Steven Stamkos Will Be The Next Great NHL Draft Bust

Before everyone gets upset that I'm calling Steven Stamkos the next great draft bust in NHL history after only seven games in the league, let me first start off by saying that it is not entirely his fault, in fact, it is no fault of his at all.

As soon as the Tampa Bay Lightning organization found out that they would have the number one pick in last season's entry draft, they new they were taking Stamkos, because he was the best player available, by far.

But they didn't just want him to be a good player, they wanted him to become the savior of the franchise that was the league's laughingstock last year by finishing in dead last.

Before they even selected him, the organization's marketing team began finding ways to drum up interest and publicity in the area, hoping that they would regain fan support lost after a miserable finish.

Then when this season started in Prague, Czech Republic for the Lightning, there was so much excitement surrounding him and this Lightning team.

In his first NHL game he went without a point, which is really no big deal. In his second game, he ripped a shot off the crossbar, coming within an inch of his first NHL point and goal.

Now seven games into the season, the Lightning sit dead last in the South East Division with a 1-3-3 record, and Stamkos hasn't gotten on the score sheet yet.

Not one assist. Not one goal. Not one point. Not his fault.

To be a draft bust doesn't have to be the player's fault, but a number of things: ice time, line combinations, the environment, and the pressure placed on your shoulders.

Let's start off with ice time. I don't have the exact numbers on me for how much he's gotten, but let's just say that for a top-six player, if he is one, he has gotten far from top-six minutes, actually going a couple of games with under ten minutes of playing time.

He's also been bounced around in the lineup with different players and nothing seems to be working, now further frustration is setting in. Normally, since he hasn't played in nine games, you would think that he would be sent back to the OHL where he can gain time, points, and confidence. But that decision had already been made for him. Made the day they drafted him.

All the excitement about this young, amazing player. The responsibility of saving this franchise placed on the shoulders of an eighteen year old kid. How can he possibly be sent down?

I feel bad for this kid, I really do. After seeing him in an interview a couple weeks ago, he is a genuine down to earth nice guy, the type of player this league should market and it's a shame he is being ruined right before our very eyes.

He reminds me so much of a player from my favorite team, the New York Rangers. When Manny Malholtra was drafted in the first round, seventh overall in 1998, the expectations were enormous.

People like the general manager at the time Neil Smith were calling this eighteen year old the next Mark Messier because of his size, skill and leadership abilities.

So when Malholtra was far from ready, they put him right into the lineup, but not in the role he was accustomed to. He was a top-six player with great skill, a goal scorer and a play maker. But, unfortunately, much like Stamkos, he was put into an unfamiliar role.

He became a third line player, playing in ten to fifteen minutes a game and being used in a checking role, not an offensive one. Despite all the hype, head coach John Muckler proclaimed, "This kid will be a career third liner."

Well, Muckler lost his job shortly after, but look who was right in the long run. The next Mark Messier, the Rangers' franchise savior has not scored more then twelve goals or thirty one points in a single season.

The situation seems eerily similar to the one Stamkos is facing right now and it's a shame, because I really like this kid. But as the Lightning continue to lose, Melrose gets fired in December, and Stamkos continues to struggle, I'll be there to say I told you so.