2024 NHL Draft Mailbag: Second-Day Steals, Jiricek’s Injury and Letourneau’s Upside

Tony Ferrari answers reader questions ahead of the 2024 NHL draft, including potential steals, which teams could trade first-rounders and much more.

With the 2024 NHL draft just a couple of days away, it's time for one more mailbag for the season. 

It’s been a fun year, and the NHL draft will bring in the next generation of talent. Macklin Celebrini will surely change the San Jose Sharks' fortune, and the rest will be a wild ride.

Let’s look at some of the questions you sent me and answer them as we wrap up prep work for the NHL draft before everything goes down in Vegas on Friday night. If I didn’t get a chance to answer your question, check out my full top 100 list here or reach out to me on X (formerly Twitter). Questions are lightly edited for clarity.

Which three players who you have ranked outside the top 32 have, in your mind, the most tangible top line or pairing upside? - Sebastian

This is always an interesting question. If a player projects to have top-line upside, they should be ranked near the top of the draft. But development isn’t linear, and every draft seems to have a player or two who greatly outperforms their expectations.

Miguel Marques (ranked 44th) immediately comes to mind. He is one of the most skilled and entertaining players in the class, and he is an offensive machine in his best moments. He is undersized, and his skating is underwhelming, which holds him back. In the right position, with a puck transporter on his line, he could be an offensive zone menace, though.

John Mustard (ranked 40th) is one of my favorite players in the class. He is incredibly raw, skates like the wind and has a wicked shot. He is a counterpunch rush attacker who tends to put the blinders on and not use his teammates effectively, but when he does, he looks incredible. With patience, video work and some development, I could see a world where Mustard can fill a role with a top unit where his speed and finishing ability are assets.

When you talk about top-pair guys, my instant thought is that I could see an NHL team putting a guy like Charlie Elick (ranked 64th) or EJ Emery (ranked 49th) on the top pair despite some obvious deficiencies. They play a role that isn’t necessarily common in today’s NHL as a pure stopper, but it’s not something I would do.

There seems to be a variety of opinions about Dean Letourneau. Some see the next Tage Thompson, and some see a hulk that can't skate. I'd have thought you'd rate him higher. Can you elaborate on your reasoning? - Rene

Canadian high school is generally not a hotbed for NHL talent. It’s a stretch for me to look at a player who dominates because he is physically stronger and bigger than every player he’s ever played against and think he has top-line upside in the NHL. 

Letourneau is skilled and has some nice offensive tools, but he didn’t look fully comfortable in his two-game USHL stint. Jumping to the NCAA with a high-end competitive program like Boston College may be too drastic of a step and may lead to some struggles. That could make him a fourth-liner for next season and slow his development. There is too much that could go wrong, which makes the chance of it going right a risk I wouldn’t be willing to take. I hope he proves me wrong, though.

Who are your top three upside swings for players not expected or likely to go in the first round? - D. Brown

Tomas Galvas is an exciting offensive blueliner with flashes of skill and creation that could make him an exciting swing on Day 2 of the draft. 

Luke Misa is a transitional wizard, and it seems like he will be a player available outside of the first round.

The player I want to give the most love to here is Alfons Freij. I have him inside my top 10, which is a huge difference from the consensus. Freij is a dynamic puck-mover who has arguably the most projectable offensive game. His ability to manipulate opponents to open passing lanes for himself or jump into space and make himself an available pass option in the offensive zone is impressive. Freij will go far later than I have him, but he could be one of the best defenders in the draft class.

In your opinion, which teams will be trading away their top picks? Or at least, what teams should try to improve themselves by dealing their top pick? - Ed

Predicting what teams are going to trade away picks is always tough, but I think the New Jersey Devils at No. 10 and Buffalo Sabres at No. 11 could be realistic options as they look to get their current NHL rosters a bit better. They have plenty of good, young talent and some solid veterans in the lineup as well. They are both on the cusp of being very good and could use their top pick to bolster their lineup.

The Ottawa Senators had a pick in the mid-20s but traded it to the Boston Bruins for Linus Ullmark. The Montreal Canadiens also have a pick in the top 10 and in the mid-20s. They might be a team to watch in that later range to try to grab an NHL-ready player.

Do you think AJ Spellacy could be a steal in this draft? The kid can absolutely fly and has size. Do you think his lower point production was the byproduct of being on such a bad team, or are there some hockey sense issues? - Buck

Spellacy has been a player I have seen plenty over the past two years while in Windsor. I was at the game last year when he slid into the boards and hurt his leg, ending his season right as he seemed to be hitting his stride. 

Spellacy is an impressive skater with the size NHL teams love. The kid is an athlete. There is probably another world where he accepted an NCAA football scholarship and went that route instead of hockey.

I have always liked Spellacy, and I was telling people prior to this season he was a player to watch. His game is still raw, but he is a hard-working kid who can play in just about any situation. 

If he was on a team that wasn’t as bad as Windsor was this year, he may have found the scoresheet a bit more. He started the year slow because of the injury that ended last season, but he came on more and more as the season went on. He very well could be the steal of the mid-late rounds – if he lasts that long. I have heard NHL teams really like this guy.

Do you believe Adam Jiricek undoubtedly would've been in conversation for the top blueliner in the draft had his injury not ended his campaign early? - D. Brown

I 100-percent believe he would have been among the top two or three blueliners in this draft class. 

His defending is as refined as anyone’s in the class, and the flashes of offensive skill at the men’s level in Czechia gave reason to believe that with time to get comfortable, he could make some big strides in that department. 

The World Junior Championship served as a major growth opportunity and could have given him the confidence to flourish after returning to his club team, the way it did with other players, but the injury was an unfortunate end to his season. With medical advancements and the strides rehabilitation has taken over the last decade-plus, there is no reason to believe Jiricek can’t still be the player he was showing himself to be. It may just take some patience. 

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