Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonded
The real question is how do we get a number one centre, hell even a number two centre. Unless we trade Bart and Iggy I do not see us getting a young up and coming centre.
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You have to draft them. You can maybe acquire a secondary centre via trade, and even that will cost you a fortune (Schenn + Simmonds for a Richards). Teams don't trade #1 centres. And the move to acquire these bigger name pieces should only be made when the other pieces are in place to go on a legitimate cup run.
If we look at LA, they developed Kopitar (number 1 centre) Doughty (number 1 D) Quick (number 1 goalie) from within. They fleeced the Oilers to get Stoll and Greene. Scuderi and Mitchell were excellent free agent acquisitions.
When it became obvious they needed a little something extra to get over the hump, they went out and got Richards and Carter. The pieces for them to be great were already in place. The LA Kings were actually a fairly good point by point model of how to build a successful NHL franchise, their struggles this season notwithstanding.
Bottom line is, centre depth is the most important thing you can have. It's like having a franchise quarterback; it masks a lot of other issues and allows you to consistently be in a position to have success.