![]() ![]() While he's not as much of a household name, Colton brings a lot of the same things Cirelli and Point do: Speed, versatility, and a 200-foot game. Ross Colton (June 25, 2016): Another late-round gem, the team selected Colton in the fourth round. Chalk it up to tremendous scouting - Cirelli has since developed into a Selke-caliber center with a knack for scoring big goals. Point is arguably Tampa's most complete forward.Īnthony Cirelli (June 27, 2015): Cirelli only tallied 36 points in 68 games during his draft year, so it's not as much of a surprise that he fell to the third round, where the Bolts scooped him at 72nd overall. Yzerman was clearly excited to draft him because he traded up one spot to snag him at 79th overall. Ahead of the 2012 trade deadline, Yzerman sent Steve Downie to the Colorado Avalanche as part of a three-way trade that netted Tampa the Detroit Red Wings' first-round pick, which the club used on Vasilevskiy.īrayden Point (June 28, 2014): It's a mystery how Point fell to the third round despite coming off a 91-point season with the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors in his draft year. But what's even more brilliant is how the Lightning acquired the pick (they drafted Slater Koekkoek 10th overall with their own first-rounder). Palat doesn't garner too many headlines, but he's blossomed into the perfect complementary top-six winger.Īndrei Vasilevskiy (June 22, 2012): Drafting Vasilevskiy - the 2019 Vezina winner and 2020 Conn Smythe winner - at 19th overall was obviously a brilliant move. He was also the second of two seventh-round picks for the Lightning that year (Matthew Peca being the other), so even the front office didn't know he'd become this good. Ondrej Palat (June 25, 2011): Yzerman found another gem in the 2011 draft, nabbing Palat in the seventh round. Kucherov somehow managed to slip to the second round despite his immense talent, and the 2019 Hart Trophy winner is now one of the most dangerous players in the game. Nikita Kucherov (June 25, 2011): Yzerman's first draft in 2010 came just a month after he started the job, but following a full year of proper preparation with his scouts, he hit multiple home runs in 2011. Hedman's been a Norris Trophy finalist six years in a row and is arguably the most important player of Tampa's dynasty. The 6-foot-6 Swede is not only the best player from his draft but one of the best defensemen ever. Victor Hedman (June 26, 2009): Hedman was chosen second overall - one pick after John Tavares and one before Matt Duchene. A two-time "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner, his name is littered across the franchise leaderboards, and he's in his ninth season as captain. ![]() Steven Stamkos (June 20, 2008): Stamkos has lived up to the billing since being taken first overall in 2008. The gritty two-way winger has proven he can excel in any role he's played during his 10 seasons with the Bolts. Meanwhile, Avalanche coach/overlord Patrick Roy insisted Tuesday that Downie did nothing to force the trade, and really, it was Holmgren's insistence that got it done.Homegrown Gregory Shamus / National Hockey League / GettyĪs always, the best way to build is through the draft, and no team has done a better job of that over the last 15 years than the Lightning.Īlex Killorn (June 23, 2007): One of the final parting gifts from Jay Feaster, the architect of Tampa's 2004 Stanley Cup team, was drafting Killorn in the third round in 2007. Downie may have six years on Landeskog, but Landeskog's got a letter, and that trumps all. 11 games.īut you definitely can't have a guy on your team that's trying to hurt other guys on your team, especially not your captain. Furthermore, any chemistry issues that Downie and Landeskog were having didn't seem to be affecting the club at all. If the Avalanche had been shopping Downie since the beginning of the season, one wonders how they could have that much time and settle on Max Talbot. Especially when he's a week away from starting a seven-year deal with an annual average salary of five and a half million dollars.Īdmittedly, this still seems a little far-fetched. Let this be a lesson to you kids out there: you can't hit your captain. The timing is still very odd, it's an interesting time for the deal, but I was told basically the Avalanche had decided that when that happened and Downie was basically unapologetic about it, the time was going to come where he was going to get dealt." I was just told from that day, considering Downie was a bit unrepentant about it, I just heard the Avalanche decided they were going to make the change at that time. "Basically what it goes back to was during training camp Downie got mad at Landeskog for a trip during a scrimmage and he drilled him. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |