First round draft bargains...

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Legionnaire

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Jul 10, 2002
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Drake1588 said:
Here's one opinion... The best bargains in this draft were Tukonen and Schwarz, both of whom were probably top-five players in the draft.

As a Kings fan, Tukonen's injuries are starting to scare me.

I would have been happy with either player though. They are both top notch talents.
 

CoolburnIsGone

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db23 said:
With all due respect to Wheeler's potential, how can you say he was a safer pick that a player like Olesz who has already played 3 seasons in the Czech Elite League which is similar in quality to the AHL? Not to mention the fact that Olesz has been as star in international tournaments for the past 3 years as well. Including the WJC this past winter. How can you say he is a safer pick than Lauri Tukonen who has a season in the SM Liiga and played well at both the U18 and U20 for his country, even though he is a bit younger than Wheeler? Or A.J. Thelen who was a D1 All American while Wheeler was still being recruited, even though they are the same age? I could go on and on through about 40 players that are safer choices than Wheeler.
I can't really see how either Olesz or Tukonen were safer. Olesz was dropped at the WJC with a concussion. Concussions have proven to shorten & severely affect NHL careers. I think FL is taking just as big of a risk on Olesz as PHX is on Wheeler (though speaking to director of scouting for FL, Scott Luce, he seems very happy with him). I don't know the full story on Tukonen's injuries but quite a few teams passed on him so there had to be good reasons that he wasn't the BPA until #11 (and maybe he should've gone a few spots sooner but he didn't drop that far...maybe 4-5 spots). I can't remember the exact knock on Thelen but he was primarily an offensive d-man and maybe there were questions about his defensive capabilities. I highly doubt there were 40 players safer than Wheeler....just because their closer to the NHL doesn't make them potentially better. Olesz and Tukonen could develop into nothing more than 3rd liners so they have the same potential to bust as Wheeler or probably 40 other players in the draft not named Ovechkin or Malkin. Yes he was a reach but imagine if they did try to trade down to around #11 (just for an example) but a team like FL who is already stocked with plenty of young talent traded their pick to a team that wanted him just as bad (there were other teams looking at him) or FL even took him if Olesz had been selected at #5 (and can let him develop for 5 yrs because they don't need to rush him).

I just think its a tad early to declare anyone from this draft as a bargin or a reach. There were plenty of risky picks throughout the first 2 rounds this yr. But with any risk, there's the potential for a reward. Its how big a reward a team wants to take as a big risk on a player.
 

db23

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I think that Wheeler deserved to be drafted about where Central Scouting had him rated. Near the end of the first round. He was the #17 North American skater, or around #30 overall. But if that is who the Coyotes liked, then they were right to pick him. A first round draft pick is a first round draft pick, whether you have it at #5 or #30. Wheeler certainly was not going to be there for their second pick. It sounded like Milbury was going to grab him at #16 as well. Certainly it looks like he will be an NHL player, he has all the tools and will have a few years to develop them in one of the best training environments in the world. But I really doubt that he will play longer or better than Olesz, Tukonen, Thelen, Nokelainen, Chipchura, Wolski and a few others.
 

Letang fan 58

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RichPanther said:
After Ovechkin, Malkin and maybe Barker, the rest was a total crap shoot. But PHX felt they saw the BPA at their position...for the future. There's always those rules about a draft...always draft the best player available, don't try to draft based on need, and expect to wait (no matter who it is) for your pick to develop. And they may have been a franchise that needed a lot of help but they also seem to be addressing some of it via free agency with the signings of O'Donnell, Devereaux & Ricci and adding Chimera via trade. If anything, Wheeler seems like the only guy to NOT be a potential bust among the group selected after him. He'll have plenty of time to develop and there doesn't seem to be pressure on him either to develop quickly (how many busts have been cause the kid was rushed). None of the available players were safer except possibly Montoya.

Well I dont mind the pick of Wheeler but i do think that if they figure him to be the best player available then they sure had better of traded down to mid first round to take him or in the very least the 10 spot or so cuz you know they could have likely picked up a 2nd rounder or 3rd as well as gotten him a little lower....also i do t hink that tukkonen and schwarz as well maybe even montoya were much safer picks as they will be in the nhl much sooner and to most they have as much upside as wheeler even.
 

DINO22CICCARELLI

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May 6, 2004
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15+17=Cup said:
hate to blow your mind but with the amount Malkin's stock rose this year he could have been first overall in 2003 too. Ovechkin was definitely the uncontested number one in 2003, but Malkin closed the gap considerably this year..Apparently there was a team (i forget which) that would have taken Malkin #1 instead of Ovechkin and you can't say that an NHL team has a hockey understanding problem.

Myself, I think the biggest 1st-round bargains were Tukonen at #11 and Schwarz at #17. This Robbie Schremp guy, I'm a huge fan of his but I can honestly say I was expecting him to fall like that because of his questionable "attitude". I do think he was a steal, but not a Tukonen or Schwarz type of steal. Another one rarely mentioned was Andrej Meszaros at #21. I was expecting him to go top-15 for sure...great pickup for Ottawa there.

Outside of the 1st round I say Enver Lisin at #50 (should've been a 1st rounder...), Kirill Lyamin at wherever he went/late 2nd round (another great pick for Ottawa...I think he was first round stuff) and Viktor Alexandrov at #84 (another great pick for STL, I think he could have gone somewhere in the 25-35 range).[/QUote
can't say that an NHL team has a hockey understanding problem? sure I can look at who the Sens drafted a while back Alex Daigle #1 overall Montreal Doug Wickenheiser #1 overall..DONT KNOW hockey!!!
 

GoPenguins

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I agree with the poster who mentioned Andrej Meszaros as a steal. I think he was a solid top 15 selection and felt Ottawa got great value picking him where they did. I was clamouring for my Pens to try like heck to move up to try to get a pick around 20 because of the way players like Meszaros, Wolski, Schremp and Korpikoski were sliding.

I also liked the Capitals selection of D Mike Green. He was another I was hoping would fall to the Pens pick in R2 once it became obvious we were not dealing up. Still, I do still like our selection of Salmonsson.
 

iamcaper

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Chimaera said:
Whatever you're smoking pass some around...

You must be from Pittsburgh.


I hate to turn this into a Malkin v. Ovechkin thread, but you're asking for it...

One, he's not a full year younger. 2, I'm not sure how a concussion could be considered a positive thing. In any situation. I would think a concussion could only be considered a bad thing. What if they keep happening? (I hope they don't, but they can become chronic) Ovechkin (knock on wood) isn't facing that same situation. The point situation is a wash, both have put up good numbers, as both should. Ovechkin's done more in some places, Malkin in others. Your center idea is pretty solid for the most part, but look at who carried Calgary to the finals... definitely not a center. And you're overlooking the idea that Ovechkin has played center some. Ovechkin should become a good player, whether he'll be any less valuable just because he's not a center, is debateable.

And lastly on the character issue, what have you been reading? Though confident, (and I wouldn't see that as a negative) Ovechkin was extremely personable, outgoing, and for the most part it's hard to find a knock on him as far as character goes. Having met the guy, I think you've got the Pittsburgh goggles on.

I too have met Ovechkin and I have to agree with all you've said. He's a great kid with a good head on his shoulders.
 

X-SHARKIE

Registered User
If everything goes great this year, Malkin is still just wanting to be Ovechkin.

Yeah Malkin has growth to his game, but Ovechkin is already were Malkin wants to be. I really can't believe anyone would take Malkin over Ovechkin...I just don't see it when I watch those two. Although I never seen them play a RSL game.

I have to say Meszaros should have been taken over quite a few players...I thought he would go over Smid, but Smids upside is bigger, and he played in a tougher league and handled him self very well.

Schremp has sick skills, I don't blame anyone for saying no to him, I would've taken him if I had two picks, witch the Oilers did. I think Schremp falling so far was a big steal.

Schwarz should've been taken 5th overall or 6th overall. The top 3 went the way they should, but after that it should've been Olesz at 4, so when he fell to 7th I thought that was a bargain, especially with the lack of talent in this draft, getting him at 7th was great for Florida.
Tukonen at 11 was a big steal, I liked him alot, but honestly.

SCHWARZ AT 17!!! that was just a huuuge steal. Steal of the draft possibly.
 

nomorekids

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Feb 28, 2003
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X-SHARKIE said:
I believe he was just curious about the 2004 draft.

But yes Dan Hamhuis at 12 was a great great pick.

Anthony Stewart 25th overall in 2003....It well cause many teams headaches down the road :)


ah, i thought he meant...in general :). perhaps we should expand it...?
 

ndhockey21

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Aug 1, 2004
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Wheeler is the real deal and will be a great nhl player one day. That was the biggest surprise of the draft i will say that. I expected around 25th but hes got everything. If I was him i wouldnt play hs hockey this year.
 

Barnaby

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Jul 2, 2003
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Lauri Korpikoski at #19 could be a steal in a few years.

I don't get some of the players he was passed up for such as his tourny linemate Petteri Nokkelainen. He could be very nice offensively, with solid defense, and a BIG heart to boot. Could be a great pick especially considering this years lack of quality talent.
 

CH Wizard

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Tukonen at 11 ??! that's a joke this guy has no weakness in his game.He's so young for me he's a better prospect then Ladd.Shwarz was a steal too.Shremp was one of the most talented in the draft and has been picked like 25 overall.

BTW I didn't understand yet why the coyotes picked Wheeler so early.It's gonna take time to this guy to become a NHL player.He's a project.
 
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