It's an interesting dilemma Jeff. The only reason we got Petro was because he was a bit slower developing. Some believed he had a larger upside than either Bogosian or Doughty but at the time those two were far ahead of him.
What I many NHL GMs hope for is their players to play in these situations to get used to the stresses, gain experience and learn things like how to lead which often come from those experiences. If they do well it is like you said but if they don't put up some big numbers it certainly isn't the end either. My favorite player to make mention of in these situations is Martin St.Louis. This guy was never drafted and he never played for his country's junior team and I'll bet there's many a team that wish they would have drafted him in the seventh round if not their first round pick in his draft eligible years.
Perron is another example. He was passed on his first draft eligible year not even playing juniors till he played one season prior to Blues selecting him. Further more many scouts at the time considered his development and another fellow first rounder,Patrick Kane, to not be NHL ready and both weren't expected to play in the NHL for at least two years. Well history shows the scouts couldn't have been more wrong.
What is hard to predict in development is what happens to players along the way. Influences from other players on the teams, different coaches liking or not liking the player, tragedies in their lives or bad habits picked up that can suddenly vanish as quick as they came. No one knows with some players when they make a break through about their game. I have seen kids go from being horrible skaters one year and after a summer break suddenly skating at an elite level and the reverse.
As you well know it is how you help these kids grow into adulthood with this crazy life experience in their reaches and helping them grow not just on the ice but off. We saw Oshie concern himself more with bars than being in great shape and then he gets a wake up call. He changes the his behavior and grows both on and off of the ice.
But even as fans we must remember that these are kids. I hope Jordan doesn't scratch his head and ask how he was drafted better than some players that have so far made the team or wonder if the Blues made a mistake on him. Let us hope this fires him up and gives him a chip that he wants to prove he is deserving. He's got talent he's put in work. Now if he were to set a goal for himself and achieve it that would be tremendous growth for the player.
I often feared when Petro got his first two tastes of the NHL if he was going to be able to stay focused on his game and not the negative of not being on the Blues. His coach in Niagra was even saying he belonged in the NHL and not in juniors. That would shift most people's focus off their game and on a perception of an action.
- BluemanGuruu
I think that it just goes to show that drafting isn't as easy as it is on the PS3 or wherever a lot of ppl on msg boards get these ideas that "So & so is a two-way fwd/d'man with lots of upside" etc. Look @ Jamie Benn for ex; the guy slips to the 4th round & he's one of the best scorers in the west yet there were dozens selected before him whom won't even sniff the NHL. I think that by letting Petro play in the OHL a couple more years gave him the seasoning to step into a successful club, which is what the Blues weren't when they 1st picked him. Plus, look @ the $ that Bogosian, Schenn, & Doughty are making now while he still has one more year left on his entry level deal & he's restricted for 6 more years; good business move by Army IMO.
