Take a look at the projection that started last season. I don't remember too many people counting LA and Anaheim being bottom of the league.
- manvanfan

I had anahiem and LA out. I also gad edmonton and arizona in though so.... not wuite on the nose.

The picks are the amount of times they have drafted in the top 10 in the past 5 seasons. How many of those teams ended up with winning draft lottery and getting 1st or 2nd overall.
- manvanfan

Give us a MacKinnon or McDavid or Matthews for once. Although i agree JB hasn’t hit on every 1st rounder i do like EP & Hughes & Boeser & many others he has drafted. For decades we were the worst overall at drafting & even I cannot defend that as a diehard 😂😂

Whoa whoa whoa, slow down chief...........he's hardly responsible for the team he inherited, thats pretty inflammatory to suggest that the first 2, possibly 3 years of a declining team were on him......3 maybe a stretch but definitely 2....
- chompsey

In Bennings first season as GM the team had 100+ points. He was handed a playoff team and he drove it into the ground.

Give us a MacKinnon or McDavid or Matthews for once. Although i agree JB hasn’t hit on every 1st rounder i do like EP & Hughes & Boeser & many others he has drafted. For decades we were the worst overall at drafting & even I cannot defend that as a diehard 😂😂
- Nighthawk

We got that? Pettersson. But we got lucky and got him at #5. Ok he’s not McDavid but he’s just as good as MacKinnon or Matthews. First year anyways.

Needs more hits past the first round.
- Pacificgem

I’m liking Demko, Madden, Woo, Gaudette, Rathbone. Lind is a project still but starting to trend better. Just off the top of my head. Any others i may have missed?

In Bennings first season as GM the team had 100+ points. He was handed a playoff team and he drove it into the ground.
- 1970vintage

They were a team headed for the ground. GM’s dont play, only players/coaches determine the on ice. Torts is a good coach, clearly. At some point you have to say tgat group of players was very good, but not great, and thrn went downhill.

I’m liking Demko, Madden, Woo, Gaudette, Rathbone. Lind is a project still but starting to trend better. Just off the top of my head. Any others i may have missed?
- Nighthawk

I like them too, but that hasn’t helped any of them make an impact at the NHL level yet. Here’s to hoping.

We got that? Pettersson. But we got lucky and got him at #5. Ok he’s not McDavid but he’s just as good as MacKinnon or Matthews. First year anyways.
- Pacificgem

Now we got lucky not an astute pick 😂
Ok JB has to go & next wonderkind sinks us & we get a 1oa not named Nial & we go on to win Cups like the Pens & Hawks. Those same GM’s got the axe whilst building the core. Those GM’s who passed on EP get the criticism. Supposedly the knock was his weight. Using that criteria Kane shoulda went 5oa. 😂😂

In Bennings first season as GM the team had 100+ points. He was handed a playoff team and he drove it into the ground.
- 1970vintage

(frank), no he didn't. He inherited a team that missed the playoffs and had 83 points. They were well into decline already and Desjardins somehow got that team to overachieve that season......JB did not drive them into the ground.....you are just itching for me to lose my poop aren't you??????

In Bennings first season as GM the team had 100+ points. He was handed a playoff team and he drove it into the ground.
- 1970vintage

Now we got lucky not an astute pick 😂
Ok JB has to go & next wonderkind sinks us & we get a 1oa not named Nial & we go on to win Cups like the Pens & Hawks. Those same GM’s got the axe whilst building the core. Those GM’s who passed on EP get the criticism. Supposedly the knock was his weight. Using that criteria Kane shoulda went 5oa. 😂😂
- Nighthawk

We were absolutely lucky, how anyone could think otherwise is beyond me. If NJ or Philadelphia knew how good he was he wouldn’t have been available. That’s luck. Or incompetence on their part.

Needs more hits past the first round.
- Pacificgem

Development takes time. There is a reason you get 4 years of college. There is also a reason you get 4 years to sign a Euro player. There is also a reason that CHL players aren't as sought after because at 20 when they leave the CHL, they aren't as developed.

So basically Jasek, Gaudette, Brisebois are at their "NHL development time" now I like to call it.

That's the 2015 draft.

Prospect pool is better then some think because it's a young prospect pool, in it's early stages. Probably don't have the top end high talent that usually comes at the top of the draft but the players that fill out those middle 6 forward roles compliment players and 2nd- 3rd pairing defenders.

Now we got lucky not an astute pick 😂
Ok JB has to go & next wonderkind sinks us & we get a 1oa not named Nial & we go on to win Cups like the Pens & Hawks. Those same GM’s got the axe whilst building the core. Those GM’s who passed on EP get the criticism. Supposedly the knock was his weight. Using that criteria Kane shoulda went 5oa. 😂😂
- Nighthawk

I think what Gemsey is saying is that the Canucks were lucky that Petey fell to five (even though that's about where he was ranked), because he was higher on their list

I like them too, but that hasn’t helped any of them make an impact at the NHL level yet. Here’s to hoping.
- Pacificgem

Demko is on schedule. Gaudette is coming along. The other 3 are recent picks & as many picks are they don’t step into the NHL their 1st year. Sure no guarantees but we are in a better place.

I had anahiem and LA out. I also gad edmonton and arizona in though so.... not wuite on the nose.
- neem55

Plays the games for a reason, no idea how an 82 game season is going to turn out.

I’m liking Demko, Madden, Woo, Gaudette, Rathbone. Lind is a project still but starting to trend better. Just off the top of my head. Any others i may have missed?
- Nighthawk

I still have faith in Lockwood becoming a 30-35 point a season 3/4 liner. Depending on how this season goes for him, I compare him to Alex Iafallo of the Kings.

Development takes time. There is a reason you get 4 years of college. There is also a reason you get 4 years to sign a Euro player. There is also a reason that CHL players aren't as sought after because at 20 when they leave the CHL, they aren't as developed.

So basically Jasek, Gaudette, Brisebois are at their "NHL development time" now I like to call it.

That's the 2015 draft.

Prospect pool is better then some think because it's a young prospect pool, in it's early stages. Probably don't have the top end high talent that usually comes at the top of the draft but the players that fill out those middle 6 forward roles compliment players and 2nd- 3rd pairing defenders.
- manvanfan

Agree, development takes time. I don’t see much there from his first few years though.

Now we got lucky not an astute pick 😂
Ok JB has to go & next wonderkind sinks us & we get a 1oa not named Nial & we go on to win Cups like the Pens & Hawks. Those same GM’s got the axe whilst building the core. Those GM’s who passed on EP get the criticism. Supposedly the knock was his weight. Using that criteria Kane shoulda went 5oa. 😂😂
- Nighthawk

Benning is still creating a team like Boston that you draft a core, keep drafting well, able to sell off parts and replace them with the same quality thanks to good drafting. That probably takes 8 years of drafting very well to happen though. Year 6 here we come. "we are relentless"

We were absolutely lucky, how anyone could think otherwise is beyond me. If NJ or Philadelphia knew how good he was he wouldn’t have been available. That’s luck. Or incompetence on their part.
- Pacificgem

I don't subscribe to luck. Drafting is an inexact science meaning room for error. Only luck is winning the Lottery in a year a great talent is there to get. The rest of the time you make your own so-called luck. JB took EP when we all thought Glass was obvious. Only DCT had EP as the pick.

I think what Gemsey is saying is that the Canucks were lucky that Petey fell to five (even though that's about where he was ranked), because he was higher on their list
- 1970vintage

Botchford (RIP) said Linden told him Makar and Pettersson were their top two guys. If they’d have won the lottery they wouldn’t have picked Hischer or Patrick.

Agree, development takes time. I don’t see much there from his first few years though.
- Pacificgem

I believe only Anaheim from the 2014 draft has more NHL games played than Vancouver does from that draft. As I said the 2015 draft is just starting

I think what Gemsey is saying is that the Canucks were lucky that Petey fell to five (even though that's about where he was ranked), because he was higher on their list
- 1970vintage

His consensus ranking was 7th, and earlier in that season he was ranked as low as 20th. Everyone at the time believed the canucks reached to take petey over glass.

It was long afterwards we hear the stories of "Many teams had him ranked higher", which in some cases is believable but for the most part nobody thought he would go as high as 5th

I think what Gemsey is saying is that the Canucks were lucky that Petey fell to five (even though that's about where he was ranked), because he was higher on their list
- 1970vintage

The famous BPA is seen differently around the league. Hughes fell cuz teams picked need eg Hayton. Instead of the word luck i use opportunistic. As for deeper round picks like a Datsyuk i give credit to scouting for hard work. It’s a crapshoot picking kids outside of the obvious elite talent.

Botchford (RIP) said Linden told him Makar and Pettersson were their top two guys. If they’d have won the lottery they wouldn’t have picked Hischer or Patrick.
- Pacificgem

Todd wrote a decent blog comparing Hischer and Pettersson if you haven't read it

I still have faith in Lockwood becoming a 30-35 point a season 3/4 liner. Depending on how this season goes for him, I compare him to Alex Iafallo of the Kings.
- manvanfan

Fixing our top 6 is the goal like many teams have to do. When it gets to the 3rd line it’s as good as the top 6 allows them to be. Lockwood if he makes the team would be OK at 30-35 pts given TOI. Imo our D is where our offense dies & will continue til it’s better & deeper.