....we've already drafted 9 first round picks?
2000 - Rusty Klelsa - 4th
2001 - Pascal Leclaire - 8th
2002 - Rick Nash - 1st
2003 - Nikolai Zherdev - 4th
2004 - Alexandre Picard - 8th
2005 - Gilbert Brule - 6th
2006 - Derick Brassard - 6th
2007 - Jakub Voracek - 7th
2008 - Nikita Filatov - 6th
All selected top 8 or higher. Man that's a lot of years to be drafting that high when you think about nine straight drafts.
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Think about it—that could ice three full lines if all were forwards.
Anyway you slice it, drafting that high for so long translates into a long damn time that Jacket fans have failed to see success or the playoffs...and people wonder why attendance is down?
What's more impressive is that we haven't traded any of these guys. Nine first round picks and they are all with the organization still. Unfortunately I think that has as much to do with our lack of first-round success more than anything as a lot of these guys just aren't worth much on the market. I do expect that to change this offseason, however.
-LTL
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2 months ago
You feel our pain! Klesa did not turn out to be as good as advertised though he is not an awful defenseman. Nash and Leclaire were good picks. Both would be better if they had a supporting cast. The jury is still out on Zherdev. He was better last year, but I still don't think he gives 100% most of the time. Picard and Brule may be busts, though it is possible Brule will develop into a decent player. We hear good things about Brassard and Voracek, but the clock is ticking and I suspect the current Jackets management will have less patience than the previous. Filatov sounds good, but after 7 years of frustration I am waiting for proof before I say this was a good pick.
2 months ago
Klesla was advertised as being a great offensive defenseman. he's not. However, he's very solid in his own end and has turned into a heck of a body checker.
Picard is a bust. I still think brule will be a good NHLer, just not a star. He will be a Malone, or an Umberger: 50 points a year with grit. he just has to mature a bit more and learn what it was that earned his success in junior.
Brassard will be a second line playmaking center. Voracek will be a top line winger as soon as this season.
Zherdev would probably flourish in Carolina or Florida.
2 months ago
I think the bigger problem is that the Jackets in general are not good at scouting. How many draft picks past the first round have been successful? I think Fritsche and Tollefsen is the only one to even make a dent in the lineup for more than just an injury recall. Where are all the great second and third round steals that every team but Columbus has? Scott Howson needs to revamp the scouting team in Columbus and figure out what we're missing in that department.
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