What if: The 2008 Draft included Tavares

[Just Linda]

I'm thinking back on the application/proposal made by Tavares' team with some support from NHL clubs to allow Tavares to be drafted a year early. The story, listed below, was that Tavares' birthday was just a few days away from the cutoff date and there was a push to get him into the AHL and onto NHL team lists faster. Though it was always unlikely, it's a fun discussion point.

Tavares hopes for helping hand into NHL draft

The Globe and Mail offers the most authoritative news in Canada, featuring national and international news

www.theglobeandmail.com

Would the alternate NHL draft be:

1) Tavares - Tampa
2) Stamkos - LA
3) Atlanta - Doughty
4) St Louis - Bogosian
5) Toronto - Pietrangelo

Does LA become the powerhouse without a cornerstone dman or does the Stamkos/ Kopitar depth still get it done, do they have to trade someone to get a top pair dman?

Does Atlanta keep both Doughty and Big Buff, does Winnipeg build themselves as a defensive juggernaut?

Does St Louis win the cup? Does their future look bleak?

Does someone trade picks or try to push themselves into the top 5?

Does Ottawa even draft EK?

Click to read more...

 

[Esq]

If Tavares is drafted in 2018, he's prob a 4th round pick that projects as an overpaid faceoff specialist.

 

[Fatass]

2018 draft?

 

[Golden_Jet]

I'm thinking back on the application/proposal made by Tavares' team with some support from NHL clubs to allow Tavares to be drafted a year early. The story, listed below, was that Tavares' birthday was just a few days away from the cutoff date and there was a push to get him into the AHL and onto NHL team lists faster. Though it was always unlikely, it's a fun discussion point.

Tavares hopes for helping hand into NHL draft

The Globe and Mail offers the most authoritative news in Canada, featuring national and international news

www.theglobeandmail.com

Would the alternate NHL draft be:

1) Tavares - Tampa
2) Stamkos - LA
3) Atlanta - Doughty
4) St Louis - Bogosian
5) Toronto - Pietrangelo

Does LA become the powerhouse without a cornerstone dman or does the Stamkos/ Kopitar depth still get it done, do they have to trade someone to get a top pair dman?

Does Atlanta keep both Doughty and Big Buff, does Winnipeg build themselves as a defensive juggernaut?

Does St Louis win the cup? Does their future look bleak?

Does someone trade picks or try to push themselves into the top 5?

Does Ottawa even draft EK?

Sure you don’t mean 2008.

 

[Just Linda]

Sure you don’t mean 2008.

...it does say 2008

(After I edited it. Thanks for the catch)

 

[Voight]

LA already had a decent cache of young forwards/prospects with Brown, Kopitar, Trevor Lewis etc. so I think they still go with Doughty.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Poor Tampa.

 

[HockeyVirus]

If Tavares is drafted in 2018, he's prob a 4th round pick that projects as an overpaid faceoff specialist.

? Tavares was talked about as if he was generational when he was still a draft prospect. If anything his career was a disappointment to hype, which is crazy considering he has had a hell of a career.

 

[Senor Catface]

LA already had a decent cache of young forwards/prospects with Brown, Kopiar, Trevor Lewis etc. so I think they still go with Doughty.

Yeah, I think the fact the Kings took 3 defensemen with 3 picks in the top 32 supports they were pretty focused on the position.

 

[Just Linda]

? Tavares was talked about as if he was generational when he was still a draft prospect. If anything his career was a disappointment to hype, which is crazy considering he has had a hell of a career.

Nah. The Leafs told him he was an AHL player. They even applied to the AHL so stick him there at one point. You don't stick a player there if they are that great of a prospect

(Unless he was 17 and they felt that he was too good for the chl... Which is my favourite part of this whole hypothetical situation)

 

[tarheelhockey]

Imagine getting Bogosian out of that group.

 

[Romang67]

Imagine getting Bogosian out of that group.

Thanks, you have a good Saturday too.

 

[Golden_Jet]

I'm thinking back on the application/proposal made by Tavares' team with some support from NHL clubs to allow Tavares to be drafted a year early. The story, listed below, was that Tavares' birthday was just a few days away from the cutoff date and there was a push to get him into the AHL and onto NHL team lists faster. Though it was always unlikely, it's a fun discussion point.

Tavares hopes for helping hand into NHL draft

The Globe and Mail offers the most authoritative news in Canada, featuring national and international news

www.theglobeandmail.com

Would the alternate NHL draft be:

1) Tavares - Tampa
2) Stamkos - LA
3) Atlanta - Doughty
4) St Louis - Bogosian
5) Toronto - Pietrangelo

Does LA become the powerhouse without a cornerstone dman or does the Stamkos/ Kopitar depth still get it done, do they have to trade someone to get a top pair dman?

Does Atlanta keep both Doughty and Big Buff, does Winnipeg build themselves as a defensive juggernaut?

Does St Louis win the cup? Does their future look bleak?

Does someone trade picks or try to push themselves into the top 5?

Does Ottawa even draft EK?

I see Karlsson going over Bogosian.
And Stamkos over Tavares

 

[JackSlater]

I don't think it's a certainty at all that Tavares would go first. I recall that on TSN Bob McKenzie polled scouts and the majority had Stamkos ahead of Tavares if Tavares was eligible for the 2008 draft, and I think a few had Doughty ahead too. People were noticing warts in Tavares' game by that point. Even at the 2008 WJC, Stamkos was on the top line and Doughty was on the top pairing while Tavares was mainly a power play specialist who played a depth role at even strength.

Stamkos probably goes first, not sure what Los Angeles would do but probably Tavares since they picked Hickey top five the year before and had another first round pick to grab a defenceman in 2008. I guess Atlanta would take Doughty, St. Louis still takes Pietrangelo, and Toronto takes Bogosian.

 

[DitchMarner]

I don't think it's a certainty at all that Tavares would go first. I recall that on TSN Bob McKenzie polled scouts and the majority had Stamkos ahead of Tavares if Tavares was eligible for the 2008 draft, and I think a few had Doughty ahead too. People were noticing warts in Tavares' game by that point. Even at the 2008 WJC, Stamkos was on the top line and Doughty was on the top pairing while Tavares was mainly a power play specialist who played a depth role at even strength.

Stamkos probably goes first, not sure what Los Angeles would do but probably Tavares since they picked Hickey top five the year before and had another first round pick to grab a defenceman in 2008. I guess Atlanta would take Doughty, St. Louis still takes Pietrangelo, and Toronto takes Bogosian.

Wasn't Stamkos fast and a pretty good skater when he was younger?

He and Tavares were both great shooters and could produce on the PP. Tavares was better at puck protection and had better vision. Stamkos was a better skater and faster.

Stamkos lost speed after breaking his leg but still aged better offensively than Tavares. I don't think he's been more productive the last six or so years just due to being on a better team/having more talent to work with. TOR has been a consistent playoff team and has usually been one of the highest scoring teams in the League since Tavares signed there. I think Stamkos has just been the better NHL player. When they were younger, he managed 60 goals on a team that wasn't very good. That's better than what Tavares did at his peak (and he almost won a scoring Title in a year where the competition was weak).

 

[Gaylord Q Tinkledink]

I'm thinking back on the application/proposal made by Tavares' team with some support from NHL clubs to allow Tavares to be drafted a year early. The story, listed below, was that Tavares' birthday was just a few days away from the cutoff date and there was a push to get him into the AHL and onto NHL team lists faster. Though it was always unlikely, it's a fun discussion point.

Tavares hopes for helping hand into NHL draft

The Globe and Mail offers the most authoritative news in Canada, featuring national and international news

www.theglobeandmail.com

Would the alternate NHL draft be:

1) Tavares - Tampa
2) Stamkos - LA
3) Atlanta - Doughty
4) St Louis - Bogosian
5) Toronto - Pietrangelo

Does LA become the powerhouse without a cornerstone dman or does the Stamkos/ Kopitar depth still get it done, do they have to trade someone to get a top pair dman?

Does Atlanta keep both Doughty and Big Buff, does Winnipeg build themselves as a defensive juggernaut?

Does St Louis win the cup? Does their future look bleak?

Does someone trade picks or try to push themselves into the top 5?

Does Ottawa even draft EK?

Atlanta doesn't add Buff for a few more seasons.

 

[Bandit]

Yeah, I think the fact the Kings took 3 defensemen with 3 picks in the top 32 supports they were pretty focused on the position.

There were some pretty strong indications that the Kings would have picked Doughty even if they had the 1st overall pick.

 

[Esq]

? Tavares was talked about as if he was generational when he was still a draft prospect. If anything his career was a disappointment to hype, which is crazy considering he has had a hell of a career.

It was poor attempt at humor at the original thread title

 

[John Mandalorian]

In 1937, social security contributions began. Walter Smith didn’t like that and he wrote the president a LETTER.

 

[kings11]

Top 2 would still be Stamkos and Doughty

 

[JackSlater]

Wasn't Stamkos fast and a pretty good skater when he was younger?

He and Tavares were both great shooters and could produce on the PP. Tavares was better at puck protection and had better vision. Stamkos was a better skater and faster.

Stamkos lost speed after breaking his leg but still aged better offensively than Tavares. I don't think he's been more productive the last six or so years just due to being on a better team/having more talent to work with. TOR has been a consistent playoff team and has usually been one of the highest scoring teams in the League since Tavares signed there. I think Stamkos has just been the better NHL player. When they were younger, he managed 60 goals on a team that wasn't very good. That's better than what Tavares did at his peak (and he almost won a scoring Title in a year where the competition was weak).

Stamkos was a better skater and had a better shot. Tavares' hype was huge early on because of the exceptional status and his monstrous 2007 season but I definitely remember critiques by 2008. A great WJC helped solidify Tavares as number one in 2009, but Stamkos was already in the NHL by then and played ahead of Tavares on the 2008 team. Tavares was physically mature early and Stamkos wasn't.

Off topic I guess but I think I'd probably rather have had Tavares than Stamkos as their careers actually played out. After his leg break Stamkos has been a pretty empty scorer for me, and he has had more fortune than Tavares has in terms of linemates. I know that most disagree. If Stamkos never broke his leg then I'd go with him.

 

[Voight]

Yeah, I think the fact the Kings took 3 defensemen with 3 picks in the top 32 supports they were pretty focused on the position.

They also reached for Thomas Hickey the year before

 

[Voight]

Imagine getting Bogosian out of that group.

In terms of draft position you'd hope to get someone better/an all star calibre player with the 4th pick but for what it's worth hes still in the NHL 16 years later and spent 7 years with the team that drafted him. So at least he wasn't a full out bust and his team got some use out of him.

 

[StreetHawk]

LA already had a decent cache of young forwards/prospects with Brown, Kopitar, Trevor Lewis etc. so I think they still go with Doughty.

They’d probably work the phones with Atl to flip to allow them to take Tavares as LA did have Kopi from 2005. But hard to say. Bogo was physically more ready to play than AP but most scouts felt AP would be the better play in time. Just a matter of whether your club had the patience or not.

DD for sure first Dman off the board.

But changes the 2009 draft as then NYI takes Hedman leaving TB with their choice of Duchene, Kane, Schenn, OEL who went next.

It’s the reality of the cutoff in the nhl. US states have a similar type of cutoff for school. Sept 1 is the cutoff to qualify for going to K in the year you turn 5, otherwise you start K the following year.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

DD for sure first Dman off the board.

my memory is bogo and doughty were thought to be a tossup, with real distance between them and pietrangelo and the rest.