Pittsburgh: Best back to back draft in history?

[trahans99]

Based on hype and projections does Pittsburgh have the best duo drafted in back to back years?

Malkin: which some think could be better than Ovechkin
Crosby: Enough said

I am asking for just BACK to BACK years here, but could throw in BACK to BACK to BACK and add MA Fleury.

Click to read more...

 

[The Pens Are Back*]

i still like the craig hillier robert dome back to back drafts better

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Can I defer my answer for 20 years?

 

[Tawnos]

How about Heatley, Kovalchuk, Lehtonen

Sundin, Nolan, Lindros


Nieuwendyk/Roberts

Lowe/Coffey and Kurri/Fuhr

Pronger/O'Neill/Giguere

 

[trahans99]

How about Heatley, Kovalchuk, Lehtonen

Sundin, Nolan, Lindros


Nieuwendyk/Roberts

Lowe/Coffey and Kurri/Fuhr

Pronger/O'Neill/Giguere

Based on hype before drafts i'd say Pitts still beats those. New/Roberts not even close, I don't know how Lowe/Coffey/kurri/fuhr were hyped back then. They had great careers but i'm not basing this on careers but more on hype before and immediately after draft. The Sundin, Nolan, Lindros is pretty close but i'm asking for just 2 years BACK TO BACK.

 

[The Pens Are Back*]

malhotra
brendl lundmark

 

[NewGuy]

Lafleur/Shutt/Gainey?

 

[kmad]

I don't think you can call it a great draft if they just got the highest picks. To qualify something draft-related as best, there has to be a drafting skill or some tremendous foresight involved.

Quite easily, the Red Wings' 1989 draft is the best one-year single-team drafting job of all time:

Lidstrom
Fedorov
Boughner
Konstantinov
Sillinger
Drake

So basically, I think whichever draft adjacent to 1989 was better will combine with 1989 to make the best consecutive draft years of all time. I'll go with 1990:

K. Primeau
S. Kozlov
Jason York

 

[Russian_fanatic]

I don't think you can call it a great draft if they just got the highest picks. To qualify something draft-related as best, there has to be a drafting skill or some tremendous foresight involved.

Quite easily, the Red Wings' 1989 draft is the best one-year single-team drafting job of all time:

Lidstrom
Fedorov
Boughner
Konstantinov
Sillinger
Drake

So basically, I think whichever draft adjacent to 1989 was better will combine with 1989 to make the best consecutive draft years of all time. I'll go with 1990:

K. Primeau
S. Kozlov
Jason York

Amazing.

 

[Tawnos]

If it's just based on hype and projection, Lindros/Nolan is on the same level. I think you're forgetting just how hyped Lindros was.

 

[boredmale]

If you are basing it just on first picks i would agree, the penguins 84/85 first picks of Lemieux and Simpson would be the best ever.

If you base it on players in today's NHL, once again i would agree with you, Pittsburg is the best. In 90 they picked Jagr and 91 they picked Marcus Naslund(i still remember the 91 draft when patrick claimed Naslund was the third best player behind Lindros and Forsburg(who was lowly rated in the hockey news), i thought he was full of shi+, guess he was right).

If it's just based on hype and projection, Lindros/Nolan is on the same level. I think you're forgetting just how hyped Lindros was.

yeah i think he was ranted about worse then Crosby. I hate when i watch hockey shows talking about crosby , syaing he is the most "hyped" player since Lemieux, i think Lindros was hyped way worse then Crosby. When all is said and done Lindros was a very good player but wasn't even the best player in his draft.

 

[helicecopter]

In 90 they picked Jagr and 91 they picked Marcus Naslund(i still remember the 91 draft when patrick claimed Naslund was the third best player behind Lindros and Forsburg(who was lowly rated in the hockey news), i thought he was full of shi+, guess he was right).

I guess he forgot about that when 5years later he traded Naslund to Vancouver for Alek Stojanov!

 

[Lard_Lad]

Potvin and Trottier (as a second-rounder) for the Islanders in 1973 and 74.

 

[Hedberg]

I guess he forgot about that when 5years later he traded Naslund to Vancouver for Alek Stojanov!

Everyone knows Stojanov was THE best player in that draft.

 

[boredmale]

Potvin and Trottier (as a second-rounder) for the Islanders in 1973 and 74.

The islanders first picks in 73 & 74(Potvin and Gilles) would be runner up to pittsburgs 84/85 first picks.

 

[boredmale]

I guess he forgot about that when 5years later he traded Naslund to Vancouver for Alek Stojanov!

i would laugh at this but being an Islander fan i know how it feels to be screwed over by the canucks

 

[turnbuckle*]

I don't think you can call it a great draft if they just got the highest picks. To qualify something draft-related as best, there has to be a drafting skill or some tremendous foresight involved.

Quite easily, the Red Wings' 1989 draft is the best one-year single-team drafting job of all time:

Lidstrom
Fedorov
Boughner
Konstantinov
Sillinger
Drake

So basically, I think whichever draft adjacent to 1989 was better will combine with 1989 to make the best consecutive draft years of all time. I'll go with 1990:

K. Primeau
S. Kozlov
Jason York

Quite easily the best draft ever? I beg to differ.

Nice draft by Detroit, but i think perhaps you're overrating Fedorov and Lidstrom a little bit.

Chicago in 1980 was a better draft than Detoroit 1989 - especially if you're looking for both top-end quality and depth

Savard
Larmer
Troy Murray
Carey Wilson
Steve Ludzik
Dan Frawley
Jerome Dupont
Ken Solheim
Don Dietrich

Nine player that made the grade, including three players that would all have 47+ goal seasons. Savard ended up with 1300+ points, Larmer with 1,000+ points, Murray with 568 points, wilson with 400+ points, Ludzik with 400 NHL games, Frawley captained the Pens when Mario was there, Dupont played close to 300 NHL games.



Here's a pretty decent back to back:

Montreal's 1971 draft:
Lafleur
Robinson
Wilson
Arnason
Hubick
Busniuk

Sorry, but I'll take Lafleur and Robinson over Fedorov and Lidstrom any day. Murray Wilson was on his way to a solid NHL career before back injuries forced him to retire at 27. More overall depth with Detroit's, but Lafleur and Robinson alone give the Habs the nod.

1972 draft:

Shutt
Nyrop
Larocque
Van Boxmeer

Shutt, Lafleur and Robinson in back to back years. That beats Primeau, Fedorov, Lidstrom "hands down".



In 1979 Edmonton drafted:

Lowe
Messier
Anderson

Keep in mind that there were only 126 players drafted, and Edmonton, without a second round pick, only made six selections. Two of the others, Toal and Barnes, even played briefly in the league. Anyway, I'll take those three over any three Detroit players you wanna throw at me from"the best draft ever".

the next year the Oilers drafted

Coffey
Kurri
Poddubny
Moog


5 eventual hall of famers, a 400-point scorer, and a long-time solid NHL goalie versus Fedorov, Primeau, Lidstrom, Konstantinov, Kozlov, the Mighty Dallas Drake and all world Bob Boughner. It's hands down all right - you would have to be missing a few marbles not to pick that Oilers crew over a two-year period. I won't bother with statistics, it would only make it that much more obvious.

There are other examples of solid back to backs, like the Islanders in 73-74:

1973:

Potvin
Lewis (more than 1000 games on defence)
St. Laurent
Lorimer

1974:

Trottier
Gillies
Langevin

Three hall of famers, three solid long-time defenceman, and a speedy skilled center who player more than 600 games.

Boston in 1979

Bourque
McCrimmon
Krushelnyski
Crowder
Melnyk
Baron


Best ever draft year: Chicago in 1980, but it's close.

Best back to back - Edmonton in 79 and 80. Once Anderson and Lowe make the Hall, five HOF's in two draft years will never be matched.