How good is a top 10 player? Just because a team has picked in the top 10, it doesn't guarantee anything.
The Senator's selected first back to back in '95 and '96 and finished with a 31-36-15 barely making the playoffs. They were led by Yashin.
The Islander's selected 15 top 10 picks from 1989 - 2000, 7 picks in the top 5. Obviously they were not good teams with so many high picks, but Mad Mike certainly didn't help.
Florida has had 9 top 10 picks and 5 top 5 picks in the past 10 years . They still stink. I take it back, I really like the make up of their roster this year and they will make the playoffs.
Let's name a few notable first pick overalls:
Roman Hamrlik- Tampa
Alexander Daigle- Sens
Ed Jovanovski- Florida
Bryan Berard- Sens
Chris Phillips- Sens
Patrik Stefan- ATL
Rick Freaking Dipietro- Islanders
Erik Johnson- St Louis
All within the past 18 years.
Having said all this, Ryan Nugent Hopkins has shown in his brief stint an uncanny skillset that is far and above his size. An ability to doggedly pursue and strip the puck from players, all world ice vision and passing, and a determination to be better every game. He is the real deal.
As much as I love Hall, I've seen some glaring holes in his game that can be a cause for concern. His inability to change speeds on the rush makes him predictable to check from the defenceman, and his decision making in an offensive situation coupled with some lazy penalties in the offensive zone. He will be a great player if he doesn't try to do everything on his own.
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