Five years ago at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, many Dallas Stars fans were rather upset when the team passed up on players such as Mathew Barzal and Kyle Connor in favor of Russian winger Denis Gurianov. Many viewed Gurianov as being a much greater risk while having a similar ceiling.
Fast forward three years, and most Stars fans were ready to throw the “bust” label on Gurianov. While Barzal and Connor had just finished 1st and 4th respectively in the Calder Trophy voting for best NHL rookie, Gurianov was a healthy scratch in the Calder Cup Playoffs in the AHL.