rank the drafts 2000-2006

how would you rank the drafts from 2000 - 2006 by

a) depth

b) top talent

...? how will the 2006-draft rank?

 

I like the 2003 draft in terms of depth. Nearly everyone taken in the first round has either reached the NHL or looks to be very close. 2004 and 2005 look to have the star power with Ovechkin, Malkin and Crosby.

The 2006 draft reminds me a lot of 2002. Back in 2002 there was one player who for years in advance was projected to be at the top of his draft class (Bouwmeester). Bouwmeester fell in the draft, much like Kessel this year. Also, there seems to be a top group of propsects who most people have going at the beginning of the draft in some order (Johnson, Toews, Kessel, Staal, Backstrom). That was the case in 2002 when it was Nash, Lehtonen, Bouwmeester, Pitkanen. After the top group the propsects the others are a little less heralded.

I could see 2002 being a year in which many of the mid round players emerge as valuable NHLers. A lot will depend on team need in this draft. We may see some surprising first rounders just because many of these guys have just burst onto the scene in the past year.

 

Uh, Bouwmeester didn't fall. Florida payed the other teams off with picks, etc. not to take him as they traded down. He would've went 1st overall if Florida didn't move down. He would've went first overall even if Florida moved down and another team moved up that wasn't Pittsburgh.

 

columbus traded up for the first pick in '02. pitt traded up in '03.

 

Well whatever it was, he didn't fall. Florida traded down but traded some other stuff around so no one else would pick him.

 

Well regardless of how the inner workings happened that day, Bouwmeester ended up getting picked third, a scenario that would have seemed highly unlikely to anyone projecting the draft a year or two in advance. This is much the same thing as happened with Kessel who some were comparing to Crosby (rightly or wrongfully so) during the WJC's 2 years ago.

 

I think 2003 so far has been the best one.

 

Kessel isn't even drafted yet...he still have a chance to go first overall!

As for Bouwmeester, he was indeed the "real" #1 pick because there was a kind of agreement between the 3 team...they knew that Colombus would take Nash, Atlanta Lethonen and Florida Bouwmeester...I'm pretty sure of that.

 

Yep. Bouwmeester was the number 1 guy. There certainly was a prior agreement between the teams involved that Jay would fall to Florida. It was mentioned during the broadcast of this draft.

 

i say 2003

 

Yes, this definitely happened. I believe Florida exchanged the first overall pick for Columbus's third overall pick, the right to switch first-round draft positions in 2003, and future considerations (presumably the promise to not pick Jay Boumeester). The future considerations also turned into a European prospect IIRC.

As that deal happened, Florida traded one or two picks (third in 2002, fifth in 2003?) to Atlanta for future considerations, also a promise to not draft Boumeester.

On draft day, they announced the deal on TV but failed to mention Florida's option on the Columbus's 2003 first-round-pick. I remember thinking the Florida GM was an idiot or "owed" something to Columbus. Even after hearing about the option, it still seems as if Florida made a very questionable deal.

 

Jay-Bo was really the first pick overall in the 2002 draft. He wasn't available for the teams picking at #1 and #2. But it was a ******** thing for Rick Dudley to take away the honor of Jay-Bo actually being named the 1st overall choice. What'd Dudley get out of that? A 4th round pick or something? And then a year later he tries to take Ovechkin a year before he's eligible on a leap-year technicality in the last round. What a joker!

 

On topic, I think 2005 will turn out to be a weak draft year. The GMs seemed to be really throwing darts that day. 2003 looks really good. Just about every first round pick looks like an NHLer. That's crazy.

 

a:

1. 2003
2. 2001
3. 2000
4. 2002
5. 2005
6. 2004
7. 2006

Hard to judge the depth of 04, 05 and 06.


b:

1. 2003
2. 2002
3. 2004
4. 2005
5. 2000
6. 2001
7. 2006

 

The "Real" #1 pick was Rick Nash. The Panthers "real" #1 pick was Jay Bo. As with any year (outside of generational talents like Ovechkin and Crosby) there is usually a number of picks that could be #1 overall. Each GM's draft list is different.

Both Nash and Jay Bo will be wonderful players for years to come so it doesn't really matter.

As for the question at hand, the 2001 draft appears to have the most quality top to bottom but I think the 2003 draft has the potential for more impact high end players.

 

Well, he got a forth and he doesn`t need to pay more for a first overall. Smart move.

 

The strongest draft has to be 2003. So many impact players. 2001 was very good. In terms of top talent 2004 may be the best.

2000 IMO was the weakest.