Coulda, woulda, shoulda. You could do this for every team. And if you did most of the players on your list would have been gone by the time Habs picked. The draft is not an exact science and hidsight is 20/20. Bruins fans like to ***** about the 2015 draft when they had 3 picks in a row and Barzal/Conner/Boesser were all there and they did not take any of them. But if every team got redo those players would not be there when Boston picked. Yes it’s aggravating. Fans only remember the mistakes. Nobody ever gives credit for picking the guy that should have gone 20 picks higher. Fans are fickle.

I understand what you're trying to do here, and although it is something interesting to see, it's not really how drafting works. Also, don't forget that everything is easier in hindsight. Teams don't necessarily draft the best player available, they draft the best player available in their opinion. Sometimes this works out and sometimes it doesn't but if this exercise was repeated for every team in the nhl (maybe other that teams that consistently have top 3 picks), I assume we would see very similar results.

In general, 2009 to 2011 were horrible draft years other than drafting Gallagher. After those years, the only questionable pick was McCarron and that was a reaction to us having a small team and getting man handled by Boston. Yes some later players were better than who we chose but that's the way the game works. I can;t say i'm disappointing in any of the Kotkaniemi, Pheoling, Sergachev, Juulsen, Scerback or Galchenyuk picks. Maybe they haven't panned out just yet but they're not disappointing picks

This is almost entirely true..except that some teams seem to get it wrong every time. Not sure if this is what he's eluding to, but as a Rangers fan I can speak to this better than most! lol

They've improved in recent years (thank the Lord!), but through the 2000's it seemed like year after year, every single pick didn't reach the NHL or have any significant career if they did make it. Yes, the players pointed out wouldn't necessarily be there if you reshuffled the deck, but at least draft an NHL'er...please! lol

Thank you! If GMs today knew that Kucherov would be as good as he is, he would not of been a 3rd round pick. The only miss I agree with here is McCarron...and not for Butcher but for Theodore (who was the very next pick and had slipped in the 1st first round). Outside of that, the 'optimal player' to pick did not have same the junior pedigree that the player that Habs selected to merit reaching for that significantly. These hindsight drafts also place way too much emphasis on points.

I'm a Devils fan, we don't have too many of those.

Most teams don’t have “too many” of them. Miles Wood and Damon Severson come to mind quickly.

More Severson than Wood, I would say.

Worst part of mtl draft history is drafting Leblanc over krieder just because they didn’t want to draft American high schooler two years in a row. Being a jets fan seems like every draft is interesting and never by the book right from the beginning scheifele over coutiere or Hamilton but learned in Chevy I trust

Wood in the 4th round. Pretty sure there 20+ that were picked ahead of him that should not have been.

If Wood continues to progress, then yeah. As it stands, I don't necessarily think he was picked lower than he should have been, there were just some guys with higher round talent that didn't live up (looking at you, Shink).

But that’s the point. The whole idea of hindsight drafts. “Should have taken this guy instead of that guy considering what they have done.” The only player taken ahead of Wood in the 4th i’d rather have is Saros. There are 20-25 in the 3rd round that teams would rather have Wood given the choice now. Another dozen in the second and even a few in the first. If every team got a redo to take the guy they should have. He goes late 2nd that year.

I mean imagine actually drafting the guy then trading him for erat and latta........thats worse ha

forsberg

latta and erat