Winners and losers of the 1st round?

[FLYLine27*]

I'd like to know what kind of car Cherapanov's translator is driving these days.

It seems so very coincidental that the team with the deepest pockets ended up with him at 17. Especially when they scouted him so very much. I wonder how his team interviews went with the teams that passed on him..

Best post of the draft board.

 

[hototogisu]

I'd like to know what kind of car Cherapanov's translator is driving these days.

It seems so very coincidental that the team with the deepest pockets ended up with him at 17. Especially when they scouted him so very much. I wonder how his team interviews went with the teams that passed on him..

I would say a team like Montreal has just as much money as the Rangers and could've pulled Cherepanov out of Russia if they really wanted to. Can't speak for the team interviews, of course...

What I find really interesting/funny is that anybody who slips is automatically a steal here. I'm not trying to diminish the Cherepanov or Esposito picks, but you have to look at it from the other side - 16 teams passed on the former; 19 on the latter. Doesn't that count for anything? I'm sure it adds up to more than "there's no transfer agreement in place" and "he could be the next Daigle". I hope the picks work out for the sake of the teams involved, but colour me suspicious in the meantime.

 

[Levitate]

I think it's too early to call picks like Cherepanov and Episito "steals", but like I said in my other post, I think the Cherepanov pick makes the Rangers winners in the first round simply because it addressed the exact need the Rangers organization had.

Sure there were talented players left, but I think Cherepanov's potential was the highest that the Rangers could have possibly gotten at that spot and now they have the 1st line prospect that they've desperately needed.

Less about "steals", and more about "winners" in this thread...

 

[Lion Hound]

I still can't get over the fact that the Oilers didn't gamble with their 15th pick. When you have THREE first rounders and Cherry and Esposito are available, you have to friggin swing for it.

And then they give up two picks to move up and draft some dude who'd probably wouldn't get drafted before the 2nd round?

I totally agree. Three 1st rounders, you have to gamble on one of those players.

 

[Ghost of jas]

I'd like to know what kind of car Cherapanov's translator is driving these days.

It seems so very coincidental that the team with the deepest pockets ended up with him at 17. Especially when they scouted him so very much. I wonder how his team interviews went with the teams that passed on him..

I'm thinking a lot of the bad press in regard to Cherepanov found its origin at the offices of 33rd and 7th Ave, in Manhattan.

 

[Doctor House]

Esposito to Pitt at 20.. this is just unbelievable. Does the entire league constantly have to bow to Mario?(huge sarcasm.. congrats)

What is unbelievable is all the hype Esposito has generated. That's why teams hire scouts and not fans.

 

[Frenzy31]

Like more then a few others here, I don't think you can call out winners and losers a couple days after the draft, but i will say a few words -

I was in Columbus and the turnout was excellent. I am a Blues fan and wore a Blues jersey to the draft (yes, made it onto the jumbotron and was heckeled a little, but that is all in fun). Everyone was pleasant and there was a lot of excitement in the air (I have traveled to more then a couple of BJ games and have found the experience at each to be very fan oriented - much more so the Detroit). This was much the same.

Yes, there was some booing of certain teams, but.. it is all part of being a fan. Gretz got a standing ovation. And while the Wings were booed, SY was really wasn't. Neither was Neeley.

The biggest shock was the Hickey pick and I think most were shocked. LA fans can spin that any way they like, but a 5'10" dman, taken before Alzner may have been a reach. (I wont call it a bad pick, because the Blues took a kid named - Oshie that most had going in the 2nd or 3rd round and that worked out very well- so it is way to early to judge).

Another big shock was the BJs pick of Voracek. This was a funny pick to me (not because it was early or late) but because the staff at the arena handed out a 1 page media guide if you will that talked about the top 10 prospects (photos w/ bios) and while they had Kane, Van, Alzer, Ellerby, they didn't have Voracek listed.....

Overall, I really think San Jose came up big. W/ no 1st rounders and then to get 2 top 30 picks via trade was excellent.