What happened to Zemgus Girgensons?

[schnapshot]

Top 15 first round pick, recorded 30 points in 60 games his second season and had a few highlight reel plays, then only 37 points in 171 games since. This season has one goal and two assists in 25 games...

Bad development or just never had much potential?

Click to read more...

 

[Passchendaele]

BUF used to be an awful team with no depth, so Girgensons had access to more ice time.

Now they're just awful.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

Bad development or just never had much potential?

The latter

Averaged 19:00+ TOI and 2:00+ PP TOI/GP in his 15-15 season and just 13:00 and 00:24 on the PP since that fluke year. His Sh% was also 2x what it was the season prior and for his career

He got icetime he wasn't deserving of on an average/good team and he got a bit lucky, too.

 

[Brock Radunske]

Top 15 first round pick, recorded 30 points in 60 games his second season and had a few highlight reel plays, then only 37 points in 171 games since. This season has one goal and two assists in 25 games...

Bad development or just never had much potential?

He was "an Allstar" based on a stupid voting system and everyone expected him to be good?
He's a decent bottom 6 player. Nothing more.

 

[MessierII]

He had one good year and went back to normal.

 

[schnapshot]

He was "an Allstar" based on a stupid voting system and everyone expected him to be good?
He's a decent bottom 6 player. Nothing more.

I'm not talking about the all star game, he had a couple nice goals I remember. When a 19 year old player records 22 points and then a 40-point pace at 20, you usually think he's going to improve with experience.

 

[Brock Radunske]

I'm not talking about the all star game, he had a couple nice goals I remember. When a 19 year old player records 22 points and then a 40-point pace at 20, you usually think he's going to improve with experience.

Fair.
I think another poster addressed that. Basically because Buffalo was (is?) so bad, he got way better minutes than a player of his skills would normally get (PP, etc)

 

[Muston Atthews]

 

[Dongstoppable]

Anyone with a bit more knowledge know why he was drafted so high? Usually with those guys, even busts, you can see why they went where they did. Zemgus has the skillset of a bottom sixers, and plays like a bottom sixer. No idea how he went 14th overall.

 

[ESH]

Anyone with a bit more knowledge know why he was drafted so high? Usually with those guys, even busts, you can see why they went where they did. Zemgus has the skillset of a bottom sixers, and plays like a bottom sixer. No idea how he went 14th overall.

I think he was seen as a safe pick. Maybe not the greatest potential, but for sure a contributor at the NHL level.

 

[ChiefWiggum]

Anyone with a bit more knowledge know why he was drafted so high? Usually with those guys, even busts, you can see why they went where they did. Zemgus has the skillset of a bottom sixers, and plays like a bottom sixer. No idea how he went 14th overall.

The fact that you were drafted in the first round just means that you are projected to have an NHL career. 14th overall isnt where you find star players, its where you find top 9 forwards and potential top 4 D D typically. The 14th overall, in the grand scheme of things, is not usually a surefire first line forward based on draft stock.

 

[Drew311]

He was drafted by Buffalo.

 

[Not Sure]

The fact that you were drafted in the first round just means that you are projected to have an NHL career. 14th overall isnt where you find star players, its where you find top 9 forwards and potential top 4 D D typically. The 14th overall, in the grand scheme of things, is not usually a surefire first line forward based on draft stock.

wasn't Grigerenko considered a top 3 talent in that draft year? I don't think it w as considered an especially deep draft year, but perhaps I'm remembering incorrectly.

 

[ChiefWiggum]

14th overall picks before Girgensons

2011- Jaime Oleksiak
2010- Jaden Schwarts (depends on what this season brings but before this year, he was only a top 6 guy)
2009-Dmitri Kulikov
2008- Zack Boychuk
2007- Kevin Shattenkirk (I'm siding with Trotz on this one haha)
2006- Michael Grabner
2005- Sasha Pokulok


Outside of potentially Shattenkirk and Schwartz, there have not been many great prospects come out of that spot so i dont think that Girgensons should have ever been considered a top prospect

 

[ChiefWiggum]

wasn't Grigerenko considered a top 3 talent in that draft year? I don't think it w as considered an especially deep draft year, but perhaps I'm remembering incorrectly.

Just looked it up, he wasnt in central socuting's list of top 10 european or north american skaters (Im not sure where he played in his draft year)

 

[TychoFan]

Just looked it up, he wasnt in central socuting's list of top 10 european or north american skaters (Im not sure where he played in his draft year)

Yakupov tops Central Scouting's final rankings I believe Grigorenko was ranked 3rd. He played in the QMJHL.

As a Flames fan, I'm a bit guiltily glad that Girgensons didn't turn out to be a top talent (we traded away the pick that ended up drafting him).

 

[Jacob]

He was "an Allstar" based on a stupid voting system and everyone expected him to be good?
He's a decent bottom 6 player. Nothing more.

Even if his upside is "decent bottom 6 player," he's a massive bust up to this point.

 

[schnapshot]

Just looked it up, he wasnt in central socuting's list of top 10 european or north american skaters (Im not sure where he played in his draft year)

Played for Dubuque in the USHL.

Maybe he would have benefited from a few seasons in the NCCA instead of jumping straight to the AHL à la Nylander.

 

[sr edler]

He still has one of the better names in hockey.

 

[De Montreal]

He still has one of the better names in hockey.

I agree with that. Great hockey sounding name.

 

[Butt Ox]

Separated from Nolan.

 

[schnapshot]

Seeing the word “all-around” paired with Yakupov and Grigorenko in that scouting article makes me laugh.

 

[Esq]

Essentially another version of Marko Dano. Hot start ... then nothing.

 

[Oberyn]

He was never that good to begin with

 

[Tim Calhoun]

Probably rushed to the NHL.

That 30 point season was actually terrible if you take into account the icetime he was getting.