Not So Fast, Steve

OK, so this is a small snippet from Steve Simmons’ article today in the Toronto Sun. May or may not be reflective of his body of work. However, I beg to differ on the following point:

The euphoria over the possible drafting of John Tavares, and what he could do for an NHL team, is overblown. Think about this: Rick Nash and Jay Bouwmeester were the best two players drafted into the NHL in 2002. Six seasons later, neither has been in a playoff game…

Sure, John Tavares could easily be the next Alex Daigle. We’ll never know until he spends a few years in the NHL.

However, this is an unfair snipe at Nash and Bouwmeester. Yes, the 2002 draft was pretty darn crappy. But how about a show of hands as to how many people would still like either of these two players on their team?

Thought so.

And who is one of the most talked about free agents to be right now?

Case and point.

Sure, they’re no Ovechkin and Malkin — the top two picks in 2004 — but I don’t think there’s a GM in the league that would pass either of them up today.
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