Colorado Avalanche Ranks Low in THN Fan Suffering Index

Jun 26, 2015; Sunrise, FL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Mark Hunter announces Mitchell Marner (not pictured) as the number four overall pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs as commissioner Gary Bettman looks on in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Draft Busts

When you have the 28th overall pick at the NHL Draft, you aren’t that sad if the player doesn’t become a superstar. Of course it sucks, but it isn’t nearly as bad as seeing your top-five pick turn out be a bust. Who is a bust, according to Larkin? A skater who appeared in less than 500 NHL games or a goalie who appeared in less than 400.

Mike Modano, the Minnesota North Stars’ first-overall pick in 1988, turned out to be the highest-scoring American of all time. Other than that, however, the franchise was not exactly successful with their top-five picks. Six of their 10 top-five picks qualified as busts. Ouch.

The Colorado Avalanche ranks somewhere in the middle of the pack once again — 14th to be exact. Again, it wasn’t pretty but could be way worse. After all, the Avalanche got Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon with their past top picks. Click here for in-depth Avalanche draft analysis.

Next: Final Result