Looking Back: Another disastrous draft?
Hockey’s future are currently producing draft reviews for 2005 (‘5 years on’) and The Rangers edition was released on May 29th. It got me thinking about The Rangers’ much maligned draft history and for some reason I thought to 2007. The Rangers have been credited with much better drafting since the lockout and are considered to have placed more importance on player development since that dark lost season. However (for various reasons) as it stands, 2007 is an unmitigated disaster.
Much like ‘the Jessiman year’ the 2007 draft year has set the Rangers back. Everyone gives the Rangers a pass for the tragic loss of Alexei Cherepanov who in fact may have become a draft steal at 17th overall – given his talent, but its beyond that pick that it becomes grim reading. Consider the following picks:
Round 2: Antoine Lafleur
Round 3: no pick – traded away to Pittsburgh
Round 4: no pick
Round 5: Max Campbell
Round 6: Carl Hagelin
Round 7: Danny Hobbs
That list indeed makes sad reading. Lafleur was a ‘reach’ at the time and is no longer with the franchise while Max Campbell and Danny Hobbs are marginal prospects who though currently still in system – barring a shock – wont be for much longer. That leaves Carl Hagelin. Hagelin is the Rangers 2007 draft team’s last shot at redemption. Luckily for them it’s a decent shot. Hagelin has polished his game in the NCAA with Michigan to the point where he projects to be a very nice 2 way prospect that can score, play both ends and has a good hockey brain. He should be in the pro ranks within the next year or so. Where he will start his pro career and what he exactly projects to be in the NHL is up in the air but Hagelin is a solid prospect – for Sather’s sake I hope he makes it.
Just to make this post a little sadder – consider a few of the solid players taken after Lafleur was grabbed in the 2nd round (again, im giving the Rangers a pass on the 1st round): Oscar Moller, Jamie Benn, TJ Galiardi and Wayne Simmonds. All 4 appear to have begun their NHL careers well and ironically all would address big needs for the Rangers as of now. With just one of those players the Rangers right now would look a whole lot better especially if they’d had Benn or Simmonds.
I’ll say this for The Rangers; overall it doesn’t appear to have been the strongest of draft years considering first rounder’s taken in 2007 included Jim O’Brien, Dana Tyrell, Nick Ross, Riley Nash, Angelo (‘the bust’) Esposito and Logan McMillan and its true, that it’s perhaps unfair to evaluate just three years on but right now 2007 doesn’t make good reading for Rangers fans.
By Jess, June 2, 2010 @ 6:11 am
Sorry my friend but as much as it would be easier to blame the Rangers for the 07 draft even without Cherepanov passing away, they really do deserve a pass here.
Lafleur had the talent but a combination of poor coaching and his own lack of desire did that pick in.
Lafleur should have been a player but his heart was not in it as he is not even playing anymore anywhere.
Hagelin is the only real hope left but Hobbs does not have the head and Skokan took bad advice and left for Europe.
Max Campbell wants to be a hockey player but he is in a bad spot as a lame duck senior under a new coach at WMU.
I am the last person to defend the Rangers but even here I have to
jurgenno88 Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:21 am
I agree that it may be unfortunate and maybe the actual drafting itself isnt the issue but 2007 is becoming a disaster of a draft for NY.
My main issue about LaFleur was this; yes, continue to add goaleis to the prospect cupboard but did we need to spend a 2nd round pick on one when you have a guy entrenched in goal for maybe a decade?
That pick would have been better used elsewhere, especially when you consider you can get decent prospects such as Stajcier and NCAA kids with lower picks or free agent contracts
Glad the post generated debate though, even if you didnt agree!
By Dave, June 2, 2010 @ 10:01 am
I don’t know. I do like Hagelin, a lot, and I think they deserve a pass on the first round. Lafleur was questionable in the second round, but it was tough to disagree with the pick, the talent was there and Montoya was proven to be worthless. I don’t know much about the other picks though.
jurgenno88 Reply:
June 2nd, 2010 at 10:25 am
well im judging it pretty crudely… As it stands right now – again,Cherepanov aside – we are not likely going to have a single NHL game out of this group if Hagelin doesn’t make it, let alone an impact player and that is not acceptable.
I often read that if you get 2 NHL players from a draft its a solid draft. But none? Ouch.
And i agree with both you and Jess that Lafleur may have had talent but i come back to the same thing… Do you use the higher picks to go for long term projects and players that may never dress for you considering you have a young elite goalie already? Its a poor use of a draft pick.