Quote:
Originally Posted by Table 5
You can't lose sight of the fact that at its core the draft order is there to ensure that bad teams have a hand-up in improving their fortunes. Doing so helps to keep lesser teams financially viable, and provides a churning effect in the league in terms of success.
People like to point to the Oilers, but a single draft can change the fortunes of a perennially sucking team. Chicago is not winning Stanley Cups without Kane and Toews. The Kings would not have won without Doughty. The Pens are probably not even in Pittsburgh without Crosby.
Even with it's faults, I think it's important that on some level the league provides this step-up for crappy teams. There's a huge difference between picking top 3 and 14.
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I'm sorry, but that's horse####.
The salary cap (read salary floor) and the new CBA have made all the clubs competitive.
While true Crosby, Kane and Toews are franchise men, if the Pens and Hawks didn't win those drafts, someone else would have.
A good GM can find stud players mid and late in the 1st round, so I'm sorry but your argument holds no water. All it does is encourage tanking at worst, or at best, it messes with motivations of coaches, players and GMs post Jan 1.
A team should be trying to win every single game of the schedule 100%. Realistic exceptions can be made for clubs who have comfortably secured a playoff position. Then again, it's not in their best interest to lose momentum before the playoffs.