Kings Biggest Draft Booms and Busts Since 2000

[Statto]

The Kings traded Pavol DeMitra RIP for the 1st(Lewis) and O'Sullivan...just think the Kings could have had Giroux,hell I would have settled for Marchand or Lucic(no forget that)! Lewis at 17...37 or 47 yes...17...pathetic!

It’s almost as if you are assessing it with 20:20 hindsight.

At the time it was a decent pick and Lewis had just turned in a decent season offensively. Lewis had just significantly outscored Okposo (who went 7OA) on his USHL team (35+40 vs 27+31) and he ended up having multiple 20 goals seasons and a career high of 69 points in 71 games. Some things don’t work out scouts anticipated, in this case by most scouts. He was expected to be a middle 6 forward, a third liner at worst. It’s not as if he was an off the wall pic or a complete bust. In one scouting report it stated “Lewis is talented enough to be one of the best third line forwards in all of the NHL”. It didn’t work out that way but to call it a pathetic pick is rewriting history... again.

 

[kingsfan28]

It’s almost as if you are assessing it with 20:20 hindsight.

At the time it was a decent pick and Lewis had just turned in a decent season offensively. Lewis had just significantly outscored Okposo (who went 7OA) on his USHL team (35+40 vs 27+31) and he ended up having multiple 20 goals seasons and a career high of 69 points in 71 games. Some things don’t work out scouts anticipated, in this case by most scouts. He was expected to be a middle 6 forward, a third liner at worst. It’s not as if he was an off the wall pic or a complete bust. In one scouting report it stated “Lewis is talented enough to be one of the best third line forwards in all of the NHL”. It didn’t work out that way but to call it a pathetic pick is rewriting history... again.

He's had a better career than about half of those taken in the 1st round. Hell, he did better than 1st overall pick Nail Yakupov a few years later. Talk about a bust.

 

[kingsfan28]

The Kings traded Pavol DeMitra RIP for the 1st(Lewis) and O'Sullivan...just think the Kings could have had Giroux,hell I would have settled for Marchand or Lucic(no forget that)! Lewis at 17...37 or 47 yes...17...pathetic!

Just think, the Hawks could've had Kopitar at #7 instead of Jack Skille or the Sharks at # 8 or Canucks at 10 ...pathetic!

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

Al Murray also relayed the story about wanting to draft Milan Lucic in 2006, but Lombardi told him to take a defenseman, which wound up being Joey Ryan. Two picks later, the Bruins take Lucic.

 

[Butch 19]

The Flyers actually wanted Trevor Lewis as well (and you know Dean Lombardi was aware of that fact since he was with them). Even Bobby Clarke forgot Giroux's name when he stepped to the podium to make the Flyers' selection.

Flyers fans even touch on it in this reddit discussion (though they got Hextall mixed up for Lombardi).

Why do the Kings always seem to wind up on the wrong side of these things?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Why do the Kings always seem to wind up on the wrong side of these things?

Go ask a Sens fan about Brian Lee, bring a riot shield.

 

[kingsfan28]

Al Murray also relayed the story about wanting to draft Milan Lucic in 2006, but Lombardi told him to take a defenseman, which wound up being Joey Ryan. Two picks later, the Bruins take Lucic.

He was rated pretty high and if they felt he was the BPA , thats why they took him. They had no defensive prospects at the time, and the following year took Hickey as the top pick at 4. I always found it odd how they took 2 goalies in the first 3 rounds, but hey, it was Al Murray's draft list so who knows what he was thinking. If you look at that draft, it falls right off a cliff after the 3rd round.

 

[raswilliam]

disclaimer- respect for an honest days work.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

He was rated pretty high and if they felt he was the BPA , thats why they took him. They had no defensive prospects at the time, and the following year took Hickey as the top pick at 4. I always found it odd how they took 2 goalies in the first 3 rounds, but hey, it was Al Murray's draft list so who knows what he was thinking. If you look at that draft, it falls right off a cliff after the 3rd round.

More examples why you don’t draft for need.

 

[Herby]

View attachment 349440
disclaimer- respect for an honest days work.

Pretty gnarly. Construction probably pays better than the leagues he might have been able to consistently be on a roster. Still, crazy to be a 1st round pick and a decade later be in construction.