Eric Staal: Would you do it all over again?

[geehaad]

In a draft year where there are many great players to come out, picking early is not quite as easy...it's amazing to go back and look at the talent taken in just the first round alone. Having the #2 overall pick in a draft, I know it's usually like shooting fish in a barrel, but it's my opinion that the Hurricanes really did nail it with the second player taken in the 2003 draft.

In retrospect, of all the choices to be had, do you think Staal was the right choice for the franchise, and if not, who would you have chosen instead?

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[DaleCooper]

Looking at that draft, the only players I would even have to consider:

Parise
Getzlaf
Weber

It's still a slam dunk for me. He's put up nearly 600 points, led the team to a Stanley Cup, had a 100 point season and has been a perfect fit for the team and community.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Weber is the only one I would even consider, but I'm quite content with EStaal.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Pretty much the answers given already. Given how they turned out, probably would have gone with Weber, with Staal a close 2nd.

Granted, if we were given that opportunity, it's assumed that Pittsburgh would be given the same and would have taken Weber before we had the chance.

 

[What the Faulk]

Absolutely no brainer for me. Weber is good and a close 2nd, but Staal has already led his team to success.

 

[DaveG]

Yep, only player that would make me hesitate to take Staal over is Weber. Who was a 2nd round pick so there was little to no indication at the time he would be anything near this. We made the right choice with what was available.

 

[DougieSmash]

 

[Anton Babchuk]

Would have traded the pick for Scott Walker

 

[geehaad]

Don't lie to us. We all know you would have traded the pick for Anton Babchuk.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Only problem with saying you'd take Weber over Staal is that we had a SECOND pick before Weber was even taken. We spent it on future Hall of Famer Danny Richmond...

We could've had either Weber OR Bergeron with that pick. That hurts...

But yeah, as far as the 2nd overall pick goes, Staal was a slum dunk. We did as well as we could've with that pick.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Only problem with saying you'd take Weber over Staal is that we had a SECOND pick before Weber was even taken. We spent it on future Hall of Famer Danny Richmond...

We could've had either Weber OR Bergeron with that pick. That hurts...

But yeah, as far as the 2nd overall pick goes, Staal was a slum dunk. We did as well as we could've with that pick.

But think about who Danny Richmond brought to the Canes!

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

But think about who Danny Richmond brought to the Canes!

Boom Boom wins.

We did the 2003 draft perfectly.

EDIT: Fun fact, Danny Richmond has also been traded for Tim Brent in his career. Who knew?

 

[tarheelhockey]

Can you imagine the reaction if we had drafted Weber 2nd overall? Talk about 20/20 hindsight!

 

[DaveG]

The railing against taking him over Coburn, yet alone some of the forwards out there, would have been legendary.

 

[Anton Babchuk]

All five people posting in the 'Canes section at the time would have been outraged

 

[Novacane]

I still think it's a no-brainer. "Franchise" center who is the captain. He's had 7 straight 70 point seasons while being as durable as any human playing hockey can be. Plus, he hasn't said anything too idiotic to the media.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Problem with assuming the Canes would still have Weber (if they drafted him) is how the Canes dealt with defensemen back then (and even to some extent now). I suspect they would have either rushed him to the NHL or become impatient and trade them away before he made an impact in Carolina.

 

[tarheelhockey]

The railing against taking him over Coburn, yet alone some of the forwards out there, would have been legendary.

I don't even remember if McGuire was doing draft coverage at the time, but he would have gone ****ing berserk and probably tried to crawl over the table to get at Rutherford.

 

[TheBigKahuna]

That was one hell of a draft class! One of the best in many years. I don't think anyone in the Canes organization has an regrets about drafting Staal. But I bet more than once, someone in Pittsburgh has looked at the talent taken in that draft and cried about taking Fleury #1 overall. I wouldn't take him in my top 5 in hindsight! The Panthers actually did quite well with their trade, in my opinion, and would have done better if they were a decent franchise able to develop talent.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

I will say that I've been impressed with Staal's growth as a player, especially with regards to becoming a captain.

When he first came into the league, he didn't have that captain mentality (even though it was obvious from the getgo that he would be the next in line after Brindamour). And even when Brindamour retired, his first year as captain wasn't exactly a shining example of his maturity.

But lately, he's been getting better about that. I remember he called himself out after a particularly poor game (against Phoenix, I believe) and how he needed to be better. And then the ad in today's paper is seriously impressive (even if it's all just fluff, it does make me feel better).

 

[geehaad]

The Panthers actually did quite well with their trade, in my opinion, and would have done better if they were a decent franchise able to develop talent.

Considering what that #1 pick netted them (Horton, Stefan Meyer, and Michael Samuelsson), I'd say that drafting Eric Staal probably would have been the wiser choice.

 

[TheBigKahuna]

Considering what that #1 pick netted them (Horton, Stefan Meyer, and Michael Samuelsson), I'd say that drafting Eric Staal probably would have been the wiser choice.

The Panthers didn't have that option, Staal was gone when they picked.

 

[DaveG]

I don't even remember if McGuire was doing draft coverage at the time, but he would have gone ****ing berserk and probably tried to crawl over the table to get at Rutherford.

He was, his big pet peeve that year (rightly so) was Parise falling like he did.

 

[DaleCooper]

Only because they traded the #1 overall pick to Pittsburgh.

 

[Anton Dubinchuk]

Considering what that #1 pick netted them (Horton, Stefan Meyer, and Michael Samuelsson), I'd say that drafting Eric Staal probably would have been the wiser choice.

Yeah I agree... Thank goodness for the Panthers!