchener, a better team that was actually worth watching, and Erie would give up something like 55 shots on goal. It was an adjustment when they actually became a good team. So, yeah, being in that arena last night, full of fans who absolutely love that team, watching a future superstar one last time (McDavid had a goal and 3 assists last night) -- that was definitely one of the best fan experiences I've ever had.

I'll go to a couple of games next year. McDavid won't be there. Dylan Strome probably won't be there. They'll be a middle-of-the-pack team. They'll have some decent players. (And they'll still, oddly, have three sets of brothers: the Raddyshes, Maksimoviches, and Marchments.) But they won't be this good again.

[Sabo]

Grilling various dead animals, etc.

It's better than grilling various live animals.

[mister d]

So what's your first hand take on Strome? Legit top 3-5 guy or partially propped up by McDavid?

[bapo!]

So what's your first hand take on Strome? Legit top 3-5 guy or partially propped up by McDavid?

Strome is very, very good. Strong, controls the puck well in traffic, terrific passer. To say that he's propped up by McDavid is unfair. The only time they play together is on the power play. Yeah, he gets his share of points there, but you can't lead the OHL in scoring solely because of that. And remember that McDavid missed about five or six weeks this season because of an injury and the World Juniors. This was Strome's team for a while. He's not going to be a superstar in the NHL, but he'll be good. Also, his mother smiled at me in the concourse during intermission of a game last October.

I enjoyed watching McDavid and Strome during warm-ups last night. McDavid had a huge grin on his face, and he kept shadowing Strome, skating right over his shoulder and talking as they were going thru drills. A neat little moment.

[bapo!]

Auston Matthews, who we talked about earlier, is going to play professionally in Switzerland next season before entering the 2016 NHL Draft. That's quite an unusual decision for an American to make. I thought that he would play in the WHL or the NCAA. Nope. Switzerland, where he'll play against grown-ass men. I'll be curious to see if other top American players do this in the future.

[sancarlos]

Great post, Bapo. Made me wish I was also at that game!