Somehow wound up with the better guy...

[Rorschach]

For fun, lets talk about the ironic situations where some team, maybe yours, has high hopes to get some player but instead has to settle for some one else lesser...and that "lesser" player wound up being the better player.

I'll give two examples:
In 2005 lottery draft, the Ducks missed out on drafting Crosby but at number two they were projected and set to get franchise defenseman Jack Johnson. Instead they passed and picked someone else who was projected as top five with their 2nd over pick, Bobby Ryan. Johnson gave big headaches to Carolina, never played a game for them. Currently he's a poor man's #1 defenseman. Ryan has been a highly coveted winger and considered the more valuable player and has the smoother career so far.

In the 1991 draft, Eric Lindros was projected to be the "next one", after he was drafted, he was traded for a big pile of players and one center prospect drafted a few picks later in the same draft. The Flyers got to the Cup finals and were close a couple times but never won the Cup...not by coincidence, Lindros has not been selected to the HHOF after four years of eligibility already. The prospect that the Nordiques/Avalanche got helped their team to more than one Cup and again, not by coincidence, Peter Forsberg is in the HHOF as a first ballot selection.

Others?

Click to read more...

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Blake Wheeler

 

[bWo*]

Tim erixon told the flames he'd sign but bailed last minute. Flames trade him to nyr for a couple of picks and horak. Picks turn into Granlund and wotherspoon.

 

[CornWillis]

Pronger off the top of my head.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

Ryan Murray

 

[One Blurred Eye]

The Wings settling for Yzerman after their first choice LaFontaine went to the Islanders comes to mind.

 

[SabreOil]

The Wings settling for Yzerman after their first choice LaFontaine went to the Islanders comes to mind.

Yeah cause LaFontaine would've been was such a downgrade

 

[Plural]

Yeah cause LaFontaine would've been was such a downgrade

Compared to Yzerman, he definitely is a downgrade. Is that even debatable?

 

[A1LeafNation]

Kadri over Schenn.

Burke wanted Schenn, tried to trade up for him, couldn't get it done. Picked Kadri.

Thank you Boyd Devereaux for scoring two in the final game to push us to picking 7th overall instead of 5th overall.

 

[Billy Mays Here*]

The Wild originally wanted Vanek in their trade with Buffalo a couple years back but had to "settle" for Pominville. Pominville is still producing at a fairly consistent level and Vanek appears to be falling off.

Unfortunately, it's also ironic that the now lazy and declining Vanek is on the Wild as well.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Kadri over Schenn.

Burke wanted Schenn, tried to trade up for him, couldn't get it done. Picked Kadri.

Thank you Boyd Devereaux for scoring two in the final game to push us to picking 7th overall instead of 5th overall.

Schenn and Kadri are very comparable players at this point. Not the best example.

 

[One Blurred Eye]

Compared to Yzerman, he definitely is a downgrade. Is that even debatable?

Yeah, I certainly thought that was pretty widely accepted. LaFontaine was certainly a great player in his own right, but its hard to imagine anyone with the benefit of hindsight preferring him over Yzerman.

 

[villacco]

I'll give two examples:
In 2005 lottery draft, the Ducks missed out on drafting Crosby but at number two they were projected and set to get franchise defenseman Jack Johnson. Instead they passed and picked someone else who was projected as top five with their 2nd over pick, Bobby Ryan. Johnson gave big headaches to Carolina, never played a game for them. Currently he's a poor man's #1 defenseman. Ryan has been a highly coveted winger and considered the more valuable player and has the smoother career so far.

Is it not ironic that Anze Kopitar is by far the best player behind Crosby? Way better than Ryan. And he was even considered the better player before the draft by a lot of scouts.

 

[Slot]

Schenn and Kadri are very comparable players at this point. Not the best example.

Except that the leafs then used the brotherhood connection to turn Luke schenn into James van reimsdyk

 

[BillDineen]

Flyers wanted Sanguinetti, but settled for the next guy on their list. Giroux.

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

In 2005 lottery draft, the Ducks missed out on drafting Crosby but at number two they were projected and set to get franchise defenseman Jack Johnson. Instead they passed and picked someone else who was projected as top five with their 2nd over pick, Bobby Ryan. Johnson gave big headaches to Carolina, never played a game for them. Currently he's a poor man's #1 defenseman. Ryan has been a highly coveted winger and considered the more valuable player and has the smoother career so far.

You know Jack Johnson has almost as many points as Bobby Ryan although he's a defenseman. I don't see how Bobby Ryan is that much better than him. If Jack JOhnson is a poor man's #1 defenseman, Bobby Ryan is very poor man's first line winger.

Is it not ironic that Anze Kopitar is by far the best player behind Crosby?

No, because he isn't.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Pens had the worst record in the league, lost the lottery and Ovechkin, ended up with Malkin. Neither is a prize to be upset about ending up with, but Malkin is considered by most to be the better player now.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

I don't think this is the same situation but in the EJ-Shattenkirk deal the Avs got a 1st and St. Louis got a 2nd. Right now it looks like Ty Rattie may have been a better pick than Duncan Siemens who was taken early in the first round. Obviously it's still early though so anything can happen.

 

[PerdFan]

This past offseason the Preds went hard after Jason Spezza as the cure to the oh so elusive 1C problem in Nashville. Well as we all know Spezza refused to waive his NTC to play in Nashville and ended up going to Dallas.

In the meanwhile, David Poile signs perennial problem-child Mike Ribeiro to a 1year/ 1.05 mil contract as a pseudo-1C filler. Six months later Ribeiro is nearly a PPG player, with a true 1C type stat line playing on one of the best top lines on one of the best teams in the league while Spezza and Dallas languish in the Central Division basement with their good buddies the Avs.

Now that is friggin irony right there folks

 

[King Mapes]

Kadri over Schenn.

Burke wanted Schenn, tried to trade up for him, couldn't get it done. Picked Kadri.

Thank you Boyd Devereaux for scoring two in the final game to push us to picking 7th overall instead of 5th overall.

He had a hat trick. I believe he was boo'd

 

[Arthur*]

Not exactly the same situation, but you could count in 2013 when Iginla screwed over the Bruins so they wound up with Jagr and then shut down Iginla's Penguins in the ECF.

 

[kingpest19]

You know Jack Johnson has almost as many points as Bobby Ryan although he's a defenseman. I don't see how Bobby Ryan is that much better than him. If Jack JOhnson is a poor man's #1 defenseman, Bobby Ryan is very poor man's first line winger.


No, because he isn't.

Kopitar is by far the best player behind Crosby when it comes to that draft year which is what the poster was talking about.

 

[PhoenyX]

Kopitar is by far the best player behind Crosby when it comes to that draft year which is what the poster was talking about.

Except he isn't. Kopitar is the 2nd best player in that draft, but not "by far", which is what the other poster was saying.

 

[Rorschach]

Is it not ironic that Anze Kopitar is by far the best player behind Crosby? Way better than Ryan. And he was even considered the better player before the draft by a lot of scouts.

There are a lot of Kings ones that I didn't post so that others could but this example doesn't fit. LA wanted Kopitar, got super excited when they got their man and he's turned out as expected by LA. If anything this is a reverse example.

 

[kingpest19]

Except he isn't. Kopitar is the 2nd best player in that draft, but not "by far", which is what the other poster was saying.

Who comes close to Kopitar from that draft? Stastny?