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Management Looking Back At Don Sweeney's Draft History

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I think Sweeney has finally changed his draft style. You can see the type of guys he’s looking for.
 
Don Sweeney has not drafted a single player who has reached 50 career points in the NHL since 2016. (I'd have to double check but I don't think any have even reached 40.)

The only impact player drafted during that time is Jeremy Swayman in 2017.

Even with all the high picks he has traded while winning more than one playoff round a single time, this seems like it should be impossible.
 
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EverettMike said:
Don Sweeney has not drafted a single player who has reached 50 career points in the NHL since 2016. (I'd have to double check but I don't think any have even reached 40.)

The only impact player drafted during that time is Jeremy Swayman in 2017.

Even with all the high picks he has traded while winning more than one playoff round a single time, this seems like it should be impossible.
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If you want to be even more critical you could say he's only drafted 2 impact players since he's been GM. Swayman, and Carlo (i would like to remind the board that Carlo was a damn solid defenseman before he suffered approximately 30 concussions)

I don't count McAvoy because he was a no brainer pick that anyone could have made. Kinda like how Canucks fans refuse to give Jim Benning credit for picking Elias Pettersson when he did.
 
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Blitzkrug said:
If you want to be even more critical you could say he's only drafted 2 impact players since he's been GM. Swayman, and Carlo (i would like to remind the board that Carlo was a damn solid defenseman before he suffered approximately 30 concussions)

I don't count McAvoy because he was a no brainer pick that anyone could have made. Kinda like how Canucks fans refuse to give Jim Benning credit for picking Elias Pettersson when he did.
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No no, we gotta be consistent. He gets credit for McAvoy for the same reason he should get shit for Zboril. "Consensus" or not, the GM is responsible for picking the player. When he gets it right he gets credit. When he doesn't he gets shit.
 
EverettMike said:
No no, we gotta be consistent. He gets credit for McAvoy for the same reason he should get shit for Zboril. "Consensus" or not, the GM is responsible for picking the player. When he gets it right he gets credit. When he doesn't he gets shit.
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What makes the Zboril pick twice as bad is that our scouts were watching Chabot play at the same time.
So what did Ottawa see that we did not?
 
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Blitzkrug said:
If you want to be even more critical you could say he's only drafted 2 impact players since he's been GM. Swayman, and Carlo (i would like to remind the board that Carlo was a damn solid defenseman before he suffered approximately 30 concussions)

I don't count McAvoy because he was a no brainer pick that anyone could have made. Kinda like how Canucks fans refuse to give Jim Benning credit for picking Elias Pettersson when he did.
Click to expand...

Was he though? McAvoy was ranked anywhere from 12 to 23 in prospect rankings. Chychurn was still on the board and he was ranked from 4 to 15 in those same rankings.
 
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yazmybaby said:
What makes the Zboril pick twice as bad is that our scouts were watching Chabot play at the same time.
So what did Ottawa see that we did not?
Click to expand...

The thing that drives me nuts about the "you can't ding him for the Zboril pick because that was his consensus spot" people is that there were lots of analysts, scouts, and informed posters before the draft who didn't like Zboril and wanted no part of him. There were real questions about him.

Now, it's one thing to still take a guy like that because of the "talent" and have him fail, but it's a special disaster when you basically take one of the few first round duds in an historic first round. The Zboril pick should be viewed as a double whammy on Sweeney.

(For the record, I don't give a shit about the 2015 draft anymore and haven't for awhile. I do care about bullshit defenses of Don Sweeney, though.)
 
yazmybaby said:
What makes the Zboril pick twice as bad is that our scouts were watching Chabot play at the same time.
So what did Ottawa see that we did not?
Click to expand...
This is the thing that haunts me about that draft.

Yeah yeah, they passed on Barzal. In reality Barzal would have been blocked since Bergeron and Krejci were still here and not going anywhere any time soon.

But taking Zboril over Chabot is just...ouch. Imagine this team with a duo of him and McAvoy anchoring the top pairing for the next decade.
 
If you want some perspective

Fenway

Thread 'Boston Bruins 2016 Draft Report Card'

Overall how do you grade the Bruins 2016 draft?


R1MXXn3.jpg
 
I just did a quick and dirty on Sweeney's drafting since 2016, see summary below:
26 draft picks
8 are playing in the NHL
There are 227 picks made each year, average percentage of players who are in the NHL is 44%, so that is the benchmark.
Here is the list with my grade on the picks:

Lohrei - B
Beecher - C-
Lauko - D
Vaak - C
Swayze - A
McAvoy - A
Freddy - C+
Lindgren - B-

Summary
30% of Bruins players drafted are in the NHL still.
We hit on two picks ( A's).
Lohrei would be the only other player I would say gets a passing grade.
So that's 3 players out of 26 = 11.5%.
This is a major reason why we are on the outside looking in now.
 
yazmybaby said:
I just did a quick and dirty on Sweeney's drafting since 2016, see summary below:
26 draft picks
8 are playing in the NHL
There are 227 picks made each year, average percentage of players who are in the NHL is 44%, so that is the benchmark.
Here is the list with my grade on the picks:

Lohrei - B
Beecher - C-
Lauko - D
Vaak - C
Swayze - A
McAvoy - A
Freddy - C+
Lindgren - B-

Summary
30% of Bruins players drafted are in the NHL still.
We hit on two picks ( A's).
Lohrei would be the only other player I would say gets a passing grade.
So that's 3 players out of 26 = 11.5%.
This is a major reason why we are on the outside looking in now.
Click to expand...
This analysis doesn't really have any value unless you are comparing it to other teams
 
KillerMillerTime said:
Weren't they the only team since the '67 expansion to have 3 successive picks in the
entry draft that high?
Click to expand...
Yes to the 3 successive, but they had better years than that for picking early.

1969:
1st Rd, 3rd overall: LW Don Tannahill (bad knee derailed a very promising career)
1st Rd, 4th overall: Frank Spring RW (a miss here)
1st Rd, 11th overall: Ivan Boldirev (became an excellent 2nd line C for Chicago)

1970:
1st Rd, 3rd overall: RW Reg Leach
1st Rd, 4th overall: C Rick MacLeish
1st Rd, 9th overall: RD Ron Plumb
1st Rd, 14th overall: LD Bob Stewart
2nd Rd, 27th overall: G Dan Bouchard
 
DominicT said:
This isn't about 2015.

It is about the Bruins, who were the fourth best drafting team from 2007-2020 and had a scouting department that was basically non existent under Chiarelli (except for a couple of old boys club members like his brother) and brought it back to life. It took time.
Click to expand...
Keith Gretzky took over in 2014 and paid immediately dividends, drafting Pasta in the first round, then Donato and Heinen, who are decent NHLers. Seguin, Hamilton, Griz, Matt Benning, Colborne and Spooner were the only real NHL players drafted by Chia before Gretzky came. And people complain about Sweeney's drafting.
 
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