If you were GM picking class of '03 now

[Knighttown]

Of course, hindsight is 20:20, but that great group of 1985's is now getting old enough to look back and see how you would have done it differently. Grades are based on whether the player would have been picked a number of spots earlier or later if the draft were held today:

1. D. Phaneuf- 9 A+ (Cal)
2. J. Carter- 11 A+ (Phi)
3. M.A. Fleury- 1 B- (Pit)
4. E. Staal- 2 B- (Car)
5. N. Horton 3 B- (Fla)
6. N . Zherdev 4 B- (Col)
7. R. Suter 7 B (Nas)
8. R. Getzlaf 19 A+ (Ana)
9. T. Vanek 5 B- (Buf)
10. C. Perry 29 A+ (Ana)
11. M. Richards 24 A+ (Phi)
12. Z. Parise 17 A (NJ)
13. H. Jessiman 11 B- (NYR)
14. B. Coburn 8 C+ (Atl)
15. M. Michalek 6 C (SJ)
16. A. Kastitsyn 10 C+ (Mon)
17. M. Stuart 21 A (Bos)
18. D. Brown 13 C+ (LA)
19. E. Fehr 18 B (Was)
20. M.A. Pouliot 22 B+ (Edm)
21. R. Kesler 23 B+ (Van)
22. A. Stewart 25 B+ (Fla)
23. R. Nilsson 15 C+ (NYI)
24. B. Seabrook 14 F (Chi)
25. S. Belle 30 A (St.L)
26. B. Burns 20 C+ (Min)
27. S. Bernier 16 F (SJ)
28. P. Eaves 29 B (Ott)
NR B. Boyle 26 F (LA)
NR S. Tambellini 27 F (LA)

Great drafting by Philidelphia and Anaheim with 2 A+. Missed oportunities for SJ (F, C) and LA (2 F's and a C+). Inexcusable for teams like Toronto to not be in this draft.

Click to read more...

 

[Epsilon]

This is absurd for the most part. I guess someone can point out exactly what Phaneuf and Carter have done to get picked ahead of Zherdev and Staal? Certainly nothing at the NHL level. Another list that's nothing but a pure wank-job for the Canadian WJHC team.

 

[Herby]

i just don't these rankings at all.

Eric Staal, Dustin Brown and Thomas Vanek have outstanding seasons in the AHL. And they fall in your rankings.

Jeff Tambellini was 3rd in the NCAA in scoring yet is considered a failure? Jessiman who has done squat since being drafted gets a B- the same grade as Staal and Zherdev and better than Brown.

Just for fun....

1. Staal
2. Zherdev
3. Fleury
4. Phaneuf
5. Suter
6. Vanek
7. Bergeron
8. Horton
9. Brown
10. Carter
11. Parise
12. Richards
13. Kesler
14. Michalek
15. Getzlaf
16. Coburn

 

[Rabid Ranger]

This is absurd for the most part. I guess someone can point out exactly what Phaneuf and Carter have done to get picked ahead of Zherdev and Staal? Certainly nothing at the NHL level. Another list that's nothing but a pure wank-job for the Canadian WJHC team.

I agree. I'd like to know what Phaneuf in particular has done to be ranked number one?

 

[Avery4Byng*]

Bergeron would be right behind Phanuef..... SOmewhere between 3 and 6..



How about Shea Weber, 2nd round about right???

 

[ZombieMatt]

I actually don't disagree with with Phaneuf at one. This is about potential, and personally I like Phaneuf's dominating potential over Staal and Zherdev's. That's just me.

I can't fathom Steve Bernier with an F though.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

How the hell do Stall and Zherdev get a B- and drop...???

 

[Dempsey]

The letter grades are not supposed to be for how the player has performed, they're for the teams and if the team got the best player with their pick.

The more a player has "moved up the rankings" since being picked, the better the pick looks now resulting in a higher letter grade. Phanuef was selected 9th but is now ranked 1st, so the pick is an A+

 

[Knighttown]

The letter grades are not supposed to be for how the player has performed, they're for the teams and if the team got the best player with their pick.

The more a player has "moved up the rankings" since being picked, the better the pick looks now resulting in a higher letter grade. Phanuef was selected 9th but is now ranked 1st, so the pick is an A+

Exactly!! Specifically, I used criteria of:
-move up >8 spots, A+
-move up 4-8 spots, A
-move up 2-4 spots, B+ (oops, should have been A-)
-within 1 spot of actual (B)
etc...

This in no way says that any of these kids are busts and there is no way Fleury or Stall could have gotten an A b/c they can't move up the required 2 spots. Thanks for the addition of Bergeron and Weber...I hadn't added 2nd rounders but I would nut Patrice at about 10 and Weber somewhere near Mark Stuart at 17.

 

[hockeyfan125]

I actually don't disagree with with Phaneuf at one. This is about potential, and personally I like Phaneuf's dominating potential over Staal and Zherdev's. That's just me.

I can't fathom Steve Bernier with an F though.

I would take either of them over Phaneuf in a flash. He is a stud defender, but Staal and Zherdev are amazing

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

Exactly!! Specifically, I used criteria of:
-move up >8 spots, A+
-move up 4-8 spots, A
-move up 2-4 spots, B+ (oops, should have been A-)
-within 1 spot of actual (B)
etc...

This in no way says that any of these kids are busts and there is no way Fleury or Stall could have gotten an A b/c they can't move up the required 2 spots. Thanks for the addition of Bergeron and Weber...I hadn't added 2nd rounders but I would nut Patrice at about 10 and Weber somewhere near Mark Stuart at 17.

Still makes your rankings bizarre to say the least. Jessiman was drafted, what? 10th overall? You put a B- on that dude and an F on Bernier, who was drafted much lower?

Or to take a closer example, I just don't think there's any way, even taking subjectivity into account, that anyone could rationalize an F for Bernier and a B+ for Pouliot. This is a bigass gap between the two grades. Way too large, IMO.

 

[Til the End of Time]

Fleury, Staal, and Zherdev were and are the cream of the crop from this draft, but Phaneuf has elevated his play to be taken somewhere in the top four with them.

 

[Knighttown]

i just don't these rankings at all.

Eric Staal, Dustin Brown and Thomas Vanek have outstanding seasons in the AHL. And they fall in your rankings.

Jeff Tambellini was 3rd in the NCAA in scoring yet is considered a failure? Jessiman who has done squat since being drafted gets a B- the same grade as Staal and Zherdev and better than Brown.

Just for fun....

1. Staal
2. Zherdev
3. Fleury
4. Phaneuf
5. Suter
6. Vanek
7. Bergeron
8. Horton
9. Brown
10. Carter
11. Parise
12. Richards
13. Kesler
14. Michalek
15. Getzlaf
16. Coburn

You seem to.

Considering how objective these rankings are, the only discrepancies in our top 16 (by more than 4 places) are Dustin Brown (up for you) and Jeff Carter and Ryan Getzlaf (down for you). Personally, after seeing Brown enough in Guelph, I don't see him matching Jeff Carter at the NHL level. Big numbers on a stacked Manchester team but I see him being a solid NHL second liner. Jeff Carter is huge, fast and will walk into the NHL with one of the quickest releases east of Joe Sakic. Both he and Richards won the "little Cup" with Philly and no one is questioning whether they can make the jump.

As for Jessiman,call it a hunch. Hated the pick at the time and I still think it was a bad year to gamble. Just something about the way he throws the kids around at this level that would frighten me if I was a d'man in the Eastern Conference...still I'll concede he's probably a little too high.

 

[Bruwinz37]

i just don't these rankings at all.

Eric Staal, Dustin Brown and Thomas Vanek have outstanding seasons in the AHL. And they fall in your rankings.

Jeff Tambellini was 3rd in the NCAA in scoring yet is considered a failure? Jessiman who has done squat since being drafted gets a B- the same grade as Staal and Zherdev and better than Brown.

Just for fun....

1. Staal
2. Zherdev
3. Fleury
4. Phaneuf
5. Suter
6. Vanek
7. Bergeron
8. Horton
9. Brown
10. Carter
11. Parise
12. Richards
13. Kesler
14. Michalek
15. Getzlaf
16. Coburn

How in the world would you put Staal first?

 

[Bruwinz37]

Bergeron would be right behind Phanuef..... SOmewhere between 3 and 6..



How about Shea Weber, 2nd round about right???

If Bergeron were a first round pick everyone would have him listed at #1, but seeing he wasnt hyped he will never get the respect around here. Staal does not have a chance of being the player Bergeron will.

 

[freakazoid]

Fleury, Staal, and Zherdev were and are the cream of the crop from this draft, but Phaneuf has elevated his play to be taken somewhere in the top four with them.

How does Fleury deserve being mentionned among the best in this draft? What exactly did he do? Get to the NHL? With PIT goalies, they might have aswell picked someone off the street, so Fleury getting to the NHL doesn't mean much. I've said this somewhere before, but Fleury somewhat reminds me of a Montoya. Gets selected high based on his WJC, and then people start realizing that he wasn't what they thought he was. Sure Fleury has potential, but quite a few players selected in the 3rd 4th etc. rounds who have tons of potential but that means less and less as time passes after they have been drafted if they don't do much to atleast show progress. Guys like Lehtonen/Ward/Toivonen are blowing away the competition anywhere they play, Lunqvist is showing steady improvement in Europe and seems on the path to stardome, while Fleury keeps on dissapointing. Sure his AHL team wasnt that great, but Ward's Lowell was even worst and he took them to the playoffs and even won a round while playing amazing under pressure even though he was a rookie. Toivonen and Lehtonen duked it out in the semi-finals aswell, while Lunqvist won the SEL championship playing against NHL talent. Until Fleury shows us SOMETHING, there is no reason to mention him among the best in the draft.

 

[PanthersRule96]

Staal does not have a chance of being the player Bergeron will.

#^&$^#%^&!)(*#$^&^%#&*%#_

I HATE Carolina as much as I hate ANY team in the NHL and I like Patrice Bergeron. I don't even like Staal at all, but that it seriously the most ridiculous comment I've read on here in a long time........wait no, but that's definitely up there. Are you kidding me? Staal does not have a chance of being the player Bergeron will? We're basing this on one season in the NHL for both of these players. Staal did well in the AHL and well in the NHL and was nowhere near as mature as Bergeron was in his first season in the NHL, and you're saying Staal does not have a chance at being the player Bergeron will be? Bergeron's upside is nothing compared to Staal. Put Staal with stud players liek Joe Thornton or Samsonov or whoever Bergeron played with and Staal would have done extremely well. I won't say "he'd easily match Bergeron" because that's as ludacrous a statement as what this is. Staal was picked so high for a reason. Staal truly has NHL Elite player potential. Idk about superstar but definitely star player. Bergeron seems like he'll be more of a consistent player without a ridiculously high ceiling but he will be a solid player, but Staal is awesome.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

If Bergeron were a first round pick everyone would have him listed at #1, but seeing he wasnt hyped he will never get the respect around here. Staal does not have a chance of being the player Bergeron will.

 

[Seachd]

How in the world would you put Staal first?

I would too.

 

[Hedberg]

My top 30 for 03
NOTE: edoted for my stupid placement of Getzlaf

1. Nikolai Zherdev
2. Dion Phaneuf
3. Eric Staal
4. Jeff Carter
5. Milan Michalek
6. Patrice Bergeron
7. Nathan Horton
8. Thomas Vanek
9. Dustin Brown
10. Zach Parise
11. Mike Richards
12. Ryan Suter
13. Marc-Andre Fleury
14. Shea Weber
15. Ryan Getzlaf
16. Brent Seabrooke
17. Mark Stuart
18. Braydon Coburn
19. Corey Perry
20. Ryan Kesler
21. Ryan Getzlaf
22. Dan Fritsche
23. Anthony Stewart
24. Eric Fehr
25. Marc-Antoine Poliout
26. Andrei Kostitsyn
27. Brent Burns
28. Patrick Eaves
29. Hugh Jessiman
30. Patrick O’Sullivan

 

[neelynugs]

If Bergeron were a first round pick everyone would have him listed at #1, but seeing he wasnt hyped he will never get the respect around here. Staal does not have a chance of being the player Bergeron will.

i think bergie started to get respect after the show he put on at the WJC...i also think staal will turn out to be a much better scorer than bergeron, although i think PB will be the better two-way player.

 

[X0ssbar]

My top 30 for 03

1. Nikolai Zherdev
2. Dion Phaneuf
3. Eric Staal
4. Jeff Carter
5. Milan Michalek
6. Patrice Bergeron
7. Nathan Horton
8. Thomas Vanek
9. Dustin Brown
10. Zach Parise
11. Mike Richards
12. Ryan Suter
13. Marc-Andre Fleury
14. Shea Weber
15. Brent Seabrooke
16. Mark Stuart
17. Braydon Coburn
18. Steve Bernier
19. Corey Perry
20. Ryan Kesler
21. Ryan Getzlaf
22. Dan Fritsche
23. Anthony Stewart
24. Eric Fehr
25. Marc-Antoine Poliout
26. Andrei Kostitsyn
27. Brent Burns
28. Patrick Eaves
29. Hugh Jessiman
30. Patrick O’Sullivan

I like this ranking for the most part. Not sure I would put Michalek at 6 just b/c of his injury history but a pretty good list none-the-less. What a great draft this already is.

 

[Jacob]

My top 30 for 03

1. Nikolai Zherdev
2. Dion Phaneuf
3. Eric Staal
4. Jeff Carter
5. Milan Michalek
6. Patrice Bergeron
7. Nathan Horton
8. Thomas Vanek
9. Dustin Brown
10. Zach Parise
11. Mike Richards
12. Ryan Suter
13. Marc-Andre Fleury
14. Shea Weber
15. Brent Seabrooke
16. Mark Stuart
17. Braydon Coburn
18. Steve Bernier
19. Corey Perry
20. Ryan Kesler
21. Ryan Getzlaf
22. Dan Fritsche
23. Anthony Stewart
24. Eric Fehr
25. Marc-Antoine Poliout
26. Andrei Kostitsyn
27. Brent Burns
28. Patrick Eaves
29. Hugh Jessiman
30. Patrick O’Sullivan

Why would Michalek actually RISE? I mean, that's unbelievable to me. This guy's played 9 games since being drafted.

Fleury is too low but that's not nearly as bad as putting Michalek at 5.

 

[AnThGrt]

Wow these people hate the kings.... As already stated how the hell has Brown fell he has performed greatly and if you go by the top 100 picks http://www.hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=149844 you would see that Brown is the 9th highest rated from that draft and Tambs is soon to win and be #23. And to the putting down of Tambs and Boyle - Tambs was 3rd in NCAA scoring i dont know how that is failing and he has the quickest shot out any prospect. Boyle was never expected to perform right away can we look at Bertuzzi, Chara, Hatcher etc. at his age? They were all the same it takes time to get used to your body espiacilly when you are 6'7 plus didnt Tambs and Boyle win MVP in both there respective tournaments..... I dont know i think you need to watch prospects or think about them before you talk about them

 

[Jacob]

Someone just got served.