Post-Draft Thoughts and Reflections

by Redwing77

The 2015 NHL draft is over and with it, lots of news from highly drafted players from BU to highly baffling decisions by Boston.  Intriguing to be sure.

UND had four players drafted in Boeser, Tomek, Wolanin, and Wilkie.  Honestly, if you read a lot about the surprise about Wolanin's draft, be so.  He was unranked on the rankings and was slated to be undrafted yet went in the 4th round.

This isn't unheard of for UND freshmen.  Remember:  Brett Bruneteau was drafted in the 4th round by Washington and he wasn't on anyone's boards.

This doesn't mean much.  Going from what Sirius Radio analysts opine, those taken in the 4th round or later are various project picks designated boom or bust in various levels of perceived values (in other words, a project pick taken in the 4th round is seen to have more of a possibility or upside than one taken in the 7th round).  Pretty straight forward, not out on the limb type stuff.

In other news, former UND commit turned flake Ryan Gropp got drafted in the second round.  Good for him.  I'm sure he'll light it up at...wherever.

To me, the biggest winners from the NHL Draft:

1.  The QMJHL.  It seems like every other pick came from the Q.
2.  Michigan U.  The Wolverines led the NCAA in NHL draft picks with 7
3.  China.  Their first ever NHL draft pick came in this year's draft.  I didn't know Yao Ming could skate (ha ha ha.. no really, this kid, Song is his last name, seems to be a pretty decent skater)
4.  BU and BC had great representation in the first two rounds
5.  Team USA:  MANY drafted
6.  Buffalo and Edmonton.  Edmonton drafted and traded well, but I think Buffalo was the best overall in every respect on draft day.

Losers:

1.  Boston Bruins.  Sorry Goon.  First, they trade for Martin Jones.  Why?  I guess that's a strong endorsement for Malcolm Subban's development?  They couldn't keep Svedberg (who Siriux/XM said Boston had soured over but I didn't think he was all that bad) but really...  Sean McIndoe (@DownGoesBrown) tweeted:  Martin Jones: I hate being stuck behind an all-star on a long term deal. Agent: You just got traded. Jones: Awesome! Where to? Agent: Um...

And the three picks.  Ok, the two picks.  The #13 pick was fine.  The other two?  Sorry.  There were FAR FAR FAR better players on the board.  In fact, the #15 pick, Senyshyn, wasn't on anyone's draft board before the Boston's 4th pick, #39 in the second round so they could have chosen someone like UMich commit Kyle Connor or Matthew Barzal.

I know Goon's a big B's fan and will probably disagree with me but this is NOT a good debut for Don Sweeney.  Sadly, a snarky commentby Sean McIndoe (@DownGoesBrown) stated "$100 to Chiarelli if he goes up there for this pick and leads off with "Miss me yet, Boston?"

Hindsight might prove me wrong.  Senyshyn may be a great pick.  Debrusk might be a great pick.  But only hindsight will change most people's minds.

For the record, however, I think trading Lucic was a good idea.  Sometimes you have to let a guy you love go.  I remember when my Wings let Federov go.  Now, that wasn't as amicable a parting as Lucic's situation, but still... I loved Federov.  As for Hamilton, I think money was the issue, sure, but there is NO WAY.. NO ING WAY Calgary's offer was the best out there, even if Boston didn't want to trade him to Edmonton.  NO WAY.

2.  Vancouver Canucks:  Another awesome snarky comment on Twitter:  Fear The Fin ‏@fearthefin Jun 27

Five years ago the Canucks had Roberto Luongo, Cory Schneider and Eddie Lack. Now they have no cash, no jobs and no goaltending.

Ok, I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with "no" goaltending.  Ryan Miller is a good goaltender, but sadly he's no longer great.  And Jacob Markstromm is actually looking to be solid.  I've seen him play on TV a few times and he looked inconsistent but solid.  In other words, a Swedish Marc Andre Fleury.

3.  Pittsburgh Penguins:  They did nothing.  Nothing at all.  Well, they were talked about a lot in the Kessel sweepstakes.  They were mentioned in acquiring Jeff Skinner from Carolina.... but Pierre McGuire couldn't even make the Penguins relevant in this year's draft.  They need cap relief and the Pens didn't seem to care to do it this way, whereas many other teams did.

4.  Peter Chiarelli - Former B's GM and current Edmonton GM called Florida a city.  Good for you Peter. 

5.  Pierre McGuire - Just because he's got no excuse for being as ill-informed as he always seems to be.  If it isn't related to Crosby, he doesn't know.  Time for TSN to assign a "minder" to McGuire to stop him from sticking his foot in his mouth.  Oh, and if he's going to be between the benches, he needs to wear a helmet.  He's been hit a few too many times.

Clayton Stoner Cross-Checks Andrew Shaw in the Face

Anaheim Ducks defenseman Clayton Stoner was very lucky that he's still in the game. Stoner cross-checks Marcus Kruger from behind, causing him to slide face first into the end boards. Kruger suffered a minor cut for his efforts.

But Stoner wasn't done. The Ducks defender goes on to perform oral surgery on Andrew Shaw.

To quote Brendan Shanahan, "this was a blatant attempt to injure an opponent." In other words, this was an egregious act that deserved a penalty. Also, I think that Shaw has an expectation to not be cross-checked in the face. The play is basically over.

If I was the commissioner of the NHL, these are the types of plays that would be highly punished. My question is, would this hit be worthy of a call from the Department of Player Safety. Is this suspension worthy?

Odds for the Stanley Cup

Odds to win the 2015 Stanley Cup

New York Rangers                     13/4 

Chicago Blackhawks                 4/1 

Anaheim Ducks                         9/2 

Minnesota Wild                         11/2 

Montreal Canadiens                   13/2 

Tampa Bay Lightning                 15/2 

Washington Capitals                  9/1 

Calgary Flames                         12/1 

The odds to win the Stanley Cup come from Bovada,

Alex Burrows Gets Lucky

First, Alex Burrows hit on Johnny Gaudreau was dirty bush-league hit, but what do you expect from a clown like Burrows? Second, Burrows is lucky he wasn't given an instigator penalty. If I was the on-ice official, Burrows would be sitting tomorrow night.

Third, Calgary's Kris Russell had the opportunity of a lifetime. Burrows challenged him to a fight. Russell should have lit Burrows up like a pinball machine.

(1) Upon standard review mandated by Rule 46. 22, NHL has determined that VAN's Alex Burrows shall not be suspended for Game 4 vs. Calgary.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 20, 2015

(2) Incident deemed "not related to the score, previous incidents in the game or prior games, retaliatory in nature, "message sending."
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) April 20, 2015

I keep hearing how some fans are offended about what transpired last night. This is why I like the playoffs, there's so much drama and energy in the games. You have villains and you have the scrums and dustups.

Game-Ending Brawl Costs Flames Coach Bob Hartley 50,000

I guess you could say that Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley got his money's worth. At the end of last night's game between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks, there was a massive line brawl between the two teams.

Line brawl aside, the Canucks won the game 4-1.

Needless to say, the NHL was less than impressed with the incident and Hartley has been fined $50,000 by the league for his team's antics. Somewhere, former Vancouver Canucks head coach John Tortorella is smiling from ear-to-ear.

NEW YORK – Calgary Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley has been fined $50,000 for his responsibility for the incident that took place with 1:17 remaining in regulation of the first-round playoff game in Vancouver on Friday, April 17, the National Hockey League announced today. The fine was issued in accordance with By-Law 17.3 (a) for conduct prejudicial to or against the welfare of the League.

In addition, the National Hockey League announced that the game misconduct penalty assessed to Calgary Flames defenseman Deryk Engelland for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of regulation has been rescinded.

Hartley was fined $25,000 for a similar incident during the 2013-14 regular season.

The fine money goes to the NHL Foundation.

Check out this impressive box score of the incident in question. That's a lot of penalty minutes.

Providence Forward Mark Jankowski Won't Travel to North Dakota

The Providence Friars beat writer Mark Divver tweeted that junior center Mark Jankowski won't be making the trip to North Dakota this weekend when UND plays Providence College at the Ralph this weekend. That's a significant loss for Providence College.

During his career at P.C., Jankowski has scored (20g-23a—43pts) in 73 games. Jankowski was drafted by the Calgary Flames in the first round of the 2012 NHL draft.

Jankowski (upper body) won't travel to N. Dakota, per Nate Leaman. Was questionable to play, but had been expected to make trip as of Mon.
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) October 22, 2014

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Calgary Flames Forward Johnny Gaudreau Scores 1st Goal of the 2014-15 Season

Former Boston College Eagles All-American forward Johnny Gaudreau scored his first goal of the 2014-15 season last night. As you can see, Johnny Hockey's first goal was a thing of beauty. The Calgary Flames rookie has scored (1g-1a--2pts) in six games.

Calgary Herald: Scouts’ subterfuge played big role in Flames snaring Johnny Gaudreau at 2011 NHL draft

#485119909 / gettyimages.com

Interesting story about former Boston College Eagles Johnny Gaudreau. Reading the article, I am sure that you will see a few familiar names thrown out in this article. Gaudrea is one of the most prolific players to play college hockey in some time. It will be interesting to see how he does with the Calgary Flames this season.

Scott Cruickshank, Calgary Herald — They liked him. They liked him a lot.

So they wanted to avoid tipping their hand. No easy thing in a world as small as hockey’s.

To keep their degree of admiration hidden, they didn’t approach the player — not even once — leading up to the 2011 National Hockey League draft. And they took secrecy one step further by not talking to the boy’s junior coach, either.

Why? Because they knew that Peter Chiarelli, general manager of the Boston Bruins, had an ownership stake in the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints and, should they pick the brain of skipper Jim Montgomery, word of their interest could trickle back to Beantown.

But the Calgary Flames, with stealth, did their homework on Johnny Gaudreau.

Repeated viewings, of course. Also casual discussions with opposing coaches. These chats, by design, were kept lighthearted.

Video: Frankie Corrado Elbow on Johnny Gaudreau

First, Frankie Corrado is a bozo for his dirty elbow on Johnny Gaudreau. There's no excusing this type of hit. This is a dirty hit that needs to be eliminated from the game of hockey. Checking out his stats, Corrado is nothing more than a two-bit hack that will have a hard time cracking an NHL line up.

Former Wild Forward Devin Setoguchi signed by the Calgary Flames

Former Minnesota Wild forward Devin Setoguchi has been signed by the Calgary Flames. It would appear that the Flames got a bargain signing Setoguchi for $750,000. One could make the argument, that his is a smart contract, especially if he recovers from the miserable season that he had last season and scores 20 goals. That would be a big win for the Flames.

CGY signs Devin Setoguchi. One year. $750K AAV.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) August 23, 2014

Score, Six players who will never win a Stanley Cup

Jarome Iginla and 5 other players who will never win a Stanley Cup. http://t.co/OjqYATTn0U pic.twitter.com/MQIWcT8y12
— theScore (@theScore) July 17, 2014

Interesting list by the Score. Noticed Phil Kessel and Alex Ovechkin are part of this list.

Johnny Gaudreau's Amazing Goal versus Germany

Another former college hockey player with an amazing goal at the World Championships. This goal by former Boston College Eagale forward Johnny Gaudreau's helped lead Team USA’s 5-4 victory German this past Tuesday at the World Championships. This might be a preview of thing to come in Calgary.

Dobber Hockey on Corban Knight

#478282597 / gettyimages.com

Here's what Brad Wilson from Dobber Hockey had to say about former Fighting Sioux forward Corban Knight. Check it out.

Observations:

May 2014 - Knight is a spark-plug. He is skating from the time he steps on the ice till he hits the bench. A work-horse some would say. He turned in 45 points in 70 games and was a plus-11 for the Heat in his first season as a pro. He also suited up for seven games for the Flames scoring his first NHL goal in the stint. Knight will battle for a third line center spot on the big club when camp starts up and depending where the chips fall he could see some time in the NHL. I feel it is a little early yet to say he will stick full time but once he has another season under his belt the picture should be a lot clearer. Knight needs to concentrate on making an impact right away as there are plenty of other options to scoop up his spot. One thing he has going for him is he is above average in the face-off circle. If he can translate that into the NHL his stock will rise considerably. Brad Wilson

Johnny Gaudreau First Career NHL Goal (Video)

Former Boston College Eagle and Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Johnny Gaudreau scores his first NHL goal, in his first game with the Calgary Flames.

Calgary Flames: Corban Knight wins it for Calgary in the Shootout

GOOD KNIGHT!
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 15, 2014

Former Fighting Sioux forward Corban Knight has played six games in his NHL career and he's starting to make an impact, albeit playing fourth-line minutes. Tonight, Knight scored the winning shootout goal for the Flames

“@NHLFlames: Didn't catch the #CGYDAL shootout? Have no fear, we've got your back (VIDEO) ~ http://t.co/DeGcwKBaa1”
— Kai (superman) (@KaiKnightTurcan) March 15, 2014

Corban Knight Post Game Interview

.@CorbanKnight talks about scoring his 1st @NHL goal (VIDEO) ~ http://t.co/8fXBNpI3FX #CGYANA
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 13, 2014

Corban Knight talks about his first NHL goal and about the Flames 7-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

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Corban Knight is still smiling... Scores first NHL goal with Flames

.@CorbanKnight, ladies and gentlemen. pic.twitter.com/0HuqQCvIkT
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 13, 2014

Former UND forward Corban Knight smiles a lot... Last night we was smiling as scored the first goal of his NHL career.

Calgary Flames: Corban Knight scores is first NHL Goal. (Video)

Congratulation to Former Fighting Sioux forward Corban Knight, who scored his first NHL goal of his career, in his fifth NHL game. Knight played on the Flames fourth line logging a total of 9:39 tonight. If you look at the Flames roster, you will see a nice representation of former college hockey players. 

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Clarke MacArthur smokes Jiri Hudler and a scrum ensues

The fact that no one was given a major penalty is kind of puzzling, to me. Senators forward Clarke MacArthur smokes Flames forward Jiri Hudler with a nice clean, crisp, body check and then the melee ensues. This is what the boxscore looked like after the scrum was over.

00:19 CGY Chris Butler Roughing - 2 min against Clarke MacArthur
00:19 CGY Chris Butler Roughing - 2 min against Clarke MacArthur
00:19 CGY Paul Byron Roughing - 2 min against Erik Condra
00:19 OTT Erik Condra Roughing - 2 min against Paul Byron
00:19 OTT Clarke MacArthur Roughing - 2 min against Chris Butler

Corban Knight Will make NHL debut with Flames tonight

Former Fighting Sioux forward Corban Knight will make his NHL debut tonight.

.@CorbanKnight hits the ice at the Saddledome! pic.twitter.com/y01VwQWpox
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 5, 2014

Bob Hartley confirms that TJ Galiardi suffered an injury in the gym and @CorbanKnight will play his first #NHL game tonight! #CGYOTT
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 5, 2014

Related articles

• Former UND forward Corban Knight signs with Flames (ndgoon.blogspot.com)
• Feaster Finally Gets His Man: Calgary Flames Acquire Corban Knight (thehockeywriters.com)
• Calgary Flames Acquire Smilin' Corban Knight (thehockeywriters.com)