Quote:
Originally Posted by sureLoss
Even if the next 3 picks turn into a Toews, Backstrom, or Kessel?
edit: I guess my point is, that you are right in that you have to be patient with draft picks, but you also need to account for what you are potentially missing out on while you wait on development.
Toews, Backstrom and Kessel have all made much more meaningful impacts to their respective teams to date than what Johnson has or arguably will ever do for his teams
|
Does this draft seem comparably deep? The Erik Johnson pick looks bad because of those solid players drafted soon afterwards. The only player I would consider picking ahead of him would be Sam.
I do see the possible downside to drafting potential 'stud' defencemen. In the midst of a rebuild there is bound to be a lot more scrutiny over the pick, and subsequently more pressure on the drafted player to live up to the hype. As D take longer to develop, the trend is that teams seem to cut their losses and trade them before they reach their potential. I think this factored into Seth Jones slipping to 4th in 2013.
There are also instances where youngsters drafted early like Doughty & Hedman make instant impacts. Seth Jones looks pretty great, for example. Is there a sense from scouting reports that Ekblad could step straight into the NHL?