2006 Entry Draft

[off_the_post]

So, just because it is late in the day and the masters is on my mind is drifting. I checked the UFA d-men this year and came across Bobby Sanguinetti. If I remember correctly in 2006 the Flyers were rumored to have interest in drafting him but the Rangers 'nabbed' him with the pick immediately before. The Flyers drafted...wait...ah...what was the name again?...oh yeah Giroux.

Fast forward to a few years later...

Giroux, although perhaps not the best player in the world, has turned into a great player. Where is Bobby? He is an UFA and has yet to find a real spot in the NHL. While Bobby still has time to develop, given that dmen take longer to develop, the moral of this story is that you can never really tell what you are going to get in the draft. Let's keep this in mind as we cheer/not cheer for the O&B over the remainder of the season. The O&B could get that d-man they want and in 6 years he could be a UFA....

[radoran]

Draft is always a crapshoot. Doubly so the lower half of the first round. Triply so defensemen.

In 2006, there were two other defencemen before Sanguinetti and one two picks after Giroux that never played a game in the NHL. Ty Wishart at 16 played fewer games than Sanguinetti.

As far as Top Ten defensemen:

2003: Suter, Coburn, Phaneuf

2004: Cam Barker, Ladislav Smid, Boris Valabik - Valabik's a stiff

2005: Jack Johnson, Brian Lee, Luc Bourdon - Bourdon a stiff, Lee played 20 games (including 22 this season)

2006: Erik Johnson

2007: Tomas Hickey, Karl Alzner, Keaton Ellerby - Hickey fewest games played, played 32 with the Islanders this season; Ellerby 150+ games now with LA

2008: Doughty, Bogosian, Pietrangelo, LSchenn,

2009: Hedman, OEL, Jared Cowen - Cowen was a top 4 D for Ottawa before the lockout, got injured in the AHL

2010: Erik Gudbrandson, Dylan McIlrath - McIlrath (10th overall) has yet to play

2011: Adam Larsson, Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Brodin - all three in the NHL; #11 pick D yet to play;

2012: EIGHT defensemen in the top 10; none have yet played

Overall, picking in the Top 10 for qualified defenceman has been a pretty solid way to go in terms of getting at least a productive player.

That said, I do believe that some of our good Canadian friends tend to view kids coming out of Junior through rose coloured glasses.

[flyercanuck]

@off_the_post

I firmly believe Clarke wanted Sanguinetti and when he went the pick before, he was left baffled. I think Giroux was Homers decision and the reason why Clarke forgot his name.

@radoran

Do we think the CHL produces the best and most players in the world? Yes. And until they don't, we're right.

[radoran]

Do we think the CHL produces the best and most players in the world? Yes. And until they don't, we're right.

And I would firmly agree that the CHL produces certainly the most and most of the best and a consistent stream of them.

That said, they can still be overvalued and seen through rose coloured glasses.

Those two statements are not at all contradictory.

But as a fan of a team who has had BOTH Alexandre Daigle AND Pat Falloon on it (as part of the effort to turn Vaclav Prospal and Danny Briere into Adam Burt), I can assure you that overvaluation happens all the time.

[flyercanuck]

@radoran

Sure. And as a fan of a team that's also had Ilya Bryzgalov, Jiri Dopita, JVR , Patrick Maroon, Michael Ratchuk, Ryan Sittler or Sergei Skrobot, overevaluations can happen from anywhere.

[JackStraw]

That said, I do believe that some of our good Canadian friends tend to view kids coming out of Junior through rose coloured glasses.

Don't call me Canadian!

[radoran]

@radoran

Sure. And as a fan of a team that's also had Ilya Bryzgalov, Jiri Dopita, JVR , Patrick Maroon, Michael Ratchuk, Ryan Sittler or Sergei Skrobot, overevaluations can happen from anywhere.

Sure, Homer might have overvalued JVR, for example, because he was American and because he was from nearby New Jersey.

I'm glad you agree with me