LHH Mock Draft: Finally a Player Worth Growling about in South Florida
by Chris McNally on May 20, 2011 8:32 PM EDT
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PrintEditor's Note: Our LHH Mock Draft is off and running, with our fantasy GMs already reeling off the first three picks. Nugent-Hopkins and Larsson are off the board for Edmonton and Colorado's picks, respectively. Chrismc614 steps to the podium next for Florida. (That means nyidangle17 will pick next for New Jersey.) Keep an eye on the FanPosts for continuing picks.
Here in Sunrise, FL we have a lot to be skeptical about. We had the worst record in the Eastern Conference in 2010-11. We have no head coach. We managed to trade away half our NHL players at the trade deadline last season. Our one good player (Tomas Vokoun) is probably leaving for colder pastures. We have to look forward to those divisional home and homes with the Winnipeg...err...Atlanta Thrashers. And maybe the worst thing about our Panthers is if you put the whole team in the middle of the Aventura Mall, even in hockey jerseys, nobody would recognize any of them.
This team needs a face. It needs a star. And we believe we have a chance to draft one.
With the 3rd pick in the 2011 LHH mock draft, the Florida Panthers select: Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Kitchener Rangers
Face it, what the Panthers need most is offense. The team was ranked 27th in the league in goals scored and managed to score more than 2 goals in a paltry 5 of our last 25 games played last season. Our leading scorer last year was Stephen Weiss, and he's a second line center at best on any other team.
Gabriel Landeskog immediately bolsters our offense. After putting up 113 points in 117 OHL games, including 66 points in only 53 games in 10-11, Landeskog has the offensive tools to be a first line wing in this league. Many scouts believed he was ready to play in the NHL last year, so the chance to get a mature, NHL ready forward like Landeskog is something the Panthers can not pass up. Having such a decimated roster and starting a slow, Garth Snow-like rebuild, we will need a player who can jump right into the lineup and contribute. In Landeskog we believe we have that player.
After drafting defenseman with our last 3 first overall picks (Keaton Ellerby, Dmitry Kulikov, and Erik Gudbranson), we not only have a good, young defensive nucleus, but it also makes drafting a forward first overall this year almost a necessity. We considered three talented forwards with our pick and debated long and hard between Landeskog, Sean Couturier, and Johnathan Huberdeau. But being we have 3 good players down the middle that we believe will be part of our future (Weiss and prospects Nick Bjugstad and Drew Shore), drafting a winger like Landeskog became the obvious choice.
Landeskog will immediately win over our fans with his passionate play and heart. He is not afraid to stick up for his teammates and has the leadership qualities to one day be the future captain of the Florida Panthers, just as he was in Kitchener. A player who has admitted to modelling his game after Jarome Iginla and Brad Richards, if he can even come close to being that good, he is exactly the player the Panthers need.
Submitted FanPosts do not necessarily reflect the views of this blog or SB Nation. If you're reading this statement, you pass the fine print legalese test. Four stars for you.
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Yeah I definitely see them going power forward
Potvin knows they have no taste for speed.
Vote Yes on August 1st.
Good pick. Panthers add some needed size up front, scoring, and leadership.
They really look like a franchise lost, but at least they have a few solid young d-men. If they finished 3rd worst with Vokoun, imagine how bad they would be without him? lol
Proud Islanders fan, the organization that iced the greatest team to ever play the game, whom won 4 consecutive cups. I'm bleeding Blue and Orange.
Let's go Islanders! Beep...Beep...Beep.Beep.Beep.
Datsyuk IS the best player in the nhl
TRADE!!!!
Maybe we can give FLA Dylan Reese and Bruno Gervais in echange for Thomas Vokoun!
We are all Islanders, even if we are in Jersey!
by Russel Ginart on May 21, 2011 4:08 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
It would only be fore Vokoun's rights right now, which would be worthless, imo.
And lol.
Proud Islanders fan, the organization that iced the greatest team to ever play the game, whom won 4 consecutive cups. I'm bleeding Blue and Orange.
Let's go Islanders! Beep...Beep...Beep.Beep.Beep.
Datsyuk IS the best player in the nhl
no i did research
apparently florida panthers, although usually a quiet animal, purr, growl, and hiss. Hiss had a negative connotation and purr sounds to fufu for hockey, so I went with growl.
Intently glued to every COZO
by Chris McNally on May 21, 2011 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
This is why I love you people
Stuff like this makes my day.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
Here's to hoping...
… that Landeskog or Larsson slips. NJ would probably take Larsson at #4, but if Landeskog slips, will NJ take him with Kovalchuk and Parise already at LW? (Assuming Parise is in NJ’s plans.) The alternatives aren’t too shabby, though.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on May 21, 2011 7:40 PM EDT reply actions
I always liked the Panthers
It’s nice to see them grow. I would love to see a day when they are competitive. But, having said that, they definitely could use a star. The only real recognizable player in their lineup is Vokoun.
All Who Oppose Grabner Shall Perish.
And Vokoun is likely leaving. lol
Proud Islanders fan, the organization that iced the greatest team to ever play the game, whom won 4 consecutive cups. I'm bleeding Blue and Orange.
Let's go Islanders! Beep...Beep...Beep.Beep.Beep.
Datsyuk IS the best player in the nhl
Nice to see them growl, too.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
Hey, Haven't seen an article from Dominik in the last 36 hours
Has he been raptured, and left us behind to suffer the remainder of days without our Islanders info fix?
NOWHERE Nearly enough defensemen to last through the injury bug
by since70too on May 22, 2011 6:05 AM EDT reply actions 3 recs
I knew I should have RSVP'd to that damn rapture party.
Proud Islanders fan, the organization that iced the greatest team to ever play the game, whom won 4 consecutive cups. I'm bleeding Blue and Orange.
Let's go Islanders! Beep...Beep...Beep.Beep.Beep.
Datsyuk IS the best player in the nhl
Turns out I wasn't raptured
…but now I’m bankrupt. Crap. On to Plan B.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A doughnut with no hole is Frans Nielsen.
Take a class fro John Spano
and buy the NY Islanders
Intently glued to every COZO
by Chris McNally on May 23, 2011 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Landeskog is my tied for 2nd wish list player
G. Landeskog and Doug Hamilton are my tied for 2nd players. GL is my 1st pick if I’m picking a forward… and DH is my 2nd pick behind Larsson if I’m going for a D-man. Since the Isles have some good defenders (so the scouts say) coming up through the system I’d still like a solid potential top pair defenseman with size … Wishart doesn’t seem to be the guy (yet) … that doesn’t mean Hamilton would be either. So since Landeskog was mentioned as a possible #1 pick it would be awesome to see a forward 6 for the Isles that included: Landeskog – Tavares – Nino (off wing) and Grabner – Bailey or Franz – Okposo
Good pick for Florida … I’m sure that is where they are going.
by 19 Isle in NJ 22 on May 22, 2011 3:03 PM EDT reply actions
Hamilton...
Hamilton seems to be a great fit for the Isles, but will he be the best available player? Before this past season I would have said that Isles need to go with a big D-man if it is a close call in the draft, but now I think they have some room to maneuver since Hamonic (projects as a 1-4 D-man), Jurcina (4-5) and Wishart (4-8) have exceeded my expectations. (I know Hamonic isn’t especially big, but he plays solid physically.) If Isles think Huberdeau or Strome (each 6’1") is a better pick than Hamilton because of skill and heart, I say go for it. Many of the best offensive players in the NHL are 6’0"-6’1".
by North Dakota Red Eagle on May 22, 2011 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions
That's pretty much how I feel.
Hamilton imo is anywhere from a future #2 d-man(if he continues to work on his offense and a lot of his defense and matures "perfectly) to a future #4(say PP/offensive d-man with defensive “issues” getting ~20min/gm). And because of that, he is not worth a #5 overall pick imo.
And good breakdown. Strome I am not 100% sure on what to think of because he had a great season out of nowhere after gaining 20lbs in an offseason(could the size have helped him? Being 183lbs isn’t going to help him a lot in the nhl, Could he be an hgh/steroids nightmare? lol). But I do think Huberdeau should be ranked BPA ahead of Hamilton. Not sure about Strome, Zibanejad, and the others in the talk though. It’s very discussion and debate worthy after that.
Proud Islanders fan, the organization that iced the greatest team to ever play the game, whom won 4 consecutive cups. I'm bleeding Blue and Orange.
Let's go Islanders! Beep...Beep...Beep.Beep.Beep.
Datsyuk IS the best player in the nhl
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