Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan
Sure there may end up being a better defenceman out there somewhere but are you going to gamble that you are the one who is going to find him?
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Well, if I was the GM, my plan of attack would be like this:
1. Almost always draft Forwards when you are in the Top 10 (especially in the Top 5) and you'll be more successful than with any other position, as they are the most predictable position. Always give priority to Center, no matter how many you have. Successful ones are very rare commodities outside of the 1st round, so don't waste your opportunity.
2. Use the shotgun approach with Dmen. Use more of your 2nds and 3rds, on Dmen than Forwards. The best Forwards are almost always in the Top 15 of the first round, but plenty of solid defenseman are available in the first 3 rounds. Outside of the draft, always be on the hunt for dmen in their early 20s who have a few years development under them, but haven't broken out.
3. Almost never draft goalies, and only in the 3rd round and on. They are way too unpredictable considering almost all of them are 6-8 years away from success. Focus on getting your goalies on the secondary market, once they are in their early/mid 20s. They tend to be cheap and you can let other organizations handle the early development. Also use shotgun approach...get a lot of them, and let them figure it out. Don't try to to be surgical.
4. Hoard and trade for as many 1st and 2nd round picks as humanly possible, every year. Drafting is hard enough, you need to increase your odds.
Drafting is never a sure thing...but I think you can increase your odds a bit if you follow historical trends. You of course still have to make sure your scouts pick the right individuals, but generally playing things positionally does seem to help your odds. Everyone can try to be the smartest guy in the room...but I prefer the couch-potato strategy.