What makes the pick even worse is that the Hawks could have taken Tyler Myers who was drafted by the Sabres right after Beach was picked.
- jhawk159

Ahhh - the "could have taken" game.

Trailblazers have played that for 20 years.

Was Myers ranked substantially higher than Beach at the time?

You put him on a line with Patrick Kane and Toews he scores 30. He has no attributes to be a fourth line player. He is a goal scorer and a sniper. In my humble opinion, like Leddy and many others, he will play better with better players. He just needs the opportunity.
- TrueGrit

Not sure he'll ever be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL. Agreed, he is not a 4th line player either. He is one of those guys like Pirri and many others who really has to be a top 6 player in the NHL and in the end might not have the tools to be that, or at least not on a top 15 club. We'll see.

Ahhh - the "could have taken" game.

Trailblazers have played that for 20 years.

Was Myers ranked substantially higher than Beach at the time?
- StLBravesFan

There were those, including Wiz, who wanted the Hawks to take Myers.

In fairness, Beach looked like a huge bargain as he "fell" to the Hawks. I thought it was likely a steal—even though I had heard he was an immature knucklehead.

Beware "fallers," there is often a very telling reason they are such.

We're learning a lot about our prospects this year, as a lot of us have watched them a lot more closely than we might normally.

And I think we've learned a lot about how prospects mature and develop—and some don't.

I have a blog coming on this.

There were those, including Wiz, who wanted the Hawks to take Myers.

In fairness, Beach looked like a huge bargain as he "fell" to the Hawks. I thought it was likely a steal—even though I had heard he was an immature knucklehead.

Beware "fallers," there is often a very telling reason they are such.
- John Jaeckel

In fairness, Beach looked like a huge bargain as he "fell" to the Hawks

Exactly....

The Hawks were all in on Beach and were elated he dropped to #11.
Hindsight is always 20/20 but he was rated by some, and by now you know this only means so much, as being the 2nd best goal scorer in the Draft. Rated higher than the Russian kid who was chosen 2nd.

The door swing both ways on getting "lucky" in the Draft.

When a kid like Saad or Teravainen slips and the Hawks snag them...The GM looks like a genius when they show a lot of promise right away.

Teams take a lot of time to rate the prospects and when they can get a "value pick" as someone drops lower than their rating they often take them. Sometimes they work and other times not.

FWIW, Akim Aliu was another player who dropped in that Draft and it wasn't because of physical abilty. Many thought he was the best skater of the bunch and at his size that was saying something.

The Hawks took a chance a chance on him too...

Unfortunately, as of yet both picks have not helped the Chicago cause.

On Twitter@AlCimaglia

There were those, including Wiz, who wanted the Hawks to take Myers.

In fairness, Beach looked like a huge bargain as he "fell" to the Hawks. I thought it was likely a steal—even though I had heard he was an immature knucklehead.

Beware "fallers," there is often a very telling reason they are such.
- John Jaeckel

Falling to #11 isn't that huge a drop, unlike what happened with Saad. It may just have been a case where Beach was dominant physically in Junior and now that he's a pro, he doesn't have that edge.

It speaks volumes that Beach is one of only 4 guys drafted in the 1st round that year that has not played an NHL game to date. In fact, he hasn't even come close to getting a sniff. Probably will be in a different organization before too long.

Falling to #11 isn't that huge a drop, unlike what happened with Saad. It may just have been a case where Beach was dominant physically in Junior and now that he's a pro, he doesn't have that edge.

It speaks volumes that Beach is one of only 4 guys drafted in the 1st round that year that has not played an NHL game to date. In fact, he hasn't even come close to getting a sniff. Probably will be in a different organization before too long.
- RickJ

It doesn't sound like much of a drop but the talk was Beach could have been a top 5 pick.

He had off ice issues and a late birthday as well.

Maybe most telling is he was a bigger kid than most and against men not so big.

There were those, including Wiz, who wanted the Hawks to take Myers.

In fairness, Beach looked like a huge bargain as he "fell" to the Hawks. I thought it was likely a steal—even though I had heard he was an immature knucklehead.

Beware "fallers," there is often a very telling reason they are such.
- John Jaeckel

I thought that the Hawks had interest in Myers but once Beach fell to their pick Tallon thought it was a bargain that he couldn't pass up.

Ahhh - the "could have taken" game.

Trailblazers have played that for 20 years.

Was Myers ranked substantially higher than Beach at the time?
- StLBravesFan

Beach was rated higher than Myers. I think Myers was picked closer to where he was rated which I think was the 8th to the 12th pick range.

Smith's hands are underrated. He's also pretty tough along the boards and in the corners. Not an un-useful player.
- John Jaeckel

Smitty's a good kid...tries hard and could be useful down the line. He needs to be better defensively. Too many needless turnovers. That needs to be cleaned up.

It already happened to him in junior...2007 one of the goaltender brothers I believe it was Chet Pickard was so pissed at Beach for all the interference the entire game, that,at the whistle, he took the goalie blocker and gave Beach solid chop to the jaw that left him concussed for a big part of the season.
He in fact as had more than one induced from fighting.
- wiz1901

Milan Lucic TKO'd him in junior too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRD_xq3aMgQ

Beach should reinvent himself and try to be like a Kirk Maltby...agitate, produce what he can offensively and avoid the fisticuffs for the most part.

No more of this crud...especially at the :50 mark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOPWNxOkNro

How would you like to be an NHL player getting set for holidays?

Regardless if you are a Ford/Chevy guy, owner/player or lean left or right, here is where we sit right now and it really is this simple.

The owner/player direct meeting, which culminated in the meltdown a few Thursdays ago is where the players overplayed their hand.

Players and moderate owners had good faith negotiations and when owners made some concessions and believed the end was near, Fehr pulled Crosby and other pawns and moved the goal posts once again. That party foul or lack of negotiation decorum has backed players into the corner.

It is safe to say that it was a planned ploy hoping to get one more round of owner concessions. Instead they pushed to far.

I really believe now that the owners will sit and do nothing until the players (Spoiled children) stop stamping their feet and throwing tantrum and come down and face reality.

While there are a lot of labor lovers and people who hate the "man" as evidenced by the current political environment in the US. All emotion aside, you can not squeeze blood from a turnip. This issue is simple math. The players have to give owners enough/some incentive to own a team. I know JJ and others will point to leagues judgement errors in expanding to poor markets, but at the end of the day...that has created more jobs and total revenue growth.

Players betting owners fear losing more money, do not realize that their net loss will be the same with or without playing. More importantly, it is not worth owning a hobby that costs millions each year. Fixed costs are minimal. The largest expense items for teams is player salary and travel.

And if you lose teams, you lose hockey jobs. Again, insane.

So as the players stare at their wives at Christmas dinner or now as they finish their Christmas shopping.....how will those daggers effect these guys.

Diminishing marginal returns have already set in for about 75% of the NHL players. They will never make up what they have lost.

Fehr is doing them a huge disfavor.

How would you like to be an NHL player getting set for holidays?

Regardless if you are a Ford/Chevy guy, owner/player or lean left or right, here is where we sit right now and it really is this simple.

The owner/player direct meeting, which culminated in the meltdown a few Thursdays ago is where the players overplayed their hand.

Players and moderate owners had good faith negotiations and when owners made some concessions and believed the end was near, Fehr pulled Crosby and other pawns and moved the goal posts once again. That party foul or lack of negotiation decorum has backed players into the corner.

It is safe to say that it was a planned ploy hoping to get one more round of owner concessions. Instead they pushed to far.

I really believe now that the owners will sit and do nothing until the players (Spoiled children) stop stamping their feet and throwing tantrum and come down and face reality.

While there are a lot of labor lovers and people who hate the "man" as evidenced by the current political environment in the US. All emotion aside, you can not squeeze blood from a turnip. This issue is simple math. The players have to give owners enough/some incentive to own a team. I know JJ and others will point to leagues judgement errors in expanding to poor markets, but at the end of the day...that has created more jobs and total revenue growth.

Players betting owners fear losing more money, do not realize that their net loss will be the same with or without playing. More importantly, it is not worth owning a hobby that costs millions each year. Fixed costs are minimal. The largest expense items for teams is player salary and travel.

And if you lose teams, you lose hockey jobs. Again, insane.

So as the players stare at their wives at Christmas dinner or now as they finish their Christmas shopping.....how will those daggers effect these guys.
- TrueGrit

Hey, we agree for once!