The Tampa Bay Lightning’s disappointing 2013 came with some glimmer of hope for the future. Young players like Radko Gudas (2010 third round pick), Alex Killorn (2007 third round pick) and Ondrej Palat (2011 seventh round pick) had varying degrees of success at the NHL level. While we don’t know what their careers will bring, it’s definitely reassuring to see mid-to-low round Lightning draft picks playing at the NHL level. (Photos/Susan Ferlita)
The Lightning have not historically drafted well. In examining the draft since 2005, the year it was cut down to seven rounds, we see that the most tenured Lightning pick from the third through the seventh round is Blair Jones. Jones (2005 fourth round pick), a fourth line banger and a Jay Feaster favorite, has played 114 games in the NHL for Tampa Bay and Calgary. James Wright (2008 fourth round pick) is next on the list with 87 NHL games played for Tampa Bay and Winnipeg. Killorn and Gudas are poised to pass Jones and Wright after playing most of this truncated season in Tampa. This trend must continue if the Lightning is to have any sustained success.
Playoff contenders must be built, not only from the “safe” picks in the top 60, but also from the relative wasteland of the lower rounds. Recent picks appear to be trending up, but only time will tell if these players will contribute at the NHL level. This is not to suggest that the Lightning aren’t good because they haven’t hit a home run in a low round pick like the Red Wings did with Henrik Zetterberg (1999 seventh round pick) and Pavel Datsyuk (1998 sixth round pick), or the Rangers with Henrik Lundqvist (2000 seventh round pick) or the Predators with Pekka Rinne (2004 eighth round pick).
One thing is for certain, in today’s parity-by-salary cap NHL, teams that aren’t constantly flush with low round talent will be left in the dust.
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