NHL Draft 2011 Results: 7 Potential Busts From Round 1 of the Draft

The first round of the NHL Draft has come to an end, and everybody in the hockey world is already excited at the prospect of next season. 

I know that I'm already on the edge of my seat, wanting to see my team's two newest members make the squad out of camp and making a difference right away.

Expectations are always very high for the players that are taken in the first round of the NHL Draft, and many of the players that were selected tonight will be expected to jump onto their squads either next year or soon after that to make a difference on their teams.

Some of these players will succeed terrifically, and all hockey fans wish for their success, but there are some who will not live up to their hype, just ask Patrick Stefan.

If you just went, "Who?" that's my point exactly.

So here are seven potential first round busts from this year's draft.

1. Ryan Murphy (D): Carolina Hurricanes

Height:  5'10"

Weight:  166 pounds

Shoots:  Right

Junior Team:  Kitchener Rangers

Position:  Defense

Ryan Murphy is a very talented defenseman with great offensive skill, there is absolutely no doubt about that.

The part that is going to determine whether or not things will work out with him is his size.

5'10" is very small for a defenseman, and his 166 pounds is obviously something that may keep him down with his junior team this coming season so that he can gain some more weight.

If he can't develop his size, it is possible that he could become a defenseman that people like to use in power play situations, but gets dominated in his own end because he's just not big enough.

Hopefully, we wish for his success, but we'll have to see.

2. Adam Larsson (D): New Jersey Devils

Height:  6'3"

Weight:  200 pounds

Shoots:  Right

Current Team:  Skelleftea (Swedish Elite League)

Position:  Defense

Larsson is considered to be quite a steal at the number four position, but there is still a lot of pressure on this guy.

The New Jersey Devils have always been one of the greatest defensive teams in the NHL, and Larsson is going to be expected to live up to the likes of Stevens, Daneyko, and Niedermayer.

He's got a big upside and many people believe that he is the most NHL ready player in the draft, but we'll see how Larsson handles the transition from the Swedish game to the North American game.

Of course, he might not even be over in the NHL next season.

Big upside?  Sure, as long as the transition to a more physical style of hockey goes okay.

3. Mark Scheifele (C): Winnipeg Jets

Height:  6'2"

Weight:  182 pounds

Shoots:  Right

Current Team:  Barrie Colts (OHL)

Position:  Center

This is an interesting pick for the Jets, because there were a couple of players ranked higher than Scheifele at the time of this pick.

Including Sean Couturier, who ended up going to the Philadelphia Flyers.

This particular pick brings a lot of expectation because of how high he ended up going, seventh overall, and the fact that he is the first draft pick of the new Winnipeg Jets.

It's possible that all of these factors lead to a situation that doesn't work out, but we hope things go well for him and Winnipeg.

4. Jamieson Oleksiak (D): Dallas Stars

Height:  6'7"

Weight: 244 pounds

Shoots:  Left

Current Team:  Northeastern (NCAA)

Position:  Defense

You look at those stats as far as height and weight are concerned and immediately start to think, Zdeno Chara, dominant defenseman, nothing but good, right?

Well, maybe.  Obviously there is potential there, otherwise they wouldn't pick him in the first round, but guys as big as this really raise question their skating ability.

The NHL is so fast today that everybody has to be able to skate, and a 6'7" monster, like this guy, might have trouble keeping up.

Sure, his reach can help, but that might turn into a lot of holding penalties for his team if he is unable to keep good position on his men.

Obviously, a guy like this can make anybody intimidated, let's all hope he pans out after his college years.

Tyler Biggs (RW): Toronto Maple Leafs

Height:  6'2"

Weight:  210 pounds

Shoots:  Right

Junior Team:  USA U-18 Development Program

Position:  Right Wing

Tyler Biggs is absolutely the type of player that Brian Burke wants on his teams, when he is healthy.

He was injured a bit this year, and tried to come back a bit early which did affect his production.

Making certain that he is able to stay healthy and not make injuries a habit will go a long way towards being sure that he isn't a bust and is very productive for his teams in the future.

6. Matt Puempel (LW): Ottawa Senators

Height:  6'0"

Weight:  196 pounds

Shoots:  Left

Junior Team:  Peterborough Petes (OHL)

Position:  LW

Pierre MacGuire did a good job of breaking this down on the air when the Senators made this pick.

Basically, he said that there is a huge upside to Puempel, but he needs to work a lot on his skating.

The big upside comes because he is a player that scores a lot of goals from right in front of the net off of rebounds and deflections, which is great.

The big problem is that the NHL is much more of a skater's game now, and Puempel needs to work on making certain that he is a strong enough skater to keep up with the rest of the players today.

He will probably spend a bit more time in junior to work on this

7. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (C): Edmonton Oilers

Height:  6'0"

Weight:  171 pounds

Shoots:  Left

Junior Team:  Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

Position: Center

Slow down, slow down, don't jump all over me yet, hear me out.

The No. 1 overall draft pick absolutely has the most pressure on them of anybody that is taken in the NHL draft.

This is because this player is viewed as a future savior of a franchise, the guy around whom the team will be built.

Nugent-Hopkins will have a lot of help being able to play around guys like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, who are both immensely talented.

I think that Nugent-Hopkins may spend one more year in juniors in order to make certain that he puts on a bit more muscle and weight so that he doesn't get just thrown around like a rag doll when he gets to the NHL.

He's a smart player and knows how to use his talents in his favor, but there are other former number ones that haven't really panned out.

Patrick Stefan and Rick DiPietro just to name a few, both haven't played out for the teams that drafted them.

I do think Nugent-Hopkins will be a superstar, and help the Edmonton Oilers return to relevance, and possibly dominance.