Kucherov: biggest draft steal of all-time?
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doublechili
For all intensive purposes, your nuts
- Apr 11, 2006
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Some names here were drafted low because teams didn't think they were coming over to NA soon or at all. So they maybe get an asterisk. Goalies also kind of get an asterisk because... they're goalies. So there are a lot of qualifiers people can put out there.
Has anyone mentioned Chara yet? He went in the 3rd round, in a historically weak draft to boot. And I'm pretty sure the only reason he went that low is that people didn't think he could play. It took a visionary genius like Mike Milbury to finally draft him. "Wait, what? He's 6'9"?! Let's take him!!!!"
Has anyone mentioned Chara yet? He went in the 3rd round, in a historically weak draft to boot. And I'm pretty sure the only reason he went that low is that people didn't think he could play. It took a visionary genius like Mike Milbury to finally draft him. "Wait, what? He's 6'9"?! Let's take him!!!!"
Frosty415
Registered User
Although never won a Cup, I think Pavelski deserves a mention... 7th round pick.
eviohh26
Registered User
Still amazed how lucky we were that at the end of the Yzerman/Fed era we were able to luckily have them replaced with Z/Datsyuk
Good thing this time we were able to replace Z/Datsyuk with Larkin and ….. Veleno??
OgeeOgelthorpe
Riccis per 60 record holder
- Feb 29, 2020
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BostonBob
4 Ever The Greatest
Patrice Bergeron went 45th overall in 2003 and Bard Marchand went 71st overall in 2006. Pretty low for a couple of 1,000 point scorers ( OK OK - Marchand is not there yet but will reach that milestone early in the 2025 season ) and future HOFers. 
- Jul 24, 2005
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You’re absolutely right. I had forgotten about that weird rule. From 87-91, European players under 20 had to be drafted in the first three rounds unless they played in NA or on senior men’s European teams.
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View attachment 844605
From the 1992 THN Draft Preview: "No NHL team was willing to gamble on Lithuanian defenseman Darius Kasparaitis in the first three rounds of last year's draft."
From the 1990 THN Draft Preview:
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That's why the Pavel Bure selection was contested in 1989. Most teams thought he was only eligible for the first three rounds. But the Canucks managed to dig up the box scores that proved that he had played enough games with the senior team, so they took him in the sixth round to the protests of other teams.
Lots of Europeans had been drafted previously, but all were over 20 years old.
Fist of Fury
Wang Chung
- Jul 24, 2011
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Islanders did amazing at that years draft Strome #5, Mayfield #34, Johan Sundstrom #50, it's always fun to look back in time. Real draft wizard's we've got.
Burt Macklin
Registered User
- Oct 9, 2018
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Bure was a literal steal as not only did he get picked up in a later round, but no other team even knew he was eligible.
The Panther
Registered User
European players drafted prior to about 1990/91 is kind of influenced by the NHL clubs not being sure if/when they would commit to NHL / North American hockey. This is obvious in the case of players drafed before the mid-1980s like Makarov (231st in 1983) or Hašek (199th in 1983). But even towards the end of the 1980s, I think it's still a factor. So you get Bure (1989) drafted 118th, Lidström 53rd, and Fedorov (1989) 74th.
So, not counting players who were never drafted (pre-1970s; Gretzky; Oates, etc.), and not counting Europeans drafted prior to about 1990, I think the biggest steals might be:
-- Mark Messier 48th (1979)
-- Luc Robitaille 171st (1984)
-- Pavel Datsyuk 171st (1998)
-- Brett Hull 117th (1984)
-- Mark Recchi 67th (1988)
-- Patrick Roy 51st (1984)
-- Theoren Fleury 166th (1987)
-- Henrik Zetterberg 210th (1999)
-- Doug Gilmour 134th (1982)
-- Patrice Bergeron 45th (2003)
-- Chris Chelios 40th (1981)
-- Daniel Alfredsson 133rd (1994)
-- Zdeno Chara 56th (1996)
-- Rick Tocchet 121st (1983)
Hell, Joe Pavelski was drafted 205th, has outscored his entire draft class and has over 1000 points. And Johnny Gaudreau was drafted the same year as Kucherov and went number 104.
As an offensive player, Kucherov is better than Robitaille, Hull, and Recchi... but not by so much that his relative lack (yet) of longevity compensates totally in terms of an overall "steal" relative to Kucherov's being drafted much higher. All those guys had really long and productive careers. (Fun fact, Robitaille was the NHL's second leading scorer in the calendar year 2000.)
Kucherov may go down as an all-time great, but you can only be so much "steal" in the second round...
So, not counting players who were never drafted (pre-1970s; Gretzky; Oates, etc.), and not counting Europeans drafted prior to about 1990, I think the biggest steals might be:
-- Mark Messier 48th (1979)
-- Luc Robitaille 171st (1984)
-- Pavel Datsyuk 171st (1998)
-- Brett Hull 117th (1984)
-- Mark Recchi 67th (1988)
-- Patrick Roy 51st (1984)
-- Theoren Fleury 166th (1987)
-- Henrik Zetterberg 210th (1999)
-- Doug Gilmour 134th (1982)
-- Patrice Bergeron 45th (2003)
-- Chris Chelios 40th (1981)
-- Daniel Alfredsson 133rd (1994)
-- Zdeno Chara 56th (1996)
-- Rick Tocchet 121st (1983)
Hell, Joe Pavelski was drafted 205th, has outscored his entire draft class and has over 1000 points. And Johnny Gaudreau was drafted the same year as Kucherov and went number 104.
As an offensive player, Kucherov is better than Robitaille, Hull, and Recchi... but not by so much that his relative lack (yet) of longevity compensates totally in terms of an overall "steal" relative to Kucherov's being drafted much higher. All those guys had really long and productive careers. (Fun fact, Robitaille was the NHL's second leading scorer in the calendar year 2000.)
Kucherov may go down as an all-time great, but you can only be so much "steal" in the second round...
There's some good competition as mentioned in this thread but if echo Nick Lindstrom. He's arguably a top 5-10 defenseman in the history of the league and racked up 7 Norris trophies. Getting that kind of value in the third round is insane.
While you rarely see a Kucherov level player in the second round, it's not uncommon at all to see guys better than a number of first rounders coming out of the second round. There you see a lot of guys who scouts may have over fixated on perceived flaws and weaknesses that guys overcome. The third round and on, to me, is where you see more of the surprises.
While you rarely see a Kucherov level player in the second round, it's not uncommon at all to see guys better than a number of first rounders coming out of the second round. There you see a lot of guys who scouts may have over fixated on perceived flaws and weaknesses that guys overcome. The third round and on, to me, is where you see more of the surprises.
Montreal Shadow
Registered User
I don’t think anyone drafted in the first 3 rounds qualifies. There are routinely many good players picked in round 2 and 3, obviously nowhere near as round 1 but these are often the third or second choices of a team so they’re not that crazy.
But that any one team can pass an elite player 6,7, or 8 times is a different story. This was utter dumb luck on the part of whoever grabbed them.
But that any one team can pass an elite player 6,7, or 8 times is a different story. This was utter dumb luck on the part of whoever grabbed them.
Mrb1p
PRICERSTOPDAPUCK
MuckOG
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- May 18, 2012
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Bergeron 2nd rounder.
Marchand 3rd rounder.
Robitaille 7th round?
Lidstrom & St.Louis late picks.
vadim sharifijanov
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- Oct 10, 2007
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Umm
He's not even close to the biggest draft steal among Russian players of all time.
Leafsfan74
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- Jul 2, 2018
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I think Belfour and Adanm Iates were undrafted players. Same with Martin St. Louis.
not even close given he was taken in second round and players just as good or better were taking in later rounds.
Patrick Roy for example was taking in the 3rd round and is one of only a handful of goalies with over 1000 games, only person with 3 Conn Smythe, etc etc.
Jari Kurri was taken in the 4th round and is 3rd all time in playoff points. career totals of 601 G and 1398 Points
Nick Lidstrom was not taken until 3rd round and ended up with what 7 Norris trophies to go with his Conn Smythe?
The list goes on and on. Messier was also a 3rd round pick. Recchi was a 4th rounder, Pavel Datsyuk was a bloody 7th round pick.
Patrick Roy for example was taking in the 3rd round and is one of only a handful of goalies with over 1000 games, only person with 3 Conn Smythe, etc etc.
Jari Kurri was taken in the 4th round and is 3rd all time in playoff points. career totals of 601 G and 1398 Points
Nick Lidstrom was not taken until 3rd round and ended up with what 7 Norris trophies to go with his Conn Smythe?
The list goes on and on. Messier was also a 3rd round pick. Recchi was a 4th rounder, Pavel Datsyuk was a bloody 7th round pick.
Chaos2k7
2024 Stanley Cup Champions! 🏆
What about the time the Panthers drafted Ovechkin in the 7th round?
Or tried to anyways.... lol
Or tried to anyways.... lol
vadim sharifijanov
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- Oct 10, 2007
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in theory i agree with you. there was one year in the late 80s when toronto had three first round picks and they picked three guys from the same OHL team. ridiculous.
but how hard is it to know about brett hull, who iirc was passed over completely in his first year, maybe two, of eligibility? “uh, with my throwaway 12th round pick i will take the guy who scored a goal and two pts per game in the BC league… and is bobby hull’s son”
