Biggest Flop??

[God Bless Canada]

Honestly, the only thing that really impressed me about Daigle was his skating. He had, and still has, all-world skating ability, and he used it to tear minor hockey and junior apart. But once he got to the show, his flaws were exposed. It's not just an attitude thing, or a work ethic thing, although those two deficiencies prevented him from improving. His shot never impressed me. His hockey sense never impressed me. His physical game and defensive play never impressed me. He lacked hockey sense, smarts and instincts, and in terms of all the mental aspects of the game, which are so important, he was lacking. His skating will never be questioned, he's one of the best skaters we'll probably ever see, but outside of skating, he was probably average, at best, in most aspects of the game.

 

[Sens Rule]

Honestly, the only thing that really impressed me about Daigle was his skating. He had, and still has, all-world skating ability, and he used it to tear minor hockey and junior apart. But once he got to the show, his flaws were exposed. It's not just an attitude thing, or a work ethic thing, although those two deficiencies prevented him from improving. His shot never impressed me. His hockey sense never impressed me. His physical game and defensive play never impressed me. He lacked hockey sense, smarts and instincts, and in terms of all the mental aspects of the game, which are so important, he was lacking. His skating will never be questioned, he's one of the best skaters we'll probably ever see, but outside of skating, he was probably average, at best, in most aspects of the game.

Very true

 

[Chili]

Put an 18 year old on one of the worst NHL teams ever assembled, give him a ridiculous contract that will make him a target of ridicule around the league, put saviour expectations on him, all in a hockey mad market.

The odds of failing will be pretty high.

 

[Badger Bob]

You can't have a list like this without, at least, a cursory mention of Dale McCourt.

 

[Alpine]

Flockhart.....Flocky Hockey he was supposed to be..... and ended up being.......
There also was a Joe Murphy fellow that the Wings drafted 1st overall in '86 who was a total bust.
EDIT:
Seems to me Daigle may not have lived up to expectations but a flop compared to the two above??

 

[God Bless Canada]

Flockhart.....Flocky Hockey he was supposed to be..... and ended up being.......
There also was a Joe Murphy fellow that the Wings drafted 1st overall in '86 who was a total bust.
EDIT:
Seems to me Daigle may not have lived up to expectations but a flop compared to the two above??

Joe Murphy wasn't a bust. He played nearly 800 games and scored over 200 goals. He was part of Edmonton's Kid Line in 1990. He peaked in 1991-92 with over a point-per-game in both the regular season and the playoffs, and was part of the Oilers Pipe Line. He never matched those totals, as he never regained his form after a holdout for the first three quarters of the 1992-93 season, but he did score 70 points in 1993-94 and was over a point-per-game in the lockout year.

He received a fat contract from St. Louis during their notorious big-spending days of the mid-1990s, a contract he never justified. His final few seasons were forgettable.

Did he match expectations? No. With his speed and shot, seasons like 1991-92 should have become the norm. Everyone was expecting him to build on his 1992 playoffs, and not struggle. But to call him a flop would be hyperbole.

 

[Alpine]

And to call Daigle's 327 points in 616 games a bust is also hyperbole. They both came with expectations that were too high. Let's go back to Flocky Hockey

 

[Henriksen]

For me you can't leave Lawton and Wickenheiser off the list even though they played a fair number of NHL games. Those two were #1 overall in drafts with some of the best talent we have seen the last 25 years.

 

[Talent Analyst]

Daigle IMO is a bust for the level he's suposing to reach

 

[Brett38]

Montreal selects Doug Wickenhieser # 1. They could have had Denis Savard. I think it was 1980.

 

[Marc-E-]

Doug Wickenneizer

 

[JCD]

More teams equals more players that aren`t as good as the players already there. Here`s the point: 600 NHL games doesn`t mean what it used to. Had Daigle played 15 years earlier he wouldn`t have been able to pad those extra 200 games to his total because there wouldn`t have been any room for him.

The whole debate about how many teams is too many is another topic, but look at it this way: they added 4 more team from `98- `00. Is there any evidence whatsoever to indicate that 80 more NHL-calibre players magically appeared in that span? Not that I`ve seen.

Look at the % of European players added to the league between now and the 80's.

Yes, there were 80 more NHL caliber players.

 

[reckoning]

Look at the % of European players added to the league between now and the 80's.

Yes, there were 80 more NHL caliber players.

I wasn`t really talking about the 80s as much as the mid 90s. In `97-`98 there were 26 teams, 3 years later there`s 30 teams. I don`t see where those 80 NHL-calibre players came from since practically all of the top European players had already been brought over by then.

 

[Stephen]

The Senators have to take part of the blame for Daigle being such a disappointment. A year in the AHL early in his career would`ve done him a world of good.

The fact that he`s played over 600 games is proof of how diluted the talent in a 26-30 team league is.

It has nothing to do with talent dilution.

Daigle doesn't measure up if we take into account his draft position, but he was a multiple 50 point scorer in the NHL. He's a useful player anyway.

Also, most first overall picks are going to get the benefit of the doubt and teams will usually give them a few chances more than others based on projected potential alone. It's speculation.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Dan Woodley? 7th overall in '86. 5 games played. Mediocre IHL/AHLer, 7 years after being drafted was in the Colonial Hockey League, not even sure what level that is.

 

[Hasbro]

Steve Kelly and Jason Soules

Mid 1sts, but they're indicative of Edmonton's struggles at the table during that time.