Anyone but Yzerman. Well played!
2011 draft
Namestnikov: 1st round
Kucherov: 2nd round
Palat: 7th round
2012 draft
Koekkoek: 1st round
Vasilevskiy: 2nd round
Paquette: 4th round
2013 draft
Drouin: 1st round (traded, Sergachev is now their top prospect)
2014 draft
Point: 3rd round
Free Agent signings:
2001
Tyler Johnson
2014
Anton Stralman
So in his first four drafts/free agent classes he's produced 9 NHL players.
- Kucherov is an elite scorer
- Johnson is a highly effective forward, not quite elite but damn good. Free agent.
- Palat is a Nyquist like winger who made the NHL in 2 years. From the 7th round.
- Namestnikov is a decent two way player.
- Vasilevskiy is going to get a chance to prove whether he's their starting goalie going forward. He's been dominant in the AHL and International competition.
- Stralman is a solid PMD who can put up 30 points and is right-handed. Free agent. Holland passed on him.
- Paquette is a run of the mill bottom 6 forward. This would be one of Holland's highlights.
I'm not saying he's perfect. The Callahan extension was awful. So at least I can admit he's not perfect and point out where I think he's made mistakes.
So all he's done is draft a ton of skill, with most of it just starting to get into their prime. This is exactly what you want to see from your general manager. His first four years have built out a core of quality NHL talent that should keep them competitive for the next 5-7 years. So you have highly productive drafts, you have good free agent signings. You have trades that address needs and help you stay within the confines of the cap. You have identified your core and built around them. The Drouin trade is hella risky, but that's what you have to do in a capped environment.
So yes, absolutely, Yzerman has been awful in all these areas where you would judge a general manager!