if the 2003 draft could be done all over again...

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Thats not a very list IMO. Horton and Zherdev are way to low, especially Zherdev. The guy might never fulfill his potential, but he has more upsides than virtually anyone in the draft. Horton would be top #4 easily, he is scoring at a very good rate with the best shooting % in the nhl.
Brent seabrook is to high, the guy is good but in such a deep and talented draft there is no way he goes top 3. Another guy who is to high is Mike Richards. IMO he would go around #10. The guy will be a great leader but like Seabrook in such a deep draft he isnt good enough to go top 5.
Ryan kesler is also abit to high, and perhaps has the least upsides out of anyone in the 1st rounder. I just dont like seeing 3rd liners being taken in the 1st round of any draft.

Im not a big fan of MAF either, but he would go higher than #24. Teams are always looking for franchise goalies and he wouldnt slip outisde the top 10. Infact if the draft were re-done, he would go #1 (not because he is the best) because the Penguins need a goaltender.

I have no qualms with putting Seabrook as high as I did. Fact of the matter is that him and Phaneuf have been the best defensemen of the 2003 draft. Hell, you could almost say that outside of Staal, they've been the best players of the 2003 draft to play so far.

As for putting Richards as high as I did, I did so because he's had an impact in his rookie year that's been similar to, or according to some people, has exceeded that of Nathan Horton.

I also put MA Fleury where he is because to be honest, he hasn't been that impressive. Andy Chiodo did a better job in Scranton than MA did, but you'll never see the Pens organization acknowledge that. MA had that melt down at the WJC tournament and hasn't been the same since. He either needs to get his head straightened back on or ask to be dealt out of Pittsburgh.

Once again though, this is nothing more than opinion. As I stated at the bottom of my post, this draft redo I did was completely off the board.

 

[tom_servo]

Doesn't Fleury's performance this season count for anything? He's been very impressive thus far.

I don't think there's any way he'd drop out of the top ten.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Sometimes I’m amazed at how short the memories of some people are. Zherdev was the bees knees by the end of 03-04, but a rough start to 05-06 seems to have wiped those thoughts away.

Zherdev has certainly had his struggles this year, but of the top guys in the 2003 class, he’s the only one who’s had to not only adapt to a new level of play but also to a new country, new language and new culture.
Still his point totals are right in line with guys like Carter, Richards, Vanek and Horton (though I know Horton missed games) and better than other forwards who some have listed above him. Maybe he’s a “disapointment†because people expect more from him than those players? Fair enough, but if that is the case, I think he has plenty of time to right the ship and get his career back on track.

He may not be leadership/captain material, but the guy has ridiculous skill and on a team with Nash, will never be required to be that emotional leader. So, I think he’s gonna be okay when all is said and done.
Actually, for the knocks on his attitude, I think part of his problem early in the year was that, with Nash gone, he was trying to do too much, which was leading to mistakes. That seems to be remedied now as he’s really picked up his play in the last month.

 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Sometimes I’m amazed at how short the memories of some people are. Zherdev was the bees knees by the end of 03-04, but a rough start to 05-06 seems to have wiped those thoughts away.

Zherdev has certainly had his struggles this year, but of the top guys in the 2003 class, he’s the only one who’s had to not only adapt to a new level of play but also to a new country, new language and new culture.
Still his point totals are right in line with guys like Carter, Richards, Vanek and Horton (though I know Horton missed games) and better than other forwards who some have listed above him. Maybe he’s a “disapointment†because people expect more from him than those players? Fair enough, but if that is the case, I think he has plenty of time to right the ship and get his career back on track.

He may not be leadership/captain material, but the guy has ridiculous skill and on a team with Nash, will never be required to be that emotional leader. So, I think he’s gonna be okay when all is said and done.
Actually, for the knocks on his attitude, I think part of his problem early in the year was that, with Nash gone, he was trying to do too much, which was leading to mistakes. That seems to be remedied now as he’s really picked up his play in the last month.

I don't think that Zherdev is a bad player at all. I really like Zherdev and I think he will be a good one. The thing with Zherdev is that he's a complimentary player. I think he was drafted so high because he had other good players that made him look better than what he really is. The ability is there to be a dominant player, but I don't think the mindset is and as long as that will be the case, Zherdev will always be someone who should have gone much later.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I don't think that Zherdev is a bad player at all. I really like Zherdev and I think he will be a good one. The thing with Zherdev is that he's a complimentary player. I think he was drafted so high because he had other good players that made him look better than what he really is. The ability is there to be a dominant player, but I don't think the mindset is and as long as that will be the case, Zherdev will always be someone who should have gone much later.

Fair point. His mindset certainly has been questioned several times this season by Jackets fans. Hopefully it is just issues of youth.

 

[Dutchy]

Kostytsin is still top3 talent in the 2003 draft, you guys WAIT and see, he's still 20 and just startig to have more confidence in himself...

I'm a huge Habs fan, but even if Kostitsyn reaches his potential, he still won't be close to the way Fleury, Staal or Phaneuf played this year.

 

[ryz]

The only people pimping Kostitsyn either have a Montreal Canadiens logo as thier avatar or have Montreal as thier location. Funny Stuff.

1. Staal
2. Phaneuf
3. Fleury
4. Horton
5. Bergeron
6. Carter
7. Vanek
8. Zherdev
9. Richards
10. Seabrook

 

[J17 Vs Proclamation]

I have no qualms with putting Seabrook as high as I did. Fact of the matter is that him and Phaneuf have been the best defensemen of the 2003 draft. Hell, you could almost say that outside of Staal, they've been the best players of the 2003 draft to play so far.

As for putting Richards as high as I did, I did so because he's had an impact in his rookie year that's been similar to, or according to some people, has exceeded that of Nathan Horton.

I also put MA Fleury where he is because to be honest, he hasn't been that impressive. Andy Chiodo did a better job in Scranton than MA did, but you'll never see the Pens organization acknowledge that. MA had that melt down at the WJC tournament and hasn't been the same since. He either needs to get his head straightened back on or ask to be dealt out of Pittsburgh.

Once again though, this is nothing more than opinion. As I stated at the bottom of my post, this draft redo I did was completely off the board.

Seabrook isnt a top 3 player out of this draft anyway you look at it IMO.
Mike richards better than Horton is a big reach. This is richards rookie year compared to horton's sophamore but Horton is actually the younger of the two. Consider Horton got injured in his rookie year, and had little play lasy year either he is doing amazingly well this year. Horton would go top 5, richards just doesnt have that upside in such a freak draft year.

MAF got outplayed by Chiodo, so what. MAF was a teenager then, and whilst i question his upsides too, there is no doubt he would easily go top 10. He will be a good starting goaltending in the league for along time.

The whole Zherdev thing is being blown out of all proportion right now. He has excuses for his below par play. Awful team, personal issues etc. I fail to see how he would even fall out of the top 10.

 

[Chimaera]

I may be beating a dead horse, but there is no chance Eric Fehr has dropped in draft standings much at all since the draft. While some players have definitely shown more, you can argue he's outplayed quite a few of the players others have ranked higher than him. I can see staying around where he is, or dropping a slot or two because a lot of people still aren't certain on a few facets of his game, but not a large change. I'd argue personally that his stock has definitely risen.

Having him 28 or 29th is a joke.

I'd say this more not just because of his obvious improvements from when he was drafted, but just because of how valuable players of his stock are. While he will never be a game changing physical presence, a player of his reach, wingspan and size in the new NHL, along with his extremely good wrist shot would make his draft stock rise quickly.

To respond to his status being hurt on the Caps, I don't see it. If you're repicking the 2003 draft, then you can't consider the potential team the player will play for. Even if you do consider the Caps, like you suggested, he is going to look extremely good alongside Ovechkin.





As for the whole re-ranking in general, while this draft looks pretty strong from this point of view, 5 years down the road I'm pretty sure about a third of the people in the first 2-3 rounds will be declared busts. Another portion will have gotten a cup of coffee, and probably will languish in the minors or Europe. Another portion will be marginal NHL'ers at best. Fewer still will make an impact. Take these re-drafts with a grain of salt.

 

[Dominator13]

The only people pimping Kostitsyn either have a Montreal Canadiens logo as thier avatar or have Montreal as thier location. Funny Stuff.1. Staal
2. Phaneuf
3. Fleury
4. Horton
5. Bergeron
6. Carter
7. Vanek
8. Zherdev
9. Richards
10. Seabrook

well no duh! we still believe in him, he's ours! Huge Jessiman could become the best player in the hole draft in 5 years, but do Habs fans care, he belongs to the Rangers, late bloomers aren't really the worst players of the draft are they, look at Bertuzzi or Naslund for examples, Evreyone knew before the draft that Kostytsin was a project just like Perezhogin, it took 4 years for Perezhogin to play in the NHL, Kostytsin is just starting his 2nd year in the AHL and people like you are already calling him a bust For all we know, Carter could become the next Chris Gratton and Bergeron the next Maltby

 

[clay]

Staal
Phaneuf
Horton
Fleury
Carter
Bergeron
Zherdev
Suter
Perry
Getzlaf
Vanek
Richards
Seabrook
Brown
Parise
Coburn
Michalek
Fehr
Nilsson
Eaves
O'Sullivan
Burns
Tambellini
Stewart
Stuart
Belle
Kesler
Bernier
Weber
Richmond

 

[Whynks]

Just the guys taken in the first round ...

1. Eric Staal
2. Dion Phaneuf
3. Nathan Horton
4. Ryan Suter
5. Jeff Carter
6. Thomas Vanek
7. Brent Seabrook
8. Marc Andre Fleury
9. Mike Richards
10. Nikolai Zherdev
11. Dustin Brown
12. Milan Michalek
13. Braydon Coburn
14. Zach Parise
15. Ryan Getzlaf
16. Eric Fehr
17. Corey Perry
18. Anthony Stewart
19. Ryan Kesler
20. Brent Burns
21. Jeff Tambellini
22. Robert Nilsson
23. Patrick Eaves
24. Andrei Kostitsyn
25. Steve Bernier
26. Marc Andre Pouliot
27. Mark Stuart
28. Brian Boyle
29. Shawn Belle
30. Hugh Jessiman

 

[Randall Graves*]

I may be beating a dead horse, but there is no chance Eric Fehr has dropped in draft standings much at all since the draft. While some players have definitely shown more, you can argue he's outplayed quite a few of the players others have ranked higher than him. I can see staying around where he is, or dropping a slot or two because a lot of people still aren't certain on a few facets of his game, but not a large change. I'd argue personally that his stock has definitely risen.

Having him 28 or 29th is a joke.

I'd say this more not just because of his obvious improvements from when he was drafted, but just because of how valuable players of his stock are. While he will never be a game changing physical presence, a player of his reach, wingspan and size in the new NHL, along with his extremely good wrist shot would make his draft stock rise quickly.

To respond to his status being hurt on the Caps, I don't see it. If you're repicking the 2003 draft, then you can't consider the potential team the player will play for. Even if you do consider the Caps, like you suggested, he is going to look extremely good alongside Ovechkin.





As for the whole re-ranking in general, while this draft looks pretty strong from this point of view, 5 years down the road I'm pretty sure about a third of the people in the first 2-3 rounds will be declared busts. Another portion will have gotten a cup of coffee, and probably will languish in the minors or Europe. Another portion will be marginal NHL'ers at best. Fewer still will make an impact. Take these re-drafts with a grain of salt.

where do you think Fehr belongs?

 

[Jacob]

My top 10:
1. Eric Staal
2. Dion Phaneuff
3. Marc-Andre Fleury
4. Patrice Bergeron
5. Nikolai Zherdev
6. Nathan Horton
7. Thomas Vanek
8. Jeff Carter
9. Dustin Brown
10. Brent Seabrook

Looks about right to me.

 

[triggrman]

I think it's funny that Suter is out of the top 10 because he doesn't put up numbers as well as Seabrook. Forget the fact that Nashville already has 2 of the top offensive defensemen in the league in Timonen and Zidlicky, removing him from any good powerplay time.

I know defensemen here are only judged by huge hits and numbers though so I guess I won't worry about it too much. I should just be happy with the fact that we don't need our rookie defense to play huge rolls right off the bat.

 

[dunwoody_joe]

Hey, maybe we should do a 2003 mock redraft?

I'll take the Thrashers.

 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Hey, maybe we should do a 2003 mock redraft?

I'll take the Thrashers.

I'm game. I'll take the Flyers.

 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Seabrook isnt a top 3 player out of this draft anyway you look at it IMO.

Seabrook is easily a top 3 player out of this draft. He's been just as impressive as Phaneuf has been on a poor Chicago team.

Mike richards better than Horton is a big reach. This is richards rookie year compared to horton's sophamore but Horton is actually the younger of the two. Consider Horton got injured in his rookie year, and had little play lasy year either he is doing amazingly well this year. Horton would go top 5, richards just doesnt have that upside in such a freak draft year.

Horton had little play last year? He stank in San Antonio and he hurt his shoulder again. His durability is going to be a big question mark. Two major shoulder surgeries in two years for a power forward. Thanks, but I'll take the sure bet, as I'm sure most others will. The other thing with Richards that Horton can't match is Richards' winning pedigree. He's won everywhere he's been. Horton can't say that. That goes a long way in player development, whether you want to admit it or not.

MAF got outplayed by Chiodo, so what. MAF was a teenager then, and whilst i question his upsides too, there is no doubt he would easily go top 10. He will be a good starting goaltending in the league for along time.

Mental toughness and MAF lacks it. Yeah, he'll be a good goalie, but he'll never be considered great because of it. Sorry, but if you're investing millions into these guys, then you want to make sure it's a sure thing or as close to it as possible. And MAF isn't it. He got outplayed by someone who shouldn't even be in his class or category. He had a complete meltdown at the WJC and it's haunted him ever since. It's clear that he can't shake it. Look at what happened after the Gold Medal game of the 2003-2004 tournament. MAF gets sent back to Halifax. He proceeds to stumble there. They get to the playoffs and they're eliminated in the opening round. He then goes to Scranton and watches from the pine. The 2004-2005 season, MAF splits duties with someone who is considered by most his inferior. Yet, Chiodo put up better numbers. Goto the AHL playoffs of 2004-2005. MAF, how can I put it, CHOKES in the pressure. Chiodo replaces him. Scranton goes to upset Bingo and gave the eventual champion Philadelphia Phantoms a good go. MAF rides pine. This was supposed to be the year he becomes top dog in Pittsburgh. Instead, the Pens acquire Thibault and MAF gets sent to Scranton. MAF only gets recalled when Thibault is hurt. Nope, MAF is a disappointment and every time it comes for him to seize the moment, he chokes.

The whole Zherdev thing is being blown out of all proportion right now. He has excuses for his below par play. Awful team, personal issues etc. I fail to see how he would even fall out of the top 10.

They also said the same thing about Alexandre Daigle and we all know how he turned out. Look, mental toughness is not something that is taken lightly by teams. You can have all the physical talent in the world and Zherdev does. If you want to get right down to it, he has more natural talent and ability than Rick Nash does, and that's saying a whole lot. However, he doesn't have the mental toughness to go with it. When things get rough, Zherdev turns tail. This was an opportunity for him to seize the moment when Nash went down and instead, Zherdev turtled. That should tell you something about his character. And yes, that goes a long way in determining success. So yeah, it's easy to see how one can fall out of the top 10 with little trouble at all.

 

[KILLger]

Matt Carle is going to be much better than many of the names listed on everyone's lists...

 

[OrrNumber4]

Matt Carle is going to be much better than many of the names listed on everyone's lists...

I agree..I don't know if he is being overlooked b/c he plays in college or because people here are rearranging the players taken in the first round only.

Or is it because he is a San Jose Sharks prospect

 

[Randall Graves*]

Seabrook is easily a top 3 player out of this draft. He's been just as impressive as Phaneuf has been on a poor Chicago team.

They also said the same thing about Alexandre Daigle and we all know how he turned out. Look, mental toughness is not something that is taken lightly by teams. You can have all the physical talent in the world and Zherdev does. If you want to get right down to it, he has more natural talent and ability than Rick Nash does, and that's saying a whole lot. However, he doesn't have the mental toughness to go with it. When things get rough, Zherdev turns tail. This was an opportunity for him to seize the moment when Nash went down and instead, Zherdev turtled. That should tell you something about his character. And yes, that goes a long way in determining success. So yeah, it's easy to see how one can fall out of the top 10 with little trouble at all.

You're not allowed to compare any other young dman to Phanuef on this site, just an FYI.

 

[Jacob]

Mental toughness and MAF lacks it. Yeah, he'll be a good goalie, but he'll never be considered great because of it. Sorry, but if you're investing millions into these guys, then you want to make sure it's a sure thing or as close to it as possible. And MAF isn't it. He got outplayed by someone who shouldn't even be in his class or category. He had a complete meltdown at the WJC and it's haunted him ever since. It's clear that he can't shake it. Look at what happened after the Gold Medal game of the 2003-2004 tournament. MAF gets sent back to Halifax. He proceeds to stumble there. They get to the playoffs and they're eliminated in the opening round. He then goes to Scranton and watches from the pine. The 2004-2005 season, MAF splits duties with someone who is considered by most his inferior. Yet, Chiodo put up better numbers. Goto the AHL playoffs of 2004-2005. MAF, how can I put it, CHOKES in the pressure. Chiodo replaces him. Scranton goes to upset Bingo and gave the eventual champion Philadelphia Phantoms a good go. MAF rides pine. This was supposed to be the year he becomes top dog in Pittsburgh. Instead, the Pens acquire Thibault and MAF gets sent to Scranton. MAF only gets recalled when Thibault is hurt. Nope, MAF is a disappointment and every time it comes for him to seize the moment, he chokes.

Why did you leave out the success he's had in the NHL? Quite frankly, considering how good he's been this year, who cares what kind of path it took him to get there? The developmental track of goaltenders is usually a roller coaster anyway, right?

I mean, he's been stellar in the NHL this year.


To boot, you got a few of your facts wrong. Pretty clear you're not familiar with the situation at all, actually.

 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Matt Carle is going to be much better than many of the names listed on everyone's lists...

You know what, he probably will be.

 

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

Why did you leave out the success he's had in the NHL? Quite frankly, considering how good he's been this year, who cares what kind of path it took him to get there? The developmental track of goaltenders is usually a roller coaster anyway, right?

I mean, he's been stellar in the NHL this year.


To boot, you got a few of your facts wrong.

He also started 03/04 on fire as well and we all know what happened that year. I know that I'm in the minority on here, but I don't think MAF is a franchise goalie. He'll be a good goalie, but he isn't franchise. I don't even think Lehtonen is going to be a franchise goalie either. The days of the Patrick Roys, Martin Brodeurs, Dominik Haseks are going to be a long time waiting. The best of the young goalies right now is probably Toivonen in Boston.

 

[OrrNumber4]

He also started 03/04 on fire as well and we all know what happened that year. I know that I'm in the minority on here, but I don't think MAF is a franchise goalie. He'll be a good goalie, but he isn't franchise. I don't even think Lehtonen is going to be a franchise goalie either. The days of the Patrick Roys, Martin Brodeurs, Dominik Haseks are going to be a long time waiting. The best of the young goalies right now is probably Toivonen in Boston.

Very true. However, there seems to be an abundance of back-up/lesser starter quality goalies in the NHL.