Who did you want in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft

[flamebird]

IMO, the leafs absolutely BLEW this draft, setting us back at least 3-5 years, possibly more.

I lost all faith when we selected Tyler Biggs and then Stuart Percy in the first round.

AT THE TIME OF THE DRAFT, not looking back in hindsight, who did you want to Leafs to select in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft?

Prior to the draft we had picks #25 (From PHI), #30 (From BOS), & #39. On draft day we traded pick #30 and #39 to move up to #22 to take Tyler Biggs.............

Relative to where we were picking, the players I wanted were:

1. Brandon Saad
2. Boone Jenner
3. Ty Rattie

My reasons, Boone and Saad (projected in numerous pre-season drafts as a top 5-10 pick) were going to be nhl ready within 1-2 years, and impactful enough to make a difference (currently they are on their respective teams, though Boone has been injured most of the season)

I had been following Rattie since his Airdrie days and all the way through the WHL. Natural-goal scorers don't come around everyday, and the Leafs did not have a 'natural' goal-scorer in the system. due to his size at draft day, i wouldve used the last pick on him.(we wouldnt have gotten him (32nd Overall), unless we took him in the first round, we ended trading our 39th overall pick).


I feel as though if they Leafs picked these players in 2011, we'd be in a way different position we are in now.

Looking back, who would you have taken at the time, not knowing what the future held in store?

Click to read more...

 

[ACC1224]

IMO, the leafs absolutely BLEW this draft, setting us back at least 3-5 years, possibly more.

Hilarious when people throw out these random tragic numbers.

 

[JMcLeaf]

Puempel and J. Gibson

 

[Cor]

I like these threads.

Everyone always wanted the best players.

 

[Duke Silver]

IMO, the leafs absolutely BLEW this draft, setting us back at least 3-5 years, possibly more.

I lost all faith when we selected Tyler Biggs and then Stuart Percy in the first round.

AT THE TIME OF THE DRAFT, not looking back in hindsight, who did you want to Leafs to select in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft?

Prior to the draft we had picks #25 (From PHI), #30 (From BOS), & #39. On draft day we traded pick #30 and #39 to move up to #22 to take Tyler Biggs.............

Relative to where we were trading, the players I wanted were:

1. Brandon Saad
2. Boone Jenner
3. Ty Rattie

My reasons, Boone and Saad (projected in numerous pre-season drafts as a top 5-10 pick) were going to be nhl ready within 1-2 years, and impactful enough to make a difference (currently they are on their respective teams, though Boone has been injured most of the season)

I had been following Rattie since his Airdrie days and all the way through the WHL. Natural-goal scorers don't come around everyday, and the Leafs did not have a 'natural' goal-scorer in the system. due to his size at draft day, i wouldve used the last pick on him.(we wouldnt have gotten him (32nd Overall), unless we took him in the first round, we ended trading our 39th overall pick).


I feel as though if they Leafs picked these players in 2011, we'd be in a way different position we are in now.

Looking back, who would you have taken at the time, not knowing what the future held in store?

I wanted Jenner, badly.

My post history confirms it.

 

[flamebird]

Hilarious when people throw out these random tragic numbers.

Saad became a full-time NHL player in 2012
Jenner became a full-time NHL player in 2013

Both are impact players on their teams. My reasoning for 3-5 years.

 

[Apollo Leaf]

IMO, the leafs absolutely BLEW this draft, setting us back at least 3-5 years, possibly more.

I lost all faith when we selected Tyler Biggs and then Stuart Percy in the first round.

AT THE TIME OF THE DRAFT, not looking back in hindsight, who did you want to Leafs to select in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft?

Prior to the draft we had picks #25 (From PHI), #30 (From BOS), & #39. On draft day we traded pick #30 and #39 to move up to #22 to take Tyler Biggs.............

Relative to where we were trading, the players I wanted were:

1. Brandon Saad
2. Boone Jenner
3. Ty Rattie

My reasons, Boone and Saad (projected in numerous pre-season drafts as a top 5-10 pick) were going to be nhl ready within 1-2 years, and impactful enough to make a difference (currently they are on their respective teams, though Boone has been injured most of the season)

I had been following Rattie since his Airdrie days and all the way through the WHL. Natural-goal scorers don't come around everyday, and the Leafs did not have a 'natural' goal-scorer in the system. due to his size at draft day, i wouldve used the last pick on him.(we wouldnt have gotten him (32nd Overall), unless we took him in the first round, we ended trading our 39th overall pick).


I feel as though if they Leafs picked these players in 2011, we'd be in a way different position we are in now.

Looking back, who would you have taken at the time, not knowing what the future held in store?

Seems overdramatic, no?

I think we did fine in this draft for the picks we had. Percy and Leivo are developing quite nicely for us. Sparks is still making his way through. I don't see how one draft could have set us back 3-5 years.

 

[Teeder9]

Calling bs on anyone who says Saad or Gibson. Revisionist history

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

The bottom half of that 1st round doesn't look very good. Most here wanted McNeill, Beaulieu, Puempel, Morrow, Jensen or Jurco. Biggs was a waste of a pick, but none of those guys look noteworthy at this point either. I don't remember anyone wanting Saad... Most questioned his upside (he didn't play well in the 2nd half of his OHL season), effort level, etc.

Percy could be an excellent pick though.

 

[flamebird]

The bottom half of that 1st round doesn't look very good. Most here wanted McNeill, Beaulieu, Puempel, Morrow, Jensen or Jurco. Biggs was a waste of a pick, but none of those guys look noteworthy at this point either. I don't remember anyone wanting Saad... Most questioned his upside (he didn't play well in the 2nd half of his OHL season), effort level, etc.

Percy could be an excellent pick though.

The Percy pick could turn out nice, but I still believe Saad will have the better career. Saad was more of a personal preference of mine since I did see his games with Saginaw for 2 years and the TPG in Toronto. He was ALMOST pro-ready at the draft, and his play throughout the season said he was NHL-ready (post-draft season in Saggy). I never questioned his upside, I questioned his focus more so. He would seem disinterested like the league was too easy for him, which probably led to his questioned upside by most people

 

[SprDaVE]

Yawn

 

[Northern Dancer]

IMO, the leafs absolutely BLEW this draft, setting us back at least 3-5 years, possibly more.

I lost all faith when we selected Tyler Biggs and then Stuart Percy in the first round.

AT THE TIME OF THE DRAFT, not looking back in hindsight, who did you want to Leafs to select in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft?

Prior to the draft we had picks #25 (From PHI), #30 (From BOS), & #39. On draft day we traded pick #30 and #39 to move up to #22 to take Tyler Biggs.............

Relative to where we were picking, the players I wanted were:

1. Brandon Saad
2. Boone Jenner
3. Ty Rattie

My reasons, Boone and Saad (projected in numerous pre-season drafts as a top 5-10 pick) were going to be nhl ready within 1-2 years, and impactful enough to make a difference (currently they are on their respective teams, though Boone has been injured most of the season)

I had been following Rattie since his Airdrie days and all the way through the WHL. Natural-goal scorers don't come around everyday, and the Leafs did not have a 'natural' goal-scorer in the system. due to his size at draft day, i wouldve used the last pick on him.(we wouldnt have gotten him (32nd Overall), unless we took him in the first round, we ended trading our 39th overall pick).


I feel as though if they Leafs picked these players in 2011, we'd be in a way different position we are in now.

Looking back, who would you have taken at the time, not knowing what the future held in store?

Funny you seem to have rated Biggs rather highly prior to the draft:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=33578394&postcount=39

1. Edmonton - Adam Larsson
2. Colorado - Gabriel Landeskog
3. Florida - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
4. New Jersey - Ryan Murphy
5. NY Islanders - Sean Couturier
6. Ottawa - Jonathan Huberdeau
7. Winnipeg - Ryan Strome
8. Columbus - Dougie Hamilton
9. Boston (TOR) - Mika Zibanejad
10. Minnesota - Joel Armia
11. Colorado (STL) - Brandon Saad
12. Carolina - Duncan Siemens
13. Calgary - Sven Bartschi
14. Dallas - Jamieson Oleksiak
15. NY Rangers - Matt Puempel
16. Buffalo - Nathan Beaulieu
17. Montreal - Boone Jenner
18. Chicago - Rocco Grimaldi
19. Edmonton (LA) - Jonas Brodin
20. Phoenix - Mark Schiefele
21. Ottawa (NSH) - Ty Rattie
22. Anaheim - Tyler Biggs
23. Pittsburgh - Mark McNeil
24. Detroit - J.T. Miller
25. Toronto (PHI) - Daniel Catenacci
26. Washington - Scott Mayfield
27. Tampa Bay - Oscar Klefbom
28. San Jose - Zack Phillips
29/30. Toronto (BOS) - Brett Richie
30/29. Vancouver - Nicklas Jensen

 

[Phion Keneuf]

Puempel, Morrow, Gibson, Saad, Rattie

were the guys i wanted the most

 

[flamebird]

Funny you seem to have rated Biggs rather highly prior to the draft:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=33578394&postcount=39

1. Edmonton - Adam Larsson
2. Colorado - Gabriel Landeskog
3. Florida - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
4. New Jersey - Ryan Murphy
5. NY Islanders - Sean Couturier
6. Ottawa - Jonathan Huberdeau
7. Winnipeg - Ryan Strome
8. Columbus - Dougie Hamilton
9. Boston (TOR) - Mika Zibanejad
10. Minnesota - Joel Armia
11. Colorado (STL) - Brandon Saad
12. Carolina - Duncan Siemens
13. Calgary - Sven Bartschi
14. Dallas - Jamieson Oleksiak
15. NY Rangers - Matt Puempel
16. Buffalo - Nathan Beaulieu
17. Montreal - Boone Jenner
18. Chicago - Rocco Grimaldi
19. Edmonton (LA) - Jonas Brodin
20. Phoenix - Mark Schiefele
21. Ottawa (NSH) - Ty Rattie
22. Anaheim - Tyler Biggs
23. Pittsburgh - Mark McNeil
24. Detroit - J.T. Miller
25. Toronto (PHI) - Daniel Catenacci
26. Washington - Scott Mayfield
27. Tampa Bay - Oscar Klefbom
28. San Jose - Zack Phillips
29/30. Toronto (BOS) - Brett Richie
30/29. Vancouver - Nicklas Jensen

Rated highly YES.

SAAD = #11
JENNER = #17
RATTIE = #21

All rated above Biggs.

 

[TheLeastOfTheBunch]

The Percy pick could turn out nice, but I still believe Saad will have the better career. Saad was more of a personal preference of mine since I did see his games with Saginaw for 2 years and the TPG in Toronto. He was ALMOST pro-ready at the draft, and his play throughout the season said he was NHL-ready (post-draft season in Saggy). I never questioned his upside, I questioned his focus more so. He would seem disinterested like the league was too easy for him, which probably led to his questioned upside by most people

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=715132

Found this thread from ~2011. Guess I was a bit interested in him too But I do remember most preferring the other guys (Puempel, Morrow, McNeill, etc) when the draft rolled around. Most thought Burke was going to take Biggs, though. He personally scouted USA's games in the U18s, and Biggs played well there

 

[TheGroceryStick]

Many say Jenner after the fact.

Like Saad, people didn't seem to be raving too much about the guy in the 1st round. (some were, just like just about any fringe 1st rounder, people love the 'called it' after the fact)

I actually got hyped up in the Biggs train, seemed like the type of player we needed.

I was a little set back on the Percy pick. Thought there would have been a better player there to take. IMO I actually thought Jenner at this spot, being a Gens fan, I thought it may have been homerish. But it was a good pick after Biggs (IMO) as I saw Biggs being the targeted guy from Burke all along.

 

[Leafs at Knight]

Matt Puempel

 

[McCluffin]

I mean, at 29 I wanted the Canucks to take Saad, because I felt he had slipped a little, nd not take Jensen. But for the most part, I was just obsessed with Sean Coutruier and I wanted him on Vancouver or Nashville at ANY cost. Also liked Tyler Weatherspoon for a mid 2nd round pick

 

[WilliamNylander]

Dougie Hamilton

 

[diceman934]

Leafs:
With 2 picks in round 1
Jenner
Grimaldi
Catenacci

Round 2 pick
Mccolgan

IMO, the leafs absolutely BLEW this draft, setting us back at least 3-5 years, possibly more.

I lost all faith when we selected Tyler Biggs and then Stuart Percy in the first round.

AT THE TIME OF THE DRAFT, not looking back in hindsight, who did you want to Leafs to select in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft?

Prior to the draft we had picks #25 (From PHI), #30 (From BOS), & #39. On draft day we traded pick #30 and #39 to move up to #22 to take Tyler Biggs.............

Relative to where we were picking, the players I wanted were:

1. Brandon Saad
2. Boone Jenner
3. Ty Rattie

My reasons, Boone and Saad (projected in numerous pre-season drafts as a top 5-10 pick) were going to be nhl ready within 1-2 years, and impactful enough to make a difference (currently they are on their respective teams, though Boone has been injured most of the season)

I had been following Rattie since his Airdrie days and all the way through the WHL. Natural-goal scorers don't come around everyday, and the Leafs did not have a 'natural' goal-scorer in the system. due to his size at draft day, i wouldve used the last pick on him.(we wouldnt have gotten him (32nd Overall), unless we took him in the first round, we ended trading our 39th overall pick).


I feel as though if they Leafs picked these players in 2011, we'd be in a way different position we are in now.

Looking back, who would you have taken at the time, not knowing what the future held in store?

Seems like you changed your mind! On two of the 3!

 

[geary17]

Wanted Matt Puempel because I can never resist skill. Was very happy to have landed Percy who was projected to be a steal. Biggs was very highly touted by scouts at the time as well, and this was considered a good pick by most analysts. Draft is all about hindsight. 29 other teams passed on those 3 guys at least once. Percy was projected to go in the top-20 and Biggs as well on some lists. It's not like they grabbed two busts from behind the board.

 

[McCluffin]

Dougie Hamilton

Well you still got him, at least your draft pick did

 

[Larcos_Unal]

I was stoked we got Biggs, which is why I'll never be a GM.

 

[67Cup]

I can't remember who I wanted at the time. I think I was happy enough with Biggs and Percy as such. But I am pretty sure I was one of a number of people who made the argument that having three kicks at the can in the late first and early second rounds, as the Leafs had entering the process, was more likely to produce a good player or players than having two slightly earlier picks.

I also remember being interested in Kucherov, though I wasn't suggesting the Leafs take him with a first rounder or early second.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I always knew we were going to land Percy based on Burke liking him. I did want Puempel though, I wasn't mad we drafted Biggs. In hindsight, asset management could have been better.