yeah i am asking this question when usually i avoid things like this. but curious what you all think about next yrs draft class. i am sure its been asked and talked about but i was only able to find a few posts. there was talk that this yrs draft class was weak but in the end it seems like we have some top notch guys.

i know its also early to ask this but if we had to compare next yrs top 3 or even top 5 to another draft class what are we looking at? are we looking at hall level, tavares, stamkos? or less/more.. closer to crosby or closer to Hopkins..

not sure i know all these guys values that i named either but go with me on this. PPG players or better next yr?

thanxs for the most retartded post ever!

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12 team H2H Keeper League
g/a/+-/PIM/PPP/SHP/SOG/W/GAA/SV%/SHO
play 4c/4lw/4rw/6d/2g (2min start)
Center: Datsyuk, Getzlaf, Marleau, Ribiero, Brian Boyle
RW: Hossa, Horton, Downie, Franzen, vrbata, Cole
LW: Kovalchuk, D.Sedin, Semin, Fleischmann,
Defense : Enstrom, E.Johnson, Goligoski, Wisniewski, Hamilton
Goalies: Lundqvist, Brodeur, S.Mason, Garon

Farm noteables: Niederreiter, Avtsyn, Greiss, Frazee, Kinkaid

Top 3 looks very very promising next year. Better than this year for sure, IMO.

In the year before Stamkos' draft year he posted 42G and 92 points. This season (the year before his draft year), Yakupov posted 49G and 101 points. So he looks very very promising to say the least.

Galeynchuk and Grigorenko (sp?) along with Ryan Murray all look to be excellent players as well.

You are looking at a draft class that could become better than the 2008 draft class.

I am currently working on an article that will feature the best of 2012 at this moment in time. Be sure to check it out. I am hoping to have it out next week sometime.

Yakupov, Galchenyuk, Grigorenko and Murray all have the skills to become ELITE players at their positions. Luckily, there are even more names that could turn into players that are better than some of this year's high draft picks.

At this point in time, the guys mentioned above are projecting to be more valuable than RNH and company. That could change by next year but I really doubt it.

I don't know why you'd think this was a retarded question, newper.

There has been lots of chatter about the 2012 for a couple of years now. Yakupov has the potential to be a super elite talent, just as good (if not better) than Tavares, Stamkos, and Hall. I think RNH was/is a step down from those other top picks.

Besides Yakupov, the 2012 draft class features a couple of other potential star forwards (already mentioned) in Grigorenko and Galchenyuk. The problem/issue is that all three are Russian, though Yakupov and Galchenyuk being in NA already shouldn't affect them too much. There is also talk (though I'm not sure if it is 100% confirmed yet) that Grigorenko might play in the CHL this coming season for the Remparts. He and Adam Erne (a 2013 draft pick) would make Quebec one of the most exciting teams in the CHL. Frk, another high-end 2012 talent, will be playing his second year with Halifax along with MacKinnon (2013 draftee). Galchenyuk, though he has Russian citizenship, was raised in the US, has been in NA for quite some time, and could in fact play for Team US, so for him in particular I don't believe that there will be any "Russian Factor" to consider. There are a few other less-hyped forwards in the 2012 that could very well rise in the rankings between now and next year.

Other than the forwards, however, the true value of the 2012 class will be the outstanding dmen available. From Murray (already mentioned) to Ebert, Trouba, Reinhart, and many, many more, we may have 5-10 elite dmen drafted next year.

So, to answer you question, the top 3 picks will be very good and the entire first round is, imo, deeper than the 2011 draft class and may be one of the deepest we have seen in a long time, certainly comparable to 2008 and 2003.

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10 team league, multi-cat, full keeper.

Forwards: J. Toews, J. Tavares, J. Eberle, J. Neal, A. Kopitar, T. Seguin, E. Kane, M. Duchene, J. Benn, M. Ryder, D. Brown, B. Marchand

Defense: A. Pietrangelo, K. Shattenkirk, A. Goligoski, PK Subban, J. Carlson, J. Spurgeon

Goalies: M. Smith, A. Niemi

Bench: R. Clowe, B. Dubinsky, M. Calvert, P. Mueller, D. Clarkson, M. Carle, M. Niskanen, P. Wiercioch, J. Halak, A. Lindback

Sorry, I got a bit mixed up. Erne was drafted by Halifax, but traded to the Quebec Remparts...Grigorenko may report to the Remparts to play with Erne. Frk is with Halifax, but won't be playing with those other two. He will be playing, potentially, with Nathan MacKinnon (2013 prospect). My apologies for the mis-information/confusion.

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10 team league, multi-cat, full keeper.

Forwards: J. Toews, J. Tavares, J. Eberle, J. Neal, A. Kopitar, T. Seguin, E. Kane, M. Duchene, J. Benn, M. Ryder, D. Brown, B. Marchand

Defense: A. Pietrangelo, K. Shattenkirk, A. Goligoski, PK Subban, J. Carlson, J. Spurgeon

Goalies: M. Smith, A. Niemi

Bench: R. Clowe, B. Dubinsky, M. Calvert, P. Mueller, D. Clarkson, M. Carle, M. Niskanen, P. Wiercioch, J. Halak, A. Lindback

I cannot wait for this article. I've always enjoyed reading your posts and this one will be very interesting. I don't contribute much myself to the forums as I am more of a reader. But being from Quebec City, I feel that writing on Grigorenko, Erne and company playing with the Remparts next year should interest many people. Yeah I think I'll do that. And hopefully I'll be able to go in Ontario to catch a couple games of Sarnia.

I'm very excited about the 2012 draft. There's still a year and things can change, but as of right now the class for next year looks incredible. A few truly elite forward prospects, but like SeaDawg the defensemen are going to push 2012 to incredible heights.

Not only is the high-end talent there, the depth of the 2012 class is much better than anything we've seen in awhile. I already have 5 first round picks and 13 total picks hoarded in my league for next year, hoping I can cap off my rebuild with that draft.

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20 Team Dynasty (points per) - G (25, 50 for defense) A (25) PIM (3) +/- (5) PPG (15) SHG (25) OTG (15) GWG (25) HTr (50) GP (2) HIT (1) BLK (1) Use actual NHL salary

F: Malkin, Tavares, E. Kane, Parenteau, Havlat, Tarasenko, Galchenyuk, Brunner, Boyes, Kruger, Helm, M. Martin, Bergenheim, Carcillo, Stajan

D: Green, Ehrhoff, Ekman-Larsson, Coburn, Daley, Postma

G: Fleury, Mason, Montoya

Farm: Grigorenko, Grimaldi, Kucherov, D. Shore, Hartikainen, Stransky, Kerdiles, Joensuu, Pageau, Murphy, Ceci, Klefbom, Thrower, Donovan, Ekholm, Lehner, Dansk, Poulin, Nilsson, Andersen