From the article:
Quote:
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I’m not sure why Flames brass would take the chance at this point in the rebuild phase – if Shinkaruk, for some strange reason, does not excel at the next level, no one would fault them for taking him 22nd. Poirier, on the other hand, has to turn out or this pick will be yet another that haunts the scouting staff.
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That is truly nonsensical logic.
The point of drafting is not shielding staff from future criticism, it's the improvement of the team.
But even if we were to accept that the Flames staff is more concerned with the optics than the actual quality of the pick, how exactly does picking a guy that the staff thinks is less likely to make it protect them from criticism in the future?
Wouldn't getting the best results be the best protection from criticism in the long run?
(Besided, I don't see how picking a guy that third of the league has passed over already can be considered a "safe" pick anywhere in the first round.)