Devils Draft Booms and Busts since 2000

[Quest for Stanley]

So Seney is more BOOM than Bratt?

Is Seney ahead of Bratt on the points per 60 mins list above? Your answer is in the facts/numbers.

 

[TBF1972]

May there is another arbitrary stat to fall back on?

 

[NJDevs26]

Did you ever come up with anything as far as why they kept that? I thought it would've been a stone cold lock that they forfeited that pick. That to me was when I really began to spit on Lou and Co.

Unless Lou ever definitively says 'this is why I did it' there's no reason to think we'll get a real reason other than conjecture but that was definitely his most indefensible move apart from maybe trading for Cory when he knew Kovalchuk was heading out the door.

There was the rationalization at the time that #29 now was worth more than anything from like #15 on two years from now, there's also the belief that Lou was just gonna ride it out and exhaust every appeal (or even believing there was a cynical under the table agreement that the Devils would eventually be made good), I mean this is the guy who took on the league with the refs in Donutgate and the Stevens contract thing, it's not unrealistic to think he would have been prepared to go to the mat again for a punishment they thought was unjust.

There's also the really cynical viewpoint that Lou was never going to concede the Devils couldn't win in a given year by saying we know this is our best chance to give up the pick - exhibit A trading for Cory after losing Parise and Kovalchuk. This idea that Lou did in fact 'win' in the end because we got a first-rounder back though, I don't buy that at all. What we did was trade an #11 pick for essentially two high second rounders (#29 and #30) in weak drafts. Nobody would make that trade, going down nineteen spots from 11 to get another tweener 1/2 pick and that's not just hindsight cause we only got Matteau and Quenneville with those picks - it's not like any great players went in the 15-20 spots after each of them.

 

[None Shall Pass]

That line of Tedenby - Josefson - Clarkson during the Lemaire almost-playoff run was fun as hell, though.

 

[Billdo]

That line of Tedenby - Josefson - Clarkson during the Lemaire almost-playoff run was fun as hell, though.

Sure was. Like it was mentioned before I think a guy like Tedenby could handle playing the game now, probably not but he might have. Josefson just couldn't put the puck in the net EVER.

 

[New Jersey Devils]

Josefson was such a beast along the boards but he was just so mediocre at everything else. And yes he was incredibly snakebitten.

 

[Bleedred]

Did you ever come up with anything as far as why they kept that? I thought it would've been a stone cold lock that they forfeited that pick. That to me was when I really began to spit on Lou and Co.

All we ever really heard was Lou’s famous “When time is on your side, you use it” line.

 

[Billdo]

All we ever really heard was Lou’s famous “When time is on your side, you use it” line.

Just such a blatantly dumb move. Really unquestionable and just out right stupid.

 

[JrFischer54]

Ok then two of the top 4 picks in 2012 if we are going to argue over semantics.

I’m not I’m just using what you base it off. I consider all of them busts even the guys still playing

 

[JrFischer54]

Sure was. Like it was mentioned before I think a guy like Tedenby could handle playing the game now, probably not but he might have. Josefson just couldn't put the puck in the net EVER.

what’s changed in the nhl for Tedenby to be a success from now as oppose to then? It wasn’t like the nhl was in the 90s clutch and grab. Just such a weird move to draft him by the devils to begin with. Zero North American experience zero size bleh.

 

[Billdo]

what’s changed in the nhl for Tedenby to be a success from now as oppose to then? It wasn’t like the nhl was in the 90s clutch and grab. Just such a weird move to draft him by the devils to begin with. Zero North American experience zero size bleh.

I think they've phased out the dinosaurs with no skill allowing smaller skilled players to have more of a spot. I'm not comparing them but guys like Debrincat and other small guys now probably wouldn't have been able to play even 10 years ago with as much of an effect on the game as they do now.

 

[Triumph]

I think they've phased out the dinosaurs with no skill allowing smaller skilled players to have more of a spot. I'm not comparing them but guys like Debrincat and other small guys now probably wouldn't have been able to play even 10 years ago with as much of an effect on the game as they do now.

What? Small players have had a huge effect on the game for forever. Tedenby should've welcomed the dinosaurs - they're what gave him any sort of chance at all. He just didn't have the off-puck skills (and on-puck skills) necessary to make it in the NHL. It's not like he's torn up the European leagues - he's just been a solid player over there, but he's not competing for scoring titles.

 

[Billdo]

What? Small players have had a huge effect on the game for forever. Tedenby should've welcomed the dinosaurs - they're what gave him any sort of chance at all. He just didn't have the off-puck skills (and on-puck skills) necessary to make it in the NHL. It's not like he's torn up the European leagues - he's just been a solid player over there, but he's not competing for scoring titles.

Ok so at what point did I say he would be some life changing player? I just think that maybe if he played now compared to when he was here he MIGHT have had a different career path.

 

[Triumph]

Ok so at what point did I say he would be some life changing player? I just think that maybe if he played now compared to when he was here he MIGHT have had a different career path.

You never said he would be a life-changing player. You mentioned DeBrincat as if players his size haven't been effective in the NHL for a long time, but there's an extensive history from Mats Naslund and Hakan Loob to Theo Fleury and Steve Sullivan and Ray Whitney and Martin St. Louis and Daniel Briere and Brian Gionta - I'd be surprised if the proportion of goals scored in the NHL by players judged small has changed considerably since Tedenby was trying to break in until now. He wasn't too small, he just wasn't good enough.

 

[Blackjack]

No one is talking about it, but to me the saddest part of the article is that our biggest draft boom in 20 years was Paul freaking Martin.

You never said he would be a life-changing player. You mentioned DeBrincat as if players his size haven't been effective in the NHL for a long time, but there's an extensive history from Mats Naslund and Hakan Loob to Theo Fleury and Steve Sullivan and Ray Whitney and Martin St. Louis and Daniel Briere and Brian Gionta - I'd be surprised if the proportion of goals scored in the NHL by players judged small has changed considerably since Tedenby was trying to break in until now. He wasn't too small, he just wasn't good enough.

Yeah, this is such a weird idea. Tedenby was a lot of fun to watch, but at the end of the day he wasn't good enough then, and he definitely wouldn't be good enough now. The league has only gotten better in the last 10 years.

 

[JimEIV]

Mcleod is one of our biggest bust in Devils History...Not since Lance Ward in 1996 at #10 have we had a picks so high and so worthless.

Then Denis Pederson in 1993 at #13 - but he along with Morrsion did return Mogilny.

Neil Brady at #3 in 1986 was the worst pick in Devils History

It looks like the 6th year of a decade is hellish

5 Worst picks in Devils History

1. 1986 #3 Overall - Neil Brady
2. 1996 - #10 Overall - Lance Ward
3. 2016 - #12 Overall(Really 11th overall) - Micheal McLeod
4. 1988 - #12 Overall - Corey Foster
5. 1993 - #13 Overall - Denis Pederson

 

[Triumph]

Mcleod is one of our biggest bust in Devils History...Not since Lance Ward in 1996 at #10 have we had a picks so high and so worthless.

Then Denis Pederson in 1993 at #13 - but he along with Morrsion did return Mogilny.

Neil Brady at #3 in 1986 was the worst pick in Devils History

It looks like the 6th year of a decade is hellish

5 Worst picks in Devils History

1. 1986 #3 Overall - Neil Brady
2. 1996 - #10 Overall - Lance Ward
3. 2016 - #12 Overall(Really 11th overall) - Micheal McLeod
4. 1988 - #12 Overall - Corey Foster
5. 1993 - #13 Overall - Denis Pederson

Pretty classic post - the Devils hadn't had a pick between 6 and 17 since Lance Ward, either. The last 3 times the Devils picked between 10 and 15, they picked Michael McLeod, Lance Ward, and Denis Pederson.

 

[JimEIV]

No one is talking about it, but to me the saddest part of the article is that our biggest draft boom in 20 years was Paul freaking Martin.

That was ridiculous...Henrique is a much bigger boom.

So is Coleman but his story isn't as established yet...Only having been in the league 3-ish years...

Paul Martin gets to be judged with his entire career in the rear view mirror while the other 2 are still very much writing their stories. That said Henriques is at 665 career games at 30 years old - Martin played 870 to 37 years old. Henrique has 4 years left on his existing contract that takes him to 34 years old...If he plays 75% of those games he be over 900 by the end of his contract. Pretty damn good for #82 overall 3rd rounder. Easily the biggest boom of the last 20 years.

 

[JimEIV]

Pretty classic post - the Devils hadn't had a pick between 6 and 17 since Lance Ward, either. The last 3 times the Devils picked between 10 and 15, they picked Michael McLeod, Lance Ward, and Denis Pederson.

I literally said exactly that in my post?

 

[Triumph]

I literally said exactly that in my post?

You didn't. You noted all 3 players, but you didn't note that those are the only players picked in that range by the Devils in the last 27 drafts. It is not remarkable in any way that both Lance Ward and Michael McLeod busted, and that is in fact the most likely outcome (though just barely more likely than one of them making it, given the draft positions).

 

[Triumph]

That was ridiculous...Henrique is a much bigger boom.

So is Coleman but his story isn't as established yet...Only having been in the league 3-ish years...

Paul Martin gets to be judged with his entire career in the rear view mirror while the other 2 are still very much writing their stories. That said Henriques is at 665 career games at 30 years old - Martin played 870 to 37 years old. Henrique has 4 years left on his existing contract that takes him to 34 years old...If he plays 75% of those games he be over 900 by the end of his contract. Pretty damn good for #82 overall 3rd rounder. Easily the biggest boom of the last 20 years.

Paul Martin was a much better player than Adam Henrique, though. Devils fans will continually underrate him because of the things he couldn't do well, but man I wish they had someone like that on their backline right now.

 

[Nubmer6]

Mcleod is one of our biggest bust in Devils History...Not since Lance Ward in 1996 at #10 have we had a picks so high and so worthless.

Then Denis Pederson in 1993 at #13 - but he along with Morrsion did return Mogilny.

Neil Brady at #3 in 1986 was the worst pick in Devils History

It looks like the 6th year of a decade is hellish

5 Worst picks in Devils History

1. 1986 #3 Overall - Neil Brady
2. 1996 - #10 Overall - Lance Ward
3. 2016 - #12 Overall(Really 11th overall) - Micheal McLeod
4. 1988 - #12 Overall - Corey Foster
5. 1993 - #13 Overall - Denis Pederson

And where does Rocky Trottier fall into all of this?

 

[Blender]

How does Jesper Bratt not even crack the boom list? 6th rounder making the NHL in their D+2 draft year is virtually unheard of in the history of the league it's so rare. He's essentially performed and developed like an average 1st round pick for us since we drafted him, it was a massive steal.

 

[JimEIV]

Paul Martin was a much better player than Adam Henrique, though. Devils fans will continually underrate him because of the things he couldn't do well, but man I wish they had someone like that on their backline right now.

I like Paul Martin a lot and I agree he was a very good player...we definitely could use someone exactly like him right now...very good skater and rock solid for a number of years...

But I don't think he was clearly a better player than Henrique.

We are taking about "booms" and *bust" here...

Henrique was 82nd overall and Martin was 62nd overall...if you look at the 2008 draft there wasn't anything nearly as good as Henrique anywhere in the general vicinity of where he was taken...in fact, Henrique is top 10 in scoring from the 2008 draft currently and he is the only player outside the top 2 rounds to be there. Most are first round picks there are two 2nd round picks (Derek Stepan 51 overall and Roman Josi 38 overall).

Comparing forwards to Dmen is an exercise in futility but Henrique at 82 is a phenomenal pick much more impressive in my opinion than Martin at 62.

 

[JimEIV]

And where does Rocky Trottier fall into all of this?

Before me being cognizant of the draft