Quote:
Originally Posted by Sakari
Its hilarious to think, that win-percent wise we are one of the best in NHL history. Irving could have been a number one goaltender. I think Baertschi could be the next Jarome Iginla for this organization if, and ONLY IF, he's developed properly. Playing with two goons isn't how you develop someone with so much potential. Honestly, our last two drafts were pretty good. We probably had the best draft picks in 2011 our of the whole league, every single pick is doing fantastic. Hopefully we can get Gaudreau in the lineup soon. Jankowski may actually turn out well. But none of these players are going to be the future Kipper and Iggy. Back in 05 i could see why we still put faith in our core, they were both in their prime. But now they're just not elite. They have a similar trade value to elite players.. so maybe getting some first rounders in this upcoming draft would be a good idea.
|
My general point is this: we have some good players which can do a good job for us, but none of them are coveted enough to net us a top-10 pick. Some guys, like Cammy, Stempniak or Gio might get us a 2nd rounder each; Iggy might get us a late 1st rounder (because only a contender will be interested in a rental Iggy). Kipper won't get us much because goalies are undervalued these days. The harsh reality is that with these assets we cannot do a conventional rebuild. Our drafting is too sketchy.
The BEST thing we can do is nurture the young talent we have coming through the ranks. We have some great players, but they need to be used properly. Brodie, Backlund, Baertschi need to be shown patience by coaching & management to develop into effective players. Irving & Nemisz should be given another shot in the bigs; if we show patience with them they may emerge from the psychological wilderness they're currently stuck in. If not we should deal them for another organisation's fringe prospects. Horak is an NHL player & would be a young upgrade on centre from within the organisation. Keep the 1st rounder & deal a winger or two for a 2nd round pick(s). Draft better, nurture the talent. That's my 'rebuild'.