The Athletic Hockey Show - NHL Pipeline Rankings: No. 16-9

Episode Date: August 28, 2024

Max and Corey break down the No. 16-9 teams in Corey’s 2024 NHL Pipeline Rankings including the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Minnesota Wild, and discuss the best U23 prospects for each franchise in the group, expectations, projections, and more.Hosts: Max Bultman and Corey PronmanExecutive Producer: Chris FlanneryProducer: Chris Flannery Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the Athletic Hockey Show Prospect Series. Hey, everybody, Max Boltman here alongside Corey Promin for another episode of the Athletic Hockey Show Prospect Series. Our countdown continues on Corey's under 23 pipeline rankings. Today we're into the top half of the league, number 16 through number nine and Corey. That starts with the St. Louis Blues. And looking at your ranking here, blues are still in a good spot. I don't know that the city of St. Louis is going to be too thrilled with you, especially on your placement of their top 10 pick from 2023,

Delabor, DeVorsky. Yeah, let's start on the positive. And let's start on their most recent first round pick, Adam Yurichick, in that before we get to the parks where they're going to carve me up for. And I think Yerichick is a really promising young defenseman with that size and mobility.

I like the way he compete. I like the way he moves pucks. Obviously, he didn't have a great first half of the year playing pro hockey, but it's obviously a very high level. And I think the guy you saw at international level, particularly the Klingk of Gretzky, a year ago this time.

It looked like a really promising NHL prospect of a guy who could play real minutes for a long time. We'll see how the rest of his year goes when he comes back, obviously. But that's a guy who I'm really high on, and I see a clear path to being an NHL player. I think Blue's Fats had to be happy with the year that Jake Neighbors has had in the NHL and how his game is translated. He's super competitive. He's skilled. He can score.

Maybe not the flashiest, he has a playmaker ever going to see, not a, like, this blazing fast skater. but he looks like a guy who's showing he can translate his game into the NHL and be a middle of six-fourth for the long term. The part where I think Blues fans are going to have issue with is where I have Dowboard Dvorsky rated. Who I still think is an NHL player, who I still think is going to score in the NHL. He is really skilled. He can rip a puck.

I do wonder when I've watched him, I've watched Vorski for years. He is not a great skater, which has always been a concern. But when I watched him in his draft year, I thought, yeah, the skating's an issue, but when he turns it on, he can be a real, you know, a puck count, and he can win battles and you can put a team on his back. I didn't see that player as much this past year. He still got his points when he eventually came to North America and played in the OHL. But I do wonder if that engine in him is always going at 100%. And if it's not, given his average size, average skating, I wonder how that's going to translate into the NHL.

All right. I guess the one other thing I want to talk about on this team before we move on, they had three first-run picks in 2023, it wasn't just Dvorisky. And Theo Lindstein was a guy who, especially at last year's World Juniors, at least to me, seemed like he was trending up. But I liked what we saw from him at the World Junior Summer Showcase last week. You don't have him really projected in too high with year. You got him projected to play in the NHL, which certainly you would hope.

But what holds Lindstein back from being a little bit higher on your list? The previous episode, we talked about Tom Willander a little bit. We wondered, like, what's the path? Like, what's the role in the NHL? And Tom Wollander is an excellent skater. So I thought, even if he's not the most dynamic offensive player, even if he's not the most physical, biggest defender erics in the world, you think the skating will find a way that he can carve out a role in the NHL somehow.

I think when Linstein is the same questions, but even though he's a pretty good skater, I don't think it's as dynamic the skating as Wollander is. He's a good skater. He's smart. He can move pucks. He competes well enough. But, like, I look at Lindsay and I'm like,

is he going to be a power play guy in the NHL? Is he that kind of offensive guy? Maybe, depends on what games you saw him. Is he going to be like this big physical shutdown player who can close gaps and kill a lot of players? Maybe. I don't know if I can really see a clear A to B path for him into that long-term tough role in the NHL

at either end of the ice. Maybe you disagree, Max, from what you've seen, but I haven't seen that player yet. I think that's fair. All right, let's move on to number 15, the New York Rangers. And another one, we talked about our previous episode, Dylan Holloway in the statement that he made in the playoff. You can multiply that by like four for Alexi Lafranier, who once again looks like at least something like the number one overall pick he was projected as. Yeah, and we've mentioned with Alexi over, you know, many years and talking about him just, you know, the skills is tremendous.

His hockey sense is tremendous. But there's always going to make it start on his feet and how that was going to have. go at the NHL level. And the first few years, it didn't go well. He had a hard time translating into the NHL. And when guys who don't skate well, who aren't these freak athletes, you need to have them develop the strength in order to win pucks in the NHL, in order to get to the inside of the NHL level.

And for Alexia, it took some time, because he's always been considered a competitive player. That was never an issue. It's just always about the size and the feet, you know, an average size, below average feet. But now I think you're starting to see that he's adjusted to the pace. he's gotten stronger. He has some man strength now in his game to go with a tremendous skill.

I think you're looking at a guy now who has not just the potential, but he's shown indicators at the NHL level that he could have star level impact. The Ranger system as a whole does go well beyond Lafrenier, though. Braden Schneider's another guy already at the NHL level, who I think we could see a big step from next season. Already he could argue he's starting to take that step. But Gabe Perrault is the guy I really wanted to key in on it. I really liked what I saw from him in Plymouth, maybe even more on the puck and in some of the hard areas of the ice than I expected.

We talked previously when we did Washington about Ryan Leonard, but Perrault, another guy who seems like maybe answering kind of some of the questions you would have had about him and the reasons that he would have fell to 23 for the Rangers. To some extent, yes. I think you liked how quickly he translated to the college level, you know, playing against bigger, faster players, that, you know, there were questions with Perot in his draft year was the 5-11 frame. and the fact that he doesn't really have great foot speed. I think, you know, in very similar conversations, we're just having a left for an ear. I think with Perrault, we're going to want to see how does that go when he goes against men, and particularly the NHL level, because he's super skilled, he's super instinctive.

He competes well, as he said, he plays a courage, gets to the inside. I don't have any issues with him, you know, with the puck on his stick. It's just about whether he has the athletic traits to play in the NHL. And I think he does. I think he's going to be a top six more than the NHL. But I think if you're looking outside of left for any year, you're like, well, where's, like the high-end potential coming from his system. I think I love Brandon Schneider.

I think he's a top 4D, but I don't think there's never going to be a ton of offense coming out of his game. Perrault could be a place where they get significant offense. But I think even until he gets to the NHL and scores and shows that he can play at that level, I think we're still going to have those questions. What would you take today between Gabe Perrault and Jonathan Lekkaramaki in Vancouver? I would take Perot. I think Lekaramaki's a lot of.

better skater. I think Perrault competes harder than him on a nightly basis. And I think just the way his brain operates is at a different level, too, even though I think Lachromaki is maybe more of a natural shooter. I agree. And I guess where I'm going with that is when I look at some of the names here, I guess I would have expected maybe just seeing at 15, like some of these, this collection of guys to be a little higher. But maybe that does go to what you were talking about a minute ago with, you know, only really one true high, high end guy. All right, let's move on the number 14 and Detroit. and that conversation starts with their 2023 first round pick, Nate Danielson, who he's not their top ranked for you. That's Lucas Raymond.

We'll get to him in a second. But Danielson over the second half, I think really looked like the player that Detroit drafted him to be. Yeah, Danielson obviously was a tough evaluation this year. The first half for him and Brandon did not go, as you would have hoped, just didn't score a significant level. Goes to the World Junior's, he was fine and the ice time he got. But he wasn't leaned on as a go-to player for them, at least until like the very end of the tournament when they were. kind of started panicking with the lineups. But then he gets traded to Portland,

plays very well for them in the regular season in the second half, and even has a better playoff. When you watched him, he just stood out often when you watch those games, a 6-2 center who could skate. I thought the skill looked excellent in those games. He generated a lot of chances, competing well. I think the people who are down on him

will still point to the stats and be like, this is not the statistical profile. If a guy is going to have a long and successful NFL career, he was going to score in the NHL at a high level. But I, when I've watched him over, you know, out three years. I see a lot of skill in his game. I see a lot of natural touch in his game. I think he's going to score. I think he's able to drive play in the NHL. And I think that he could be a legitimate top two line center on a team that can do some damage. You have him in the same tier

as you have Lucas Raymond. And I'm sure Redmings fans would be really pumped to hear that at first if Daneson can become what Raymond does. But I was surprised that you didn't have Raymond a tier higher, actually, or at least a half tier higher. Like you've got him as a top of the lineup player. I think he looks like that certainly. But you have Seth. Jarvis like one half tier higher, the bubble of top of the lineup and All-Star. And I went and looked because I would, that just didn't, you know, click for me right away. Raymond's outscored Jarvis every year in the NHL so far. So I'm curious, like, what is that distinction right now you have between a guy like Raymond

and what would he have to do to move a half to your hire? Certainly the Redmings need that, that they lack a star. Yeah. And, you know, Raymond, I would say it has more natural skill than Jarvis does. I think, you know, his puck play and the way he sees the game, you know, puck skills, hockey sense in general, I think I would grade. that higher than Jarvis. And while I think Raymond does compete hard,

I think Jarvis's compete is just outstanding. And I think the way he skates is outstanding. And I think that that translates just better when the games get harder. I think you've seen it with Jarvis when he's played in the playoffs the last two years, that his game just rises to a whole different level. And, you know, quite frankly, he's been a normal part of winning teams. I know, obviously, you know, Raymond can't always control his, who he plays with, and I'm not saying Jarvis is the reason why Carolina has been an elite team over the last few years,

but I think he's at least been a contributing factor of that and the fact that they've had at least winning Stanley Cup obviously, but he's able to win playoff rounds. And I don't know, like I said, I can see it go either way. Like I said, I think Raymond definitely does several things better than Jarvis. But I think because I think Raymond isn't an elite skater for that side, I do wonder if he is going to rise to that star level, particularly when the games get harder. And on the other side of the spectrum, is Axel-Sanding Pelico,

you have rated quite high. I think you have them as the number four U-23 player in Detroit system, or in that top-five, at least certainly, bubble top and middle of the lineup. That actually surprised me a little, because I think the power play role, the projection there is obviously clear.

But I have wondered watching him, like, is this really more of a four-five guy at even strength? And I guess I could see a world where his best case is something like a Brandon Montour, or maybe that is kind of what you have the tier at. But isn't there a little bit of kind of like a Tyson-Berry risk, too? There is, if he does can't defend well because he's not, you know, he's a good skater, but he's not a least skater for 5-11.

But I think the distinguishing factor for me with Sand and Pelica is I think he competes. And I think when you're at that size, you have to able to compete well. And I think that's what Montour does, that Barry doesn't make making that distinction. So I think when you look at the hockey sense he has, the big shot that he has, obviously everyone sees of the offense, the numbers he had in the SHL last year. I'm not saying this guy is like a super, physical going to run people over at 5 foot 11 by any means. But I think he does compete.

He shows up every night. You saw it this year against men. He's able to see his game translate to the SHL level and have success, able to be reliable player against men at such a young age that I think he will be able to compete well enough, in my opinion, to be a tough or defenseman. Although, listen, I thought the same thing going into his draft last year. I had some questions on how his game was going to project to higher levels. So I definitely could see that being an issue when he gets to the NHL.

Yeah, I just see more like more average skating than differentiating skating. And a lot of the goals he put up even felt like they were kind of the same goal over and over again. And I'm not sure it's an NHL goal. You know what I mean? No, I get what you're saying. I don't think his skating for that size is elite by any means. Yeah. All right.

Let's move on to number 13. That's Philadelphia. And no secret where we're going to spend a lot of our time here. It's with Mofi Mitzkhov. Yeah, it kind of feels like Montfay Mitchko is like, his own, like, a little weird universe in terms of how the league perceives him, in terms of how fans perceive him. I feel like the discussion in Philly is like almost like like the savior has arrived

when I've seen like the media coverage of him since he signed. And I probably wouldn't go that far, although I do think he's an exceptional young player. I think his hockey sense is skill or just off the charts good. And what he's shown against men the last few years at the KHL level in particular has been extremely impressive. I think he can step into the NHL next year at a top six role. He can help Philly's power play right away. I think the detractors on Mishkov will always point to his frame.

He's 5-10 at best. He is not a great skater. He is not super physical. So I think there are definitely some warning signs on how is this going to go against 6-2-6-3 NHL defensemen who are much faster than you and are going to pummel you when you go into the corners. But I think this guy is just, this hockey sense is just incredible. And Philly needs a lot more than just,

him. He's a great piece to have. I think he can be a star scoring winger in the NHL, but there's a lot more than work they need to do here in the rebuild. But whatever, if they do happen to turn this organization around in the next five or so years, you know, Mitch Kopp will be a big part of that reason. They've had a couple different guys, too. Oliver Bonk really specifically would be the guy who's kind of broken out, I would say, over the last year. And I know he was a first round pick. So maybe you do expect that to a degree. But he was a guy that I came away from the Memcup really impressed with. Yeah, I think, you know, he's a guy who went early 20s in his draft.

I think if he read that draft, he's going into teams when now would be, would be my projection. I still, you know, because he is big. He can skate the offense is real significant this year. Kind of weird offensive player in how he got his points. You mentioned Sanden Pelica in the previous team in terms of, you know, you mentioned the same goal. That would be that he got, you know, he was kind of the trigger man on the power play with his one-timer. Bonk was a guy who was, frankly, he was a defenseman being used in the bumper position on the power play. in the OHL.

I don't know if that's going to happen in the NHL, quite frankly. But I do think he's a natural puck mover. He sees the ice well, makes good decisions, has skill. I don't know if he's going to be a massive score at the next level. But I do think he can be a really good two-way defenseman at the NHL level. And then Jet Luchenko would be the other one. And he was maybe a little bit of the, you know, I think we call that a surprise of the top half of the first round.

We expected Luchenko to go on the teens. He goes at 13. And then he goes and plays a really big role for Canada, at least at the summer showcase. Yeah, and I think with Lachenko, he's a really easy player to like because of his fantastic skating. It's a fantastic compete level. I think he's a smart and skilled player.

I do think he's going to need a score a lot at that size, I think to justify that pick. I think he could score, but that's going to be the question for him right now, especially given he was just a point for game player last year in the OHL level. All right. Let's go now to Carolina. They're your number 12 team. We talked about Seth Jarvis a little bit with Detroit, but even above Seth Jarvis, who was already playing a large role, as you said, for a contending team, is the great mystery man

of your list, Corey, and that is Alexander Nekishin, the big Russian defenseman, six foot three. We've been hearing about him. You've been raving about him for years now. When am I going to get to see this guy in North America? That's a great question. I mean, theoretically, he should be signing towards the end of this KHL season. That's when his current deal with Scott St. Petersburg expires and when he'll be eligible to sign an NHL contract with Carolina. So we could see him in the NHL possibly one season from now.

And I understand the reservation in giving this higher range to a player who's to play an NHL game ahead of a guy who's had a lot of NHL success. And he's an NHL star, despite the fact that he's already getting up there at age and he's yet to play an NHL game. But Carrasol is kind of in the same position of getting Kuznazoff and was in the same position as guys who just stayed over in Russia a little while longer than some of others and played very well at that level. But, you know, Nakeeche is big.

He's mobile. He's physical. He's been a top offensive producer in the KHL over the last few years among defensemen. He just, he played a style of game where he's just, he's very abrasive. And I think he's going to really appeal himself to NHL coaches. And I don't know, like on the offensive side, like he's been a major score at the KHL level over the last two years.

I don't know if he's particularly going to be that in the NHL. although I do think he's going to get his points. I think he's smart. He has a big point shot. But I think there's a lot of things he does really well that I think lends itself to being a really good NHL defenseman. It's actually going to be kind of funny in that I think he's actually going to graduate from this list, in terms of the age criteria, before he actually plays one NHL game. Carolina is a team that, you know, their blue line has been such an organizational strength for so long.

And, you know, Brett Pesci departed this summer. He goes to New Jersey. and think, oh, wow, what's Carolina going to look like without a great blue line? But in the coming years, you're going to have Niketian coming in, and then a couple more D high on your list for them, Dominic Badinka and Scott Morrow. Kane's going to just reload this blue line, huh? Right. And you'll know, you remember the comments from their owner Tom Dundon a while ago

where he said, we're not going to draft the defenseman in the first round, which I don't know whether that's actually an actual strategy of there. But it's actually kind of funny that when you look at the defenseman, they've taken high in the draft in Badinka and Scott Mawrower. Moral Badinka was their first pick in the most recent draft. They've done it by taking defensemen in the very first few picks in the second round. A little clever work around there to keep your word but also get the players. All right.

Let's go now to number 11. That's the Buffalo Sabres. A little lower, we talked about with L.A. on the previous episode, a little lower than we're used to talking about Buffalo. Part of that is because Dylan Cousins graduates on age, but still a very strong group of prospects here headlined by Owen Power. Yeah, and obviously power is a fantastic player. The Fed's been that size.

You can skate. He moves Poxy. He can help a power play out. He can make stops. You know, I think with power, especially on a team that has Rasmus Dallina, you're going to wonder, like, is he ever going to have that Norris trophy caliber season? Is he ever going to be able to have that kind of start level impact? If he's not getting the first power play minutes, I don't know if the answer to that question

is ever going to be yes. Obviously, he's an excellent all-around player. The Sabres have in the draft in a lot of ways seem to have a type. And they've got a lot of these kind of smaller, really skilled. four words, you can look at Jack Quinn, JJ Peturca, Zach Benson, Noah Oseland, they traded away Matt Savoy, Isaac Rosen. I'm sure I'm even missing a guy or two here as we talk with JJ Peturca. I don't know if I said him. Their most recent first round pick, Palanius. That's right, Constellaneous, the center. They've got a lot of this type. How much of it do you think, you know, we talked about the need

to trade Savoy on a previous episode just because you're probably not having all those guys make it. But to have a system loaded with these guys, how much of them, how many of them do you think ultimately can stick in a lineup? Well, I think some people would say, like, you can apply that logic to any system. A lot of prospects are going to miss, and a lot of your quote-unquote high picks are not going to make it. So I don't think you want to get so narrow-minded and not take guys who you really coveted and you think are going to be really important in HL players. Because at the end of the day, there's only so many good players come out of a given draft.

I do think, though, at one point, if you keep year over year, over year-over-year-over-year-over-year, taking the same type. Well, I finally, we've had that conversation with Detroit, a different kind of player, but the two-way hardworking guy, you know, eventually, you know, just like, you know, with Buffalo, well, someone's got to be your third line sitter, someone's got to kill penalties, and with a choice, like, well, someone's got to score, right? Someone's going to be all your power play. So I think eventually you block yourself in a little too much by being too narrow-minded

with your one type of player. I think, you know, with Buffalo, they got to that point with Savoy, and they moved out that one piece, and we'll see a year from now if they end up having to move another player, because I think they don't have all that one kind of player. You look at Anton Walberg. I like him a lot. He's a six three winger. He skates well.

He plays hard. He has skill. Coming over to North America this year, I'll be interested to see if he has instant success or not. So if he does, and you're like, oh, well, maybe we aren't boxed in because maybe Walberg's going to be in our middle six.

And I know this is reaching a little far down, but I really like Brody Zemer at the World Junior Summer Showcase. He is smaller, but I thought he has a lot of those other elements too. So we'll see if, what the mix ends up being, but Buffalo is still in a very strong position. Let's go down to number 10 for Minnesota, Corey.

And as good a year as Brock Faber just had for the Minnesota Wild, and as big a contract as he just signed with the Minnesota Wilde. It's Zeve Booiam at number one. Yeah, I'm sure I will get, we'll call it constructive criticism in the comments over that from our many Minnesota Wild readers that we have at the athletic. But I think we'll talk on Zeve. Obviously, people know that I love Zeve, Boyem, I think his offensive hockey sense, his skill are just fantastic.

He's a dynamic player who I think just, when you watch him in college or even at the World Junior Level 2, I thought he just impacted games on a consistent basis and have a true game-breaking quality, even if he's not the biggest defenseman. Brock Faber obviously, he's a tremendous defenseman. You know, great skater, he's a competitor, he's a leader, he's got really strong hockey sense. I do wonder, though, long term, if this is going to be the same type of offensive output that we saw this past year. I think that was a very specific set of circumstances where this wasn't the deepest blue line, where Jared Spurgeon was out due to injury.

Well, I feel like in a blue line that has Spurgeon, never mind Zeev, Boyam, what do you think Brock Faber's offense is going to be long term? Well, he's probably not going to have quite as much kind of power play and offensive roles. I think he is probably more of like a 40-point defenseman year-in-year-out. You can debate, I guess, whether that's worth $8.5 million today. But you would think it will be three or four years from now, right, if the cap continues to go up. Yeah, you said 40. I think that's even a little high for me. This is a guy who never scored more than three or four goals a year prior to this past year.

And I think – and I love Brock. I think he has much more offense than I thought. He had much more skill and creativity and brain watching the NHL than I've seen from him when he was an amateur. But if he can be 40, absolutely with the way he defends, especially he's not getting any power play time. But that would be my question on him long term. It's like what's really going to look like. So you think it's more like in the 30s? That's kind of what I think, yeah.

Yeah. All right. Well, one guy who they've had come along is Marco Rossi. And even a year or two ago, I think we were in a little bit more of an uncertain territory with Rossi and what he was going to be. How much of those concerns do you think he eased this season with the year he had? It's interesting to talk about Rossi because I think you could talk to a lot. of people, whether it would be readers or scouts or whatever, and they'll be like, oh, well, he's kind of a little bit of a little bit of a disappointment. And you're like, well, he was among, like, the

leading scores among rookies in the NHL this year. He played a big role. I think it was just like the hype machine on him got so out of control when he was in junior, given the monster year, whatever, he had 120 points, something like that in Ottawa in that, in his draft year. And given that, he's not this amazing skating small guy. I don't think that was ever realistic. He was going to be like this, whatever, 80, 90 point guy in the NHL. But he's a really good players. did the top six four, top six center even. He's super competitive, super intelligent.

He looks like a really strong prospect. I kind of think if you redid that draft, he's kind of going around the same range he went in. We talked about Ivan Mierr-Schenko when we talked about Washington system in that 2022 draft. I really liked in that same class from Russia, Danilla Yorov. Two years later, where is Yorov at and what can Wildfans be excited about there? I think he's probably been one of the bigger movers in terms of just guys who have elevated his stock in terms of. He was so good in the KHL this past year. He played a massive role on the eventual KHL champions in Magnetagorsk. He showed he showed his skating. He's super skilled. I thought

he was working hard at both ends. He played some center this year. Just a lot of really positive indicators. He's going back for one more year in Russia, but I expect a year after that, he will be in the NHL and he will be helping the Minnesota Wild win games. Seattle kind of has the dream here of how you would start a team up front at least. They have used three very high picks on centers, and that gives them, is this as good of a center pipeline as there is in the NHL right now? It's got to be, right? Maddie Baneers, Berkeley Caton, and Shane Wright.

Yeah, I would think so. We talked a lot about Maddie Bineers, obviously. I think his offense dipped a little bit this last year from this Calder season, but I still think this is going to be a really, really good player in the NHL for a very long time. I think offense will bounce back. He'll provide the great two-way play. It's a very likable all-around player. Shane Wright has been a guy we've beaten up on a little bit,

and I think some of that has been deserved. But I thought this past year when I watched him in the American League, I thought he was really impressive. Like he was scoring, he was competing, he was making creative plays. I don't know, like, especially on a team that has now Baneers and potentially Bercke Catton, I don't know if he's going to be. I don't think he's a first line center in the NHL,

but I think he could be a really nice second-line player. But I think given those options they have there with Baneers, Right. And now Berkeley, Cadden, you know, it's probably not, all three of them

are going to play center long-term in the NHL. Some would say, they would look at Cadden's, because of his frame, he's more likely on the wing. But maybe he isn't. Maybe your Shane Wright goes to the wing.

We'll see they have those kind of options and the flexibility. The one thing we thought about with Seattle was, going into the last draft is, even they have veneers, they have right. They have no defensemen

in this organization, other than Riker Evans, really, you know, maybe they have some like other, you know, mid-range type of prospect. You thought, you know,

how many good defensemen are in this draft. They were staring at Sam Dickens in, Carter Deaconch, Zeev Boyum, Zane Perak. They're going to take one of those guys. They don't. They take Caden. But then Caden goes to Canada of World Junior Camp

and is by far the best player among all those guys other than maybe Zeev Boim. Only a couple of games. You don't want to extrapolate too much from that. But it'll be interesting to see how that decision ages and where Seattle does try to find those premium defense talents from. And Zeeve probably would have been the one that I would have picked for,

Seattle there too because I think, you know, they have the centers, but I think overall, like steady, consistent high-end offense is going to be the challenge for them. And I thought he was, him and Perak, I suppose, but, you know, I happen to things. I know you do too, one of the top five or six players in that class. So he would have been the one I would have thought for them. But even if you go back to Ron Francis's days in Carolina, you know, Dickinson and Yakumchuck are pretty similar to some of the guys they've built around there. Yep, I would agree with that.

And, you know, you can still go to the trade market. I mean, maybe they trade Shane Wright. Maybe they trade Berkeley kind at some point. And I don't want to want to start, put rumors out there. But they could find out those kind of players through trade as well. All right. Let's wrap there for today. We will be back tomorrow with numbers 8 through 1 on Corey's U23 pipeline rankings.

We'll talk to you then.