I have no idea why what people here thought of this or that draft pick is relevant to how or why head scouts go in one or another direction.
When we picked Price, I was upset. Tons of people were. In the end, it was a great pick. So for the sake of the team's success...what's preferable? That we are wrong, look bad, but Timmins pick the right guy in the end? Or that we pick the wrong guy but because we were also wrong, it soften the blow? Are people here discussing the team so that the team becomes better? Or is it an ego battle between 2 sets of fans with the only purpose to make 1 set look stupid? You really believe that the success of this team is secondary for some people (not talking about you here)
P.S. I didn't have a hatred for Tkachuk. I had question marks about his scoring abilities as if you are looking for a power forward, it has to be because you think he could score 25-30. I thought there was a huge risk he wouldn't and that at no3, we needed a homerun type of pick.
This teams draft/development history is one disaster after another, so when you get the 3rd overall pick you better get it right, or you'll set yourself back years. How many excuses will the team have for not getting the draft right? Preferably you draft the player which makes your team better for years down the road, knowing you have to retool at all positions, not just one. Given the choices at #3, there were a lot of questions taking JK that high. The fact they were so adamant about taking him no matter what, is a bigger concern. They forgot about the holes on the blueline, and the wing, and just assumed we had holes down the middle.
Where do you find a C if you don't draft them? Make a balsey move like Nashville / Columbus did. Free Agency. How many people here said 'O'reilly sucks we don't want him or that contract'? But here we are moving wingers to the middle, having to endure players like Domi, Weal, Cousins, Thompson, Peca, instead of just going for a true #1 C.
I firmly believe the franchise has no game-plan at all, no idea how to retool/rebuild, and that's a bigger problem than the draft. If we had some decent talent down the middle for JK to learn from, I suspect he's a different player today. If he was in the AHL, I also think he's a better player for it. It brings up so many questions about the moronic decisions this team makes, I really am not sure Mc David would surpass 55 pts in this garbage pile, because he'd be surrounded by smurfs waiver wire castoffs and a disgusting dump and chase system designed to save jobs in management.