Will Dylan McIlrath be one of the worst picks in Rangers recent history?

[Green Blob*]

Too soon to say, but its also crazy for anyone to try to completely defend the pick thus far.

The whole ranger community was yelling Tarasenko, by far the BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE, and we passed on it. And now we look stupid, but whatever, lets see what Dylan turns out before we start saying its the worst pick ever.

 

[Beacon]

Is there anyone who doesnt think McIlrath was a mistake? If so why?

Because he will be better than the majority of this drafted with the next 10 picks and the vast majority of #10 picks.

To suggest that not drafting the best available player, as decided using hindsight, is a mistake is stupid.

 

[Doctyl]

Because he will be better than the majority of this drafted with the next 10 picks and the vast majority of #10 picks.

To suggest that not drafting the best available player, as decided using hindsight, is a mistake is stupid.

A lot of people knew Fowler and Tarasenko would be better at the time of the draft. Let's not pretend like this is some obscure 7th round pick who became a superstar that we are complaining about. Fowler and Tarasenko were picked not far after and they clearly had more talent. Still what justifies picking him over a guy who was projected to go top 5 or a guy who was a top 3 European prospect.

 

[eco's bones]

Is there anyone who doesnt think McIlrath was a mistake? If so why?

I don't think it's necessarily a mistake. It's nice to get the best of all players but it's not at all as easy as it seems til you look back later on. If McIlrath becomes a regular--with his size and physical presence it's a big win. A d-man who can play and intimidate the opposition physically with either hits or fights is something the Rangers lack and is very rare in the NHL. He has the potential to be the nuclear equivalent to Boston's Lucic and how our team actually stacks up against the better teams in the East is more important than how many goals and assists a top pick is capable of. For a historical perspective the Jeff Beukeboom wars with Eric Lindros. Lindros was the best player in the NHL for a several year stretch. He was also huge--an excellent skater and as mean and physical as Lucic is today. Beukeboom was big and tough enough to handle him and provide Leetch a level of protection that allowed him to maximize his talents.

That being said I think Dylan's development has been sidetracked with injuries since he's turned pro. He was never going to be on the fast track to the NHL. Sometimes extra time and patience is needed with a player. Kreider went through a lot of struggling before finally turning the corner. For McIlrath right now he needs ice time at the level he's at and he needs to stay healthy.

 

[NYR Viper]

A lot of people knew Fowler and Tarasenko would be better at the time of the draft. Let's not pretend like this is some obscure 7th round pick who became a superstar that we are complaining about. Fowler and Tarasenko were picked not far after and they clearly had more talent. Still what justifies picking him over a guy who was projected to go top 5 or a guy who was a top 3 European prospect.

Pure hindsight. Lots of teams were scared Fowler would always lack the strength and attitude to seriously battle forwards. He still has that knock. Hence why he dropped like a rock.

There were serious concerns over Tarasenko ever coming to the US and the Rangers had recently lost Cheraponov due to some medical issues not caught by the doctors over there. I don't think they were in a rush to make such a book or bust pick.. So he boomed. Great. Tell me why so many other teams passed on him INCLUDING the Blues once when they selected Schwartz before him.

 

[broadwayblue]

Is there anyone who doesnt think McIlrath was a mistake? If so why?

Because he's all of 21.

 

[Bardof425*]

Is there anyone who doesnt think McIlrath was a mistake? If so why?

Because he may become a unique player; an intimidating force who can skate and move the puck. And on top of that he will beat some heads when needed. We need that player. Let him develop.

 

[SupersonicMonkey*]

Highly recommended reading: The Art of Scouting by Shane Malloy.

Universally held ideal among scouts and player development personnel is that ANY draft pick, be it #1 overall or #200, takes at-least 5 years to develop and earn a position on an NHL roster. And years after to develop as an NHL regular.

The way scouts see the game and players is completely different than the way mass media does. They look for different traits, they see more obscure players in more obscure places.

McIlrath was drafted in 2010. He played a few NHL games, and will be playing for a spot in camp in the fall. He is currently ahead of the curve as far as average development goes.

McIlrath wasn't chosen based on need. That is a blatant fallacy. He was chosen as the best-player-available. Not the most talented or most flashy at time of the selection. But as the player the Rangers felt would develop 5-6-7 years later, into the best player that was available on the board. Whose character traits would assist in a more rapid development curve. Because the work off the ice also needs to be put into it.

He is 21 years old. And he is a defenseman. The single most difficult position in hockey. Mistakes are far more glaring as the last line before the goaltender. Any mistake is magnified. The play is more often coming at you, rather than going with you. There are no two zones and 3 teammates (skaters) behind you to cover your mistakes. The pace of the game is harder to adjust to, and you can't mask weaknesses with points as forwards can.

A year ago he was playing in the CHL, less than a season after going Pro he made his NHL debut.

J.T. Miller is another kid that beat the curve.

Kreider wisely stayed at BC an extra year and won his second NCAA Title.

Del Zotto made his NHL debut at 19 years of age and had outstanding seasons. He was run out too soon.

Stepan is one of the top picks from his draft class. Hagelin.

The Rangers have been doing more than well in the draft. There is no team that hits a homerun on every pick. And teams that are often in the top half of each round of the draft are still struggling, despite drafting highly regarded players.

Let's wait and see how McIlrath does when he's in the NHL for a few months.

 

[Dagoon44]

First I would like to apologize to mods if this shouldn't be its own thread or if there is an ongoing discussion on this.


I admit the thread title is a little bit of an exaggeration, but the 4th anniversary of the McIlrath selection coming up and he does not look like he will be NHL ready for at least another year. The Rangers essentially drafted a goon 10th overall. I'm not saying he is a total bust like Sanguinetti or Jessiman, just that it seems like he will peak as a 2nd pairing dman and there was a lot of talent still available over him.

These are just some mock drafts and wikipedias predraft rankings

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...-nhl-draft-rankings-big-board/article4322923/

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/allan_muir/06/22/nhl.mock.draft/1.html

http://www.nysportsday.com/2010/06/25/2010-nhl-first-round-mock-draft/


None of these have McIlrath going in the top 10.


Taken after McIlrath:
Fowler
Gormley
Schwartz
Tarasenko
Bjugstad
Bennet
Pysyk
Coyle
Kuznetsov
Etem
Nelson

Of these, 6 are on Wikipedia's top 10 NA and Euro prospects.


Can anyone explain why drafting a guy who is pretty much a goon 10th overall was a good idea? I do not understand this pick. I don't remember anything on Jessiman, but Sanguinetti was supposed to be a good prospect and taken early IIRC. McIlrath seemed like he was expected to be a late 1st round pick. Does anyone understand what caused the Rangers to go off the board while there was still top end talent available?

Worst post of 2014 .. Most uninformed and clueless post award goes to ^^^^^^^^^^^

Come on man read and look into the kids reviews before stirring the pot

 

[broadwayblue]

Worst post of 2014 .. Most uninformed and clueless post award goes to ^^^^^^^^^^^

Come on man read and look into the kids reviews before stirring the pot

Yeah, just a terrible all around thread. It's this kind of stuff that's becoming more common here sadly.

 

[NYR2007]

My biggest gripe with taking McIlrath over Fowler (other than the obvious) is that it created a dynamic where we were all in on Del Zotto. Had we taken Fowler instead, Del Zotto would've ended up being expendable and we would've likely moved him while he still had value.

Instead, Del Zotto became our only hope as a young offensive defensemen. We became pot committed to him and refused to move him until he had very little trade value.

So not only did we get the inferior player (to this point, and likely in the future) in the Fowler/McIlrath sweepstakes, we also got nothing out of Del Zotto in the process.

This exactly ... Althought I did watch a bunch of games from two seasons ago and delzotto really stood out to me .

I think most fans don't realized how much delzotto regressed . No one could predict that

 

[aufheben]

I wonder how many times we can discuss this before the kid even plays more than 2 NHL games.

 

[BarbaraAlphanse]

I wonder how many times we can discuss this before the kid even plays more than 2 NHL games.

Don't worry about it.

 

[aufheben]

Do people not consider Beukeboom a first pair defenseman? He played on the first pair with Leetch almost the whole 90s and nobody complained. Why would MCI not be considered a first pair defenseman if he becomes a similar player.

Yeah, I have a feeling if he becomes McDonagh's partner for the next decade, people will be singing a different tune.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Is there anyone who doesnt think McIlrath was a mistake? If so why?

He's a very good and unique prospect who is developing quite well?

 

[Pizza]

Guessing we're a little bored, huh?

 

[Beacon]

Is it not enough that we discuss this in the Hartford and Prospects thread every other page, repeating the same thing for years... why do we need this thread? What new arguments did you see here that aren't in the two other threads again and again?

 

[Kocur Dill]

Can anyone explain why drafting a guy who is pretty much a goon 10th overall was a good idea? I do not understand this pick. I don't remember anything on Jessiman, but Sanguinetti was supposed to be a good prospect and taken early IIRC. McIlrath seemed like he was expected to be a late 1st round pick. Does anyone understand what caused the Rangers to go off the board while there was still top end talent available?

1983 NHL Draft #19 overall Jeff Beukeboom

Round one[edit]
Pick # Player Position Nationality NHL team College/junior/club team
1 Brian Lawton Centre United States Minnesota North Stars Mount St. Charles Academy (USHS-RI)
2 Sylvain Turgeon Left Wing Canada Hartford Whalers Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
3 Pat LaFontaine Centre United States New York Islanders Verdun Juniors (QMJHL)
4 Steve Yzerman Centre Canada Detroit Red Wings Peterborough Petes (OHL)
5 Tom Barrasso Goaltender United States Buffalo Sabres Acton-Boxboro High School (USHS-MA)
6 John MacLean Right Wing Canada New Jersey Devils Oshawa Generals (OHL)
7 Russ Courtnall Centre Canada Toronto Maple Leafs Victoria Cougars (WHL)
8 Andrew McBain Right Wing Canada Winnipeg Jets North Bay Centennials (OHL)
9 Cam Neely Right Wing Canada Vancouver Canucks Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
10 Normand Lacombe Right Wing Canada Buffalo Sabres University of New Hampshire (Hockey East)
11 Adam Creighton Centre Canada Buffalo Sabres Ottawa 67's (OHL)
12 Dave Gagner Centre Canada New York Rangers Brantford Alexanders (OHL)
13 Dan Quinn Centre Canada Calgary Flames Belleville Bulls (OHL)
14 Bobby Dollas Defence Canada Winnipeg Jets Laval Voisins (QMJHL)
15 Bob Errey Left Wing Canada Pittsburgh Penguins Peterborough Petes (OHL)
16 Gerald Diduck Defence Canada New York Islanders Lethbridge Broncos (WHL)
17 Alfie Turcotte Centre United States Montreal Canadiens Portland Winter Hawks (WHL)
18 Bruce Cassidy Defence Canada Chicago Black Hawks Ottawa 67's (OHL)
19 Jeff Beukeboom Defence Canada Edmonton Oilers Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)


Picking McIlrath in the 1st round is nothing new. His skill set is unique. We all knew he would be a project and will continue to be one. Beuk himself was not a Top Dman till he came to the Rangers. It took him years to develop into what we witnessed from 1991-1999.

There were reports that Dallas was going to pick him at #11. Were they wrong too?

We drafted a need. A guy our scouts thought would be a generational talent for his specific skill set. What were we supposed to do? Trade down? Hope he made it to the 2nd round? Drafting is a crap shoot any year. Our guys did what they thought was best.

IDK why people here get so worked up over this kid because he was not busting down the door as a 19yo. Few ever do, even 1st overall's. What do you expect from 10th?

 

[BwayBshirt]

Only thing I'll add to this thread is this:

Remember, Gordie Clark practically said at that draft that McIlrath was going to take 4-5 years to develop.

So...it seems like he's still more or less right on schedule.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Is it not enough that we discuss this in the Hartford and Prospects thread every other page, repeating the same thing for years... why do we need this thread? What new arguments did you see here that aren't in the two other threads again and again?

You know, I agree with this.

This thread is unnecessary. Just use the prospect thread.