Nac Mac Feegle
wee & free
- Jun 10, 2011
- 34,903
- 9,320
Same old story.
You'd think teams would be more careful with their 18 year old high draft picks. I say it every year, and every year it rings true: for every Crosby who can play in the NHL as an 18 year old, there are 3 Josh Baileys out there who had their development severely hampered by being rushed into the league before they are ready.
Even guys like Sam Gagner, who has had some success in the league, I think could have been a MUCH better player had the Oilers not rushed him into the NHL as an 18 year old. He'd be a far more complete player than he is now, I bet.
Luke Schenn is another great example of this. Guy had all the potential in the world to become a great shutdown D, but Toronto was desperate for defencemen, rushed him, and now he's what... a #4 guy at best? He's 7th for the Flyers in TOI.
It's just stupid. If I were the owner of an NHL team, and my GM decided to play my best blue chip prospect in the NHL as an 18 year old, I'd fire him the next day.
Exactly.
It's crazy. Teams spend so much on scouting, development and training, only to basically throw it away by rushing some of their top prospects.
Let the kids dominate junior for a year or two, or learn to play against bigger, stronger guys in their home leagues in Europe or in the NCAA for a year or two. It doesn't hurt the kids, and it gives the team a much better player for a decade or more.