"Will teams regret decision to bypass Seth Jones?"

[ultra63]

"It’ll be several years until we can truly judge, but there are those already beginning to wonder if the three teams that bypassed him will on draft day (Colorado, Florida and Tampa Bay) will regret the day they let Jones slip through their grasp." http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/will-teams-regret-decision-to-bypass-seth-jones/

I certainly wonder why we passed on Jones especially since Drouin was supposed to be a less risky pick than Jones yet Drouin is the who was not ready for the NHL.

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[MattM92]

"It’ll be several years until we can truly judge, but there are those already beginning to wonder if the three teams that bypassed him will on draft day (Colorado, Florida and Tampa Bay) will regret the day they let Jones slip through their grasp." http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/will-teams-regret-decision-to-bypass-seth-jones/

I certainly wonder why we passed on Jones especially since Drouin was supposed to be a less risky pick than Jones yet Drouin is the who was not ready for the NHL.

Was he not ready for the NHL or was he less ready than the guys who have been in the pro's for several years now? Don't forget that Nashville isn't as stacked on D as we are on W. Also, a defenseman can play any of the 6 defensive positions without much of a difference. A forward like Drouin can only play in a top 6 role, he is not an energy liner/grinder.

 

[Vasilevskiy]

I thought and still think we should have drafted Jones, but I don't regret choosing Drouin

 

[jayslightning79]

Drouin will be an Elite scorer in the NHL. To be fair Drouin only had 1 1/2 years in the QMJHL. He has become a human Highlight reel, will become an Elite Scoring player in the NHL, no doubt about it. Sending him back to Halifax was a no-brainer, at his age he needs playings time.

Also I don't think we'll regret it, for one we have Andrej Sustr (FA NCAA). Dmen are never a sure thing. Seth Jones might become a force in the NHL, but doesn't mean he would develop the same way with Tampa Bay. Playing alongside a guy like Shea Weber help a Rookie Dmen tremendously. for example if he would've been drafted by TBL, he might've played alongside brewer, or Aulie. I thought Predators were the PERFECT team for Seth Jones.

Tampa Bay's depth was a big factor in the decision to send back Drouin to Halifax. Sending drouin down, so he can work on faceoffs, his defensive game, and put on a little muscle won't hurt his development. He'll get to play for Canada at the World U20 championship.

We might lose a guy like Marty St Louis in the next couple of seasons. He'll be 40 years old iafter next season, we need someone to step up and take his place. I think Drouin would be the perfect guy for the job.

In a couple of years, Drouin will be feeding Stammer's one-timers on the PP. Its a process he'll be in the NHL next season. This was the perfect opportunity for Steve Yzerman to send him back to work on little things that will one day make him the Hockey player everyone wants him to be.

 

[NHLeitner]

We'll see in a couple of years. After the Great Tyler Myers Decline of Every Year After 2010 I don't get too excited until after at least 2 years of NHL record. As a Bolts fan and a USA Hockey fan, I hope both of them grow into superstars, but I won't regret not taking Jones unless he puts up 2-3 good years and Drouin's career goes the way of Xavier LaFlamme.

 

[Lord Stan 2020]

NO

I would take ristolainen over jones.

Jones might wind up being a very good scorer but imo never physical and will never develop into the next great defender.

I think is over rated and till we see him 4-5 years out people will disagree.

He will put up points but is not nick lidstrom and will not play physical so whatever.

I would take OEL Doughty Subban Pietrangelo every day of week over jones and figure they will all stay head and shoulders above him

 

[CupsOverCash]

I think Jones will be a good player but I think Drouin will be good too. I was fine with either guy.

 

[RussianGuyovich]

i regret, that there is but one seth jones to draft

 

[The Macho King]

The answer to this question, a few months after the draft is "maybe". Development is a funny thing, and there aren't many sure bets. Pointless to talk about right now.

 

[DFC]

If Jones develops into an NHL-wide top-5 defenseman, then the answer is probably yes. The reason why Jones was risky is because highly-touted 18 year-old defensemen rarely become what they're projected to become. If you remember, Dion Phaneuf was all the rage in his rookie year and the years immediately following.

I think it was widely acknowledged that out of the "big 4" Drouin was the least ready for the NHL (although he was still believed to be ready -- he just lacked the size of the others). I don't think you can talk about which pick is "safe" unless you're talking about at least 5-6 years down the line.

It's also hard to judge Drouin considering how different his NHL circumstances are. Tampa Bay suddenly finds themselves with the luxury of huge organizational depth, so Drouin wound up competing for his spot against guys who've been paying their dues, wonderfully, for 2,3, or 4+ years.