I’m a little disappointed with the Avs draft, and I know it’s early and nothing is even close to being final but I can’t help but shake the feeling that they passed on some real talent. A lot of these players seem like gambles or even unknowns. I hope Avs management proves me wrong and gets this right. They have so much talent in some of their prospects I want to keep this momentum moving forward and surround our current team with skillful youth.

Sampo Ranta is the key to if you like or disliked this draft.
The way I see it is people look at the NHL Draft like the NFL Draft.
Unlike the NFL Draft finding NHL players after round 2 is very hard.
Basically anything after round 2 in the NHL Draft is a gamble and if you gamble why not gamble big.
Avs could’ve taking a safer bet than Annunen or Ranta but is gambling on safer bet that has the potential of bottom 6 foward or bottom 2 defenseman better than a riskier bet that has the potential of starting goalie and top 6 foward?

“I can’t help but shake the feeling that they passed on some real talent…”

Out of curiosity, who would you have wanted them to choose instead, and why?

The thing is, unless you’re in a position to select with one of the top few picks, it’s nearly impossible to draft based upon “reality”. Even with the top picks in each draft, and ignoring the generational players that come and go, you are drafting on behalf of player X’s ‘potential’ for your team’s needs. Whether those needs are immediate or distant will also play a part in the decision. Any player that you feel displayed “real talent” in previous and current levels of play, may not be able to translate that into the NHL. Look at the two first round busts that did not receive QO yesterday… a former number 1 and a former number 11.

With that being said, just because your team did not choose a player with the names on ‘your list’ (the names that you heard of so frequently – over the past days, weeks, months – and watched highlight reel offensive-stats-videos on) doesn’t mean that the draft will be a bust. What a situation like this tells me is that your team understands how to gamble. From what I have been able to observe, it seems that they have not only learned from previous mistakes that delayed them from finding an identity, but they seem to have officially established that said-identity, and are working on ways to preserve, strengthen and protect it. It’s not always about trying to find that hidden gem or pulling in the player with the most offensive-talent, it’s about finding those characters that have shown that they can adapt their skillset to the next level. If those characters you find display a skillset that meshes well with your identity, their potential is worth the gamble in my book.