hey hockey fans,

since i am a pittsburgh penguins fan i am excited for the upcoming NHL entry draft on june 21st. the penguins are rumored to be trying to trade up for the first overall pick with the interests of drafting goalie phenom MARC-ANDRE FLEURY. while alot of fans in pittsburgh think the pens need offense (lets face it...the pens need everything), i feel they would be making the right move by drafting fleury. he is supposed to be the best goalie prospect in the last 7+ years. even better than luongo, dipietro, krahn, blackburn, and lehtonen. there are other good players available in the draft including nik zherdev (plays like kovalev), eric staal (big power forward), and milan michalek (marian gaborik type). im just curious to see who, if you had a top-five pick, who you would take.

i also think thomas vanek from minnestoa is a good mid-late round pickup for whichever team gets him. i think he will have a good NHL career.

I'd take Staal, Power guys that can score are priceless. As long as he's not Eric LIndros!

LOL...i agree with the lindros part. staal is good, but you cant go wrong with a franchise goalie (look what giguere did for the ducks). but thats the problem, you just cant tell how good the players are gonna be. staal could score 50 goals a year and fleury could suck in the nhl. the nhl draft is probably the biggest crapshoot in all of pro sports.

Are the Penguins going to be able afford to trade up in the draft? What spot are they at now?

I would never take a goalie that high, unless i was pretty well stocked everywhere else. And the Penguins could use some more scaters, unless Fleury is ready to start next season. It'd be wiser for them to trade for a minor league goalie they like, than trade up in the draft IMO.

Eric Lindros -- how can such a massive athlete (size, strength, etc) be injured so often?

Originally posted by podstock
Eric Lindros -- how can such a massive athlete (size, strength, etc) be injured so often? His whole family has had concussion problems. It doesn't matter how big you are, you can still hurt your head just as easy as anyone else.

here is the deal with lindros:

when he was in juniors he used to dominate, so he could just skate through the middle of the ice with his head down and not worry about anything. then when he got to the pros against bigger and better people, he still skated with his head down which led to a few of his concussions (the ones where scott stevens, darius kasparaitis, and jason wiemer hit him). he also plays a very tough style and puts himself in danger. thats why he has all those concussions.

Never heard that, but i could see him doing that.

here is why i would take fleury in the pens case:

the draft this year doesnt have a clear cut superstar like in the past (kovalchuk, bouwmeester, heatley, thornton), and fleury is supposed to be an awesome franchise goalie. so it doesnt really matter who the pens take, the player will probably not make much of an impact right away. since the player they get will not have much of an impact right away, the pens might as well just go and draft a franchise goalie, which they have never had before. if fleury going to be as good as he is supposed to be, then you cant go wrong having him. having a franchise goalie is huuuge (giguere, luongo in a couple of years, brodeur, hasek on the sabres) because a franchise goalie can single-handedly carry a team. the pens do need skaters, but they could also use a good goalie.

plus if the pens finish in last next year and get the #1 pick, they can get OVECHKIN!!!

But, would you really move up to #1 to get him? I just think, that if he's a few years away now, within those years, odds are they are going to find a #1 goalie, and he'll be useless. But if it were a position player, you would still have room for him.

a) if the pens dont trade up they wont get him cause carolina wants him

b) anybody the pens draft is supposed to be a few years away

c) how exactly are they gonna get a number 1 goalie. it is easier said than done. they dont exactly have the trade-bait just to go out and get one and they dont have the money to sign one in free agency

But if the Pens need a goalie, what are they going to do untill he is ready? I'm just saying, that odds are, your going to find one that the teams going to like long term. And the odds are of a goalie taken in the top 10, of him be a quality pro, are pretty slim. Plus you'll still have to pay him top dollar. I just think it'd be safer to find a younger, cheaper, backup in the league, who could become a very good starter.

I have to agree that the Penguins need a goalie pretty bad, as I am i Pens fan myself. But, I don't think that we can wait a couple of years for the goalie help they need. I mean, if they get the first overall pick, then sure, go ahead and take him. But if they don't, I would personally take zherdev or michalek. I don't think they've had a decent prospect go through the system since Jagr came along. As long as he doesn't get hurt, I wouldn't mind getting Staal myself. I mean, he's Eric Lindros-esque. On the good side of Lindros (when he's not hurt) or the bad side of Lindros (concussions). But my first choice would be Fleury.

while staal, zherdev, and michalek are good prospects, none are as good as fleury. staal, zherdev, and michalek are not clear cut stars, while most scouts think fleury is a clear cut star. i say they draft fleury because no matter who they draft next year they will still be near last place. plus fleury may be ready for the NHL after next season and if we finish in last next season we can get OVECHKIN (he is supposed to as good as kovalchuk at offense and better at defense and hitting). then we would have a franchis goalie and a star forward (thats also assuming both reach their potential and we even get ovechkin. you never know with the NHL draft)

Fleury, Well lets see...Franchise goalie...

I remember

Jim Carrey, Blaine Lacher,Darren Pang,Artus Irbe,Tim Chevelde

They were supposed to be franchise goalies also. Where are they now?

The age of the franchise riding high on a goalie is gone.

The only true Franchise goalies left are Broduer and ?

The goalie job goes to whoever is stopping the puck the best nowadays. So many GOOD goalies are traded or left for dead by teams that think the back-up or guy in the minors is the next best thing.

Look at Sean Burke.... Around a long time , Had onre good season, fell apart and now you dont here his name anymore.

Turco,Fernandez,Belfour,Turek? All good goalies But why did dallas go though them so fast?

Think they would of done better with Fernandez or Turek? Who knows... They gave them up. Lets see how long Turco lasts before they find the NEXT BIG THING IN DALLAS!

Teams change goalies so often now , it's hard to keep track of where they go .

By the Way.... Congrads to Grant Fuhr ....HALL OF FAME!!!!!!!!

you cant use that argument....would you like me to name all of the "cant-miss" players who were drafted. lindros (was ok for a little), bryan fogarty, stefan....i dont feel like making a whole list but there just as many forwards and d-men who were busts as goalies. if you want me to make a list i will.

here are some franchise goalies:

roberto luongo
martin brodeur
dominik hasek (sabres)
patrick roy
js giguere

brodeur is a franchise goalie, but not the only franchise goalie.

Roy and Hasek are retired. AS far as Luongo and Giguere...?

Lets see if they pan out over the next few seasons.

Just because they've been good for two years does'nt mean their Franchise . A team still needs to score goals.

Who was luongo Originally with? Why did'nt they keep him?

I do agree with you on the Forward and d statement though, Hockey next to baseball is probably the hardest sport to get into the big time.

I'm not denying the fact that great if not just GOOD goalies are hard to find.

Your question asked Who Would you take?

I would'nt waste trading up in the draft to get a goalie that may never even play for them, or not play for a year or two. I'd get someone who would score and set up plays for the other 4 guys in front of the net. Too many teams have wasted talent by plugging them into a role w/ the team too fast and they dont pan out and are dumped fast. Then play there *** off for another team. Tony Esposito comes to mind there.
But , all in all who knows what anyone willl preform like in the NHL?

yea definitely, who knows how they will perform.

but i think everyone is forgetting this. the pens would not have to give up that much to get the #1 pick probably. florida doesnt want a goalie so if they think they can move to #3 and still get the player they want, then they will trade with the penguins. the main thing the pens have to do is leap-frog carolina, who is interested in fleury. the pens would maybe have to give up a half decent player and a later pick to get the #1 spot from florida, as long as the panthers think they can get the player they want from the #3 spot

the islanders did not keep luongo because:


THEY ARE STUPID!!!!!



my question did ask who would you take so i guess i should try arguing with everyone and let everyone voice their opinions

Did anyone else read ESPN the Magazine this week? One of the teams they project to take him, is Detroit. Detroits first pick is like in the mid 50's.:confused:

i get ESPN the magazine. they mean the red wings, flyers and other teams may try to trade up to get him, because they need goalies.

Hey, Bigl0l8477, I was'nt trying to argue or get anyone to argue,

I enjoy talks like this. Thats what make us fans!

By the way, this thread is primarilly what led to me starting

"J.E. LEW'S RANT OF THE DAY"

My new daily commentary on whatever I feel is pissing me of the most at the time.

So some credit goes to you for our back and forth last night on this thread, THX JEFF

hahaahaha...ill argue about hockey anytime with anyone

O.K. Who is the Best defenceman the Blackhawks ever had?

this requires some thought. bobby orr was ineffective for the hawks and chelios was a great d-man.

best offenseman- bobby hull

best goalie- glenn hall

best d-man- pierre pilote

i say its debatable between who is better, chelios or pilote. but im gonna have to say pilote. multiple norris trophies (three year run) and a great two-way player. i think glenn hall and bobby hull are a little less debatable. tony espo was also a great goalie.

Good choices , But I always use that around here (Chicago) as a trick question, NO ONE ever says Orr. Thats the answer I was Looking for, And the first one you mentioned, Yes I know he was inaffective, But he was still the best defencman they ever had IMO. I was a fan Of Doug Wilson, Too bad it was the Eighties and the "LEAN YEARS" for the Hawks.

yea i always remember orr on the blackhawks even though it was way before my time. i wish he wouldve just retired as a bruin. that had to have been hard to see such a brilliant player struggle like that with a different team.

It was hard to see him struggle at all,

It's like watching a Health person one day then they have something terrible happen to them overnight and their never the same.

I did get to see him score a goal as a Hawk though. 1978 against Colorado Was'nt the same as early in his career though.