Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaudreau is a Ninja
Man Loob was a 9th round pick as well, he was so good and likeable! Makarov was a late pick because he was Russian and they were just starting to come over to the NHL. He most likely would have been a 1st round pick in today’s era. Some of the softest hands by any Flames ever.
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He was also 25 years old when he was drafted and 31 years old by the time he was able to actually play in the NHL.
Definitely great for a 12 rounder, but for obvious reasons no team would want risk a very high pick on a player unable to even play in the NHL until they are entering their 30s. When he was drafted, I think everyone knew you'd be lucky to only get 4 or 5 good seasons out of him at the most. Still, there were a lot of teams probably kicking themselves for not taking him any time after the 2nd round. For a player picked in the top 2 rounds, you'd definitely want someone you hope will be a valuable player for longer than that, especially in an era when the UFA age was 31.