I've always enjoyed breaking DR's balls over poor draft choices, and the worst looks to be 2005. After a ping pong drawing gave them the 4th overall pick the Wild selected Benoit Pouliot, a highly-regarded winger with a scoring touch. As we all know, Pouliot has been a big disappointment and no longer has any value in the trade market. I'd be shocked if he even made the team next season.
Who else could they have selected at 4? Here's a sampling:
5. Carey Price (G) -- the heir apparent to No. 33.
6. Gilbert Brule (F) -- also a bit of a disappointment, but still highly regarded.
8. Devin Setoguchi (F) -- great young player playing major minutes in SJ.
11. Anze Frickin' Kopitar (F) -- LA's best player, bar none.
18. Ryan Parent (D) -- great defensive prospect that will lead the Flyers for years.
28. Matt Niskanen (D) -- DR must have forgot to scout Northern MN hockey.
44. Paul Stastny (F) -- ok, the rest of the league missed this one too.
And I didn't even include Mark Staal, T.J. Oshie, Kris Letang or Mason Raymond. The 2005 draft may go down as the deepest in NHL history, but the Wild couldn't take advantage.
6 comments:
This post made me very sad. I can't believe all the players we could have gotten and didn't. Pouliot just sort of seems like a Gaby that isn't as good and has more hair.
I wish we'd gotten Nisky.
I would trade my left nut for Kopitar. Kid is going to be a superstar one day.
This post makes me hate life. I too wish we could have gotten Nisky, even if he was a Bulldog.
ESPECIALLY because he was a Bulldog, Kirsten.
That was a nice blog article.
Looks as if he will finally get to play with the wild because of Belanger's injury.
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