Quote:
Originally Posted by puds
Drafting high and drafting well aren't mutually exclusive. Say all you want on the subject but this team is better if we are able to draft MacKinnon instead of Monahan.
Honestly, I am all for the Flames being terrible if it means I get to watch McDavid play for Calgary for the next decade.
|
I think drafting high is only valuable because it lowers the opportunity for "misses."
The Islanders, Panthers, and Winnipeg have drafted in the top 5 extensively over the past 15 years, and all have nothing to show for it. A team like Boston has done it once, and is a perennial contender.
For the sake of comparison (number of top 5 picks over the last 15 years earned from finishing in the bottom 5):
Winners:
Anaheim - 1 (1cup)
Boston - 1 (1 cup)
Chicago - 3 (1 cup)
Detroit - 0 (2 cups)
LA - 3 (1 cup)
Pittsburgh - 5 (1 cup)
"Losers":
Atlanta/Winnipeg - 6
Buffalo - 1
Edmonton - 3
Florida - 6
NYI - 6
From this, you can gather only that having top 5 picks does not actually create a successful team. Pittsburgh had a bunch, but Detroit hasn't had any. Conversely, teams like Winnipeg, Florida, and NYI have had more than any of the "contenders" and yet constantly fail to contend.