Celebrini…Underrated? Chris Peters Thinks So, Talks Other Possible Sharks’ Draft Targets
welcome to the San Jose hockey Now podcast I’m Shang Pang editor and chief of San Jose hockey now you can also find my work at NBC sharks and on Twitter at shorp and I’m King mcdal you can find me on Twitter at half wallor hockey my website half-wall hockey.com or at San Jose hockey now this week we have a very special guest later on in the show we welcome Chris Peters he’s the senior uh content creator at Flo hockey NHL draft Guru and Prospect analyst uh and host of The Talking hockey sense podcast he’s going to talk to us all about who the Sharks might be interested in picks 14 33 and 42 uh it’s a exciting awesome interview that we did earlier he say the Sharks winning the draft lottery might be the second most important day in franchise history that’s true we didn’t even we we mentioned 1433 42 but he spent a lot of time talking about mlin C about mlin a ton of time so if you’re interested in that um stick around for the interview we have a little bit of news this week uh we’re going to cover a few things um first the Sharks trading for Ty delandria um from the stars for a fourth round pick uh the Sharks claiming Barkley Goodrow and his large contract from New York Rangers um finally we’re also going to go through my top 32 my personal top 32 and who I think the Sharks might Target at 14 33 and 42 before we get to the Chris interview but it was a busy week and also one that was a little contentious I think for sharks fans a little a little on Twitter got a little heated I think and it was interesting um the way that everything happened on that day cuz a lot of other trades happened it seemed like NHL GMS like picked up the phone for once in their brief off brief perod in too which was funny so it just was that one day that everyone woke up from hibernation Stanley Cup Final hibernation flight from Florida to Edmonton yeah they decided that today was the day they needed to get worked on before they have to go to Vegas and then they’ll be quiet until Vegas exactly yeah mhm I’ll start with because we’re going to talk pretty long about Barkley goodro just because I think that’s the uh like more contentious topic like I said but let’s talk about the ti delandria trade um and detail a bit about that and what we might be getting in tial Andrea yeah I everything I’ve heard is very very strong that he is a great team guy he is a and I quote from a leak Source a workaholic a guy obviously who he had a pretty good 2022 23 kind of got himself up to the third line for the stars I think he scored like was it 28 points yeah so not not too bad for a third liner nine goals 19 assists I think it was but this past season he struggled a little bit and was fourth line or was healthy scratched both years Dallas was a pretty deep team both years Dallas went to the Conference Finals there so uh the landrea 2018 first round pick what I love about this is that Mike rear keeps trying to fix that Ryan Merkley mistake it was Martin C in a direct trade for Merkley a couple years ago Phil Zaden last summer and now it’s delandria one of these will work out right one of these will work out hopefully right I actually wonder I don’t know this for a fact and this this is just me this is pure speculation but I’m wondering if dantra actually like Zena maybe is not coming back and delandra not that delandra a one for one replacement but I think it tells you that it’s a different player sort of player that Mike is looking for this summer and I’ve talked talked about a lot and I think I’ll touch on it when we talk about barkle G Dr too but I’ve written about it too that I felt like last summer Mike trended a little more toward trying to chase some skill your Mike Hoffman’s your Anthony duclair’s your Philip zenas trying to sign Vladimir tereno and I I think it blew up in his face and I think that this summer there’s a little bit of a different focus and not that you don’t need you need skill you need somebody to put in the puck for Ma cini and maau granin and all those kind of guys right but so far from what we’ve seen and from what we’ve heard it seems like a clearly different emphasis from delandra and we’ll get to the dro and also too we’ll touch on Ken Atkinson who has more skill but is also a determination will guy anyway though with dandre dandre sounds like that sort that maybe he’s never going to score a lot but if he can get himself back to what he was doing in Dallas two years ago on the third line that would be very good I think the Sharks would be thrilled with that and for a weak team like the Sharks that’s a that’s a middle six player and I think it’s kind of ironic too that uh it was pointed out actually I was thinking about this too that the fourth round pick that the Sharks traded for Thea 2025 from Winnipeg that or it’s Winnipeg’s pick that that trade the sharks aquire that trade for vladislav nikov who they acquired for Mikey aimont and Mikey aimont I know that you guys have heard me gripe about that trade over the last month as sort of a signal of the direction that Mike went last year that I ultimately did not agree with that at first I will admit I thought it was fine but then I saw the results this year and I was not fine or we told this year yep it’s kind of like a Troy walking in that that gift Troy on community Donald Glover walking with the pizzas and everything’s all good and oh the whole room’s on fire that’s what was like for the Sharks yeah I like the delandria trade and I like for what you mentioned like there’s a chance that you know he’s young enough and and on a better role and he has a lot of the let’s call it the B game because we talk about the B game a lot that a lot of dudes were missing from the Sharks last year the the player name that I’ve dubbed for this kind of guy cuz Mike Greer when he first came in targeted a few of these guys um it’s you know you’ve heard of like Johnny Football and Johnny hockey this is Mikey hockey this is Mike Greer but as players and and I think yeah it’s Mikey hockey and that’s the kind of guy that he he he targets and it’s not bad because if if he only targeted Mikey hockey he wouldn’t draft guys like Will Smith or CER Halton in or quinon musy so I think he’s right now just looking for something to be competitive while he’s waiting for the hypers skill guys to kind of develop and that’s fine for me I think for now I think it it becomes a bigger issue if he doesn’t adjust when he does have a skilled team to adding more skill to it if it’s if it’s all just kind of Grinders and stars and grinders model that the Sharks used to employ I don’t know we’ll see but I I wonder I I don’t know this I don’t know why it seemed like rear went away from quote unquote Mikey hockey last summer yeah I weird it’s also ironic too that he traded a guy like Mikey that played Mikey hockey they did very much so yeah and I think the Sharks lineup would look slightly better if it was aimont and Dandrea in it but I from everything I’ve heard about delandra that he’s not one of those guys like like a Zena that if he if ziden hits then yes he’s a 20 20 goal guy or something right but if ziden doesn’t hit then he’s a guy that maybe is doesn’t belong on an angl team because Zena right now is kind of just a sweener guy guy right that has probably too much skill to grind and doesn’t have like that will to grind all the time he hasn’t quite it’s a mental thing with with Philip Vil has the ability to do it but he’s strong enough he’s fast enough but it just not he’s not consistent with it whereas the delandra has a different mindset from what I understand and what I like about the landra is that he is already from everything I understand is already a pretty good NHL player that he’s going to be uh on a good team he can be a solid fourth liner already and he works his ass off he’s fast he’s big so he’s got a lot of things going for him already if he never finds that offense and if he finds that offense and if he becomes I’m not saying he’s gonna find a lot of offense but if he becomes like a 15 35 guy for the sharks that is a very very valuable third liner you can win with a guy like that in the playoffs if he’s on your third line I think that’s the hope that’s sort of his ceiling there and if he doesn’t reach it he’s still a better than what he had last year and so I think that this is all this is a win-win trade not a lot was was sent out yeah and yeah I I don’t I I I I don’t I don’t I don’t see any any sort of uh any sort of uh drawback drawback to it it’s a I think it’s better than like a like the STA trade which he I think he gave up a fifth or a sixth for sta I can’t remember which I better a more established in Sona for sure so it’s it’s still filling that role I think he’s trying to fill on the fourth line to to get some players that are actually on a good team fourth line players not just like plugin kind of guys like Sona there was a question mark because Sona was bouncing around between the AHL and NH I don’t think from everyone I talked to at least people like the scouts I talked to like they were not as you can read in the stories I’ve written about both guys right I always do when the trucks acquired yeah somebody I go to my sources and I ask them what do you think of this player and for sure the enthusiasm for enthusiasm for Stena was not as high as it is for Dandrea yeah and I think I think that’s that’s telling it’s telling about where the guy is right now as a player that he is a pretty good player now and there’s potential for more whereas Tena is still getting to a point of he’s trying to get to even being a pretty good player right now we’re not sure if if he’ll get there this just like there’s so many guys right now that are rfas are like that the have that haven’t been signed yet it’s going to be interesting they have like 1 2 3 4 5 six seven rfas I think eight eight rfas that are like NHL is or NHL Jason that’s a lot so go back you know I reported a couple weeks ago about the Sharks I think looking to bring back Carpenter and Bailey but I think and I think I said this too but if I didn’t I want to I want to make sure I put it out there that I don’t think the design is for them to be on NHL team like last year the fact that they were on Angel team as hard as they work and good guys that they are was a sign that things weren’t going well with Angel roster because Carpenter was earmarked for the Barracuda biley was earmarked for the Barracuda too and so I think it’s sort of the same idea that like they’re very good death pieces to have like in a pinch Carpenter can do a good job at Center in a pinch bayy can do a good job with in the NHL as a wing but that I think the idea is is maybe a little bit more that they they play down there if they want to come back that’s why there’s the if thing because maybe they get a better offer and if they get a better offer a one-way offer from a team then why would you stay with the sharks right not to say I don’t know what the Sharks offer is to them I I do think though that the thinking is more that those guys they’re happy with them last year but they see them more as as being down in the AHL I think something to keep in mind for people and this goes into the goodro meat of our discussion um is that Nico Sturman and M granin are both on the last year of their contract now as well so like the both of those players who are two reliable good forwards are in their last year of their deal and are you know 30 and 32 like they could get value in the NHL there’s a theoretical possibility they’re traded to the deadline so guys like Dandrea or goodro we’re going to need bodies at some point you know but I think there’s an argument for keeping both of them unless you get get an outstanding offer and that’s that’s what I learned again about the Mikey asimon thing that unless you’re getting like barley Gill a long time ago got basically a first rounder right and granted the Sharks did not use the first round pick great o Aussie WIS blot hasn’t quite hit yet but that’s not the point though the value that they got for Bal Gill was excellent so you you you make that trade any day if someone says to you we’re gonna give you a second round pick for Mikey asimon okay if someone at the deadline says we’re gonna give you that a second round for niiko Sturm all right but someone just says here’s a fourth rounder what do you need with another fourth rounder if you’re the sharks so that’s that’s where that’s where I’ve changed the most that that I that what I’ve learned about team building watching this This Disaster this past year that uh nice fourth round pick a great a great kind of value gain from waiver claim to fourth round pick isn’t that looks great on paper and it is great on paper but it wasn’t worth it for what Mikey a guy like Mike Mikey brought to or the Mikey hockey that Mikey brought to the Sharks and so I hear what you’re saying about Sturm and granin and yeah goodro is sort of a natural replacement for Sturm if you do trade Sturm at the deadline Sturm doesn’t want to come back but I that’s another Factor too that yeah they’re both ufas and so if they aren’t going to come back at all then yeah get what you can because the last 20 games of the Season they’ll matter that much but if both were willing to come back at reasonable contracts I would think about it obviously you’re not gonna give M Gren like a six-year contract or something like that right but like if he’s willing to come back for let’s say he is the maau gron from last year and I’m gonna get to this part too that maau was a very very good leader he was a like impactful a yeah differen making leader last year and and so that is worth money to me too it is it’s not worth it to some people some of the Critics on Twitter right intangibles but maau brought that along with 60 points and so if a guy like that is willing to come back on a reasonable contract like he just likes to be around he likes a situation or whatever right then I think that’s a guy you keep and you don’t just trade because someone’s for anything for a third round pick for fourth round pick and I would say the same about Sturm too so anyway so I get what you’re saying but I think they would need to be a good trade is what I’m saying and I’m wondering if there will be markets for both yeah if listens you know yeah yeah mean there will be a market if they are who they were last year but how good it is like we saw this past year right like we heard that granin was out there in offer and and and sterm too I believe they were available but I do like that Mike held on to them because whatever he was getting wasn’t I would assume wasn’t outstanding or they they would be gone the Sharks would have traded them so yeah we’ll see I just um the good R thing that is uh this let’s talk about about it because it was the oh man um I have I have the four I I had to I spent 20 minutes right out what I was going to say because I had to kind of put my thoughts on paper and I have the the the four stages of Gill acceptance here the poor stages of good dra acceptance he wasn’t very he didn’t put up a lot of points and he has very bad uh bad charts that you’re going to talk about um but I don’t know it’s going to be fine regardless he’s still better than the majority of the bottom six that they put in last year and you never know like what the a a better like if he puts up again more offensive numbers and stuff like maybe there is actually a chance to have Barkley goodro be good in three years and not just like just a oh God he will uh and I have argument for that I’m gonna get to so I I’m I think it’s a little dumb to if we’re going to learn more when Mike does his press conference about stuff Monday yeah um I think it was a little dumb if that whole like no trade clause thing I but I also wonder how much of that was agent related too but well we’ll talk yeah yeah like uh we we’ll we we’ll touch on that I have opinion about that too so maybe maybe you want to jump in when uh about that so yeah go ahead you got you got more thoughts than I barley good acceptance yep so a week ago you guys might saw I did a story about potential cap dumps that the Sharks C Target I mentioned 12 guys from Patrick liy who Rhymes up limey who I don’t think to touch with a six foot pole cam ainson was on there too who the sharks are looking at are are trying to acquire doesn’t want to come here but he sounds like a like a good guy for the Sharks because of some skill but also intangible so that does matter to me but anyway so I did an article and someone asked me one of my commenters on a story thanks for it’s good question ask why not G and the three things that were most important to me that the sharks look for from a cap dump uh from any player this summer the three main factors were number one that they were number one most important is that they were really good leaders not just like decent room guys good room guys but guys that were difference makers in terms of leadership as many you can’t you can’t have a 20 20 guys like that in a room because they actually are hard to acquire but as many as you can acquire and the base level is being really great in the room even if you’re not like a leader type but if you can get a guy that really makes an impact in that way that’s really important because the Sharks were missing that last year number two and this is the scale Talent part a forward that can play top nine or the defenseman that can play top four not necessarily that they would be exceptional at it because if you’re exceptional at it then you’re probably on a better team and you don’t want to come to the Sharks but that if you are given that role with the with the sharks that you can pull it off that you can push on defense you can push Mario frl down the lineup that’s no offense to Mario but you need one or two defenseman that can make sure that he’s not playing 23 a night get him down to 19 or 20 or something like that if you can on forwards you need you need centers just in case potential centers just in case Macklin or or or will aren’t quite ready and also two Logan coutour is not healthy you need a lot more two-way Wingers quality two-way wi Wingers right now you’ve got in terms of for Wingers who belong on a top nine on most teams maybe nobody honestly as much as we love William eckan and Fabian zerland on a good team are they a top nine Winger I don’t know but they’re your Best Bets right now that’s fine they had decent Seasons last year so hopefully they grow they’re both young and you need to add more guys around them that can kind of be competent not exceptional but competent top top nine Wingers and then the third factor is acquisition cost sharks aren’t in a place now where they should be spending we talked about this trading a mint for a mitch Marner or or signing uh Jake genso for seven years obviously both players would be huge improvements to the forward group but I don’t think you make that kind of push until you know what you’ve got in mlin CBR and Will Smith now if Macklin and will come in next year and they’re exceptional they are called or Trophy candidates you’ve got top six forwards in in them then if you want to mirror the Chicago Blackhawks and Taves and Kane once again their first years they came in came out together Kane won a caller trophy T was third in the CER voting and couple within a couple years they signed Maran HOSA then that’s when you make that push when you know when you have a pretty good sense that okay mlin Cel Britney he is the guy Will Smith he is the guy so right now though we don’t know that we need to see that this year so the earliest you start to cash in your chips if you’re my career in my opinion is next summer so acquisition acquisition cost means means a lot so those are the three things the thing that I wasn’t convinced with with goodro we know the leadership thing he fulfills and we know because of his contract three years left 3.6 3.64 2 million aav which is really high for a guy who scored four goals eight assist this past year and was on a fourth line role the Rangers that’s very expensive obviously so he’s going to be cheap he’s not going to cost a lot right so but the the other part though about how good is he because he was playing so much fourth line this past year right so I wasn’t convinced of that okay so that’s number one so so I was kind of ruling out cadro not completely but at but he wasn’t top of mind for me for those reasons okay okay then mly Walker reports that the Sharks were likely to claim goodro and so that that that made me wonder and I have an article that corresponds to that and you guys can probably guess that a lot of my articles are just I wonder things and so I just check up on them and so I wonder because I only seen Barkley play a couple games this year against the Sharks and of course in the playoffs when if he had was pretty good in the playoffs right and so I checked around with the anel scouts and they told me that there might be a little decline but that he could still play a top nine role on a weaker team that the what we know about broley could with the sharks the last year he was with the sharks and with the lightning sort of the peak of Barkley gdo and his first year or two with the Rangers guy that can skate determination motor all those kind of things right and so they told me that that was all there still and sometimes it happens right we see sometimes that on a really deep team that you don’t get to play as much and so maybe that’s what happened with good drob he good Dr I think averag about 12 minutes this past season his first two seasons in New York under different coach under Galant I think he was playing about 15 minutes T night and so that’s a big that’s a big drop you know you’re again you’re in solid third line role touching touching second line at times Le in terms of your usage and you get dropped to fourth line and sometimes it’s not because the player isn’t good it’s because the team is deeper or coach has different ideas right so okay so this is sounding good to me I I I listen these are the these are guys that their job is to watch watch the games and watch a lot of games and watch a lot of games that I’m not watching because they don’t cover just the Sharks and so they’re telling me that yeah the player is still good so good and so I I would add to it too that that that’s when we also learn about Cam ainson that sharks were interested in him Darren Dr reported that and cam didn’t want to come here and let’s couple into tie the the landre trade right and so this is all starting you know starting start starting to sound good to me because there’s a certain profile player that Mike is trying to add and uh put it in a different way not not not saying Mikey hockey but that’s still relevant but when Mike came on in 2022 he talked but let’s have a hard to play against team sure yeah and he’s always he said that every year right and the first offseason he I think he did accomplish that to some degree guys like Nico Stern Matt Benning Luke cunan etc etc right he did not accomplish that last summer and his moves were not were were were were not players that that you would say were hard to play against no one would say that about Anthony duclair about a Philip Zaden and Mike Hoffman and most of the players that that he added so like I said for for whatever reason he strayed from that he talked about wanting a hard to play against team and he gave David Quinn in last year this past season a lot of not hard to play against players it’s hard to mold the hard to play against team when when your your roster was constructed the way that it was last year right and so anyway so I I’ve talked consistently over the last couple months that the Sharks need that’s where they need to go that’s the most realistic path for them for improvement that doesn’t interrupt the rebuild right you can trade first rounders for Mitch Marner and improve the team but obviously that’s not advisable where you are in the rebuild right now or at least I don’t think so and so so I I I I love this sort of idea of what they were trying to do even the skill guy they wanted add in cam ainson five8 player people like oh size it’s not about size and I’ve always said that like Mike does like size for sure but it’s more about you know it’s that old cliche it’s the it’s the it’s not the size of the dog right it’s it’s the size of the heart of the dog or whatever that that that cliche is right maon is that he’s 5’8 but bowling ball plays inside heart and soul kind of player right that’s a guy that you want around Will Smith and Mel bery and who may still have the skill he had a rough GE last year in terms of production and herni a disc in 2022 23 missed whole season but I talk to people I might still write story about it but people I talk to still like him and so there’s ‘s a chance that on the shark’s more of a role he’s basically becomes your first line Winger maybe he gets back to 20 goals maybe he has a skill for it he’s shown it right he’s a six-time I think 20 goal scorer he’s hit 30 he’s even hit 40 once so anyway so I so I I was really liking the idea of of what Mike was doing here the the profile and with goodro too sharks have plenty of money and I’m going to we’ll talk a lot about that I I know just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean that you spend it stupidly but along with with that plenty of money right there’s also a lot of time before July 1 so highend players like Atkinson they can change their mind so maybe they’ll come to the structure maybe you sign somebody right and so I wasn’t too worried about you know so anyway everything everything looking up so so I’m at I’m at that that stage of it right yeah so you gotten a little bit higher on your your stage of grief I guess yeah yeah of acceptance not GRE about it’s not my money it’s H’s money so this is true the Sharks do have a lot of cap space and the other thing that mention is that I think because the people have become very accustomed to saying this over the past five years is like oh the cap space cap space cap space now it’s coming out of that that whole flat cap era we’re actually getting inflation in the cap a little so I think that that talking point is not going to be as sound like people are like well you could have taken on X1 contract for a first or a second maybe but maybe nowadays it’s not as prevalent um yeah teams aren’t giving you as much to take contracts I think we have seen the last couple of years too so okay so now let’s get down to the fourth stage of acceptance so he so at first so anyway the previous three stages quick recap he was sort of after Gill was an afterthought to me and then and then I started liking what because it fit into the profile of other moves that Mike seems to be making so I started liking it so the final stage here that I don’t like that no one likes is Lorry Brooks reporting that the sharks are on were on gd’s new no trade clause GD had a 15 team no trade clause and as far as we understand it it’s nothing to do with San Jose and the city or whatever just that the sharks aren’t good and GD has been in the Conference Finals for five of the last six years actually going back to his last year last last full season with the sharks 2019 2020 21 with 2020 and 2021 with the lightning and 2022 and 2024 with the Rangers so he’s been very very successful and going to back to the Sharks uh last place team is really going to be a sea change for him very very very different so you don’t you don’t love that I don’t love that obviously like in an Ideal World somehow they could have talked with goodro about it maybe they did who knows we know that goodro is good friends with Logan tourus so maybe may maybe there’s conversations there that happen or that there’s some feelers there that okay but the way that g describes that he had no idea until the the waiver like the he was put on waivers so I assume that there was no conversations with him before through the sharks or whatever right but I assume that those conversations have taken place in the last few days and it wouldn’t surprise me if a guy like a Couture would be somebody that you send to talk to his buddy and say hey this is I know it’s it’s not what want you you want to still win but here are the benefits of the situation and most importantly too I think that things are looking up with the sharks there is something to sell here that hey we’ve got this kid coming in mlin cini that sure is potentially a franchise player and so there’s there’s there’s real hope in San Jose whereas I think we were really we’ve been really scratching for hope the last couple of years and so there is a selling point for cadr but anyway you don’t you don’t love that that that gadr doesn’t want to be here right now yeah but there’s also a lot of time from now to training camp and players get over it and Elliot Freeman said this too and I thought this before I think I wrote this in an article that there’s a lot of time before and most players they will get over it and G the way that Freeman put it put it well he’s a professional and things will things will smooth itself over things will be fine there’s some massaging but things will be fine and Freeman also mentioned or suggested that probably the upset is more at the Rangers because the Rangers put him on waivers without telling him they didn’t really give him a heads up and so that’s that might be more of it than I mean actually I think the sharks are paying G drill a lot of respect here actually because they’re picking up his whole contract and we want you for this role we know we suck we know that were dis disappointment to you in that way that okay you’re not going back to Conference finals next year probably sure but we love you and we want you for this role and we’ll pay you your full ticket to fulfill this role so I think that’s actually a lot of respect that Mike is paying Barkley there so anyway so those are my four stages and I have a kind of a overall like after all these four stages of of of acceptance but do you have anything to say before I get into my my final I have I I think the only thing that that I still I wonder how much we’re going to ever learn about but is the connection between like New York and and Mike Greer and like it seems the timing is just insane so like there has to be some sort of I’m putting this guy on waivers and this is all speculation putting this guy on waivers wink wink for the Sharks to then be like yep we’re claiming him so I really wonder how much communication there was before hand cuz he does have a no trade CLA Mike and and Chris jury there had to be that’s what I’m saying so there he has a no trade clause that has the Sharks on it did they just figure this out to do it and if so then isn’t I wonder if there’s anything to come in the future from from Chris jury like cuz he’s kind of doing it was huge solid like mik he wants this player but like in the future maybe there’s something there like a you know I I have I have two thoughts about it uh first that actually Elliot Freeman said today we’re recording on Saturday the 22nd so on his 32 thoughts podcast he actually suggested that teams it’s not just like a a a fanciful Hope from fans that there’s more to this to this transaction that other teams are eyeing it seeing if there’s anything shady going on that there’s something gonna going to happen between New York in San Jose that kind of is sort of a repayment for the if it’s like even if it’s like New York has the 30th pick and San Jose has 33 and there’s somebody at 30 that they really want in this upcoming draft and it’s like small like that but something tiny maybe maybe you know like I was on uh the lock on Flyers podcast with my buddy Russ Cohen and we were talking this was two weeks ago actually and I suggested because cam xxon I I even that back then well that’s the kind of player that sharks should should acquire and so I suggested trading 14 for for 12 and K ainson obviously Aon will have to agree to come here which he doesn’t want but to me that’s that’s that’s a win-win the Flyers get out of that contract and sharks move up a couple spots for your yakam Chucks or huses or whatever right and so so maybe something so that’s that’s along those those lines that maybe there is a little bit of a wink wink a little bit of a of a fa nothing nothing tremendous if if you’re thinking that you’re going to come out of this with gay pero I’ve seen that like keep dreaming no it’s already done with it’s not GNA happen but yeah but I the Rangers have the 30th pick is that is that right yeah they have the 30th pick so yeah moving three spots up maybe that’s that’s worth something right so and the other part of it I thought too that was my theory for a while but I I may not be true but I don’t know this for a fact that it’s not true is that I do very much think that there are teams out there that are looking for similar profile players like a drone they have a lot of cap space too like would it surprise you if Chicago at claim goodro yeah I I I I don’t know I don’t know this for a fact I’ve asked around no one has given me anything that can I can say like the Blackhawks were gonna claim GD but I very much think though that gdr’s overall package of still present hockey skill can play third line at least on a not so good team still that PE people are saying sure and the intangible factors right that that that he’s valuable to other teams so people are treating Gad as if he’s valueless and he’s not and so I don’t know this for a fact but it wouldn’t shock me if we learned that another team was was was looking for because that’s what Chicago needs right Chicago needs more guys I think very much Chicago and San Jose maybe Anaheim you know they’re going to be looking for some of the similar fre agents this this off season because that’s they’re both they’re all young teams that need better example guys especially Chicago and San Jose anaheim’s got a few more of those veteran guys already but definitely Chicago and Anaheim I mean we talked about this a couple weeks ago right when it was what it was Elliot Freeman suggesting Chicago and Geno and Jeff mck saying San Jose and gso it’s oh that makes sense because they’re looking for similar profile players they’re trying to be a little more respectable but most importantly surround their bards or celebris with a certain type of player yeah but anyway so those are my those those those those are two two things about that but okay so my overall final final gdo thoughts at least at least for now yeah I’m gonna dig into a little bit more I need to watch a little more of his video and also look into more of his stats right but so the first thing I was worried about was that there was a large decline in his motor and skating and like I said the scouts I talk to that it’s still pretty good and maybe we can see that in the playoffs too right and of course I am aware of the charts the his o Oho ugly charts but I would ask ask you guys though that that are staunchly behind the charts how much are you factoring in how his usage was this this past year and what I mean by that is that lavet and he did this in Washington too he did this in Nick Dow that Lavette likes having a kind of a stopper line that is all his defensive zone faceoffs go most of them go to the stopper line or the stopper Center and that’s what he did the goodro um goodro had a 75.7 basically Faceoff Zone start uh in the defensive Zone at five on five 75% that is very very extreme give you example of how extreme that is that is let’s see Gad had the six toughest Zone starts uh 375 forwards this past year five on five 500 plus five on five minutes this is all natural strick actually the guy who had the easiest Zone starts and this tells you what how Lavette lavot likes to do things were panarion had the easiest Zone starts and LEF frenier was the third easiest Zone starts so he he likes to stack okay sorry he likes to stack offense uh into offensive zone face offs and he likes to stack defense in the defensive Zone faceoffs and gdo had never dealt with that kind of extreme usage even though gdo is a defensive player right he’s never had to deal with that kind of extreme usage give you example last two years under Gant okay so this year with Lavette Gad had a 24% he only only only 24% of his faceoffs started in offensive zone only 24% yeah last year with Gant it was 43% and 44% the year before his last year in Tampa was 45 his first year or the the the the the part of the Season he played in Tampa after he got traded was in the 50s his last year in San Jose was 44 so basically his his usage was went from kind of Norm like defensive leaning definitely but normal balanced right he got his share of offensive own face offs his chances to score right you know factoring you look at the drop in production right G dra the last two years I think scored 13 goals each year and was basically a 30o guy this year obviously dropped and there’s a lot of it right there right it’s in it’s in the usage right there right and so like I said uh Gad was the had the six toughest usage right there so no Nick Dow was there so he was still used that way um the capitals had sort of defensive stopper line and DOW marenstein and Al kubel and Pittsburgh achari and Carter are fourth and fifth so that was sort of their stopper line and then and then there’s G right here and so this this is not this is this does explain at least some of the offense of Decline and this explained the minutes too how he was used and it definitely does explain some of those charts some of those Extreme shot charts and yes I know that they weren’t great last year but at least this goes from unsightly or horrific to it’s a little less horrific in in the previous years when the usage is more normal and with the sharks I think that gdr will get a more normal usage because GD is actually on this sharks team pretty good offensively not so much on the Rangers when you’ve got paner and a lefr and prer and down the line right but on this sharks team G dra is is going to be a little better offensively I mean he’s going to be among a little higher up in terms of the offensive fuin he might even get some Power Play Time with the sharks that’s he might be good enough for that honestly I mean he was getting power play time with the sharks his last year with the sharks and he was good enough for it because the Sharks weren’t a very good team and it’s along the same lines I think this coming year too that the Sharks won’t be very deep and so Gad will be qualified to play some power play and some offensive zone faceoffs and so the stats will get better the counting stats will get better the underlying stats will get better right so I would guess based on what the scouts are saying with the ey test and his extreme use normalizing his extreme usage that I think that there’s a good chance that Barkley gjo goes back to being about a 30o guy which he was the last couple years in New York and so okay so that’s the on the ice part right now the intangibles part if you don’t think intangibles matter then I’m not going to try to convince you that’s such an exhausting thing to try to convince people of but I do think that it matters and I think it matters a lot and so I will say that what he brings to the table I do think that is that Mike obviously thinks so too that it’s special in its own way and that determination the details defensively that Winner’s mentality that obvious I think that’s very important for this group for this group of of your will Smiths and your ma cbris and all that kind of stuff right and so that’s I guess what I’ll say about the intangible part of it that I’m not trying to convince any if you don’t think it matters it does then okay good luck building a team that way but all right actually I think that that’s what Mike kind of built last year it was not uh not as many intangibles with that team last year and it was literally the worst steaming pile of hockey that I’ve ever watched um but both tangible and intangible aspects yes it was tangibly the worst and tangibly and intangibly awful so and I would argue too though that it’s not easy to find differen making leadership yeah it’s easy to find guys who are decent good in a room that are likable whatever right that’s not that hard to find right but I think the last year in my opinion and from what I understand talking to people around the Sharks including you’re talking with David Quinn and talking with just people around right like I I would say that last year last offseason the Sharks brought in just one guy that I would say was a differen making leader one guy they didn’t bring in enough and who do you yeah like uh who would you say it was in your in your opinion just throwing it out there from last season like last off season Y oh man um I’m trying to think of who they brought in um Michael gr or Mel grenland yeah it’s yeah yeah so I’m not saying that like they brought in guy like Kyle Burrows good guy great guy but sure there’s a sort of a a gravatas that granin has a little more of because grin’s been a very successful player Ro class National player right 50 60 point actually the best player on the Sharks too best healthy player on the Sharks last year or best player who ended the season with the sharks when Turtle got traded right so that helps too right and with Gad Gad is a little different because obviously Gad is not going to score 60 points for you but Gad has the Stanley Cups he has also that he was an integral part of the staning cups too sure he wasn’t just the passenger on those teams and so there’s that part of it right and so anyway so there difference making leadership so not just being a good leader but difference making leadership and so there’s other guys we can talk about who the Sharks brought in like I think honestly duclair’s leadership was be frank was a little overrated right and we saw that he was scratched a couple times right and so I think that that kind of tells tells you tells you a little bit something something that’ll raw and I like I like Duke a lot I think that on a winning team he’s a he’s he’s a good fit there but on this team on this awful awful team right you need guys to rise above the circumstances I think randin did I don’t think declair did and there’s a reason why declair was you know a little bit quicker out the door there Le at least from the shark’s perspective of things right and so other guys they brought in right your Hoffman Giovanni Smith those aren’t the guys for that I mentioned Burrows right good guy good fit in the locker room but is he you know is he the leader type does he feel comfortable doing doing that as a guy that is not a big minutes guy right all all those kind of things doesn’t have Stanley Cups in his name all that kind of stuff right different than G right and so they didn’t bring in enough of those guys last year and I think they’re trying to like I like delra obviously is not going to be a difference making leader but he obviously is goingon to be a good fit at least you he’s gonna work his ass off and he’s gonna be a good example great teammate everything I hear about him spoken with coaches about him so he is kind of everything that you’re looking for there but in terms of like leaders Barkley gdo is that cam ainson if the sharks are able to to get him convince him to come cam ainson should be that too and you need more of guys like that guys who when they speak people listen more guys that have confidence talking because they have resume bar Gad has resume maau grin has resume so overall gadr is is is no bargain we know that I’m never going to argue with you that he’s worth everything I’ve said that I like about him that he’s worth 3.64 to million aav he’s not but can he get himself up to like being a two and a half Valuable Player two and a half million Val yeah I think it’s very possible you can do that and so then that that difference it doesn’t feel as bad anymore right and so the Sharks can’t afford it as we said they have a ton of cap space and very very important it’s a three years left on his contract so three years that leads perfectly into when Will Smith and mlin cbr’s elcn so it’s not going to be a contract that’s crippling in any way for the sharks in terms of their future plans I think or their future plans to get themselves back in the playoffs and finally I want to add one last thing too that actually cam ainson reminds us of that you can’t just get anybody that you want and so if you think and you I may have not convinced you at this point but if you think that Barkley is a pretty special leader he just not just a good guy in the room but he does have that that trait and if I convince you that Barkley should be a better on the ice player with the sharks with more with better with softer usage and more minutes and all that kind of stuff right so if we’re if if we with me that far right that you can’t just acquire anybody that you want we we saw this with Cam ainson right that you might Target like hey here’s six guys that we like that are special as leaders and all that sort of thing right and you’re not going to get all of them because you can’t because have no trades Barkley had a no trade and if it was up to a trade he would never be in San Jose cam ainson not Wave by the Flyers he’s exercising his no trade and not wanting to come here right and so you kind of can’t get just anybody that you want so if you have a chance to get somebody through waivers then you kind of got kind of got to take that chance and I know it’s a risk I know it’s a risk with G could decline even more as a player for sure he might sad sack his next couple of Seasons with the sharks which I don’t see for see happening but I that’s possible Right but do I think it’s a good bet is it a reasonable risk for a sharks team that desperately needs better players and better leadership overall I still think so even with everything that’s come out about his no trade clause I’m uh more convinced than I was before but I I think you made a lot of points um on goodro that was very very thorough um I appreciate it the I think the um all this would be fine to me if if gdo wants to play here if we if we get an interview with gdo saying yeah I’m excited to be in San Jose next year I’m fine with it I wanted to actually is curious though that he still hasn’t talked yet so it might be coming or and I want and maybe Mike G’s explanation will kind of explain a little bit more um I think he’s going to say all the things that we know he’s going to say he’s a good leader we want him in the room he’s familiar with the area you know it was a there but there isn’t no risk there’s some risk it’s just um for sure I’m not arguing it’s uh whether or not you believe it’s a reasonable risk I don’t know I’m 50-50 on it but I i’ lean I’d lean less I’m less excited than I would be more excited scenario though like if it blows up and he doesn’t want to be here and he sucks it’s three years at three and a half million you wave him again if you feel like for this shark team you can he go back he goes back to the Barracuda you know there you go oh that that would be that would be accept just for irony I I know he’d hate it and I’m not I’m not laughing because he deserves ccle just because it’ just be funny yeah yeah it’s like he came up from the Barracuda he ends up on the Barracuda I mean then you’re only spending two and a half million instead of 3.6 he you know what maybe next year then he can lead the Barracuda to the CER cup uh conference whatever HL Conference Finals get goodro back in the place where he belongs keep keep his street going I think I think he’ll have a better year next year I think he’ll have like a 25 Point year play penalty kill and then then look pretty decent at 3.6 and people will kind of go as long as he wants to be here that’s my yeah I and I think that’s what I think I think will happen I think they can convin I mean I don’t know obviously I don’t know the in but usually hock I mean hockey players they they will eventually Gill’s a team guy at Heart Right we’ve seen that with the sharks with the lightning with the Rangers right it just all happens that his team really sucks now which is which is a bummer and so I don’t fault goodro for needing some time here because this is like I said this is a different different situations dealt with in the last half decade he’s going from just constant playoffs and good teams to Conference Finals yeah five of the last six years yep now to like the crap of the crap yeah basically from the top four of the NHL every year to the top four of the draft lottery for the next year or two maybe it’s different it’s different for sure I do I do appreciate that the career is trying to insulate the guys at least somewhat though the new young guys and I think this is the right way to do it I I mean I’m going to get more into I’m going to write more about it either but a guy like Al I I think is a very very bad idea and this is in full respect prob work Patrick’s sort of his mental like his health and things he’s going through full respect to that but from he he’s not a a guy that is a I’ll just put it like nicely that I think that people I talk to think is a winning hockey player true he is a good hockey player he can score 30 goals in his sleep there’s no question about that but is he a guy that you want Will Smith to emulate that you want mlin celebrating ulate I don’t know I don’t tend to think so honestly and so yeah even though he has all the talent in the world yeah like that’s not that’s not the guy so I like I yeah I I like this direction because I know that you’re capping yourself off in terms of of of of skill in terms of actual goals on the board but I think you’re winning in terms of or you’re gaining in leadership determination and also goals off the board goals against so so I I think overall I like this I like this direction so it’s a it Greer is nothing but interest like nothing but if you nothing good to say about Greer he’s at least interesting in the way that he acquires people like players he he will find the he’s been dumpster diving in in lack of a better term yeah for a little bit now and like grabbing guys off of the you know the pile to be like maybe this one will work and sometimes it does work and sometimes you end up with some real winners like Ty emberson and Mel grenland and like yeah keep on doing think we need a little more Direction this summer though I think last summer was a little more like H we’ll take some from column A some from column C we’ll see if it works kind of and it didn’t work and so I think now I like every player we’ve heard so far there is a certain profile to them ainson delandria and Gad and I’ve like I like all those profiles all right this is a lot of G Talk let’s do the top 32 and then let’s get out of here we do have like about an hour long interview with Chris as well so everybody You’ got a a very long episode coming up which I know is everybody’s favorite they love they love like three hour long episodes all right let’s put up that top 32 and now you get to hear Keegan talk it’s not me talking on and on yeah you get ask questions to me yes um all right let me get this let me get this going here I feel like an old person like an old man trying to share my screen like in your Zoom meetings like let me just pull up my screen here can everybody see okay great all right all right can you see it yeah yeah all right perfect so um oh you you fixed the heights too nice yeah I somewhat a lot of I will say first off the bat is that this I’ve been using the spreadsheet to organize my like rankings for about a year now so the the heights are not up to date sometimes the positions are like they play both Center and right wing or they play left wing right wing or whatever so occasionally some of these might be wrong just putting that out there okay and I want to stress again to everybody listening you mentioned already but let’s stress again that you’re looking at this list that this is Keegan’s personal top 32 this is not a mock draft Y and I should have an article matching this top 32 by the draft um just to kind of talk about each one of these guys and why I like them or why they are slotted where they are on the very left is the tier shaded in a lovely salmon color uh at the very top is mlin CBR as own tier then a tier from 2 to six 7 to 13 14 to about 35 is where that tier goes what do the tiers mean uh yes so the first tier Macklin’s tier is his own this is a god god tier no it’s it says your your franchise level G to be a first line plus player no matter what I feel like there’s just not player first line player second tier is uh possible first line player or first pairing player that’s where I’ve got them slotted third tier is is um likely second line possibly like very height of their projection first line or first pairing but probably second line kind of area yeah second pairing or second pairing um and then the last one is a big cluster foot no it’s it’s basically like guys that at the very top of that tier I think they’re middle six guys um and then you know one or two of these guys might pop up and be a top sixer top four guy top pairing guy whoever but most of these guys I’ve SE in that middle six to Middle bottom pairing roll somewhere around there okay and then each one of these has flaws that can prevent them from getting to there or or what the gold shading and the green shading we’re going to talk about but I wanted to talk about the possible pick set number 14 which is the guys in gold or sorry in green and then the guys in Gold are your possible 33 or 42 picks so where do you want to start well it’s your it’s your chart so um let’s see well okay let’s let’s talk about guys that you like at 14 here you have who might be available too so obviously like if lunov ends up 14 you’re taking them but he’s not going to end up at 14 so so green you shaded your guys’s at 14 so what I would ask you here looking at this is clearly constant helenus is is your guy here yes but he is the least likely along with gam Chuck to still be around and so realistically yakin chup and helenus are off the board do you take e is that is that your guy I have a lot of questions about him in terms of everything else besides his shot and also even the sort of I think Chris talked about just awareness I I think that the general thing I hear is not a bad kid but what was it that a scout said not a bad kid but on on his own page so who who do you pick then if helenius and yakin chuk are off the board at 14 um if it goes exactly like this anda’s gone Dickinson’s gone cia’s gone like and senic is gone to I know he have 14 but I I don’t think he’ll be around right or he’ll probably be 10 8 n 10 somewhere around there so so who do you who do you take then then it’s it’s I think that Eiserman has the most chance to be like a 40 goal power play player that I think you take him I think there’s enough I think so I think there is a got a lot of question marks with him but yeah that he really does have something special in in his shot and I think he is not the he’s not the best playmaker he’s not a good defensive player he’s not really well-rounded in anything else other than like the way that he shoots the puck but he does it really really really well and guys like this either they get picked way too high or they fall and then when they fall they typically do pretty okay guys like Cole Coffield when he fell but you you don’t want to reach for him so you don’t want to go like six7 with him just cuz he scores a lot of goals or somebody compared him to Oliver walstrom and that’s an interesting comp but I think walstrom is I think eisman’s got a better shot than walstrom did first of all but I think he’s a better Prospect than waler was in his draft year you know and I I haven’t seen these guys a whole ton I’ll admit you guys you’ve watched them a lot more but the the scouts I talked I trust them because the scouts watch these guys and they do it that’s their literal job and so I trust what what they say like yeah with Eiserman I just this GNA be tough things like here it’s not like he’s got a great shot and he’s also a hardworking kid great skater or whatever like I just I hear too many too many honestly like characterist character kind of things that make me question that he can reach his ceiling as a scorer you know like some guys like they have this one skill their shot but then they have other kind of intangibles or whatever right that they can bring to the table that they can make their defense just average they can get their skating to just average and they do that then their shot can stand out at an level but I don’t know if he’s got that other stuff and you didn’t a lot of concerns I I I I take soberg I know that’s like the safe pick but that’s me but anyway go on this is your segment no I mean that’s that’s also why he’s shaded green is that the shark’s also really I don’t know if they need Eiserman right now like like it would be cool if he hit hits and then he’s got uh he’s a great shot that and he’s also there’s like the celebrini connection kind of thing but I don’t know if they need them and and they really do need a Defender so guys like soberg EK yakimchuk if they’re available somewhere maybe they’re yak and chuck would be first for me helenius then would it would be helenius for me yeah and then and then it’ll be soberg I take soberg over brenz nard because I think their ceilings are similarish in terms of their impact but you would you take man over niggard or would you go for the more safe go nard yeah eer I would not touch unless he fell I mean crazy it be crazy but if he unless he fell so like to 33 to 33s would you go into like the 20s for him I guess it’s a good question I would I wouldn’t trade 33 and 42 for it so there are there are things with this game that is huge holes in flaws that he’s going to have to work on um it’s not like he skates well too like I said if there’s other things it’s just it’s not horrible but he’s just fine I don’t know yeah the the one of the stories one of the scouts says the skating mechanics are what I don’t know what the word the phrase he use but just his skating mechanics are are are are are are really messed up according to this this guy so yeah but anyway he needs time he really does but the I think a lot of things is with this draft once you get past that that range that we’re talking about here it starts to dip off pretty quickly in terms of Elite Talent and Elite skill so sure I don’t know I’d have to think about it for a while and every year I do like a I pick a player that at that whatever the sharks are picking and I pick it real time so we’ll see who’s available for 14 that I pick at the time okay cuz you know I it’s it’s got to be real time and it’s exactly whatever the sharks are like looking at on the board because if you do it retroactively like YouTube too but like people are listening they don’t know what we’re talking about so oh that’s true you got to watch on YouTube I ologe everybody on on um so let’s let’s let’s rattle off the list really fast people know at least all right so um do you do you want to read all of them or do you want me to alternate with you so so there’s okay why do we do this I’ll start from the top uh M celebrini Ivan demidov Steve boam artam leof Berkeley Kon is my top five yeah um K in order Kaden Lindstrom is six he’s like right in that middle between like the next tier and that tier above right basically M CBR god tier two through six is sort of your first line tier right from demod to lrom I’m trying to narrate it for people just listening so and then seven to 13 it’s helenius perk ainla Dickinson SV iserman and yakam Chuck right and these are your like second line likely second line slash middle paring guys for you so yep and then 14 to 35 but only 32 is listed on here is senica uh brendes nyard Green Tree luchenko soberg basa yek ha chernishov parisek Richie bodan aranov badinka Hudson Karu Salin wenus mass and Heming yeah just to read off some of these like ones that really stand out to me and this is your kind of they maybe they’ll be second line but maybe middle six maybe middle pairing just not as strong as the the upper not likely in your opinion but few that stand out here to me are we’ll talk about him in a second but um 19 basa uh 23 parisek just guys that are a little higher that maybe you’re a little bit higher on that that we can Spotlight in a little bit 28 Hudson 29 K Haru so those are those are a few that stand up but I also want to mention too that we just talked about 14 and and so there are six guys here that that that that Keegan got Eiserman yakimchuk branic nyard soberg and Y that might be there at 14 and so that’s sort of who we’re talking about right now that he he likes the the best and so anyway just’s to catch everybody up who uh can’t can’t see this see this chart in front of them but let’s let’s let’s talk about 33 then you have a few guys here that in yellow here um first I want I want to say one thing about helenius because I think that he’s the one that is most likely to come out of this is like and a bunch of mocks he ends up in the 12 to or sometimes 10 to 14 range and I have him on the the upper end of that tier CU I really really like him as a player and I think he has a lot of um NHL qualities already that and he’s not particularly tiny he’s like 5’11 and he’s going to play center like the guy plays a center role right now in a men’s league so I think if he’s available at 14 somehow I I would take him all day every day just want to put that out there because there’s some some chance more than yakam chuk clearly right because yakam chuk is 12 or 13 on your ranking so agreed yeah I would um I think he’s more likely to hit his ceiling as like a second line Center than yakum chuk is as like a possible power play quarterback second line forward or second line Defender so the the next one the pick 33 let’s talk about jet luchenko because I want to plan a flag for jet luchenko first of all so um I think I’ve been talking about him for a little while now and it seems like he’s risen up charts risen up like boards from scouts for past couple months yeah he might be a canid for 14 at this point right from yeah I see so yeah I think he’s he’s a a little undersized like he’s like 51 um and he’s very young he’s like two weeks away from being draft eligible next year um and he was on a very not a bad team but like a mediocre is team that didn’t have a lot of offensive pop and he was it he was was like the only guy but there’s a lot of oh lenko is 17 on your board just reminding everyone who’s listening so yeah 17 yeah very high I think um he started in this was probably before Christmas in like the 30s 40s range for everybody pretty much and then it’s just kind of been going up and up and I like that kind of Rise I think he might there’s a theoretical chance that he falls into the 33 pick I think it’s more likely he gets pick in the 20s yeah yeah but if he’s there I’d take him on % like there’s no question I think it everybody else is gone he’s the one um and we actually talked about we were just talking before the podcast that if the Sharks were I’m going to write about this too the Sharks were going to trade 33 and 42 just to move up into the late first round and looking looking at Puck Pia’s draft value pick chart 33 and 42 equate to 22 basically Nashville 22 right that who in that sort of cluster of prospects that are most likely to be there that who would you who would you uh trade 33 and 42 for and Keegan said pretty much only lenko of and H Say Ha was your maybe guy right but lenko for sure right and so yeah anyway so he likes jet luchenko a lot so I do putting my putting my flag for jet luchenko I will I will say that these are the kind of guys that are just very energetic good skaters 200 foot players that that have a a good amount of skill that sometimes S I miss on like not miss but I overvalue a little bit in the OHL and uh in the CHL in general and then look back on and go I guess he didn’t have enough like he’s just smarter right now than everybody but there wasn’t enough of an Elite Talent to really to really get him to to carve out much of an NHL role but lenko is also extremely good skater so he does have some backup um hard skill or hard something that’s going to make him go forward among levels so I don’t know I overrate him a bit I like Andrew basa a lot but I think he’s more way more likely to be picked at 33 than he yeah I like I like your started inter up here but you had Bas at 19 so just if you’re if you’re listening so that’s very very high because most things I’ve seen basa is sort of early second round late first right but early second too right and so anyway so tell us you’re planting your flag here so yeah I like fasha a lot I think the when I I go back and I watched his team he had extremely good forwards around him right he’s got like Gavin McKenna and Kad l um Thomas murc who’s going to be picked in like the third or fourth round who’s a great shooter and Basha was he he kind of was like the the play connector a lot of the times he was the guy that that more peripheral more playmaking but very smart very intelligent and I think there’s a lot of skill there that kind of gets overlooked because Gavin McKenna and Kaden lrom stole the spotlight for him but if you whenever I would watch the game I would go who’s that guy oh it’s Basia again doing something smart and I just kind of I think he’s getting a little undervalued because of that kind of thing so if he’s there at 33 I think that’s a exciting pick because it’s more possible your go to pick your likely pick right yeah I think it’s a it’s a good swing um of a very high skilled forward that might be getting un overlooked a little bit um haage is is a cool one as well but I think he’s going to get picked in the 20s no matter what yeah he might be gone he have him at 21 right he could he could be on in the the even the High Teens right so what I like what I like about ha is he skates like similarly to Philip beat like he’s got very good straight line speed with the puck so he can carry the puck really well um he’s a little less like Beast out was defensively more responsible and also like um yeah but ha is a little bit more got a better shot and a better offensive player than I think Pat was even now so it’s a projection um but I I like they they seem similar to me when I watch them on the ice so it might be somebody that GRE could like just because of the way that you know he liked the Beast that pick in 2022 also too um he h seems like a guy from what I understand that there’s a bit of a offensive ceiling with him a good one and so he might go along the lines of your musty and your Halton and guys that have some drawbacks but if they hit that they’re going to be better than just your third line types yeah he’s got a he’s got a chance that if everything works out and he really rounds into form that he’s like a possible second line Center But A lot’s got to work out for him yeah he’s still very very raw a lot of the USHL kids this year are super raw and um the USHL is not a league that prioritizes defense at all um so it’s hard to kind of gauge what their total 200 foot Effectiveness is um couple other guys speaking of like go to be a bottom six forward Co badwine is is going to be a bottom six 25 on your list yeah um but he’s just such a he’s the kind of guy that like NHL teams love in the playoffs and he’s the kind of guy that they overpay for at the deadline and they fill their third and fourth line with great grinding player that has a little bit of skill and can still move pucks and big um hits hard so he’s a guy that I think a team might reach on too early but if he’s a 33 it’s like a a certain point in the draft you just need to get NHL guys I think and he’s he’s going to be a guy um I think Dominic badinka is another one that I have at7 27 he’s um he’s a big right shot Defender um he played the entire year in the shl pretty much um as a you know 18-year-old kid he um didn’t put up a lot of points there like four points in 30 something games but he played a lot of minutes uh sometimes like 17 18 minutes a night and that’s hard to do for um the that age in that League um he has he’s very calm he fits like the mold of a um like maybe he steps like like honestly like a sharks comparable would be somebody like Middleton if you wanted to use like that kind of guy bigger um calm moves the puck well yeah Jake Middleton moves the puck well doesn’t have a ton of offense but has enough to get like good outl passes and he just he he plays defense very well I like what I liked about him and this is we talked about this off this off air before we started was when he went to the the uh j2s like when he went down a league he like just tried a bunch of offensive [ __ ] that he never tries in the shl like he looks like a different player almost and I I kind of like that cuz like I think he’s just simplified his game so much to be able to play in the shl right now that I was I was kind of worried that like maybe there’s not enough there offensively to really justify a first round pick but I think there is he just do it right now um and he needs a little bit more time adjusting um to the level he’s at right now so I think there’s something there with badinka couple like I gota I just realized I have like Hudson and kaharu right back to back that’s funny oh yeah thatan that kind of yeah they kind of fit fit fit together right you seem to like Hudson and kiari more than most people yeah I mean Hudson I think has been somewhere from the 20s to 40s I think people are worried that he’s going to take off like his brother did and like they’re going to miss out so there’s a chance and and I think this year the class isn’t that um as deep so I think somebody might take a chance on him in the early second so if the Sharks do get a lot of they get a big Defender and their 14th pick and Hudson’s there at 33 or 42 maybe they go for it and then I think Karu has a lot of a lot of doubters because he had a really poor not poor year but just not a great year in his draft year but multiple prior years he looked great so the people worry about the progression but there’s still a lot of skill there and he’s a very smart Defender but he’s very tiny um he’s very small so you got to weigh all of those out and I think he’s still worthy he has first round talent I think there’s just concerns with his bad year and his size that maybe he falls into the second so or he probably will fall into the second to be honest but this is a guy that was like a top five pick projected this year and now he’s like right top 45 yeah I know I know he’s had a he’s had a tough year so so okay so we we know he Lov lenko but he’s probably not going to be here so 33 Bas is your guy then probably of your likely guys who will be around yeah if Bas is there at 33 I think I I would take him um as a because everybody else above that is going to be gone sber Green Tree brand I all going to be gone I would take Bas and trying to think who who I would take here I don’t know I may I may not take anybody from here I’ll look at yeah there are many other rankings that have this this group I don’t expect to be around I don’t expect Baldwin to be around so maybe badinka badinka might be around because he is more likely to be around yeah yeah I think uh but again it’s the same question that the same statement that we had uh or that you’re going to see on the Chris interview like you know 6’3 right shot Defenders don’t last long if they can skate pretty well and thing with badinka especially once they were playing in the men’s league I just they’ll somebody else try and scoop him up I think I like Ryder Richie TK pisac all these like skill Wingers um I think they are they might slip as well just because there’s a lot of the the guys why they Mar gold is it just because you don’t think the Sharks would would consider them they don’t sound like shark profile in your is that is that why he didn’t mark r or Richie might I don’t know about I mean parisek is like a jack of all trades kind of guy like he he does have um he’s got a nose for the net he’s very simple at his game but he he has some skill and he came out of nowhere this year so maybe they like it but I think they just I feel like they’re going to take a guy that’s GNA I don’t know and this is kind of a a mix of like what the Sharks would do versus what I would do as well doesn’t sound like not really lenko does bashenko got some of that compete and all around game whereas B a Basha is skilled right but maybe they want a little more size which you get in ha so ha I can see a little bit more yep bodan as well has got the uh uh compete level that yeah determination him binka luchenko ha all of them if any of them are available at 33 I think you take them that’s it it’s exciting draft I think it’s um it’s a little less deep than last year like I remember last year when I was going out to like the 60s and 70s and being like damn this guy’s really good this year it’s like the maybe 45s somewhere around there like that I’m like this guy’s still really good shks are in a good place then right because uh 42 to 85 that’s it’s going to be a long wait between those picks as sharks don’t trade up or trade down or whatever so they’re in the right place with four picks in the top 45 right there yeah that’s just perfect cuz right after that I think you’re you’re starting to take swings on overage guys and like guys with L of holes and lots of flaws and that’s every draft but last year felt a little deeper um all the way through in the first round I was like this is a rock solid first round last year and like we got Quin musy at 26 last year that that’s Rock Solid first round um and this year is a little less uh deep I think once you really get past 1415 which is where the shark second pick lies that level of this guy could really hit to a top six roll kind of drops off pretty hard in my opinion but this is just just me I’m one dude on the s j Hoak podcast but I don’t know if you’ve been hearing the same thing from people too about what about the uh the depth of the draft overall oh yeah yeah I mean it’s it’s pretty there’s sort of a consensus 13 Eiserman would be there but I think there’s just too many questions about the other stuff it’s not just that he’s the offense only guy like I said there’s other stuff that that that you’ve read or I’ve alluded to right or just right now right that just like uh caus him to pause and so I think button’s super high on him I think he’s got him like five oh yeah yeah button button I think had him fifth I think on on his personal ranking so yeah but’s very high on him um and then and then we get down to one scy I I talk to thinks that’s maybe a little more top 35 that he feels good about instead of top 45 like but still around the same you guys are talking about the same thing though that somewhere around the second round then it’s like yeah then you’re just sort of taking taking long shots in a way so more long shots any any draft Pi is is is a long shot but I got a few more and then then we should stop just to Rattle off some names I like Thomas galvas under these are guys not in your top 32 yeah these are just like other guys Thomas Galvis he’s like an undersiz he’s like 5’11 I think uh okay Defender check Defender very very calm very good defensively um do you see him more he’s probably like a third or fourth round pick um by most people I think but he’s he’s very smart very I’ve watched him for a couple years now and I I really like him as a rock solid defensive type it’s just hard to place him because he’s so tiny not not tiny tiny but he’s also not physical so these guys don’t get picked early but I like him as a player I like Anthony Romani I actually lik Anthony Romani last year um when he was a draft eligible I watched him when Brandon Co was with North Bay and I was like oh that kid’s got a bit of skill and he was like 16 at the time and I kept the note of him his draft year last year he just did not have um he’s not very quick so his I mean he’s okay with his speed but his his game didn’t progress enough in his draft year to get drafted so he was undrafted last year this year complete offensive explosion and he he was like leading the OHL in points for most of the year and I was like damn and I mentioned actually in my draft WR up last year about Anthony Romani is like a maybe you take a flyer on him because you know that there’s skill there but he had a really bad year um I wrote that up last year and then he exploded so I want to put another flag that I still like Anthony Romani if you can get him in like the fourth or fifth round okay but he might get picked earlier than that just because this draft isn’t super super deep um who else Jesse pin is a fun Defender from Finland oh yeah yeah I was I was just listening to what a couple Scouts my my sources were saying about him because he’s going to be in a story that I’m coming out with that could in a second round I love his story yeah basically a guy who was awful in his rap year yeah was really bad came back in better shape and actually not only is he big and he can skate but he has skill yeah for sure he definitely does he’s got hard skill um so he’s going to get picked early I think just because not early early like in the second round somewhere someone’s going to fall in love with 33 and 42 s he sounds like he could be a good sharks pickup at 42 maybe right yeah if he’s there I think it’s a it’s a really cool gamble that they could take um I like that a lot it’s a it’s complete turnaround from who he was as a prospect so uh a couple more I like Thomas MC I mentioned him earlier great shot decent elsewhere kind of smart does grind does has has good for checking but he’s good a great shot and he’s probably going to be like a fourth rounder fourth rounder yeah I liked Edwin neelen but I liked him more last year than I did this year super he’s good decent skater he’s over guy no no no he’s uh he’s he’s a this draft year it’s just he was on a team Prospect I watched last year I got you so he’s a first time eligible he just didn’t have a good good draft year he’s a Defender out of Sweden um didn’t put up a lot of points didn’t really progress a lot but I still think there’s skill there um he’ll probably be like a sixth round pick maybe fifth six wow they’re going real sleeper here yeah Adam jeo is a probably second rounder um yeah looks like he’s Rising yeah big Winger out of the WHL I like him um good shot as well uh he’s probably going to rise a little bit alfons FR gets a ton of Twitter love right that there’s a huge debate between Leo Solen lenus and alphons frase because they’re both Defenders out of Sweden uh I like and this is going to be controversial I like sing wenus more than Al well he’s on your list and fr is not so yeah is like he’s like he’s like 36 I think so he’s not like too far off um I think s wenus plays a more projectable NHL game than FR does I think FR is a he’s more athletic and he’s raw as a prospect and people like that um but I don’t think he’s the most intelligent player but I think s wus has a very safe NHL floor like bottom M pairing kind of guy that that’s why I put him up into here so if you’re looking for that as a 33 or 42 I think that’s also a possibility but I like him a lot um and that’s that’s I mean there’s a there’s a couple more that I I really like but for now I think that’s enough okay well you’ve planted your flag so when these guys become or you can you can start your own own website like Brian Bader did so and HED by team eventually so yeah where they bust horribly and then I uh go oh wow yeah this never happened then yeah that’s why I do the the every year I do the picks that that the sharks have done just CU I like to check the guys like I don’t like the some people are like oh I loved what’s his name in his draft here and it’s like that I want to prove that I want to put out my thing that I chose this guy so much I loved him you know like I chose rodwin Diono in the seventh on 2022 the year before he was drafted because it was his draft year and then the last year he was like the best defenseman at the CHL probably and just got signed with a ducks on his ELC so like yeah I felt good about that one cuz I got him a year before everybody else did before the Ducks got him and uh but I you know I miss a lot too so and Thomas sanak I got him on my team so yeah yeah I got the uh it’s my own little like side project that I do like I think the yeah we should talk about one day yeah uh maybe offseason that’s a good uh post draft kind of kind of talk some of your hits and misses over the years yeah compared to the sharks in the same time period it’s it’s a lot of fun to to look back and see oh wow they actually were they did have something in you know Eric pole camp that I didn’t see and stuff like that cuz I asked you this before how long have you been drafting on your own personally two years okay yeah I’ve been doing lists since 2021 so I did a list in 2021 2 three and then this year but I’ve only been doing the thing 2022 like picking right when a shark’s pick and seeing what’s available and just taking your guy yep yeah 2022 so just two years so this will be the third year um third year of it okay but there’s been some good returns got like yeah so one day we’ll go through it uh when we don’t have anything else to talk about in the offseason no no it sounds good yeah maybe maybe maybe uh another year or two more information yeah yeah I got a few good names on there and then they’re all backed up on Twitter so I post it the same time the Sharks do uh on Twitter and I’ll do that again this year if I’ve got the the moments during the draft when we’re going to be there so sounds good all right guys um enjoy the Chris Peters interview it was very exciteful it’s a great one uh just my tease to it that he called a prospect evil and it wasn’t Trevor Connelly it was not he did he did talk about Trevor Connelly and also not on my list is Trevor Connelly but um anyway though it’s a great interview the great great stuff it’s actually a prospect that I’ve been told that the sharks like that he called evil he’s a little evil he’s pry fun the don’t don’t say who they can listen I also have a story coming out about it too so yeah he’s a little evil he’s it’s pretty it’s pretty good he also called some a unnamed Prospect uh like Sydney Crosby I don’t know who it would be but um this one this this probably this one you might know yeah yeah you might know that one and he’s also not able all right we will see you guys at the draft that’s our next that’s our next episode will probably be at the draft theoretically yeah right should be yeah bye guys hope you have a good week this week we welcome back Chris Peters senior content creator at Flo hockey NHL draft and Prospect analyst and the host of The Talking hockey sense podcast to talk all about the upcoming draft who he thinks the sharts might be interested in at picks 14 33 and 42 welcome back Chris hey thanks for having me guys good to be with you well Chris we got to get started let’s get started hot here all right in a recent article you said mlin celebrini is Sydney Crosby explain I didn’t say he is Sydney Crosby or is going to become Sydney Crosby but I mean when we’re talking I so I did an exercise where basically I had to my my whole goal was to pick NHL comparables for current NHL players so currentl players okay no because like there was there was one time in the draft where literally every top two-way Center Prospect was being compared to Steve Eiserman and I was like I’m not doing that again but mlin CBR Steve irman um no so the the uh the reason that I picked Crosby for Macklin’s comp is because I I view a lot of the similarities in Macklin’s game to Crosby in that high-end hockey sense Elite level competitiveness two-way commitment um the fact that he is an incredibly skilled player but he picks and chooses how when and how to use that Elite skill the same way that Crosby does um he’s a goal scorer but he’s also a playmaker he is a play driver he is a guy that is going to impact the game in so many ways while I don’t think he’s ever going to reach the Crosby Echelon in terms of the very top of his production I do think that we’re talking about a player that’s going to impact games in a very similar way and that when he’s on the ice he’s gonna often more often than not be the best player on it and I’m glad I’m on your podcast because I can say this and and let you guys you know Sal like I still feel like people are underrating mlin celebrini if that’s possible I I feel like there that when I when I hear about him I was like he is the most complete player I have since like number one prospect that I have done this for you know like I I I’ve been doing this since 2011 and there are I just can’t think of anybody else that check as many boxes as celebrini does the only one he doesn’t check is height and it’s not like he’s small Sydney Crosby also 5’11 you know so it’s like that’s the thing that that he he’s physical he’s he’s mean he handles pressure well he’s poised he’s mature he carries himself a certain way he’s kind of softspoken in the same way that Crosby was at the beginning of his of his career but he he he speaks loudly on the ice with his actions so so as I look across the landscape of the NHL you know Jonathan Taves didn’t play last year so he wasn’t eligible so but I think we’re talking about a player that’s somewhere between Taves and Crosby if we’re using that as a scale um and to me like the reason that we don’t talk about celebrini as much as we did about Bard last year is because Bard’s best attributes are the flashiest parts of hockey scoring goals creating offense mlin cbr’s best attributes are everything like it’s just it’s just literally every element of the game there is no weakness to him um and that is I I couldn’t even try to pick him apart if I wanted to because I’ve watched him for two years and I’ve seen a player that’s only gotten better and you know maybe I’m maybe I’m overhyping him I don’t know I I just feel like you know I’m not saying that he’s the best Prospect because that was Conor McDavid I mean nobody is ever close to that but I’m saying he’s he’s in that conversation I wrote a piece earlier in the year right around the time of the Frozen 4 or right after it that that mlin celebrini is way closer to Conor Bard than anyone is talking about in terms of his overall impact on the team they’re gonna impact the game in different ways Bard will probably always outscore him but but celebrini is going to do the things away from the puck and and like he’s the type of player that creates a team identity as opposed to fits into a team identity he is that’s the kind of guy you want to play like I think he’s a franchise Cornerstone I think he in to me this I said I said this on I don’t on another podcast that I thought that the most important day in San Jose Sharks history Beyond becoming a franchise was winning the draft lottery this year W really felt like it that’s that’s that’s my so hype hype away I am not I am not slowing down the mlin cini hype train I am shoveling Cole into it and yeah and then also throwing nuclear energy into that train boom yeah I was just messing with you with the the the Crosby comp but you took the hype in a different way than the Crosby that article by the way is ancient player comps for Max lini and other top prospects from June 17th from Chris my question related to it is just in terms of but this might be little tough one to to answer but I wonder what comes to mind for you is when you look at a celebrini compared to a Crosby and you mentioned the Taves comp too when you talk about Taves then you start to think about players some still playing some retired like Dre berson Uh current players like Andre Kopitar and barov uh what are just little little things that are maybe different about celebrating than some of those names that I mentioned yeah I mean I think the the thing that that Mack has proven over time is he was targeted in a way that I don’t think any like he was the youngest player in college hockey and yet every single team was trying to knock him out of a game they were basically trying him to knock him out of the week you know and there were a couple times where he took some big hits and and some head shots and different things and J Pand Alo was like Hey like this kid is getting absolutely crushed the thing that always struck me about celebrini he he never once complained about it and he gave it right back just as hard as he did I think there is an underlying meanness to mlin celebrini you talk to him and he is a nice young man yes so nice patience with my questions yeah he is an exceptionally mature individual but he will carvia if he needs to and and that to me is one of the separating factors and like the thing is is like his approach his demeanor like I just feel that there’s there’s Taves elements to that um you know but yeah I mean I I think for him there there’s that and then it’s just he’s he’s one of the better goal scorers among those top defensive forwards he’s got a great shot from distance an elite one timer Power Play Weapon you can set him up on one of the faceoff circles and he’s going to you know blow it by the goalie um you know I think that that the the fact that he’s such a gifted goal scorer while not giving away much defensively is really impressive and you know I think at the at the peak of tav’s career he was in that in that kind of same Echelon Patrice berson was more of the playmaker less of the goal scorer uh barov is is is a little bit of both like you know so um but he’s bigger you know just a little sturdier and things like that so he’s able to play the game a bit differently but to me I just think that cini’s inner competitiveness is is something that is always evident and it’s why he’s so consistent and there wasn’t a game this season where he looked ineffective I mean even the games where he didn’t score it was just like he’s he’s a threat that that Frozen Four game that they lost he was everywhere it they did not lose that game because you know he had a great scoring chance that he narrowly missed but it was a really tough angle but I was like he’s going to put him on his back and he’s going to try just H just so happened that the team they were playing were just too good so you know but celebrini to me is is uh he’s a special player and I I I you know I I’ve really enjoyed covering him the last couple of years you know we we at Flo hockey we did the first national feature on him um you know with with uh with our video crew and you know you could tell then this kid was was going to be something special and now here he is if you’re cuz you mentioned this a second ago where most important day in franchise history might be winning celebrini is there if you can only win one is there any kind of argument that winning the celebrini lottery was better than winning the Bedard lottery for San Jose oh that’s a good question I mean I think you need some strong two-way centers and maybe Bard might not do that you do I mean I think having Will Smith as your dynamic duo your onew punch that does change it a little bit like if you didn’t have that already which last year you wouldn’t have had you know having a a player with the elite scoring the thing is like Bard is generational in the goal scoring Department you know it’s it’s it’s and that to me is is where you can create separation and it’s like if you ask me who I thought was going to have a better career I might give the slight Edge to badar but that’s because he’s GNA impact the game in a in a much more visible point you know he’s probably gonna have a ton of trophies he’s probably gonna have you know like a lot of those individual Awards um and the reason that I think that this is the the significance of celebrini is is multifold obviously there’s the familial connection to the Bay area that is you know really recent you know in terms of his whole you look at the totality of his life it wasn’t like he grew up there but it’s about as close as you can get to having a homegrown kind of talent for your team um you know the fact that that you know his family is already a part of of of Bay Area sports greatness is pretty cool too but I also think that you know since he was a junior shark there’s that added element of this is the kid that’s G to inspire the next generation of sharks fans in a way that no disrespect to to thoron and Marlo who certainly did their share but this is a different this is a different animal like this is different kind of thing and if you have and if both Macklin celebrini and Will Smith are your Kane and Taves or your Crosby and malcin or whatever which it’s possible that those two guys because we’re talking about the two best players you know in college hockey last year you know even though Will Smith was not a Hobie Baker finalist he should have been um and and and you know he outscored Macklin but he is older than Macklin so you know there’s all these different things but you’re we’re talking about two of the best like historic seasons in college hockey from two guys in your own organization the sky is the limit for where this is going to go so adding celebrini on top of already having Smith is why that matters would Bard would have certainly added more attention and and like we’re seeing right now CBR is not getting the same level of hype that Bard did so that’s a whole other that’s a short but that’s a short-term win yeah so you know I I still think it’s it’s it’s it would have been been marginally better to get Bard but this is so good like it’s it’s just so good to have it and I think it’s it’s a it’s a it’s a you know on the on when we look at the franchise timelines this is going to be a flash point in uh in sharks history no question and then they draft Anton SV with the first overall yes oh no no he’s already he’s already confirmed pretty much I think Greer said Macklin in a press conference like last week so which means ruse yeah yeah all right we um we’ll move on from number one because the Myst we talk about mlin for 30 minutes apparently that’s true we could um but the the Myster is already kind of solved the big mystery for the Sharks fan starts at pick number 14 I think that’s when everybody’s kind of aiming their uh putting their sights on so in your mock draft that you put out recently you had the sharks taking ston soberg so I guess the first question is why ston soberg well I think with that pick you’re starting to look at you know building out a team right you’re you’re not just building out a um you know you can do best player available but if you’re not building with Team like you know balance to your team then you’re not doing the job properly the reason I have soberg is because I think in the later stages of this year and you know when I do a mock draft I try to get as much Intel as I can the the truth of the matter is it’s really difficult to get accurate information that is actually going to especially when you’re like having all these picks and they’re going to be blind spots and it’s going to change the order of different things so you never really know how it’s going to go my mock draft blew up at pick two last year so you know like it’s it’s it’s the way it goes sometimes all it takes is one pick to destroy everything um so I always say the mock draft is not necessarily go don’t take it as gospel take it as a range you know an idea of who’s there and so soberg is a late riser in the draft he had a tremendous World Championship he is a defensive defenseman but really good Mobility six foot two physical mean nasty um and then I think at the world championship he showed that he’s capable of moving pucks he can get into the play uh they had him on their power play unit you know he he’s able to do things that I think you know will will translate he’s moved to the shl for next season so he’s not going to be Norway like he was this year because really it it’s pretty much unheard of to be drafted first and for you know drafted at all out of the Norwegian League let alone in the first round but Solberg had enough moments in the last couple of Seasons where teams were like there there’s something there um and he’s really jumped up so he’s not the next tier defense next defenseman on my list but I think just judging by the way that things are blowing and judging by the things I was hearing out of the combine a lot of people think that soberg is going to be a top 15 pick in the draft Yeah and because of that and because of the need that the sharks have at defense and because that basically 14 is where it really starts to kind of shake get shaky in terms of the quality of the class because I think the first 13 14 picks are you know the 14 players that we’ve been talking about are largely the same player um I I don’t think it’s like a reach to go for a defenseman here it’s not like hopping over something uh but you know when you look at the system and you say okay well you have Henry Thun you have Shakir Muk Mulan you need more you just do uh you need a lot more and uh and to me I think that the best opportunity for the sharks there is to you know get a get a guy that’s got some real Pro traits some top four caliber uh attributes and and see where it goes but I mean the other thing is is that with a late Riser like soberg and with so few opportunities to see him against Real tip top competition it’s you know you’re you’re rolling the dice a little bit on the projection um but I do think that the buzz on him especially coming out of the combine where he apparently crushed his interviews um teams just fell in love with them there and I I I could see the Sharks being one of them do you think that he because the Sharks you’re right don’t have a ton of defensive depth in their pipeline at all but do they does he have enough offense to really justify picking him with that that 14th pick is I guess the question um I I mean I think he just has that he’s an NHL defenseman you know I mean I I I think you know does he have enough offense I think it still remains to be seen I think you’re doing a lot of projecting on his offensive game sure because but you know when he has time in space he seems to do fine it’s just you know we know in the NHL you don’t have a lot of time in space so the the thing about it is is like you look at the other defenseman in that range too and and again this maybe there’s an opportunity even to trade down or something like that if you wanted to and because I think there’s a lot of value in that 14th pick um but you know I look at Adam Urich and I say well there’s he’s got some offensive capability it’s not like I’d call him an offensive defenseman either but he also missed half the season and I don’t know how he’s gonna come back from this injury he still hasn’t even started skating yet so so you know that’s that’s another thing where you’re just like that’s that’s more risk so soberg might be too safe a pick maybe but I think this is a guy that’s gonna play NHL games and he’s gonna help you win games because he’s got that nastiness to him he’s got that defensive capability um and then you know you still have high picks in the second round I think that next cluster of defenseman is really interesting as well the guys that’ll be available in the late first early second um that’s another another thing so uh yeah so it’s a it’s a fair point to raise in terms of the offense but it’s also you know where what what else do you need you you need guys that can play on your blue line and I think soberg Camp um you mentioned that soberg wasn’t necessarily though your personally ranked next defenseman so who do you have above them in sort of that maybe second tier of Defenders yeah well this is one where I always remind people that you know there’s a certain amount of risk that I’m willing to take in making a list where I’m not actually picking a team and so you’re it would be EUR a check um but it’s based on a very limited amount of views and also I would say that while his International showing this year and some of his games last year were really impressive his start to the season before he got hurt was only okay it wasn’t amazing um and the the Czech league is is notoriously difficult for young defensemen to do much in um but he was playing a pretty regular shift and he was you know doing it against men he was more than holding his own U then unfortunately got hurt immediately at the world juniors and so we that’s a huge evaluation opportunity missed when he was going to be playing massive but we go back to the Linka grety cup and it’s like he was a big reason that the Czech team won silver they did not place at the world under 18s they they were bad at the world under 18s and he wasn’t there and and his absence was felt significantly by that team and like you mentioned one one draic and suddenly the whole order goes go go goes AR and so I wonder about guys that maybe could dve to 14 that your cona helenus who I think you had 13 in your Mock and of course Carter Carter yakimchuk who might be considered the kind of the last defenseman of the elite top tier defenseman in this draft and so if one of those guys drops do you take one of those guys ahead of soberg oh yeah yeah no question absolutely no question um the way that the mock draft worked out it was like all the premium talents are gone the that was there that you could potentially consider was Cole Eiserman yeah no but but but but yeah but I just think that that’s there’s there’s enough risk there you know that that’s that might not be the fit even though hey he and Mack are good buddies you know you got you got the relationship that’s that’s cool great story maybe a little bit more exciting when you tell all your fans you got a guy that scored 127 goals of the national team development program um but I think that there’s real concern about whether or not he’s going to ultimately be a Topline scoring Winger um and if he if he isn’t is he a n you know top nine scoring Winger and then all of a sudden you’re like that’s not that’s not the kind of player that we pick at 14 and so even a forward at a helenus or I don’t know a Ken or somebody like Falls like that that’s a clear over soberg so it’s kind of like easily yeah your your draft in your mind is the first 13 picks almost then T Jose has sort of like the first pick again of the second here yeah because I mean I think you know even even in the even in the week since I dropped my ranking I I probably would have moved you know Eiserman down even more you know because after the combine things do move incrementally right um and how are his interviews at the combine I I I know about that it was mixed I think it was you know I heard I heard mixed reports I think one of the things that um there one of the one of the concerns that I’ve heard from from scouts about him is is kind of a lack of self-awareness in terms of what he needs to work on and where his defensive game really is um and you also wonder you know is that something where where he you know he’s been told one thing but it actually is it’s not going as well as maybe he’s being told you know like that’s that’s the thing is like a lot of teams still feel like you know they there there are clear deficiencies in his game that he may not be as as familiar with it kind of feels like the um there’s that that crop of like we just mentioned there’s a crop of like 13 players then there’s also some risks like iserman or Connelly and then there’s another group after that of forwards like lenko and stuff like that where maybe you take soberg just cuz the Sharks really probably don’t need another middle six or or potential middle six scorer they really need a defenseman yeah and that’s basically what I came down to what is the pick that will make the most impact for the franchise and a middle six forward would be great they can make an impact but if I believe that soberg is going to be a top or has if the if the top of his projection is top four defensemen that’s a more valuable commodity at that point although one of the names that you did mention is a name that I think is really moved up in terms of the eyes of Scouts and that is jet luchenko who is highly skilled excellent two-way player love that guy um you know the comp that I had for him is Chandler Stevenson from the Vegas golden knights where he’s just an energetic scorer and I think luchenko has ultimately has more top end skill um and scoring ability but he has this just tremendous willingness to defend and so to me at like teams should start considering him in that 13 14 range even um because I do think that there’s a lot of value that he can provide and potentially as like he’s not a big guy but he’s a center like he plays the game like a he is he is a legit two-way Center um with excellent energy and compete and he’s he’s slowly become one of my favorites in the class and and therefore you know a guy that another guy that after talking to him at the combine having spending more time seeing him you know and hearing from scouts that’s a guy that is on the rise for sure yeah actually I was going to ask you in sort of your top 13 like who outside of it is that bomb that guy that could be drafted in there that kind of blows up the the order a little bit is it Leno is it somebody else well you know I think I think people are probably not at least based on everything I’m hearing like you know Becka senica is probably gonna bust the top 10 wide open sure yeah um and and if that happens then that does create like this cascading effect of where the defenseman could potentially go and that might leave a yakam Chu or a per or somebody a little bit south of you know where we think they’re going to go um but so I think that that’s ultimately the one that that could do it Solberg is another guy too where it’s just been the talk is that he’s on the rise that they like him that that that you know there’s a lot of faith in what he can be it’s just you know there’s still that concern of did we see what did we did did we actually see what we saw or is this is that what he’s going to be or is is there you know is there a limited ceiling there because of the lack of offense I mean those are all the questions are being asked but basically I think really after you get past even even after you get past the top tier of the draft you know you’re you’re talking about guys with considerable flaws and and things that could prevent them from ultimately in their top projection but then you get into the 14 to 30 range and you’re like oh that then it’s even more pronounced at that point so uh interesting stuff there but yeah okay this is a name that I’m actually not that familiar with um you on your mock draft you had Adam clever uh defenseman from the Lincoln stars going to the sharks that pick 33 talk to me about Adam clever sell me on him on the so so so he is it’s Cleber but it’s all right cber already selling yes he’s uh he’s I just wanted I just wanted to do because I there have been a few podcasts where people said the wrong thing and I didn’t correct him and I was like ah maybe I should have then anyway yeah so I’m just I’m too Midwestern polite to to be like that but anyway so here’s the thing about Adam cber is a six foot five defenseman right shot legitimate uh just growth upside um he he moves extremely well for a player of his size um I’ve had him right in that Fringe first round range for most of the season um the reason that he I mean he might not be there at 33 there’s a there’s the off chance that he’s going to go in the first round and the reason being he his growth from year over-year was really substantial and his offensive game while his numbers were not amazing his offensive game has really come along in the last year and it’s you know he went from being a guy that can only defend isn’t going to give you any anything with the puck to a guy that handles the puck decently well makes a really good first pass gets involved offensively scored some goals this year um and on top of that he has that big Long Reach he’s got the ability to close he’s got the ability to be physical I think if anything there are teams that would like to see him get meaner at that size and be a little bit more uh sturdy but I he’s going to the University of Minnesota duth where they have done a really nice job with guys that play the way he does um they’ve it’s been a real uh place where you see defenseman get get polished up pretty well Neo Pon went there um you know Scott perunovich who’s unfortunately dealt with a lot of injuries one of Hobie Baker there Wy Kaiser’s been in out of the lineup with Chicago um you know there’s a number of other guys historically that have gone to Minnesota duth under Scott sandalin as well and have come out you know Pro ready um six foot five right shot defenseman are very difficult to find um you know obviously 14 is too rich but 33 is like almost I feel like you’re almost getting another first round pick um out of it you know the the Sharks invest a lot of time in scouting the us as well and so you’ve got a lot of guys that are that are seeing those players a lot and and not just one person on staff but multiple people on staff and you know I just think that nobody’s really sure where cleer is going to go to be honest with you you talking there’s a lot of varying opinions there are some that don’t think the offense is going to be there there’s some that don’t that you know that that aren’t buying at all but but I do think to me he’s a very early day two pick at worst uh and so in the end I just felt like as you’re still building that team out you know you’ve got Muk Mullan you got thrund the question will be like who’s there like one guy on the mock draft who I’ve strongly considered putting there is Nikita aranov who who went in the next pick um and he’s in the first round for me personally it’s just a matter of you know one of the reasons I I didn’t put him on there is as a sharks pick is because of shang’s reporting that they don’t have a a Russian Scout anymore you know not that that matters but it’s like you know they they know the players they don’t have a scout in Russia they have they don’t have a scout in Russia exactly so theyve sent their leader Slovakian Scout in there that yeah by the way that was still one of the most uh in entertaining reads I’ve I’ve had Shang this year is learning about that whole process but it’s a fantastic time that was a great five minutes of my career yeah you’ve been on fire this year buddy you’ve had a lot of good ones this year so yeah the but the um yeah so I mean like that’s the thing it’s like Cleber playing for the Lincoln Stars this year just tremendous growth and I I like the player an awful lot I think he’s a a good kid too and High character guy and and yeah so there’s a lot to like about yeah six fo five right shot defenseman that don’t skate like they’re in mud don’t last very long it doesn’t matter yeah like I said I will be you know if he goes in the first you know in somewhere in the 28 to 32 range it won’t Shock Me MH another um USHL pick at 42 I’m going to probably mispronounce it as well matf gidden you got it yeah nailed it way to go Keegan all right that one um talk to me about him so this was this would be the um I guess the first forward after celebrini for the Sharks yeah I think I I think when you’re picking in that early second round you’ve got a couple of different ways that you can go and obviously with you get a Cleber who’s that guy that just profiles like an NHL defenseman um and and a and a scarce product is a right shot with size um you get a guy in gidden who was the leading scorer in the USHL this year so he’s a Russian but you didn’t have to go to Russia to scout him um he’s already here he’s already here uh he’s going to the University of Michigan he is high skill he’s got good size I think if there’s one thing that people were unsure about with him it’s that you know his sometimes the the compete level can Wayne sometimes the decisions aren’t great but I also think you know the only guy in recent draft years that have that that outscored grien in his draft season that was like a legitimate Prospect was Matt Coronado just a couple years ago and he went 15th overall and that’s the only like you think about all the other guys and that’s going way back you know for for a lot of these players and um I just think that that the top of grian’s game is really impressive like he he he has skill he scores he you know he’s he’s got some when he when he wants to battle he he can do it he has some strength to him and I think going to college is actually gonna be able to pull more of that out of him because the game’s gonna increase in the pace and he’s gonna have to increase with it and you know he went from I think he had 19 points he barely played you know in his first season in the USHL just had a real hard time adjusting and then he exploded this year and I don’t think it was a fluke um you know it was funny we talked to him at the combine and and he saying what was the thing the scouts said they most wanted to see you improve on he said my body language and I was like yeah I get that because you know he kind of he kind of wears his emotions on him and when the game’s not going well and that can be a problem like and that that that might actually drop him down the draft boards considerably but I think at when you’re picking in that range the upside on a player with that offensive profile um is is and size frankly is hard to get in that range and so I just think you know take advantage of some of those concerns and let him fall into your lap and and get him in a more palatable range uh and that’s basically what I I felt and why I put him with the sharks and the sharks have a history of drafting Russians from The mosan Lumberjacks even the goose is loose baby the goose is loose yeah we love it I mean I think they’re probably a little bit different sized but you know yeah the upside Factor on grien is higher um I love I love Gan um you know but yeah I have to ask every single like pundit that comes on about Gan because I love them too yeah I mean I loved them in a certain yeah no this is just for my own enjoyment anyways go ahead Shang you’re next I was wondering who else you see of possible interest for the Sharks profile at 33 and 42 one thing that speaking with Chris morouse at the combine that he alluded to were their picks last year at 26 and 36 Quenton musty and Casper Halton where with both of those guys talking with Chris the sense I got was that that’s a place that they still are kind of they’re kind of swinging big at still not just size but in terms of potential right and sounds very much in that profile of musty and Halton in but anyway anybody else that you see that kind of Might line in that area for you yeah you know I think I think one of the guys that could potentially be available there um in the early second round is Emil Heming um you know big guy you know kind of sounds like hton Andes yeah absolutely you know I mean I think that that’s that’s a guy um you know if if Dean lero is able to slip into that 33 that’s one where you say but I mean I just I just don’t see a 6 fo s guy falling into the second round if there’s any team that believes he has any chance to reach reach his ceiling um you know that’s another guy uh Liam green tree has another guy where I don’t think he’s gonna fall out of the first round but he could potentially because he’s not a great skater but he’s a elite hockey sense high-end skill so that’s another guy that I have a lot of time for yeah uh I first with Hemi I wanted to say I think I may have told the story a couple weeks ago but it was I I found it highly amusing I talked to Emil a little bit at the combine I didn’t really know him before but I think someone had told me that that’s a name maybe look for with the sharks and I asked him or I heard he talked he talked about how his shot that’s like his big thing right I was like oh he’s finished shot is his big thing maybe he knows Casper Halton so I asked am hey do you know Casper Halton and he said yeah I know I know Casper and I said well both of you guys are very proud of your shot who has a better shot and said that he does and to let C know that so I told that story a couple weeks ago so I want to put that out there that you’re being challenged there Casper I wanted to ask you too though next uh so Lor you mentioned and so he is also another name that I’ve heard that the sharks are asking around about another guy I wonder about is Eliason Gabriel Eliason defenseman for Sweden actually in a profile of big can skate and maybe not do a lot more than that big skate and mean very mean actually though from what I understand but anyway what is your impression of Elias who maybe not at 42 but maybe in a in a later round yeah so Eliason is a really interesting guy he’s one of you one of the biggest guys at the combine um you know uh I just I like the player in terms of the skating profile the physicality the size but I think the hockey sense is prob possibly prohibitive to him making it now that’s not to say that he’s not going to be given every opportunity to make it and should be because I think that there when you have the size that he does when you skate as well as he does there’s got to be something there but there isn’t a penalty he doesn’t love to take like it just it is it is he got he took one of the so there were two penalties at the world under 18 Championship that I will remember forever because of how much they destroyed their teams in the end and it’s he took a major or not he took a just a cost his team a power play on a retaliatory penalty did not play for the rest of the tournament after that dressed sat on the bench then Trevor Connelly’s major penalty that yeah they gave up three Power Play Goals on those two I’ll remember and those stick out but the thing was is that I think a also had maybe six miners leading up to that or seven miners like it was just and they were they were unnecessary and so it’s when I see that I like okay do you have the awareness do you have the um the self- control sure um but elon’s also interesting because he’s coming to the USHL next year um which means he’s probably gonna have to drop the gloves more than a few times if he does that um the other thing that is happening is he’s going to go to college um so if I’m an NHL team and I’m seeing that I’m saying well I’m buying he’s buying us more years to make a decision on him he’s buying us time to you know give him that contract and um I’m not entirely sure what the rules are going to be like he’s getting drafted out of Sweden so I you know but he’s not going to be with a Swedish team so I don’t know how that impacts like his draft rights um moving forward but he’s intriguing player it’s just one of those things where I did list him but I personally would not take him before the third round well to quote Dean or paraphrase Dean Lombardi you can’t you can’t paint tiger stripes on a house cat and so I I don’t you you can’t I had one one Scout described him to me is as evil so [Music] evil I love it there’s that there there there there is that um so after the second and Elison sounds like he’s he’s one guy that that fits this category for you at least any other prospects that sound like potential sharks to you sharks Gap in their picks of course after their 42nd pick is quite a bit it’s 42 to 85 and then after that it’s fairly regular but any other guys just kind of stand out to you any sleeper is guys yeah um you know it’s hard to say I think there’s a lot of guys that are are intriguing um throughout the draft in a lot of different ways I mean if you’re you look at the various positions you know where can you find Value um you know I look at if I’m if we’re talking like in the 80s you know a guy that has size and some upside and still a lot of game to get to is Hagen buroughs from uh he played at minetonka High School this year and played for the Sous City Musketeers we’re talking about again another American player um but with that size profile and then also some offensive ability he’s going to spend an extra year in the USHL uh and Sous City before going to the University of Denver I’m pretty sure um he may be going straight into Denver I gotta I’ll have to double check that but but either way he’s you know he’s a very interesting player um in that realm you know I had Elias in 82nd on my board uh on my list so you know so he’s in in that in that range too um you know I think uh Team Cole a defenseman from Russia good size Matt V shuravan another defenseman good size uh shavin was on my midseason list but not on my last list um but he was right in the middle right in the mix of that you know if I was going like 105 he probably would have been in there but I think he’ll probably go that’s a player that I actually think could potentially go anywhere from the second to the fourth round I just have no idea what teams are really making of him um aside from you know good size and Mobility um but those are those are names to at least keep INE eye out for um you know I think that there there’s a number of other guys like uh hecky ruin is one of the last guys one of the later guys on my board a finish player he’s he’s coming over to uh the us as well he’s gonna play for debuk next season who’s the number one pick in the USHL draft um and he’s got a little bit of size he he had a really nice under 18 World Championship especially at the end where he was a you know scoring goals but you know good effort level good energy um probably a middle six to bottom six forward um and so an interesting player there so there’s plenty of I mean there’s always options and the sharks are going to you know they do their their work just like everybody else does and um you know they’ll they’ll have they’ll have some really good good opportunities to to build onto their staff but I mean obviously those first four picks are critical like absolutely critical I mean this is a draft you feel like you have to get as right as humanly possible you you feel that way about all drafts but the urgency is a lot higher when you’re in the position the sharks are in having won the Lottery and you know having an opportunity to make a big splash it’s um it’s also the Sharks currently have I I think no goal tending prospects in their system in their pipeline uh they they have a few guys that play for the Barracuda that we like very much and I I love Magnus Corona just for his story and his name um and Georgie Romanov had a good year but they they feel like they’re missing any kind of go ending Prospect and they missed on their last two with Mason bit and um good R good r thank you I was was like bing on his name for a second yeah I black don’t want to remember yeah no I know benro um is there any go ending prospect that kind of excites you for that 85th pick um I mean I think that some of the guys are going to be I just don’t know what order the goalies are going to go in and when the run on goalies is going to start it’s a really weak year to be looking for goalies it’s not a great it’s not a great time I mean I think I look at some of the guys that you know at least are on my list you know Carter George but he’s kind of in that not the right NHL size you know like he he’s he’s 61 really good hockey sense you know good technique helped Canada win gold at that that world world under 18s I mean he did give up four goals in the final but still it was you know like he he could have given up 12 the way that the US was playing at various points of that game um you know and so that’s a guy that you know probably will be there at that point maybe Mel yagor who was the number one he was the number one goalie on my board and then also uh NHL Central scouting as the number one North American goalie a great interview yeah yeah great interview yeah you were in that scri that he just really thoughtful kid and but he’s got that size he’s got the NHL size what he didn’t have was a was a season where you’re like oh that those numbers are are great you know he played on the worst team in the USHL and they were he was hung out to dry so much but you see the Pro Foundation of his game so you know you’re taking a bit of a risk on a goalie there um you know so I think if the right goalie finds his way to that slot then that’s probably a good time to take them because they’ll I I assume once the run on goalie starts it’ll continue for a little bit um that seems to be just they all kind of cluster together at some point so um but yeah that guys like that Marcus gof is another one uh Swedish goalie big big frame you you know he’s he’s kind of risen up the ranks a little bit himself so uh it’s just yeah it’s not not a great year to be looking for goal tending help um but again how many goalies do we see go in the third fourth fifth round that pan out to be starters plenty of them so uh you never really know until you know seemed like last year that was the um what happened was like there was a run in the second and the Sharks kind of were left out without a goalie right I think Jacob Fowler went a couple picks ahead of of uh where they took um swaboda swaboda for where they took BR swaboda so seemed like it at least that was my that’s my own personal Theory I’ve never confirm that with them yeah no I think cor went like a 10 picks earlier so no I don’t I don’t know if you’re I think I think that generally that like you both of you allude to that there is sort of that that but uh well Chris I want to thank you so much for your time I want to take you out with one more question a Keegan are are you done with draft questions okay I want to ask you about Will Smith and you actually led to earlier in the show I actually have been dying to ask you this um why was he not a finalist for the hobby Baker like how does that voting work you like do you vote for that or just anyway and what are the reasons that people have given for not putting them in there um well I I do not have a vote I’ve never voted on the Hobie Baker award I’ve covered College hockey for almost 15 years and I’ve never once voted for the award that’s [ __ ] it is it is voted it is voted on by committee the committee includes coaches it includes um uh former players it includes media okay um and it includes broadcasters and other stakeholders and and like Commissioners and things like that and they actually have calls and debates and then it’s silent balloted and um I remember the the I remember hearing uh a tale from one of the people that was on the committee when uh Johnny gud won it and it was so clearly Johnny gud and they like started having a little bit of a debate and one of the college coaches said what are we doing stop it we already know what this is we don’t have to overthink it um but I think the the Hobie committee has often um it changes it’s not always the same group of people um but they have often leaned towards you know it’s got to be like a historic season for an underclassman to win which Will Smith season was pretty much it was it was on Pace with Jack eel and and and Kyle Connor um but also the the voting happens before the Frozen four so um so you know it does the final vote is right after the um the Regionals which should have been more than enough to push him over but uh you know I think cutter goce was the leading goal scorer in the country and then um I don’t even like I’m trying to think we had celebrini go and I I can’t even remember who was was thir Jackson Blake oh yeah Jackson Blake yeah so I can’t I I can’t tell you why so yeah okay okay I just was K I’ve been I’ve been dying to ask you that because I just could I understand there’s also a case that zeve boam should have been yeah in the season was insane it could have been all three freshman but they they decided not to do that oh yeah we didn’t even me we got this whole podcast without mentioning Z booya like is he just not even in the shark there’s yeah there’s just no way no way he gets out of the top 10 I don’t think unless they trade up and somehow he’s there at like eight but it’s going to be hard I would imagine if he’s still there crazy question Chris I asked Kean this last week just a quick one here would you trade 14 33 and 42 to get up to say seven and draft boam or any any any of these prospects yeah I would yeah would okay I would I think yeah 143 if I if I boam or yeah boam is one of the guys that I would do that for C is another one I would do that for although it doesn’t maybe not if you’re the Sharks because of um you know that but I think those yeah I mean Le leev shanov to me is gonna be he’ll be long gone so I don’t think anybody’s number two so okay yeah okay and the last question about Will Smith just your general thoughts of him coming out do you think that this is a mistake for him to come out and also too how many points do you think he’ll come up with next year [Laughter] I may we may have had this conversation off air oh we did we did which is why I’m asking you so yeah see you say the same thing so yeah yeah yeah so so here’s my thoughts like generally I want to preface all this by saying that I think Will Smith is an absolutely Elite Prospect he is incredible he had an amazing season as a freshman I never ever once doubted that he was going to have a dominant Point production season as a true freshman in college hockey I expected it sure that’s not why I’m not a huge fan of him coming out I I still think there is a level that he can get to at the college game that is going to be harder for him to achieve in his first year in the NHL um and the reason being is that unfortunately and I mean you guys are as painfully aware as anybody else this is not going to be very good hockey team next year even if you have both Will Smith and Ma celebrating you just got could well yeah yeah exactly and and I do love the title Andrea trade I think it’s a good trade but the the um the the issue with with that with you know is is just physical Readiness um The Grind that’s coming he went to the world championship and really couldn’t stay in the line up didn’t impact the games that he played in um and so the fact that he came out after that as if it wasn’t a example of why he shouldn’t come out um is kind of interesting the only thing is like you can never make a mistake staying an extra year almost never like if it depends in the league like if if Ivan demidov ends up in the MHL for a third straight season that’s bad like that’s not good but but College hockey is such that it’s kind of the hybrid of Junior and the AHL because of the age of the players the quality of the competition the structure that teams play with and the one thing that I think if you’re the Sharks you’re saying well now we did get him away from Ryan Leonard and and Gabe perau and now we can maybe really see like how much of how much he’s able to do without them I’ve watched him enough to know that he’ll be fine you know like he’s he’s one of the more intelligent hockey players I’ve seen But physically the NHL is going to grind on him next year I could see a Scara where we like I liken it a bit to like Shane Wright last year they or two years ago they tried and tried and tried to get him you know and he was playing like every couple of games and and then they sent him to the World Juniors and then they sent him to the AHL and then they sent him back to Junior like that’s the thing that you wouldn’t want to see happen like I think if Will Smith is comfortable with the the possibility that he’s going to have to play for the Barracuda at some point next season then by all means that’s fine but if if that becomes an untenable situation for I mean it’s he’s just the thing the reason that I’m I I gives me pause he’s just too important a player to not take every precaution that his NHL career is on the right track I think next year is going to be a confident shaking year for him it’s not going to destroy him or anything like that but he’s not going to do what he’s going to what he’s been able to do and when you talk about points I don’t think he’ll touch 40 points next year I think it’ll be somewhere in the 30 to 35 range um and that’s also given we don’t know what the sharks are going to look like around him at that point if it’s Barkley gdo and and you know and Ty delandria I’m not sure that’s gonna move the needle to a you enough to to help him um and I think that’s also the reason why when we’ve heard mlin celebrini talk about the potential of going back which I don’t think he will but if he did I get it because it’s not just about him it’s about the Sharks it’s about where they are and what what next season’s going to look like and there are lessons you can learn at the NHL level but the NHL has also broken plenty of prospects too before they ever had a chance to really reach their full potential so the only thing is I’m T I’m coming at it from a point of over cautiousness sure because I want to make it very clear I believe in Will Smith as a prospect I believe that he could be a star player in the NHL I believe he can be the the the robin to mlin cbr’s Batman and there are going to be times where we actually wonder who is Batman and who is Robin just as we did with Taves and Kane and so I do think that’s possible I just think you have to give him every opportunity to make sure you get this absolutely right and that that means being comfortable with sending him to the AHL being comfortable with sending him to the World Juniors being comfortable with with maybe not having that immediate impact um and I think the the other thing that I’m also curious about is you know Will Smith saw after the fact you know while he was at the world championship with Team USA when the Sharks won the lottery so then he now knows that Macklin celebrini is on the clock would you and if it would would you want to fall behind a year of that player that’s what I wonder if that was part of the motivation but now you also if you’re the sharks from a business standpoint you’re talking about two players whose contracts are going to be on on the same timeline you know which which is fine I mean like I don’t know if it matters um but that makes for some challenging things I mean we’ve seen it happen with you know the the the Maple Leafs have to get this guy this guy this guy and this guy done you know and you have the the Blackhawks ended up you know signing Taves and Kane to 10 and a half million dollar contracts and that was not it wasn’t the end of the dynasty at that point but it got pretty close uh you know like like it started the trajectory away um the good news is that the salary Cap’s going so it probably won’t matter but I you know as long as the it’s a development first season for Will Smith and it’s about keeping him confident and building his confidence and making sure that he’s understanding what it takes to be a pro it it could be a successful season but I would not anticipate at being an impactful season for him just because I think that there’s enough that he still needs to get to in his physical development and then also even to a certain extent his hockey development because there are certainly things he was doing in college last year that aren’t going to work in the NHL um but there’s a lot of things that he did that will so um I’m excited to watch it I mean I think it’s if you ask any team in the league about the having both a Will Smith and a mlin celebrini they’re gonna feel real good about where they’re at so I’m excited to see where it all goes yeah fair enough that you may not have Will Smith as an early cder candidate but just want to make sure your thoughts on celebrini though that you feel a little more sure of him stepping right into NHL and being a cder trophy candidate next year I don’t know if I’d say a cder trophy candidate I would say that you know he’s I think because he’s a little bit more physically sturdy and I think he’s a more complete player he would be able to impact the game in more ways um whereas I think Will Smith would be talking about a guy that’s going to be very sheltered um protected um whereas I think celebrini probably can handle a little bit more of that you know get in there so okay um yeah and then I I actually question that kind of like comes off of this but uh is there any chance you think that Will Smith transitions to Wing guess that that’s been brought up a few times yeah I mean that’s going to be that’s going to be very interesting to to figure out um I think it’s possible I still think that he’s a play driving you know Center um uh he’s the fact that you have ma Macklin to be that real solid two-way guy allows Will Smith to be I think having celebrini on top of Smith is is a allows will to play that more offensive Drive play driving forward game because you know that celebrini is gonna get the tougher matchups and the different things like that so and then that makes you tougher to match up against which I think is exciting right that’s like what Smith was doing the world juniors where they had like the line Play Down um they uh kind of dominated that way yep yeah I mean yeah and he’s and it BC as well yeah yeah absolutely I mean and and yeah eventually he became you know he won’t be denied you know like that’s the thing is he he finds a way to impact games and um I I I just I really really enjoy watching Will Smith play I really hope the Sharks you know get it right with both of these guys because we’d be talking about you know one of the more entertaining Duos that we’ll we’ll see in the league if they both hit the top of their projection love it Chris you’ve uh said plenty today it seems like yes thank you so much yeah I just I mean I’m just here to restore well remember I think was was it the last time I was on I was here to destroy hope yeah and then yeah and then and then and then this time I’ve restored it so I feel like I brought balance back to the force thank you I’m wearing all block too I I love this I know I know I felt I feeling I was feeling like going negative but you know but no today I’m we’re we all sunshine and Rainbow yeah exactly I’ve talked to a lot of of different places where it’s like you know we’re picking 22nd and I was like yeah good luck you know whatever you’re gonna get somebody guy gonna be a guy yeah yeah so um we just we were like beaming over here in the entire past couple weeks yeah I mean and you should like just as a la as a final message to sharks fans in this PSA of of Joy um you know I just think that this is a really exciting time for the franchise it’s going to take a a lot of patience still because there’s a lot of building left to do and as we’ve seen you can’t just do it with two guys and there have been plenty of rebuilds that have taken a really long time but if you have that centerpiece that you can build around and you know obviously Edmonton was the was the example where they had a bunch of first overall picks and it didn’t work out but then they did get that foundational piece in Conor McDavid and it did work out eventually um you know I think the sharks have had to not have to go through that pain they won’t have to go through that pain with with ma uh with ma celebrini um and just take care of him because he’s a nice young man I hope that he does really well there and I hope that uh you know that that that the the Sharks and and and teal is back on top here I mean it’s it’s not the 90s anymore but teal is very much still in fashion in my house so uh let’s go uh yeah let’s let’s feel the teal again the future is teal guys the future is future is teal gonna have to celebrate he’s going to have to dodge all the Shang hit pieces that are going to come out you know yeah I know well as long as he’s Scout as long as he’s not scouting Russian players he’ll be fine so yeah all right guys thank you so much Chris all right Chris thank you so much we’ll see you in Vegas all right see you buddy [Music]
Chris Peters joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!
Peters says people are underrating…Macklin Celebrini? He also thinks winning the Draft Lottery could well be the second-most important day in San Jose Sharks’ history. Chris also chats about other 2024 Draft targets for the Sharks and why he thinks Will Smith should’ve stayed in school.
But before we get to Peters (1:27:00), we discuss a busy off-season week for the Sharks.
What are our thoughts about the Ty Dellandrea trade? (2:14)
Could all the moves this week be a prelude to dealing Mikael Granlund or Nico Sturm at the Trade Deadline?
Sheng shares his four stages of Barclay Goodrow acceptance, from the San Jose Sharks claiming Goodrow to the revelation that the Sharks were on Goodrow’s No-Trade List. (14:56)
Regardless, Sheng makes the case for adding Goodrow. (35:32)
Finally, Keegan shares his personal top-32 2024 Draft rankings, highlighting his underrated favorites like Konsta Helenius, Jett Luchanko, and Andrew Basha. Who would Sheng and Keegan take at No. 14? (53:21)
Now, Chris Peters (1:27:00)!
Peters hypes up Celebrini, explaining why the soon-to-be San Jose Sharks’ No. 1 pick is underrated, and why winning the Draft Lottery could be the second-most important day in franchise history. (1:27:22)
In his most recent mock draft, Peters picked defenseman Stian Solberg for the Sharks at No. 14. We also discuss other options there like Cole Eiserman and Adam Jiricek. How did Solberg and Eiserman interview at the Combine? What if Konsta Helenius or Carter Yakemchuk drop? (1:39:31)
Peters also picked defenseman Adam Kleber at No. 33 and winger Matvei Gridin at No. 42 for the Sharks, why? Who else looks like a Mike Grier-type in the second round? (1:52:02)
Sheng asks Peters about two prospects who he’s been hearing that the San Jose Sharks are sniffing around on, center Dean Letourneau and defenseman Gabriel Eliasson. Peters says one of these prospects was described to him, light-heartedly, as “evil”. (2:02:01)
Peters also shares his thoughts about possible Sharks-type prospects after the second round, along with the goalies in this draft class. (2:05:26)
Finally, Peters opines on why Will Smith wasn’t a Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalist, and why he thinks Smith should’ve stayed in school another year. (2:11:48)
5 comments
I was so puzzled as to why they sent him away.
Chris is correct regarding Macklin. Let's go! 🦈🤙🏼
The Sharks last year weren't worse than the previous year because they got Zadina and Duclair over "hard to play against" guys, they were worse because they didn't have Karlsson and Meier. They also tried to get guys like Tyler Myers and Tarasenko.
Goodrow sucks.
What about Henry Mews👀🤔
Grier bodied sheng at the warsofsky presser