All-Time Worst Winnipeg Jets

[cbcwpg]

This thread starts and ends with Sergei Bautin

HANDS DOWN WORST NUMBER ONE PICK

I think Ryan Stewart / Jimmy Mann gives Sergei a run for his money as the worst pick ever.

1979 - Most likely the deepest draft in the history of the NHL, full of guys who have played over 1000 games... and we pick Mann

 

[cheswick]

I think Ryan Stewart gives Sergei a run for his money as the worst pick ever.

I agree. Stewart was a worse player than Bautin, so yes he was the worse player chosen with a 1st round pick.

The Bautin pick was awful not because Bautin was a horrendous player (he played in over 100 NHL games which is far more than the average player). The Bautin pick was so bad because he could easily have been taken in a much later round.

 

[HannuJ]

I agree. Stewart was a worse player than Bautin, so yes he was the worse player chosen with a 1st round pick.

The Bautin pick was awful not because Bautin was a horrendous player (he played in over 100 NHL games which is far more than the average player). The Bautin pick was so bad because he could easily have been taken in a much later round.

i remember the TV announcers assumed the Jets picked Sergei Brylin and started showing highlights of his Russian games.

funny thing is that Brylin would have been a much better pick than Bautin.

to be fair, the 1992 draft was craptastic. just go through the first two rounds and you'll weep with disgust.
like, who the hell was Ryan Sittler?

 

[Hollywood3]

i remember the TV announcers assumed the Jets picked Sergei Brylin and started showing highlights of his Russian games.

funny thing is that Brylin would have been a much better pick than Bautin.

to be fair, the 1992 draft was craptastic. just go through the first two rounds and you'll weep with disgust.
like, who the hell was Ryan Sittler?

Nice link. The Jets are still kicking themselves for passing up on David Wilkie, Libor Polasek, Curtis Bowen, Grant Marshall, and Peter Ferraro.

 

[Koonta]

i remember the TV announcers assumed the Jets picked Sergei Brylin and started showing highlights of his Russian games.

funny thing is that Brylin would have been a much better pick than Bautin.

to be fair, the 1992 draft was craptastic. just go through the first two rounds and you'll weep with disgust.
like, who the hell was Ryan Sittler?

Ryan Sittler was Darryl"s son I believe..... best name on that list for the 1992 draft is #44 overall Keli CORPSE taken by MTL (appropriate for a 2nd round bust)

 

[cheswick]

i remember the TV announcers assumed the Jets picked Sergei Brylin and started showing highlights of his Russian games.

funny thing is that Brylin would have been a much better pick than Bautin.

to be fair, the 1992 draft was craptastic. just go through the first two rounds and you'll weep with disgust.
like, who the hell was Ryan Sittler?

Yeah as bad as people say the pick was, Bautin played in more NHL games than 6 guys dafted ahead of him. Then again Jason Smith who went right below him played in over 1000 games.

 

[Teppo]

Shawn Cronin
Gord Donnelly
Iain Duncan

aside: nice story about Perry Turnbull makes him worth an honourable mention....but he otherwise shouldn't be near the list

Iain "Slam" Duncan

 

[Teppo]

Igor Ulanov

Eldon Reddick

Sergei Bautin

Evgeni Davydov

Moe Mantha

Stephane Beauregaard

Both bolds were good players for the Jets.

 

[TheDeuce]

i remember the TV announcers assumed the Jets picked Sergei Brylin and started showing highlights of his Russian games.

funny thing is that Brylin would have been a much better pick than Bautin.

to be fair, the 1992 draft was craptastic. just go through the first two rounds and you'll weep with disgust.
like, who the hell was Ryan Sittler?

Good site! Thanks for the link!


Although if I want to weep I'll look at the Jets first round pick in 1991 (Aaron Ward, fifth overall) and follow that up by looking at who went sixth overall.


My kingdom for a time machine.




m.

 

[Arthur Fonzarelli]

This thread starts and ends with Sergei Bautin

HANDS DOWN WORST NUMBER ONE PICK

This pick might not just be the Jets worst pick, but one of the worst picks in NHL history.

It wasn't as though Bautin was an eighteen year old kid at the time will a high ceiling. Mike Smith drafted him at 25 years of age, just after scoring 3 points for the Moscow Dynamo. Martin Straka went 2 picks later.

 

[blues10]

This pick might not just be the Jets worst pick, but one of the worst picks in NHL history.

It wasn't as though Bautin was an eighteen year old kid at the time will a high ceiling. Mike Smith drafted him at 25 years of age, just after scoring 3 points for the Moscow Dynamo. Martin Straka went 2 picks later.

Couldn't Bautin have been signed as a free agent? 25 years old

 

[Hobby Bull]

Good site! Thanks for the link!


Although if I want to weep I'll look at the Jets first round pick in 1991 (Aaron Ward, fifth overall) and follow that up by looking at who went sixth overall.


My kingdom for a time machine.




m.

...and 10 picks beyond Ward...

 

[EpochLink]

Mike Smith fascinations of Russian players was always head scratching...

With the good (Zhamnov, Khabibulan) came the oh so bad ( Bautin, Davydov )..hence he was called 'Mihkail' Smith

 

[EpochLink]

Tim Cheveldae and Ray Neufeld are other bad Jets players..

Neufeld was a bum and was out of the league in 4 years...management thought Dave Babych had run his course in this town so it was the perfect time to trade him to Hartford

Babych played another 15 years...ohhhh boy.

 

[blues10]

Mike Smith fascinations of Russian players was always head scratching...

With the good (Zhamnov, Khabibulan) came the oh so bad ( Bautin, Davydov )..hence he was called 'Mihkail' Smith

Davydov......really a 12th round draft pick that scored 28 goals as a rookie in his only full season with the Jets is a bad pick? I don't know what the Jets got for him when he was dealt to Florida prior to his 2nd season in Winnipeg but scoring 28 goals in your only season for a team isn't too shabby and as an NHL rookie too.

How about Dmitri Filimonov, Alexander Alexeev, Andrei Raisky, Evgeny Garanin, Ivan Vologjaninov,Sergei Sorokin, Ravil Gusmanov, Vladimir Potapov, Ilya Stashenkov, Ramil Saifullin? those didn't work out to well.

 

[KCjetsfan]

Mike Smith fascinations of Russian players was always head scratching...

With the good (Zhamnov, Khabibulan) came the oh so bad ( Bautin, Davydov )..hence he was called 'Mihkail' Smith

There were more good russians drafted by Smith than bad. Ulanov was fine. Mironov was fine. Yeah, Davydov was bad with his 28 rookie goals. Zhamnov was good. Khabibulin was very good. So Bautin was a bad high pick.

I preferred Smith over Paddock. Let the flaming begin

 

[Troubinator]

Mark Kumpel and Phil Sykes

 

[HannuJ]

Ryan Sittler was Darryl"s son I believe..... best name on that list for the 1992 draft is #44 overall Keli CORPSE taken by MTL (appropriate for a 2nd round bust)

there's a Steve Brule in one of the draft years.
i wonder if he was a hunk.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uehEclpQ9qk

 

[HannuJ]

Davydov......really a 12th round draft pick that scored 28 goals as a rookie in his only full season with the Jets is a bad pick? I don't know what the Jets got for him when he was dealt to Florida prior to his 2nd season in Winnipeg but scoring 28 goals in your only season for a team isn't too shabby and as an NHL rookie too.

yeah, i don't get the Davidov hate. he had a good 2 years. i still think he dropped off when he was checked into the camera bay vs the Canucks in the playoffs, smashing his face on the tv camera. seriously. he was never the same after that.

 

[Joe Hallenback]

Lots of interesting guys on the Jets 1.0

Davydov - He was immensely talented when he wanted to be. His big problem was he was never in shape and apparently he loved to eat and drink. I think he used to come late or just flat out miss practice all the time as well. They got rid of him after one year and he bounced around quite a bit after

Hannu Jarvenpaa - I can remember one of the Winnipeg papers proclaiming this guy to the 2nd coming. Well he wasn't the 2nd coming but he did spend 2 years here and sucked. I think they paid him a lot of money to come over as well

Arto Blomsten - Hes Huge! Hes Big! Hes Swedish! Ya he sucked.

The Midget brigade - For some reason and I am going to blame Doug Smail for this. The Jets had a habit for getting a ton of small players. Mark Kumpel,Phil Sykes,Danton Cole,Greg Paslawski,Doug Evans,Mike Eagles, and Luciano Borsato. But the best small guys they drafted were Kris Draper and Stu Barnes. Two guys they decided they didn't need who had long NHL careers

 

[Hank Chinaski]

yeah, i don't get the Davidov hate. he had a good 2 years. i still think he dropped off when he was checked into the camera bay vs the Canucks in the playoffs, smashing his face on the tv camera. seriously. he was never the same after that.

That happened in the '92 playoffs (fricking Jim Sandlak). Davydov had something of a breakout year the following season.

 

[Gm0ney]

Evgeny "Crazy Legs" Davydov was pretty good. Had insane skill. Bit of a space cadet and apparently didn't want to listen to the coaches. Prone to those long Russian skate-abouts instead of the north-south Mike Lalor-style we were going for.

When Jets 2.0 got here, I referred to Burmi as the new Davydov when I saw him dipsy and doodle around in the neutral zone ("Get off the ice, Davydov" I yelled at the Jets/Preds preseason game in September 2011). Just like old times...

 

[Wolf357]

Oleg Teverdoski....We freaking traded Selanne for him...(Well it was really Pheoniex) but still Teverdoski was a bust...compared to Selanne

 

[TheDeuce]

Was Davydov the player that the Jets pretty much had to have a trainer beside him in the locker room with a bucket of water to keep him from lighting up a cigarette or three?

I remember speaking with someone on the Jets' medical staff way back then and he told me that tidbit. I remember it was one of the Smithian Russians but I'm not certain which one.

Big letdown player for me was Petri Skriko. I had such high hopes for the guy, figured that he'd get his game back in Winnipeg. Sigh.




m.

 

[Hollywood3]

Was Davydov the player that the Jets pretty much had to have a trainer beside him in the locker room with a bucket of water to keep him from lighting up a cigarette or three?

I remember speaking with someone on the Jets' medical staff way back then and he told me that tidbit. I remember it was one of the Smithian Russians but I'm not certain which one.

Big letdown player for me was Petri Skriko. I had such high hopes for the guy, figured that he'd get his game back in Winnipeg. Sigh.




m.

At that time Russians and Quebeckers often were heavy smokers. Guy Lafleur often needed a puff between periods.

Tidbit: Davydov was the first player off the bench in the Piestany Punch-up.