Penguins Update: Revisiting Ray’s Drafts

In Ray we trust.

Remember that axiom? Indeed, it wasn’t all that long ago that former Penguins (and current Devils) general manager Ray Shero was the toast of the town. Back when he regularly fleeced his GM brethren (Chris Kunitz for Ryan Whitney). Moves that earned him General Manager of the Year honors in 2013. Before a string of playoff disappointments, overly lavish contracts, and a spotty record in player development led to his dismissal and tarnished his legacy in Pittsburgh.

Maybe we’ve judged too harshly. In the wake of Monday’s contract extensions to Shero draftees Tom Kuhnhackl, Bryan Rust, and Scott Wilson, perhaps it’s time to reconsider Ray’s record.

I was surprised to discover that 52 percent of the prospects chosen during Shero’s eight-year tenure here played at least one game in the National Hockey League. If you eliminate the 2013 draft (five of the six picks are still playing collegiate hockey)? Fifty-nine percent. All but six of the 50 players he drafted for the Penguins are still active.

Somehow, that wasn’t what I expected. Especially given the perception that Shero was a draft-table flop.

Granted, he failed to select a true impact player during his time at the Pens’ helm. The closest he came was his first-ever pick, Jordan Staal. And the St. Paul native struggled to identify draft-worthy forwards, at least early on.

Draft position certainly was a mitigating factor. Due to the club’s resounding regular-season success, Shero rarely had the luxury of picking from among the plums. When he did? He took Staal with the second overall pick in ‘06 and Derrick Pouliot eighth overall in ‘12.

He’s often criticized for selecting Staal over Jonathan Toews and Nicklas Backstrom. Keep in mind, the black and gold already had young guns Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in tow. Staal fit the mold of a classic two-way center with an offensive upside. Although Jordan never developed into a dominant scorer, the former Selke candidate’s hardly a slouch.

The jury’s still out on Pouliot, who’s flashed high-end potential.

Ray drafted some duds, no doubt. He reached on skilled but brittle Beau Bennett in 2010. Thus far the gamble hasn’t paid off. His top pick the following year, Joe Morrow, is skating for his third pro organization, although the blonde-haired vagabond may have found a home with Boston. Angelo Esposito—once a top-rated prospect—was a colossal bust. Shero was savvy enough to move him to Atlanta as a pot sweetener in the blockbuster Marian Hossa deal.

Needless to say, drafting isn’t an exact science. At best it’s a calculated risk. At worst…a chancy roll of the dice. Heck, even Chicago’s Stan Bowman, generally esteemed as the gold standard among NHL GMs, experienced his share of flops. For example, his dual 2011 first-rounders—Mark McNeill and Phillip Danault—have lagged far short of expectations.

Lest we forget, Shero had some significant victories, too. Simon Despres (30th in ‘09) and Pens mainstay Olli Maatta (22nd in ‘12) were gleaned with late first-round picks. Jake Muzzin (5th round, ‘07) became a stud, albeit with the Kings. Brian Strait’s (3rd round, ‘06) a dependable depth defenseman for the Islanders. Rugged Robert Bortuzzo (3rd round, ‘07) fills a similar role with St. Louis.

Nor did he leave the cupboard as bare as we may have believed. Goalie Matt Murray looks like a keeper. So does rangy Oskar Sundqvist.

Perhaps the current crop of kids will one day emerge as solid NHL players and restore some of the luster to Shero’s faded reputation.

Ray Shero’s Penguins Drafts
Year	Player	Pos	Round	Overall	Highest League	Games*	Active
2006	Jordan Staal	C	1st	2nd	NHL	678	Yes
	Carl Sneep	D	2nd	32nd	NHL	1	No
	Brian Strait	D	3rd	65th	NHL	175	Yes
	Chad Johnson	G	5th	125th	NHL	92	Yes
	Timo Seppanen	D	7th	195th	SM-liiga	285	No
2007	Angelo Esposito	C	1st	20th	AHL	124	Yes
	Keven Veilleux	C	2nd	51st	AHL	95	No
	Robert Bortuzzo	D	3rd	78th	NHL	160	Yes
	Casey Pierro-Zabotel	C	3rd	80th	AHL	17	Yes
	Luca Caputi	LW	4th	111th	NHL	35	No
	Alex Grant	D	4th	118th	NHL	2	Yes
	Jake Muzzin	D	5th	141st	NHL	278	Yes
	Dustin Jeffrey	C	6th	171st	NHL	131	Yes
2008	Nathan Moon	C	4th	120th	AHL	92	Yes
	Alexander Pechurski	G	5th	150th	NHL	1	Yes
	Patrick Killeen	G	6th	180th	AHL	7	Yes
	Nicholas D’Agostino	D	7th	210th	AHL	98	Yes
2009	Simon Despres	D	1st	30th	NHL	185	Yes
	Philip Samuelsson	D	2nd	51st	NHL	12	Yes
	Ben Hanowski	RW	3rd	63rd	NHL	16	Yes
	Nick Petersen	RW	4th	121st	AHL	112	Yes
	Alex Velischek	D	5th	123rd	CHL	36	No
	Andy Bathgate	C	5th	151st	AHL	2	Yes
	Viktor Ekbom	D	6th	181st	AHL	3	Yes
2010	Beau Bennett	LW	1st	20th	NHL	121	Yes
	Bryan Rust	RW	3rd	80th	NHL	49	Yes
	Tom Kuhnhackl	LW	4th	110th	NHL	30	Yes
	Ken Agostino	LW	5th	140th	NHL	10	Yes
	Joe Rogalski	D	6th	152nd	ECHL	7	No
	Reid McNeill	D	6th	170th	AHL	169	Yes
2011	Joe Morrow	D	1st	23rd	NHL	44	Yes
	Scott Harrington	D	2nd	54th	NHL	25	Yes
	Dominik Uher	C	5th	144th	NHL	2	Yes
	Josh Archibald	RW	6th	174th	NHL	1	Yes
	Scott Wilson	LW	7th	209th	NHL	25	Yes
2012	Derrick Pouliot	D	1st	8th	NHL	52	Yes
	Olli Maatta	D	1st	22nd	NHL	162	Yes
	Teddy Blueger	C	2nd	52nd	WCHA	153	Yes
	Oskar Sundqvist	C	3rd	81st	NHL	10	Yes
	Matt Murray	G	3rd	83rd	NHL	7	Yes
	Matia Marcantuoni	C	4th	92nd	AHL	80	Yes
	Sean Maguire	G	4th	113th	Hockey East	61	Yes
	Clark Seymour	D	5th	143rd	AHL	29	Yes
	Anton Zlobin	LW	6th	173rd	AHL	64	Yes
2013	Tristan Jarry	G	2nd	44th	AHL	24	Yes
	Jake Guentzel	C	3rd	77th	NCHC	108	Yes
	Ryan Segalia	D	4th	119th	Hockey East	86	Yes
	Dane Birks	D	6th	164th	WCHA	30	Yes
	Blaine Byron	C	6th	179th	Hockey East	109	Yes
	Troy Josephs	C	7th	209th	ECAC	97	Yes
*Games played in highest league as of March 17, 2016