You all can call me out in the Relationship Thread for being mopey but I'm going to ask once and for all can we stop beating the same topics to death here on Clark, drafting, Hartford, etc.?
Here are some facts:
1. Hartford was a dumpster fire before last season. JD is big on fixing it. It has improved already based on the record. They need to draft more forwards. Yes, Kravstov was there in two stints last season but when your top draft pick forwards are a veteran in Boo Nieves, Ty Ronning, and Gabriel Fontaine, something is not right. (A ripple effect of the 2013-2016 no first rounders).
2. Most draft picks in the NHL take (to paraphrase wrestler Booker T) Three Years, Three Years, Three Years to reach the show. That's on par with being 21-22 when many NBA and NFL players make their debut. I mention this once a week but ever since the 2012-13 season, there's been this warped philosophy to rush these players because of the cap. It's dumb. How different to Del Zotto and Grachev turn out if they aren't rushed? Imagine 18-year-old Derek Stepan in the NHL.
3. I see Kravstov stylistically like a TJ Oshie and guess what? Oshie took how many years after draft to reach the NHL? Three Years, Three Years, Three Years. He's a very skinny offensive player, he needs to grow. Just because he's tall doesn't mean he's man strong.
4. Just because a player is Russian doesn't mean they're going to automatically understand offense right away. I think there's some Kravstov=Bure, Kovalev, Kuznetsov, Kucherov going on here.
5. Gordie Clark was not "bad at drafting" Does he get an "A"? Nope. But he doesn't get an 'F" either. Overall he found many players who were useful for three very deep runs. He made two terrible mistakes in 2006 and 2010 and had bad luck in 2007. No one would care or talk about any of these if they win a Cup in 2012, 2014, or 2015.
6. Is it time to move on from Clark? In a way they have. I'd say Bobrov and the scouts JD brings in are getting more say while Clark will have less. I've said it before, but if both Lias and Kravstov flame out, I expect to see Clark "retire." In a way the 2019 draft was a "reboot" in some ways (hopefully not the JJ Abrams kind lol). It's not can Kakko and Robertson become NHLers, but how good will they be? That's the question. The scouting is changing. My old buddy who I used to watch for the Caps while living in DC Steve Konawalchuk is on payroll nowadays.
7. Lias was probably a crappy pick but outside of that top 5/6 and Chytil, no one else had made much of an impact yet.
8. Back to point 5 and 6, the biggest problem I've had with Clark besides drafting too many DMen is the psychological evaluation of some of these players. I'm not going to take one of my many cheap shots at NY which I know I often do here (I think it's an outdated city and lifestyle but lets be real and everyone can call me out if I actually got a girl I really like to like me back as much I'd probably go easier on it lololol)...NY is a tough place to live especially for these farm boys from Canada and small town European players. This is supposedly the greatest city in the world with the smartest people and most resources so spend money on analytics and hire psychological professionals to come up with a better evaluation and better $^#^^ questions before drafting these kids. No more head cases. No more Ethan Wereks or immature Michael Del Zottos or big head Evgeny Grachevs or butt heads like JT Miller or sociopaths like Robin Kovacs or guys who are going to walk out in the middle of the season.
You wait 5 years to finally submit your first post, and this is it?
