Which two draft classes combined were better?

[Varan]

Choose your fancy

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[Empoleon8771]

Well 2004-2005 didn't exist, so...

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Is it supposed to be the 04+05 draft vs 15+16? Or 05+06 vs 16+17?

 

[Advanced stats]

Too early to tell.

 

[LeonTheKing]

Draft 2004 + 2005
Ovechkin - Crosby - Wheeler
Ladd - Malkin - Neal
Ryan - Kopitar - Oshie
Stastny - Krejci - Radulov
(Hornqvist, Hanzal, Dubinsky, Zajac)


Letang - Vlasic
Green - Yandle
Niskanen - Johnson J.
(Goligoski, Streit, Edler, Hjalmarsson, Stralman)

Price
Quick
Schneider
(Rask, Dubnyk, Bishop)


Draft 2015 + 16
Laine - McDavid - Marner
Keller - Matthews - Rantanen
Tkachuk - Eichel - Aho
Konecny - Jost - Puljujarvi
(Strome D., Zacha, Barzal, Boeser, Eriksson Ek, Connor)

Provorov - Werenski
Hanifin - McAvoy
Chychrun - Carlo
(Chabot, Sergachev)

Samsonov
Hart

 

[FlyTimmo]

Hard to tell at this stage. I think ultimately it will be 2015+16.

 

[The Nuge]

04+05 has a bigger group at the highest level (Crosby/Ovi/Malkin vs just McDavid), but I feel like 15+16 will end up a deeper group up front, and a better defense

 

[Laineux]

Too early. Any of Matthews/Eichel/Laine could jump to the group of McDavid/Crosby/Ovie/Malkin but we don't know yet

 

[KoozNetsOff 92]

Too early. Any of Matthews/Eichel/Laine could jump to the group of McDavid/Crosby/Ovie/Malkin but we don't know yet

McDavid isn't in that group either.

 

[Laineux]

McDavid isn't in that group either.

Yeah if he somehow just had the best season of his career and his play takes a lasting downturn from now on it could be. By all likelihood though he is.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

Too early. Any of Matthews/Eichel/Laine could jump to the group of McDavid/Crosby/Ovie/Malkin but we don't know yet

Possible but unlikely. Unless you see Matthews/Eichel as multiple art ross winners and Laine as a 6 time richard winner.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Wasn't the 2004 draft kinda mediocre? Yeah, it yielded a good amount of good players, but it pales in comparison to 2003. 2005 was better, but I feel like the 2014 and 2015 drafts were closer to 2003 than either 2004 or 2005 were. I feel like if you made the poll 2005 and 2006 draft vs 2014 and 2015, you'd get a much closer poll.

 

[Laineux]

Possible but unlikely. Unless you see Matthews/Eichel as multiple art ross winners and Laine as a 6 time richard winner.

You never know. It's likely that there will be players aside from McDavid who emerge as the dominant players of this generation just like Malkin and Ovechkin did.

 

[Martinez]

Ovi, sid, geno, price. But I'll go 15+16

 

[tony d]

Went with 2004-2005.

 

[Huokaus]

I'll look at it one group at a time:

Draft 2004 + 2005
Ovechkin - Crosby - Wheeler
Ladd - Malkin - Neal
Ryan - Kopitar - Oshie
Stastny - Krejci - Radulov
(Hornqvist, Hanzal, Dubinsky, Zajac)

Draft 2015 + 16
Laine - McDavid - Marner
Keller - Matthews - Rantanen
Tkachuk - Eichel - Aho
Konecny - Jost - Puljujarvi
(Strome D., Zacha, Barzal, Boeser, Eriksson Ek, Connor)

It's hard to not give this to the established group. I was actually quite surprised that everyone outside of Hornqvist was drafted in the first 2 rounds. I'd expect at least a few later picks to become home runs and knock some early rounders off. We don't know if that will happen with the young group, but it's likely at least some of those will bust or not live up to the expectations even if they've had decent early years.

Draft 2004 + 2005
Letang - Vlasic
Green - Yandle
Niskanen - Johnson J.
(Goligoski, Streit, Edler, Hjalmarsson, Stralman)

Draft 2015 + 16
Provorov - Werenski
Hanifin - McAvoy
Chychrun - Carlo
(Chabot, Sergachev)

The youngsters' group is super impressive and already making an impact as top pairing players in their teens, even though it usually takes many years for defensemen to truly hit their stride. I'd actually take 2015+2016 here.

Draft 2004 + 2005
Price
Quick
Schneider
(Rask, Dubnyk, Bishop)

Draft 2015 + 16
Samsonov
Hart

2004+2005 goalie group is just insane, all have great careers as clear cut #1 goalies. 2 Vezinas (surprisingly few actually?), 6 Vezina nominations, Lindsay, Hart, Conn Smythe.
Both Samsonov and Hart are of course top tier goalie prospects, but since neither has even dressed for an NHL game, goalies are 2004+2005 AINEC.

 

[Hockeypete49]

Leaning towards 15-16

I like 79+03 to.

 

[Xspyrit]

wow I am kind of surprised 04/05 is not running away with this...

The only thing that 15/16 competes is the Center line and maybe Defense depth

 

[VoluntaryDom]

04/05 defense sucks, gimme the recent ones