Anaheim Ducks to draft 2nd in NHL draft
^^Should've written "Fantilli's" instead of "his". I'm sure most knew what I was talking about, though.
Not good for his chances. Zegras was drafted the summer before college (ducks top pick in 2019) but only played 1 season of college before splitting time between the NHL/AHL during 20/21. Mason McTavish (3rd overall for Ducks in 2021) made the roster to start the season and played a few games in the NHL/AHL before being released back to the OHL.
Bottom line, Anaheim has shown they are willing to give top draft picks playing time in their career. They have a bunch of young, skilled players and will want Fantilli playing with them asap. Ultimately it’ll still be Adam’s decision.
Mctavish going back to the OHL is *good* for Fantilli's chances. OHL rules give them the chance to skate him for a couple games and send him back, but that's not a season commitment; sounds like they liked the idea of him taking more time better. A couple of games in the bigs at the beginning of the season is not going to make a key difference--Fantilli can get the same experience at the end of the season instead of the beginning by coming back to college.
It seems like there's more of a trend to wait on these guys given the value of an extra season at the end of their contracts at entry-level salaries.
It could be, it’s definitely advantageous that an OHL prospect can play 9 games in the NHL and not burn a year… which is a solid point.
However, when McTavish started with the ducks he was given a good look at staying with them. Which says a lot considering the OHL didn’t play in 2020-21 due to COVID, so he came into training camp not having played high level hockey in over a year. He then got injured just a few games into the season which made the decision much easier to take it slow with him. They also had a logjam at center as Getzlaf was still there.
The situation with Fantilli is different. He just completed a full season at a very high level where he was the best player in the league. His skill and build are both NHL ready. He’s good enough right now to get top 6 minutes. They will have 4 young guys (Terry, Zegras, McTavish, Fantilli) that slot into the top 6. Zegras and Terry are in their finals years of their contracts. 3 of the 4 are centers. Before finalizing long term deals with Zegras and Terry, it’s be helpful to have Fantilli there to gauge how the four play together, see which center slides to wing, etc.
Anyway, that’s my justification for why I think the Ducks drafting Fantilli lowers the odds of him playing for Michigan next year. But who knows… Verbeek is a new GM and they have a coaching vacancy.
Signing the entry level at the beginning of the season or end doesn't make a difference. The timer starts when they sign, not when they play.
this part sounds like a positive for him to return to AA.
"Mason McTavish (3rd overall for Ducks in 2021) made the roster to start the season and played a few games in the NHL/AHL before being released back to the OHL."
He loves playing with his brother and next year may be his last opportunity to do that.
Fucking rigged bettman bullshit
God damn it I hate the draft lottery
Thank God he's not going to Columbus.
God I hate this rigged league.
I'm sure he'll pond-er it.
Fuck Bettman and Fuck the NHL.
If Fantilli comes back, Michigan should be a top 5 team again, I would assume.
He gone.
they will be top 5 without him, #1/2 with him.
Thanks, Einstein
Recent cups? Check
Multiple (bad) scandals off the ice? Check
Questionable mascot? Check
Original 6 team in a huge market? Check*
*the only “check” that matters to the NHL
I’m not going to venture into the lottery rigging conversation, but Los Angeles is a bigger market than Chicago!
Eh, not for hockey.
Luke Hughes and Fantilli are basically going to bring me back to the NHL. I haven't watched it in a dozen years. Hopefully though the Fantilli draw begins in 2024 so he can come back for another Hobey and to bring the first championship back to Ann Arbor since my senior year. Go blue.
No idea how Anaheim works. The good news, I suppose, is that they had two first-round picks last year (10 and 22) and kept both of them in Major Junior rather than signing them.
If they're willing to leave high draft picks unsigned for a year, they might be willing to leave another as well. They were *really* bad last season and if they don't sign Fantilli for a year they get an extra contract year later, when they presumably would hope to be better. They certainly don't need him to buttress a "win-now" year, and the GM, Pat Verbeek, has only been on the job for 15 months, suggesting he's probably not desperate for a quick turnaround to save his job.
But they also need to hire a coach, and I suppose that could change things.
Detroit is in 7 straight lotteries and doesn't move up even a single spot (usually dropping the furthest possible). Chicago finishes in the bottom 3 once (following the biggest scandal the NHL has probably ever seen) and immediately gets handed a generational talent. I cannot put into words how much I hate the lottery system. And for those that buy into the whlle "it's to prevent talking" line. Well, it fails miserably at it.
Yeah, I'm quite livid. Especially living in Chicago and having to deal with the last round of bandwagon fans (moved here in 2012).
When something created by a large organization of any kind "fails miserably," but also benefits said organization in some more nefarious way, it's working as intended.
It’s great to see a team like Chicago finally catch a break. They’ve waited so long.
I’m sure Adam will drop to 9th so the Red Wings can get him
Fuck the Blackhawks
Fucka Duck
Chicago getting the #1 pick feels like when the San Antonio Spurs stunk for exactly one year, got Tim Duncan and paired him with David Robinson, and were off to the races. Well, except that San Antonio didn't grossly mishandle a sexual assault just so that it didn't disrupt their Cup-winning team.
the player has a lot of autonomy here so I think it will ultimately come down to what Adam wants. But the Ducks sent Zegras to college, let McTavish stay in the OHL, they really haven't been rushing it. They want to start getting better no doubt, but I think this is a better outcome than Columbus or Vancouver for example, who almost certainly would go all out to sign Fantilli
Stumbled upon this nugget: "Since the salary cap was introduced in 2005, only two teams have won the Stanley Cup without a player drafted either first or second: the 2019 Blues and the 2008 Red Wings."
Would not have expected that impact of top picks in hockey. Maybe just sample size?
Absolutely rigged ($). Here's the relevant section:
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The “Get Your Tinfoil Hat” Rankings
The league would totally rig a draft lottery for a generational franchise player, right? (Ignores Connor McDavid meekly raising his hand in the back row.) Of course, they would, let’s figure out how they’ll do it.
Not ranked: Columbus Blue Jackets — It’s going to be so funny when they win and Bettman has to pretend to be happy for them.
5. Washington Capitals — Oh look, the winger whose chase for the all-time goals record will be the biggest story in the hockey world in a few years but might be about to lose his long-time playmaking center to injury gets a stud replacement just in time to make sure he gets to the finish line, what a coincidence …
4. Montreal Canadiens — Oh look, the biggest Canadian market in the lottery lands the first pick for the second year in a row, remind me again which massive national TV deal is the next one that needs to be renegotiated, what a coincidence …
3. Ottawa Senators — Oh look, the team that’s about to be sold in a transaction that will set the bar for franchise values all across the league defies the odds to move up 10 spots and grab Fantilli, a superstar that could nudge up their price tag, what a coincidence …
2. Chicago Blackhawks — Oh look, the only team anyone in the NHL’s marketing department has ever heard of lands a superstar just as their two long-time franchise players are ready to move on, what a coincidence …
1. Arizona Coyotes — Oh look, the team that’s been struggling to exist for two decades and that Gary Bettman keeps propping up against all odds finally gets a superstar to build around right before the vote on arena funding that will determine its future, what a … you know what, all jokes aside, this one will be pretty shady.
From the same article:
The “Who Actually Deserves It?” Rankings
As always, “deserves” feels like the wrong word when teams are trying to lose. Our writers took a crack at this one over the weekend, but my answers are the right ones.
Not ranked: Chicago Blackhawks — They openly tanked, about as shamelessly as any team we’ve ever seen, and they still didn’t finish last. The lottery loves to reward tanking and it loves to reward failure, but failed tanking? No thanks.
***
3. Anaheim Ducks — A lot of fans insist that the sole purpose of the draft is to help the worst teams, and the Ducks were the worst team. Were they tanking? Maybe, but at least they were a bit more subtle about it than some teams we could mention.
***
1. Detroit Red Wings — They’ve been bad for years and are exactly the sort of team that desperately needs a franchise player to build around. But they didn’t tank this year, at least until the very end. And they’ve never won a lottery, and haven’t picked first since 1986 or in the top three since 1990.
2008 is a quite a long time ago...
I have no idea how this plays out for Michigan, but I would say that Fantilli was the big winner last night. The Ducks are significantly further along in their rebuild than Chicago and also not a trash franchise with trash leadership and a racist logo. He also doesn't have to move to Columbus, so that's nice, although they've built quite a contingent of Michigan guys there.
The NHL can't even do the draft lottery (and awful show) correctly.
The Blackhawks have already sold $2.5 million worth of season-ticket plans for 2023-24 in the 1.5 hours since winning the #1 pick — including more than 500 new full-season plans. ugh.
Red Wings need to get some guys who can put the puck in the net and be physical. Rebuild just got longer.
Fantilli is gone and has nothing to prove here. Glad he isn't going to Columbus ( they got screwed again). What about Brindley and McGroarty? With those guys and no goal keeper playoff melt down I like our team next year.
Which means that Chicago has already made back enough to cover the paltry fine they were levied for covering up sexual assault that lead to a minor being victimized as well.