If the Colorado Avalanche had a time machine, they’d likely want a do-over for the 2014 NHL Draft.
Corey Pronman of ESPN.com reports the Avalanche have failed to come to terms with Kitchener right winger Nick Magyar and Val D’Or center Alexis Pepin, two fourth-round picks from the 2014 NHL Draft.
The news both is and isn’t surprising. Magyar struggled in his third season with the Kitchener Rangers, scoring 11 goals and 20 points in 49 games, while dealing with ankle issues. The 20-year-old failed to match his draft year output, where he put up 20 goals and 46 points. Meanwhile, Pepin had a solid 2015-16 campaign with the Foreurs in the QMJHL. The 20-year-old scored 23 goals and 47 points in 62 games.
Neither Peppin nor Magyar are significant prospects, but losing them just illustrates how bad the Avs’ 2014 draft was. They’re not the only players who aren’t with the organization anymore.
Colorado selected Conner Bleackley with the 23rd overall pick that year in a move which failed almost immediately. Bleackley managed just 46 points as a 20-year-old in 55 games with the Red Deer Rebels. He’s battled multiple injuries throughout his career which have derailed his progress as a prospect. Bleackley did manage to appear in four games with the Rebels during their Memorial Cup run, putting up two assists. The Avalanche didn’t sign him before trading him to the Arizona Coyotes with Alex Tanguay in the package for Mikkel Boedker. The Coyotes announced this week they don’t intend on signing Bleackley and will instead opt to take a second-round compensation pick.
PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 27: Conner Bleackley is selected twenty-third by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at the Wells Fargo Center on June 27, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Another part of the Boedker deal was defenseman Kyle Wood. The Avalanche were quick to deal the 20-year-old after he has put up impressive results in the OHL. The 6’5″ rearguard scored 39 points in 49 games with the North Bay Battalion, while adding another 13 points in 11 playoff games. The Coyotes signed Wood to an entry-level deal and he even appeared in two games with their AHL affiliate, Springfield. He’s a decent prospect.
The remaining three late draft picks, Anton Lindholm, Julien Nantel and Maximilian Pajpach are all still with the Avalanche organization with Lindholm and Nantel both signing entry-level deals with the club. It’s good Colorado could retain some of its prospect core from the draft, but none of those players are likely to turn into star prospects. Heck, they might not even make the NHL which would give the Avalanche a blank slate for the entire 2014 draft.
Joe Sakic needs to get better at drafting. Their top four picks in the 2014 Draft aren’t with the club. That’s not good enough. You can’t waste draft picks in this league. Drafting and not signing fourth-round picks is inexcusable. Winnipeg Jets prospect Chase De Leo and Nashville Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson were both in the same round. There were quality players to be had. Factoring in Bleackley and Wood, and it’s almost a total loss for the organization. Outside of Mikko Rantanen and Nathan McKinnon – two no-brainers – Sakic’s drafting has been downright embarrassing. If the Avs want to get better, it starts with the draft.
Establishing depth and assets through the draft is integral to compete in the NHL. Colorado can’t afford to be giving away prospects and draft slots. Their organization is in bad need of prospects, so it’s unfortunate they’ve been so careless with picks.
