Tampa Bay Lightning: Why Steve Yzerman might be overrated
By Kyle Pereira
Draft Picks
Through the years, Yzerman has done an excellent job with drafting. As mentioned earlier, he drafted Vasilevskiy, who has won the Vezina once and was a finalist twice.
In the 2015 NHL draft, Yzerman held the 72nd overall draft pick. With it, he selected center Anthony Cirelli. Since this selection, he has appeared in 148 games, recording 36 goals and 83 points. Cirelli leads Lightning’s strong penalty-killing unit and solidified himself as a solid two-way center. He has climbed the ranks and has solidified himself as the second-line center, allowing head coach Jon Cooper to throw Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov on a line while maintaining strong scoring on the second-line.
In 2014, the Lightning drafted Point in the third round. Point has played in 275 NHL games, recording 109 goals and 240 points, including two 30+ goal seasons and one 40+ goal campaign. Point developed quickly, and his assent in the line-up allowed him to get a stranglehold of the first-line center spot, forcing captain Steven Stamkos onto the wing, making the Lightning first line extremely dominant.
Even further back, the Lightning drafted Ondrej Palat in the seventh round of the 2011 draft. Not only did he make it into the NHL a year after the draft, but he has appeared in 475 games with the Lightning with 105 goals and 317 points. He plays a middle-six wing role on the Lightning and is versatile enough to move up and down the line-up.
The greatest non-first round draft pick for Yzerman, however, was Nikita Kucherov, a second-round pick back in 2011. Since getting selected, he has won the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, and the Pearson Trophy, as well as making three All-Star game appearances.
Kucherov has played in 495 NHL games with Tampa, recording 210 goals and 518 points, with four 30+ goal seasons and two 40+ goal seasons. It’s safe to say he is one of the best players in the league today. Though he was passed over by 29 other NHL teams, Yzerman saw something.
This doesn’t even include what he has done after the draft. Undrafted gems like Tyler Johnson and Yanni Gourde have played important roles on the Lightning roster.