Quote:
Originally Posted by FAN
I don't think you can make that conclusion just yet. While I'm hopeful that the drafting has improved, some of Darryl's picks looked really good right after they were drafted. Search up past threads about Howse and Reinhart. Even Nemisz was looking like a sure-fire NHL player. Saying guys like Kulak and Culkin have 2nd pairing NHL potential is already being a homer (which is fine). Saying they might even be better than a 2nd pairing Dmen right now is just being silly.
Darryl's drafting is really starting to not look half bad. Backlund is coming into his own. And as much as it pains me to say, Tim Erixon is looking like he will be a solid top 4 Dman for a long time. Brodie looks like a home-run pick and Bouma and Aulie are looking like excellent mid round picks.
Don't get me wrong, I am hopeful that the Flames' drafting has improved, but I'm not going to be that naive and think that every draft pick of ours will be NHL players, nevermind top 4 defensemen or top 9 forwards.
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The reason why I said the pair of offensive defensemen have top 4 or even better potential is that they are the exact same prospects at their age the TJ Brodie was. Brodie was basically a forward playing defense when we drafted him in the 4th round and he's developed into our best overall defenseman. That's the thing, you can't really tell if they are just offensively talented or if they can learn to incorporate the defensive skills over the next few years. Honestly, I'd be happy if one of them makes the NHL.
I'm not naive either to think that all these guys are sure bet NHLers, but I'd rather have a group of guys that are kicking butt in the leagues they're in like Granlund, Brossoit, Gillies, Gaudreau, Kulak, Culkin, and Sven. Usually, if players aren't being awesome at their level they aren't going to be NHLers unless they're grinder types or defensive D-men.
As an aside, I hated the Nemisz pick off the bat and made a comparison between him and Wayne Primeau as his upside at some point shortly after we picked him. Not exactly high praise. The Flames have seemed to change focus on their drafting, selecting guys that have high hockey IQ and sense, with more of a focus on skill and work ethic. Usually taking guys like, especially in the lower rounds, are the guys that come out of nowhere like Brodie.