Guys who never should have played a single game

ArizonaCoyotes19

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May 28, 2008
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In the past decade who are some examples of players who truly didnt earn the right to play a single NHL game.

Three players that come to mind are:

Jared Staal - Could barely put up mediocre numbers in the ECHL

Bobby Robbins - Past his prime AHL enforcer

Niklas Treutle- Guy looked more nervous in net than Scott Foster
 

TheBradyBunch

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Dec 17, 2008
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Matt O'Connor - started opening night on the road for the Sens. It was his first pro game. Apparently, it was part of the reason for the firing of Dave Cameron. He has played 3 pro seasons, suiting up for 8 different teams, playing and he hasn't managed to post a .900 SVP in any season. Last year, he played for 5 different teams over 18 games, all but 2 of which were in the ECHL and all but 2 of which were losses. He has a 26-52-6 record as a pro, with a 3.44 GAA and a .892 SVP.
 
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GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
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What was the deal with Jared Staal? Didn't Eric call him the most talented of the Staal brothers or something? Did he just feel sorry for the guy? Didn't he put up garbage stats in the OHL?
 

ArizonaCoyotes19

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What was the deal with Jared Staal? Didn't Eric call him the most talented of the Staal brothers or something? Did he just feel sorry for the guy? Didn't he put up garbage stats in the OHL?

I can't believe I was acutally excited when the Coyotes took Jared in the 2nd round. He was clearly drafted higher based on his last name. Draft experts knew he was a step or two below his brothers in skill but he had size. Only got to play a couple of games with Hurricanes because of his siblings. I imagine some of his AHL teammates weren't too happy the fact he got an undeserved call-up.
 

Big Phil

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Nov 2, 2003
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Yes Eric did say that his little brother Jared was the best of them. I mean, what else is a big brother supposed to say? There wasn't enough evidence even back then for him to say that. It didn't make sense. The other three brothers have a combination of Cups, Gold medals, WJC gold medals and Stanley Cup final appearances. Marc has quietly been that Don Sweeney-type of defenseman that sticks around with one team and is never flashy but is always steady.

I have no idea how Steve McKenna hung around so long. 373 NHL games. This was when the NHL would drool over you if you were big (call it the Eric Lindros syndrome) in hoping that maybe you could transform into a power forward if only, you know, you could play! McKenna was 6'8". If he was 5'11" we'd have never heard of him.

Colton Orr with 24 points in 477 games is another one. Twice played 82 games in a season. Was scary to fight against and he had his purpose if he could have put up some better numbers.
 

bobholly39

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Mar 10, 2013
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Would Brent Gretzky have ever played an NHL game if his brother wasn't Wayne?

Peter Worrell skill wise was about the worst I've seen. I mean he could barely skate

Maybe not - but if my team had the opportunity to take a chance on someone related to Wayne Gretzky - 1 100% do it no questions asked. Worth the risk.
 

Nick Hansen

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Sep 28, 2017
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Freddie Hamilton? Dougie's brother, you know.

Another one I thought of was Fredrik Sjöström. He was a great skater but his hands were atrocious...man, he couldn't even get it done in the SHL after returning from the NHL to Sweden. Truly hands of stone.

In terms of hockey IQ, maybe Yakupov...decent skater and a good athlete but he simply can't understand the game on a high enough level.
 

ArizonaCoyotes19

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Yutaka Fukufuji


The Jared Staal/best thing was a joke...he would have been maybe a 5th or 6th rounder with a different name, he had little going for him...

I know Jonathan Toews brother David never came close to making it to the NHL, but the fact that he got taken 66th overall was a joke. I remember seeing him play in the WHL and thinking his skating was horrendous.
 

MXD

Original #4
Oct 27, 2005
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Freddie Hamilton? Dougie's brother, you know.

Another one I thought of was Fredrik Sjöström. He was a great skater but his hands were atrocious...man, he couldn't even get it done in the SHL after returning from the NHL to Sweden. Truly hands of stone.

In terms of hockey IQ, maybe Yakupov...decent skater and a good athlete but he simply can't understand the game on a high enough level.

Thread : Guys who shouldn't have played a single game.
Examples : Enforcer in their mid 30ies and a player who never scored more than 10 goals in the AHL.
Player suggested : Played 489 games, once scored 10 goals in a season.

Dafuk?
 

Nick Hansen

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Sep 28, 2017
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Thread : Guys who shouldn't have played.
Player suggested : Played 489 games, once scored 10 goals in a season.

Dafuk?

I saw him play. Great skater as said, but a rubbish hockey player. I know he had a couple of 'decent' seasons with the Coyotes but that was right after the lockout and those teams were bad. Probably got too many minutes on the third line or so.
 

MXD

Original #4
Oct 27, 2005
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I saw him play. Great skater as said, but a rubbish hockey player. I know he had a couple of 'decent' seasons with the Coyotes but that was right after the lockout and those teams were bad. Probably got too many minutes on the third line or so.

The players named in that thread shouldn't even gotten 3rd line minutes in the AHL, while Sjöström probably shouldn't have seen more than spot duties above the 4th line/PK in the NHL.

I mean... That's kinda like saying a guy like Alex Auld shouldn't have been an NHL'er.. He was never great, and all-in-all a below-average backup at best, but that's a level that is WAY too good for this thread.
 

Nick Hansen

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Sep 28, 2017
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Rickard Wallin.

Played for the Leafs in 09/10. 60 games and 9 pts. He was a good player in Sweden but he didn't have the skating or athleticism to work out in the NHL, especially as he was having a bottom six role as he wasn't skilled enough for more than that. Those were dark days for the TML.
 
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Nick Hansen

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Sep 28, 2017
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The players named in that thread shouldn't even gotten 3rd line minutes in the AHL, while Sjöström probably shouldn't have seen more than spot duties above the 4th line/PK in the NHL.

I mean... That's kinda like saying a guy like Alex Auld shouldn't have been an NHL'er.. He was never great, and all-in-all a below-average backup at best, but that's a level that is WAY too good for this thread.

I find it interesting that you hang on to Sjöström but not Yakupov. What do you think of that suggestion? I understand that one being controversial as he has a lot of things going for him except for his mind. Obviously his draft position guaranteed him getting more than a few shots in the NHL.
 

MXD

Original #4
Oct 27, 2005
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I find it interesting that you hang on to Sjöström but not Yakupov. What do you think of that suggestion? I understand that one being controversial as he has a lot of things going for him except for his mind. Obviously his draft position guaranteed him getting more than a few shots in the NHL.

That's mostly because I do not have an unlimited time supply. Yakupov is still WAYYY too good for this thread. But Sjöström was pretty egregious to me, as he finished his NHL career pretty close to the 500 games mark.
 

Nick Hansen

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Sep 28, 2017
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Hell...
THIS guy is probably a tad too good for this thread, and we're talking about a player that's way below Sjöström/Yakupov level

Andre Bashkirov hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com

You're making this thread a bit secluded, I think. Let's just mention all the goons and the players with worthless numbers on every level who happened to make the NHL through the ages and be done with it. That's what you're trying to make of this thread.

I believe in using our skill in evaluating talent, as I did with Wallin for example (good numbers in Europe, horrible for the NHL). Sjöström I can concede. Guy was a great skater so fine, he can kill some penalties for me.
 
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MXD

Original #4
Oct 27, 2005
50,672
16,395
You're making this thread a bit secluded, I think. Let's just mention all the goons and the players with worthless numbers on every level who happened to make the NHL through the ages and be done with it. That's what you're trying to make of this thread.

I suggest you read the OP.
 

BigBadBruins7708

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Dec 11, 2017
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Boris Valabik

1st round pick, as it turned out mostly because of his size.

His being taken so high and given a run in the NHL is almost purely an exercise of "lets find the next Chara" (tall, strong, Slovakian defenseman)

his pre draft years werent exactly great either...14pts in 46 games in Slovak juniors, and 16pts in 68 games in the OHL
 

brachyrynchos

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Apr 10, 2017
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There were rumors that Brett Lindros had suffered some concussions prior to be drafted by the Islanders, if the rumors were true, then he never should've played. He was limited to 51 NHL games, suffering more head trauma that led to retirement at 20 years old.
 

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