Quote:
Originally Posted by Imported_Aussie
I agree, it is just a shame that the Flames went off the board after Pelech when there was so much behind him that could have contributed to the team. But we could talk all day about bad drafting by the Flames and conspiracy theories as to why Tod Button is still employed by this organization in light of this
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The idea behind the Pelech selection was to get that big bruising d-man that was oh so important in the pre-louckout era. They eventually got it in Phaneuf.
I'm in the camp that the Flames drafting, especially Sutter's, really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. The Flames rarely pick in the top 10. Late 1st and 2nd round picks just don't have that great of a chance of becomming full time NHLers, let alone impact players.
OP has made a list of players chosen between 30 and 230 who've become good players. There are 200+ players in that range who were busts.
The 2005 draft was very deep, but the Flames also picked 25th. We were going for a d-man and picked a bust. But we weren't the only ones. Within that range you had several other d-men busts too: Lashoff (at 22), Mihalek (at 30), Mikkelson (at 31), Chorney (at 36), Jackson (at 37), Sauer (at 40), etc...
Pelech wasn't an example of bad drafting. He was an example of how little a late 1st or 2nd round pick, in general, should be valued. Using hindsight to say the Flames should have drafted Vlassic is pretty ridiculous. He's the only full time NHLer of 10 or so d-men that were chosen in that range.