Neb00rs Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 (edited) Looking back, even if we hadn't won the lottery, and someone else picked Larsson, there is no one else that would have been a better pick. The best argument to make, would be for Sean Couturier, who if we hadn't won the lottery and stayed in our original spot (8th), we would have been able to draft. Thoughts? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_NHL_Entry_Draft 1 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins © Canada Edmonton Oilers Red Deer Rebels (WHL)2 Gabriel Landeskog (RW) Sweden Colorado Avalanche Kitchener Rangers (OHL)3 Jonathan Huberdeau © Canada Florida Panthers Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)4 Adam Larsson (D) Sweden New Jersey Devils Skelleftea AIK (SEL)5 Ryan Strome © Canada New York Islanders Niagara IceDogs (OHL)6 Mika Zibanejad © Sweden Ottawa Senators Djurgardens IF Hockey (SEL)7 Mark Scheifele © Canada Winnipeg Jets Barrie Colts (OHL)8 Sean Couturier © Canada Philadelphia Flyers (from Columbus)1 Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)9 Dougie Hamilton (D) Canada Boston Bruins (from Toronto)2 Niagara IceDogs (OHL)10 Jonas Brodin (D) Sweden Minnesota Wild Farjestads BK (SEL)11 Duncan Siemens (D) Canada Colorado Avalanche (from St. Louis)3 Saskatoon Blades (WHL)12 Ryan Murphy (D) Canada Carolina Hurricanes Kitchener Rangers (OHL)13 Sven Baertschi (LW) Switzerland Calgary Flames Portland Winterhawks (WHL)14 Jamie Oleksiak (D) Canada Dallas Stars Northeastern Huskies (Hockey East)15 J. T. Miller (LW) United States New York Rangers US NTDP (USHL)16 Joel Armia (RW) Finland Buffalo Sabres Assat (SM-liiga)17 Nathan Beaulieu (D) Canada Montreal Canadiens Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)18 Mark McNeill © Canada Chicago Blackhawks Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)19 Oscar Klefbom (D) Sweden Edmonton Oilers (from Los Angeles)4 Farjestads BK (SEL)20 Connor Murphy (D) United States Phoenix Coyotes US NTDP (USHL)21 Stefan Noesen (RW) United States Ottawa Senators (from Nashville)5 Plymouth Whalers (OHL)22 Tyler Biggs (RW) United States Toronto Maple Leafs (from Anaheim)6 US NTDP (USHL)23 Joe Morrow (D) Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Portland Winterhawks (WHL)24 Matt Puempel (LW) Canada Ottawa Senators (from Detroit)7 Peterborough Petes (OHL)25 Stuart Percy (D) Canada Toronto Maple Leafs (from Philadelphia)8 Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (OHL)26 Phillip Danault (LW) Canada Chicago Blackhawks (from Washington)9 Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)27 Vladislav Namestnikov © Russia Tampa Bay Lightning London Knights (OHL)28 Zack Phillips © Canada Minnesota Wild (from San Jose)10 Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)29 Nicklas Jensen (LW) Denmark Vancouver Canucks Oshawa Generals (OHL)30 Rickard Rakell (RW) Sweden Anaheim Ducks (from Boston via Toronto)11 Plymouth Whalers (OHL) Edited December 14, 2014 by Neb00rs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 It's still way too early. There's a lot of guys that can be a lot better, and there's a chance Larsson might develop to be much better than he is now. If it's right now, I wish we had a lot of the guys that came after Larsson. Ryan Strome is starting to look like a really nice player. Zibanejad has moments of brilliance and some really tough times. The last week and a bit, he's been fantastic. Anyway, with what we know now, and the team's needs at this moment, I'm taking a forward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Souray44 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Dougie Hamilton is hell of a young dman. Wanted him at the draft but its still too early to see who won this draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfitz804 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 It wasn't a bad pick. They just don't work out sometimes. I think it's too early to determine whether Larsson has "worked out" or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted December 14, 2014 Author Share Posted December 14, 2014 (edited) It's still way too early. There's a lot of guys that can be a lot better, and there's a chance Larsson might develop to be much better than he is now. If it's right now, I wish we had a lot of the guys that came after Larsson. Ryan Strome is starting to look like a really nice player. Zibanejad has moments of brilliance and some really tough times. The last week and a bit, he's been fantastic. Anyway, with what we know now, and the team's needs at this moment, I'm taking a forward. I think this is fair. And I agree it's still too early, that's kind of my point: as of now, I think that with the amount upside that Larsson still has, he is still the best pick we could have made. That could change. I am surprised that you would consider taking Zib or Strome above Larsson, knowing what we know today. I just don't see them as having that great of an impact or being long-term with one franchise. I think you have a point about needing a forward though. Edited December 14, 2014 by Neb00rs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevilNurn Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Scheifele or Brodin would be better picks right at this moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 by the structure of our team i'd easily pick a bunch of forwards with upsides over Larsson right now. just there... maybe we could have kept Fayne (who in my opinion was doing a good job) and have more depth for our forward group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 by the structure of our team i'd easily pick a bunch of forwards with upsides over Larsson right now. just there... maybe we could have kept Fayne (who in my opinion was doing a good job) and have more depth for our forward group. This is incredible. This post is Sterio in a nutshell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devil Dan 56 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 by the structure of our team i'd easily pick a bunch of forwards with upsides over Larsson right now. just there... maybe we could have kept Fayne (who in my opinion was doing a good job) and have more depth for our forward group. With Gelinas, Merrill, Larsson, Severson, and Hegelson all looking for playing time, letting Fayne go was the right move. No point signing him for 3 - 5 years when one of those guys can replace him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 With Gelinas, Merrill, Larsson, Severson, and Hegelson all looking for playing time, letting Fayne go was the right move. No point signing him for 3 - 5 years when one of those guys can replace him. Well then you're helping my point even more. If we had enough dmen to fill the void of not having Larsson at all... having a good forward with upsides could only help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triumph Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 I mean, you can't evaluate drafts by info gained after the fact. Was Larsson the right pick in 2011? Probably yes, and that's the only time that that matters. Looking back at drafts with hindsight isn't really helpful or meaningful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devilsrule33 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Well then you're helping my point even more. If we had enough dmen to fill the void of not having Larsson at all... having a good forward with upsides could only help. In 2011, the Devils hadn't drafted Severson. They didn't know much about Merrill. Fayne had just played his rookie year. You can't re-draft 2011 knowing what we do now. In your first example, the logic is we don't need Larsson in 2011 because we'll draft Severson next year, and Merrill will be an NHL defenseman, and I bet we can re-sign Mark Fayne when he is a UFA in 2014. So lets draft a forward now, especially because we know Tedenby and Josefson won't make it, and Parise will be gone at the end of the year and Kovalchuk will bolt to Russia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aylbert Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 In 2011, the Devils hadn't drafted Severson. They didn't know much about Merrill. Fayne had just played his rookie year. You can't re-draft 2011 knowing what we do now. In your first example, the logic is we don't need Larsson in 2011 because we'll draft Severson next year, and Merrill will be an NHL defenseman, and I bet we can re-sign Mark Fayne when he is a UFA in 2014. So lets draft a forward now, especially because we know Tedenby and Josefson won't make it, and Parise will be gone at the end of the year and Kovalchuk will bolt to Russia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SterioDesign Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 (edited) In 2011, the Devils hadn't drafted Severson. They didn't know much about Merrill. Fayne had just played his rookie year. You can't re-draft 2011 knowing what we do now. In your first example, the logic is we don't need Larsson in 2011 because we'll draft Severson next year, and Merrill will be an NHL defenseman, and I bet we can re-sign Mark Fayne when he is a UFA in 2014. So lets draft a forward now, especially because we know Tedenby and Josefson won't make it, and Parise will be gone at the end of the year and Kovalchuk will bolt to Russia. Just like Tri just said. It's pretty pointless to go back and evaluate drafts by info gained after the fact... never said that back then it wasnt the right move. I said that with the way things turned out. Larsson was not the player out of that draft that we'd need the most at the moment. We're craving top 6 talents... we didnt sign Fayne, we traded away Volchenkov, there's some decent d prospects still waiting in the AHL... we really could afford not having Larsson right now. Especially considering the lack of top 6 forwards that we have. I really thought this was a pretty known fact by now.... lol Edited December 14, 2014 by SterioDesign Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfitz804 Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 In 2011, the Devils hadn't drafted Severson. They didn't know much about Merrill. Fayne had just played his rookie year. You can't re-draft 2011 knowing what we do now. In your first example, the logic is we don't need Larsson in 2011 because we'll draft Severson next year, and Merrill will be an NHL defenseman, and I bet we can re-sign Mark Fayne when he is a UFA in 2014. So lets draft a forward now, especially because we know Tedenby and Josefson won't make it, and Parise will be gone at the end of the year and Kovalchuk will bolt to Russia. This is profoundly true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Hamilton is a heck of a defenseman. But he also has been helped by being developed in Boston. There are many factors that play a role. Being in a winning environment with experience (Chara) is beneficial. My favorite team to use is Detroit. They also happen to boast two future Hall Of Famers and the best coach. Overall, the organization is patient. They give kids a taste and then send them back before graduating. Nyquist and Tatar are the latest gems with Sheahan. The most important aspect is draft and development. That includes making tough decisions whether to keep a high pick or send them back. Each team must decide what is best long-term for their prospects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caron14 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 zibanejad is awesome... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William D'Aquila Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 zibanejad is awesome... Profoundly disagree with you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oconnellrules Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Larsson is and was the right pick for us. If only we had the right coaching staff and kept him in the fvcking lineup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 (edited) Now perhaps a more interesting question than the one I posted is, was it best for Larsson to be drafted by the Devils? Had we not drafted him or not won the lottery, he would have probably gone to the Isles or Sens. Edited December 15, 2014 by Neb00rs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 I mean, you can't evaluate drafts by info gained after the fact. Was Larsson the right pick in 2011? Probably yes, and that's the only time that that matters. Looking back at drafts with hindsight isn't really helpful or meaningful. Well...yeah obviously we know this...but that's not really the point here. (besides trying to make discussion on a slow board day) I am just looking back with what we know today and asking if I were Lou, would I do the same again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caron14 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 (edited) Remember... In 2011 we had kovalchuk and parise, everybody thought we need defense at that time. Now with all the sh!t that happens over the last couple of year, we dont have any offense. At that time Larsson was our bestfit. But today i would yakupov him in a heartbeat. Edited December 15, 2014 by caron14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nessus Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Remember... In 2011 we had kovalchuk and parise, everybody thought we need defense at that time. Now with all the sh!t that happens over the last couple of year, we dont have any offense. At that time Larsson was our bestfit. But today i would yakupov him in a heartbeat. what do you mean by "yakupov him"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATLL765 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 what do you mean by "yakupov him"? I'm guessing he meant to say, "..I would take Yakupov over him in a heartbeat". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neb00rs Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Well Yakupov was drafted the following year, so I don't think that's what he meant, unless he means he would trade Larsson for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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