Quote:
Originally Posted by opendoor
I'm not so sure. Look what it took the Canucks to get the #4 pick in the 1999 draft. They had to give up their next year's 1st round pick (which was extremely valuable given that they'd just finished 2nd last in the league and 3rd to last the year before) as well as fairly established 24 year old Bryan McCabe just to get the #4 pick in an absolutely awful draft.
Given that we're talking about the #1 pick and an extremely good draft and I don't think two 1st round picks and a good young defenseman would necessarily get it done (I don't see Berra as having any real value in this). Moving up is always an expensive proposition and has only gotten more so with the increased focus on cheap young players with the salary cap coming in.
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Trading up for a top 3 pick is the type of move a team nearing the end of their rebuild does to secure a top-end player to contribute on your NHL roster during his entry level years.
The meat of the roster gets picked in later rounds and later in the first round.
When you've got sweet FA in the cupboard, it's hard to justify trading up from 6 to 3.