The NHL 2007 draft is in the books and just like every year it is like playing pin the tail on the donkey. You know where you want to be and what you want to do, but getting there with a blindfold on is not easy. Taking players with minimal
experience is always a crapshoot and it may be years before we know the impact.So with my blindfold on, here goes my take on the Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks.
At number one, is a surprise gift from the other teams ahead of the Pens. Angelo Esposito was listed as low as 18th on some draft boards and higher on many. His status fell when his numbers decreased when he didn’t play well without a top winger and has been said to take nights off when playing. Projected to be a number one line center, the Penguins don’t need those expectations with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal already on the team. Esposito has played some wing under the teachings of Patrick Roy, and with Malkin doing the same; his future may lie playing there or on a powerful second scoring line. Great pick, and not what General Manager Ray Shero thought would be the first pick, I’m sure.
The next rounds were a little more intriguing. Centers Keven Veilleux, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, and Dustin Jeffrey; draft picks 2, 4 and 7 all have one thing in common, they are big. With Veilleux topping out at 6’-5, 202 lbs., this group has the size needed for NHL play, but they need to fill out. Jeffrey may be the only true center with Pierro-Zabotel possibly moving to left wing and Veilleux playing on the right. What a power line this would be if they all progress. Left-winger Luca Caputi rounds out the forwards drafted and he too has size at 6’-2, 184 lbs., with as many penalty minutes as points, seems to be a good mucker and third liner.
Shero and the gang addressed defense, with the 3rd, 6th, and 7th pick. Robert Bortuzzo stands at 6’-4 but could use meat on them bones, and needs to be a little more aggressive for his size. He is said to be a stay at home type defenseman, which is something unheard of in recent Penguin history, especially at his size. Alex Grant and Jake Muzzin are the other D-men picked, with Grant being an offensive threat who needs to learn when to jump in and when to remain home and Muzzin having played only 37 games for Sault Ste. Marie.
All in all, my initial shock at having spent 4 draft picks on centers, has wound down into realizing these young men may play different positions, take years to develop, or be trade bait for future deals. You can’t blame Shero for picking Esposito first and this may have changed the whole philosophy of the draft after him. More pressing needs may be solved with the start of the free agent period and the resigning of Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts, but that is another story.For now, let’s give Ray Shero and the scouts a B+ and hope their tails got a little ass when they stuck their pins in the 2007 NHL Draft board.
