Quote:
Originally Posted by Crown Royal
Fair points. But I have to ask, how much of that terrible draft record was due to the fact that there was literally no developmental system when he took over the reigns and the previous regime(s) had reduced the scouting department to almost nothing due to cash saving measures because of the terrible Canadian dollar?
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They would have performed better if they had drafted simply off any of the assembled lists. My view is that a lot of the issue was due to the overall direction that Sutter was providing - with more emphasis on size and toughness and not enough on skill and skating.
Quick review, starting with 2003 (I can't recall who ran the 2002 draft)
2003:
#9- Dion Phaneuf. No other NHLers from the other 8 picks
2004:
#24: Kris Chucko. Bust. The next five players picked were Rob Schremp (114 games), Cory Schneider (409), Jeff Schultz (409), Mark Fistric (325) and Mike Green (880). Bad pick.
#98: You get 220 games out of Dustin Boyd but he proved not to be much
A couple of late round gems: Adam Pardy (342 games) and Adam Cracknell (210 games).
2005:
#26: Matt Pelech. 13 games. Next 5 picks were Joe Finley (21), Matt Miskanen (949), Steve Downie (434), and Vlad Mihalik (15). Bad pick
Only other player drafted of note the rest of the way was Brett Sutter (60 games). Dan Ryder seemed like a great pick, but we know what happened there. But 61 total NHL games from the remaining 7 draft picks.
2006:
#26: Leland Irving. 13 games. Next 5 picks were Ivan Vishnevsky (5), Nick Foligno (908), Chris Summer (70), and Matt Corrente (34). Bad pick but not much else around that spot of the draft.
The team didn't get a single NHL game out of the remaining 7 picks they made.
2007
#24: Michael Backlund. Great pick.
4 more picks made and with Keith Aulie having 167 NHL games.
Mickey Renaud was probably a great pick. RIP.
2008
#25: Greg Nemisz. Bust. Next 5 picks were Ennis (613), Carlson (757), Tikhonov (111) and Daultan Leveille (0). Bad pick and some value around that area including Markstrom at 272.
This was a good draft though as they got Bouma at #78 and the home run at 114 with Brodie. I would argue Brodie was probably Sutter's best pick in his entire tenure.
2009:
#23: Tom Erixon. Bust. Next 5 picks were Marcus Johansson (648), Jordan Caron (157), Kyle Palmieri (561) and Phillip Paradis (0). Bad pick.
Out of the remaining 5 picks the only thing they got was Joni Ortio.
I don't have time to continue that no matter how you slice it that is a brutal record with a high volume of busts with 1st round picks and, with rare exceptions, a complete inability to find players in the other rounds.