The NHL’s Best Draft Steals, Ranked By Pure Theft

Every draft has its share of misses, but the steals are the picks that haunt everyone else for years. This is where scouting departments get exposed, because the best bargains usually come from teams that trusted their eyes when the rest of the league looked away. Some of these players slid for size, pedigree, or plain old bad timing, and then they made executives look like they had been shopping with one eye closed. The list is a reminder that the draft is part talent evaluation and part heist.