Every year, there are different teams that have a bad year, whether its because of a full blown rebuild or a year where a team did not live up to expectations. Then you have expansion teams that have a completely bare cupboard no assets in any which way. Either way these teams are desperate like no other when it’s comes to the draft. Today we’re going to go over the biggest busts in NHL history. Keep in mind it’s both the teams fault for rushing the player and partly the players fault as well for not developing.
NY Islanders, Scott Scissons & Dave Czyzowski
In the 1990 the New York Islanders drafted Scott Scissons 4th overall. This one here is more of Islanders lack of preparation, Scissons over the next five years went onto to play 2 games with the Isles. The only problem is, after he was drafted so was Derain Hatcher, Keith Tkachuk and Martin Broduer.
To prove my point the year before the Islanders took Dave Czyzowski 2nd overall in the 1989 entry draft. This selection I put more on the player himself, was he a tad overrated of course, but Cyz had allot more opportunities than Scissons, he just did not make them count.
Our first ever pick is
When you are an expansion team, your first rounders are just that much more important. Well we’ve got a few teams that muffed up their first ever draft pick, and that misstep cost them down the road big time.
Washington Capitals & Greg Joly
Greg Joly was chosen first overall by the Caps in the 1974 NHL entry draft. To say he was a big time bust is an understatement, it’s not like he was taken 5th overall, he was taken first. Joly was a bust right out of the gate, in the 74-74 season with the Caps he scored 1 goal and eight points in 44 games. He went onto play the 75-76 season before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings the rest of his lacklustre career. Players drafted after Joly were, Clarke Gilles 4th overall by the Islanders, Pierre Larouche 8th overall by the Penguins, then Bryan Trottier 22nd overall. Just an idea with how badly he Caps were in their first four years, 60 wins in their first 240 games.
Atlanta Thrashers & Patrick Stefan
Stefan like a boat load of other young Europeans showed a how lot of promise, especially in the IHL where he had 50 points in 58 games but never panned out. Stefan did not crave the limelight and lacked a work ethic because of those two attributes, he was an average NHLer throughout his time in Atlanta. Stefan never scored 15 goals or more, his career high was 14 goals and 40 points in 2003-04. Like Washington Atlanta’s poor choice of a first overall selection, stopped them from going to respectability, and it still hurts them to this day.
Brian Lawton
Arguably the biggest bust of all time is Brian Lawton, he was to be the next great American superstar, instead he turned out to be your average undersized skilled player. In his nine year career he played for six teams, (four team in two years) including three teams Boston, Quebec and Hartford in the 1989-90 season. He scored 20+ goals once, had a career high 44 points in 86-87. The toughest question to answer is was he a worse player or general manager? As bad as he was some seasons, he was 100 times worse as a general manger (two years ago in Tampa).
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