Blue Jackets Worst Draft Picks

[Fro]

At least the bloggers, who aren't allowed to post their articles, are here to discuss.

fair point...i post a lot of articles for friends that don't come here to discuss their articles...maybe i'm a hypocrite there

 

[ca5150]

How is Glass Eye Klesla not mentioned anywhere here. The pick that started this whole mess. We could have had Hartnell, Kronwall, Justin Williams, Frolov, Boyes, Ott, Stoll, John Michael Liles...any of which would have been a much better option. Nobody will agree because he's the sweetheart of the old school but I always thought he was a terrible defensemen and they held onto him WAY too long.

 

[CBJWerenski8]

How is Glass Eye Klesla not mentioned anywhere here. The pick that started this whole mess. We could have had Hartnell, Kronwall, Justin Williams, Frolov, Boyes, Ott, Stoll, John Michael Liles...any of which would have been a much better option. Nobody will agree because he's the sweetheart of the old school but I always thought he was a terrible defensemen and they held onto him WAY too long.

All of those players are fairly average save the first three.

 

[Mayor Bee]

How is Glass Eye Klesla not mentioned anywhere here. The pick that started this whole mess. We could have had Hartnell, Kronwall, Justin Williams, Frolov, Boyes, Ott, Stoll, John Michael Liles...any of which would have been a much better option. Nobody will agree because he's the sweetheart of the old school but I always thought he was a terrible defensemen and they held onto him WAY too long.

So let me see if I have this straight. You're suggesting that Columbus, with its first pick in history, should have passed on a guy who was widely regarded as a franchise-caliber defenseman in order to take any of a handful of players who had nowhere near that ceiling. In the case of Liles, you're also talking about someone taken in the fifth round.

It's funny. We'll sit here and blast Doug MacLean for his absolutely moronic drafting, most of which revolved around taking longshot prospects over players who were regarded as more likely to make the NHL. And you're sitting here, defending that very course of action when it comes to a #4 overall pick.

Why stop there? Howson could have passed on Ryan Murray in 2012 and taken Ryan Rupert instead. WHY DIDN'T HE?

 

[ca5150]

All of those players are fairly average save the first three.

And Klesla was far below average, save for 4 games in the playoffs against Detroit.

 

[ca5150]

So let me see if I have this straight. You're suggesting that Columbus, with its first pick in history, should have passed on a guy who was widely regarded as a franchise-caliber defenseman in order to take any of a handful of players who had nowhere near that ceiling. In the case of Liles, you're also talking about someone taken in the fifth round.

It's funny. We'll sit here and blast Doug MacLean for his absolutely moronic drafting, most of which revolved around taking longshot prospects over players who were regarded as more likely to make the NHL. And you're sitting here, defending that very course of action when it comes to a #4 overall pick.

Why stop there? Howson could have passed on Ryan Murray in 2012 and taken Ryan Rupert instead. WHY DIDN'T HE?

MacLean and the scouts were wrong then, he was NEVER worth a first round pick, not even in small spurts. No clue why he gets such a pass from everyone.

 

[Fro]

And Klesla was far below average, save for 4 games in the playoffs against Detroit.

I don't think he was "far below average" but he definitely didn't live up to expectations when drafted...

 

[Sore Loser]

MacLean and the scouts were wrong then, he was NEVER worth a first round pick, not even in small spurts. No clue why he gets such a pass from everyone.

You CLEARLY have no idea what you're talking about. This post nails your opinion right on the head, and simultaneously puts you in the wrong.

Rostislav Klesla was the BPA at the time he was drafted. Every year, every draft, there are guys taken behind other guys who turn out better. Klesla is no exception - he just didn't develop into the offensive stud that he was slated to be. Of the players taken in that first round, Klesla is in the top-10 in games played (659), and is 11th in points (159). Among defensemen in the first round, he's third in points.

We can blast Doug MacLean for his drafting all we want, but fact of the matter is, in the first round - more often than not - he took the best player on the board. The issues were that, we were always just good enough to not land a franchise player, leaving us with guys who had one or more question marks (example: Brassard's shoulder worries). The blunder Doug MacLean always made with his first rounders was rushing them to the NHL, which was exactly the mistake made with Klesla, who was basically cast as our top defenseman in all situations at 19 years old.

Now, his drafting from rounds 2 and on? Terrible.

 

[Mayor Bee]

MacLean and the scouts were wrong then, he was NEVER worth a first round pick, not even in small spurts. No clue why he gets such a pass from everyone.

My views on MacLean are pretty widely known. And yet he's not the one who's wrong here, you are.

It wasn't that MacLean and the scouts thought Klesla was the best player on the board at #4; everyone thought he was. Every single mock draft, every single draft preview, every single analyst had Klesla going in the top four. MacLean gets a pass because he did what anyone in his position would have done: take the best player who was projected to be the cornerstone of any defensive corps in the league.

When Klesla was named the OHL's top draft prospect in 2000, was everyone wrong? When he was named the best overall prospect in all three junior leagues, was everyone wrong? When THN named him the best prospect not in the NHL mere months after being drafted, was everyone wrong?

 

[HockeyGuy1964]

I didn't even bother to read this thread because it's just a exercise in silliness. Every fan base could have a thread like this, & probably does, of what might have been.

Are we really gonna lament not drafting Zetterberg in the 6th round when we had the chance or missed out on Datsyuk with that all important 5th rounder? Who's to say any of these other players become the same player with CBJ? They almost certainly don't.

 

[Mayor Bee]

I didn't even bother to read this thread because it's just a exercise in silliness. Every fan base could have a thread like this, & probably does, of what might have been.

Are we really gonna lament not drafting Zetterberg in the 6th round when we had the chance or missed out on Datsyuk with that all important 5th rounder? Who's to say any of these other players become the same player with CBJ? They almost certainly don't.

I blame Bettman for not allowing Columbus to start play sooner, which would have allowed picks to be made in 1998 and 1999 and thus had a shot at Datsyuk and Zetterberg.

Barring that, I blame the concept of linear time for missing out on those two.

 

[LetsGOJackets!!]

Yep, the I idea for the thread should be franchise rant..

and with that I blame the owner of the Whalers Peter Karmonos(sp?) for not bringing his franchise to Columbus and playing in the airport hanger, that decision cost us a few years of hockey, a really cool airplane name, and Carolina's past success.

It also gave us a guy named MacLean rather than a guy named Rutherford.. and that has made a significant difference.

oh fate, she can be an ugly dance partner

 

[Charlie Conway]

I didn't even bother to read this thread because it's just a exercise in silliness. Every fan base could have a thread like this, & probably does, of what might have been.

Are we really gonna lament not drafting Zetterberg in the 6th round when we had the chance or missed out on Datsyuk with that all important 5th rounder? Who's to say any of these other players become the same player with CBJ? They almost certainly don't.

Us Rangers fans still have nightmares about Hugh Jessiman (not to mention Falardeau, Byers, and Sanguinetti). It is what it is. You go off of analysts, scouts, and your own intuition, but there's really no predicting how a player will work out in the NHL, never mind what injuries may occur and the success or failure of a team's development staff.

It's more educated guesswork than a science...which...science is in a sense, so...

 

[pwisch]

Howson is often criticized more than I feel he deserves. His biggest downfall was was not necessarily the moves he made, but rather the moves that he refused to make.

 

[pwisch]

i hate when "partners" post their links and never come back to discuss it...

Sorry about that Fro, I have been insanely busy as of late. I'd be happy to discuss any part of the article with you.

 

[pwisch]

Didn't read past the first page. To put a third round, Calder winner on a draft bust list is foolish

As the article states, this is a list of Blue Jackets busts, not NHL busts.

Steve Mason did win the Calder and have high hopes, but over the next three years he had an .899 SP and a 3.10 GAA before finally being traded.

Brassard had a few decent point production seasons, but as a sixth overall pick he was drafted to be a franchise #1 center, which he clearly never became.

Their careers in Columbus were very underwhelming, but they may go on to have success in other cities. Unfortunately, what they do outside of Columbus does not matter for this list.

 

[JACKETfan]

Howson is often criticized more than I feel he deserves. His biggest downfall was was not necessarily the moves he made, but rather the moves that he refused to make.

Well said.

 

[major major]

As the article states, this is a list of Blue Jackets busts, not NHL busts.

Steve Mason did win the Calder and have high hopes, but over the next three years he had an .899 SP and a 3.10 GAA before finally being traded.

Brassard had a few decent point production seasons, but as a sixth overall pick he was drafted to be a franchise #1 center, which he clearly never became.

Their careers in Columbus were very underwhelming, but they may go on to have success in other cities. Unfortunately, what they do outside of Columbus does not matter for this list.

We've been through this before in long arguments over GM's draft records. People think top 10 draft picks are supposed to be "franchise" players, and that's just not true. Spend some time looking at drafts, there's plenty of guys who never even make it in the NHL. Mildly disappointing players like Brassard are in a different category from true busts like Alex Picard, Zach Hamill, and legions of others.

 

[JacketsFanWest]

As the article states, this is a list of Blue Jackets busts, not NHL busts.

Steve Mason did win the Calder and have high hopes, but over the next three years he had an .899 SP and a 3.10 GAA before finally being traded.

Please explain how Mason is a bigger bust than other CBJ 3rd round picks such as:

2000 - Ben Knopp - Could never even play a regular role on an AHL team
2001 - Per MÃ¥rs - Only a halfway decent player on 3rd tier Swedish teams and failed miserably in the USHL
2004 - Dan Lacosta - Played a handful of NHL games then quickly washed out of pro hockey and eventually got a concussion while playing in the UK (while going to college).

Any 3rd rounder who can play a regular role for an NHL team is a successful draft pick.

 

[pwisch]

Please explain how Mason is a bigger bust than other CBJ 3rd round picks such as:

2000 - Ben Knopp - Could never even play a regular role on an AHL team
2001 - Per MÃ¥rs - Only a halfway decent player on 3rd tier Swedish teams and failed miserably in the USHL
2004 - Dan Lacosta - Played a handful of NHL games then quickly washed out of pro hockey and eventually got a concussion while playing in the UK (while going to college).

Any 3rd rounder who can play a regular role for an NHL team is a successful draft pick.

It's all about what your definition of a bust is. I value a bust somewhat based on their performance in regards to their expectations. Mason is one of - if not the most - maligned players among CBJ fans for the simple reason that he showed so much promise (giving fans hope) and then failing so miserably in the following three seasons.

I can honestly say that while I did not feel that Mason was truly the 10th biggest bust, I thought putting him on the list would make people happy rather than stir up a case in his defense.

 

[pwisch]

Please explain how Mason is a bigger bust than other CBJ 3rd round picks such as:

2000 - Ben Knopp - Could never even play a regular role on an AHL team
2001 - Per MÃ¥rs - Only a halfway decent player on 3rd tier Swedish teams and failed miserably in the USHL
2004 - Dan Lacosta - Played a handful of NHL games then quickly washed out of pro hockey and eventually got a concussion while playing in the UK (while going to college).

Any 3rd rounder who can play a regular role for an NHL team is a successful draft pick.

All busts, and all could have easily made the list.

 

[EspenK]

It's all about what your definition of a bust is. I value a bust somewhat based on their performance in regards to their expectations. Mason is one of - if not the most - maligned players among CBJ fans for the simple reason that he showed so much promise (giving fans hope) and then failing so miserably in the following three seasons.

I can honestly say that while I did not feel that Mason was truly the 10th biggest bust, I thought putting him on the list would make people happy rather than stir up a case in his defense.

Obviously you need to post here more often to know that “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time (I highly doubt this to be true), but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”. And fwiw I believe you can't please some of the people here any of the time.

 

[Viqsi]

It's all about what your definition of a bust is. I value a bust somewhat based on their performance in regards to their expectations. Mason is one of - if not the most - maligned players among CBJ fans for the simple reason that he showed so much promise (giving fans hope) and then failing so miserably in the following three seasons.

I can honestly say that while I did not feel that Mason was truly the 10th biggest bust, I thought putting him on the list would make people happy rather than stir up a case in his defense.

The problem with this theory is that, being longtime Jackets fans, we're all very well educated w/r/t the precise details of our long-term misery (having discussed and debated it for years), and so anyone trying to chronicle it (generally for the benefit of others ) is going to have to go to great lengths to measure up. Rehashing Mason and Filatov ain't gonna cut it.