One ideal prospect we would like to see fall to the St. Louis Blues in the NHL Draft
There is one draft prospect who was once considered to be a surefire top-five pick in the 2024 NHL Draft who could end up falling into the middle of the first round. And for the St. Louis Blues, it would involve the best-case scenario if that possibility transformed into a reality, even if the player in mind is not a defenseman, which is the top position of need.
But if a projected top-five pick falls to 10th overall and is still there at No. 15 when the Detroit Red Wings pick, every hockey fan following the Blues would be pulling for general manager Steve Yzerman to roll with someone else. Once St. Louis finds themselves on the clock, then it would be time to root for general manager Doug Armstrong to make the selection and land what could be the steal of the draft should such a scenario develop.
The player I’m talking about is Cole Eiserman, who, while still regarded as a top prospect, could end up as that player falling further than even the most realistic fans may have thought. One reason is that, while many of his peers improved, Eiserman’s play didn’t take that next step.
Might Cole Eiserman fall to the St. Louis Blues in the 2024 NHL Draft?
Measuring Eiserman’s output from 2022-23 to 2023-24, he finished the former with 148 points and 97 goals in 94 games (not counting international play), good for 1.57 points per game. While this is a tough act for anyone to follow, Eiserman finished the 2023-24 season with 123 points and 83 goals in 81 games, good for 1.51 points per game. Again, that’s not bad, so how did his stock stagnate, exactly?
If you can tell from his numbers, his shot never regressed, nor did his work ethic. But he’s slow to create space; calling him an average passer is rather generous, and he’s neither a fast skater nor an outstanding puck driver - though they’re not bad to any extent. So, if you were to summarize Eiserman’s came, the word one-dimensional may walk into your mind. But he’s also a one-dimensional player with high potential.
But he’s got a late birthday and won’t turn 18 until roughly two months following the NHL Draft. Eiserman will also have four seasons to be more than just a pure-scorer, as he will attend Boston University, so right now, we’re looking at a high-risk, high-upside prospect who could easily end up making an NHL front office look very, very good.
feed
(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)