Why was Marc-Andre Fleury selected 1st overall

[littleHossa]

So Fleury is the best goalie since Lethonen, definitively something to be proud of!

 

[King'sPawn]

I thought Fleury went first because the Penguins traded their 3rd overall and Samuelsson for first overall

 

[GKJ]

I have been wondering this for quite some time now and have not come up with any reasons why?

anyone else

There is no real good reason. He was overhyped because it wasn't a deep draft for goalies. So everyone in Quebec decided they would try and say he is the next Patrick Roy and sadly, the Penguins were stupid enough to trade up and make him the #1 overall pick, and he is not progressing as fast as a #1 pick should.

 

[Vipers]

I don't think that stats are a good reference to evaluate goalies.

.
Examples: Luongo took 1/2 season in AHL, with a 2.93 and .908
Brodeur took 1 season in AHL, with 4.03 and .884
Lehtonen took 1 season in AHL. ( lockout)
Fleury will need 1 or 2. ( to be seen, but they throw him straight in. )
Theodore took 3 years in the AHL.
Giguère took 4 years between AHL and NHL.
Khabibulin at 21, 3.87 and .874 in the AHL. ( rookie year. )
Turco spent 3 years in the AHL.
I took only some young goalies who are actually 1st goalie. I did not check for the 30 teams, but some of you can complete it.

Lehtonen is a pretty damn good goalie. Fleury is too: he was amazing when he
returns to his Junior team, last year. Good or bad in the NHL, he brought something
that very 18-19 yrs. old can have as hockey player: Experience.
The best scenario is the one that Fleury is playing now in the AHL for 1 or 2 years, after that, sharing or fighting for the #1 spot.

In those who experiment so young: Barrasso and Thibault. They spent very bad years before reaching the expectations, also if they were playing in NHL.
Also, it will be wrong to say good goalies take less time to reach NHL.

A last example:Ouellet spent 4 years in AHL. ( 4th for lockout)
In his first year: 2.72 and .911 as a 20 yrs. old.
Why? He has a star goalie ahead and the team simply decided
to give him time and develop him into the next #1 for the
future.

This is not the case in Pittsburgh. They need a real #1 goalie and Fleury has the
tools and the talent to reach the objectives.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

There is no real good reason. He was overhyped because it wasn't a deep draft for goalies. So everyone in Quebec decided they would try and say he is the next Patrick Roy and sadly, the Penguins were stupid enough to trade up and make him the #1 overall pick, and he is not progressing as fast as a #1 pick should.

Thats a pretty stupid statement. Because they picked a goaltender who they knew would take longer to develop it was stupid? The only number 1 goaltender you can coopare his development to was DiPietro and he is developing faster then him.

 

[Dave D]

The truth of the matter is Florida who had the first overall pick in 03 were going to take Nathan Horton first overall unless they could get a deal that would get a player and/or picks and still be able to select Horton. Pittsburgh really wanted Fleury and weren't certain that Carolina wouldn't take him. Florida knew Carolina loved Staal and so they make the deal with Pittsburgh and everyone was happy. If Florida keeps the pick, Nathan Horton would have been drafted #1.

 

[London Knights]

Personally I don't see Fleury winning any Vezina's over his career, but he is going to be one of those goalies who is always up at the top of the league. Somebody you can rely on to bail you out of situations. Pittsburgh will eventually have a decent team with the youth they will have coming into their team, and Fleury will improve with them. It was asking too much of him to put him in the NHL last year against a bad defense, because facing 30-40 shots in the Q is a heck of a lot different than facing 30-40 shots in the NHL where the majority of the league can all place the puck in the open spots.

 

[Jacob]

Thats a pretty stupid statement..

It's gokimjohnsson, get used to it.

 

[Sticky*]

The truth of the matter is Florida who had the first overall pick in 03 were going to take Nathan Horton first overall unless they could get a deal that would get a player and/or picks and still be able to select Horton. Pittsburgh really wanted Fleury and weren't certain that Carolina wouldn't take him. Florida knew Carolina loved Staal and so they make the deal with Pittsburgh and everyone was happy. If Florida keeps the pick, Nathan Horton would have been drafted #1.

I bet they're regretting that pick now, seen as how Staal clearly should have been #1 that year. He wuz robbed.

 

[Til the End of Time]

I bet they're regretting that pick now, seen as how Staal clearly should have been #1 that year. He wuz robbed.

If your referring to Pittsburgh, I don't think they regret taking Fleury at all. They may have missed drafting a great franchise player in Staal, but the Pens landed a super prospect in Fleury. Plus, the Penguins got a pretty good centerman a year later in Malkin.

So looking back, I think the Penguins drafted perfectly, and covered all bases.

 

[Epsilon]

I bet they're regretting that pick now, seen as how Staal clearly should have been #1 that year. He wuz robbed.

What exactly has Staal done to show that he "clearly" should have been #1? Each of the top 4 picks, who if you believe the draft prognosticastors were the #1 guy on the board of the teams that picked them, have developed about as expeccted. I don't think the top 4 of that draft would change were it done again right now. The only wild card would be Horton's injury troubles, which arn't serious yet but could start to affect him if they become a regular occurence.

 

[MagnusJondus]

Why was Marc-Andre Fleury selected 1st overall? I have been wondering this for quite some time now and have not come up with any reasons why?

Ever visit hockeysfuture.com?

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

He was overhyped because it wasn't a deep draft for goalies. So everyone in Quebec decided they would try and say he is the next Patrick Roy

What the **** are you talking about? This has nothing to do with a thin goalie draft. Fleury is hands down one of the better goalie prospects I have ever seen. Lots of potential there and one of the very few goalie prospects (I can count them on one hand) deserving of being picked in the top 10 of a draft, a trend I think is profundly stupid.

Fleury has never been compared to Roy as far as style/assets are concerned by anyone who knows his stuff. Lehtonen is closer to a Roy than Fleury. The name Roy may have been whispered in reference to the Q. I have to give it to M-A, he is one of the few goalies who has the *potential* to be one of the greatest goalies from the Q pipeline. I'd say among my friends, it's almost 50-50 as to whether Fleury was a superior goalie to Luongo back then. He's definitly an elite prospect although it remains to be seen if he can become an elite NHL goalie.

I still wouldn't have picked that guy at that spot, though. But past the few elite skaters I would have taken a chance. He is not a finished product but the raw material is up there with any young goalies I have seen in my 20+ years watching hockey. He's a one of a kind combination of size, athleticism and reflexes packaged in a fairly good, confident attitude.

 

[AgentNaslund*]

Pittsburgh was at a rebuillding stage. One way to begin that is having strong goaltending. Fleury was awesome in one game against detroit, where we won it for the team. Just remember, any of the first 6guys could have went number 1.
It depends on what the team wants too. Florida has Luongo, whats the point of drafting Fleury?

 

[Patty Ice]

I feel its because Pittsburgh desparately needed a goalie stud in their system and there was talk that the 'Canes might use the 2nd overall on Fleury (even though they had an awesome goalie in Ward ). Pittsburgh didn't have to break the bank to get the 1st overall pick and ensured their selection of Fleury.

 

[roast]

Listening to the radio on draft day, there was talk (in pittsburgh at least) that they wanted Fleury badly, and were afraid that the canes would take him, or the BJs might try to position themselves to get him. Hence, the deal for Samuellson and i think a 2nd or 3rd round pick. A very small price to pay if he pans out.

 

[Form and Substance]

Listening to the radio on draft day, there was talk (in pittsburgh at least) that they wanted Fleury badly, and were afraid that the canes would take him, or the BJs might try to position themselves to get him. Hence, the deal for Samuellson and i think a 2nd or 3rd round pick. A very small price to pay if he pans out.

Please don't shorthand the Blue Jackets by their initials, it's not natural.

 

[bruins4777*]

err why would the bluejacket's go for fleury? They already have leclaire and denis??

 

[Jacob]

You answered your own question.

 

[Reilly311]

there was talk that the 'Canes might use the 2nd overall on Fleury (even though they had an awesome goalie in Ward ).

I think you're forgetting that the Pens also had Caron who was on the All-Rooking team that year too.

 

[Patty Ice]

I think you're forgetting that the Pens also had Caron who was on the All-Rooking team that year too.

I realize that but would you consider him a stud goalie prospect? I wouldn't.

Edit: Not to say Caron is a chump or anything but theres a difference between a prospect you expect to be your number one goalie of the future and a guy that could be your goalie of the future. There are plenty of guys like Caron...some show signs of makin it (ie Raycroft) and some just quite don't cut it (ie Evgeni Konstantinov). Sharks have two guys like that right now in Patzold and Ehelechner. Good talent but I'm not fully confident that they can reach that level. A guy like Fleury or Ward is another story.

 

[Zoo]

The sad thing about this, is to many people read into the stats to much. I know at times Fleury hasn't played well. But he's also stood on his head to win games and at times has been our best player, and if you listen or see his games, you would know that the WBS defence has been terrible all season, every game our defence turns the puck over in front of the goalie, sometimes 4 - 5 times a night. And our PK, closed to being worst in the league. If anything, I believe that so far this has been a soild building block for MAF, considering what he went through last season.

 

[Zoo]

Yea, it could get worse.....especially when Sabourin is outplaying Fleury and Chiodo.

Where, ECHL



MAF has been our #1 goalie all season. Sabo has played well. But most of those well played games are in the ECHL, which is a hole different kettle fish.

 

[Reilly311]

I realize that but would you consider him a stud goalie prospect? I wouldn't.

And what exactly has Ward done in the NHL? Your reasoning for why Carolina wouldn't take Fleury is somewhat strange. (unless that's not what you're talking about).

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Where, ECHL



MAF has been our #1 goalie all season. Sabo has played well. But most of those well played games are in the ECHL, which is a hole different kettle fish.

I meant as of late.