I know nothing about any of these kids individually, but I love the approach the team took in this draft based on the scouting reports. Three upside forwards who fell due to flags, a big, mean defenseman in the Sam Noreau mold and a goalie prospect who really came on in the second half of the year? Sign me up.
Can't believe people are now complaining that we didn't draft grinders. This team needs talent. For YEARS they drafted guys whose CEILINGS were 2nd line and now we're complaining that we didn't draft role players?!? Heck, even our first rounder last year is a safe bet to end up somewhere in the middle six when he finishes developing.
The Rangers have suffered desperately from the lack of homegrown high end scoring talent for years. Drafting where we are, you need to take these kinds of players (honestly, even if we'd had a 1st or a 2nd they'd have needed to roll the dice on players with flaws - the flags just wouldn't have been quite as red) if you want to have a chance of getting them.
Now, because our bottom six disappointed last year, we need to draft grinders? We have done well drafting them as others have pointed out. We have guys in the system that if they don't pan out offensively could still be effective bottom six guys (Miller leads the list along with Yogan, Hrivik, Jean, Bourque, Fogarty and even guys like Nieves and Lindberg). We just happened to run into a situation last year where:
1) we had traded some quality middle of the roster guys away (Dubinsky, Anisimov);
2) other guys who had played in the bottom six in past years were playing in the top six (Cally, Hags, Step);
3) the guys in the system weren't quite ready yet (see the list above); and
4) the vets brought in to fill the role disappointed.
**** happens. Teams that don't make the finals obviously have holes - it's almost ironic that we suffered from a lack of quality depth play, given that for years that was ALL we had.
I've been clamoring for the team to take this approach for years. LOVE hearing "first round talent, but for X." Take a Duclair over a Wilson every time.
