Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
Well if they feel Juolevi is flat out the best defenseman in this draft it doesn't really matter what style he plays. Lets say they project him as a #1/2 defenseman. If they project Chychrun and Sergachev as #2/3 defensemen then you take Juolevi regardless of style. That's what BPA means.
As for Nylander, we've seen Burke himself say that if two players are close then they'll take Defense over Centres and Centres over Wingers. So yeah, Nylander is very skilled and is probably in our top 10. But a finesse winger is the least important position in hockey so you'll take a potential top pairing dman over it every day of the week regardless of your depth chart. That's what BPA means. A top pairing dman is worth way more than a 1st line finesse winger. You take the most valuable asset.
I mean how many times have you seen me argue that the Flames are likely to have a defenseman in their top 6 because they value defensemen more than other teams do? Dmen are going to be higher for the Flames because philosophically they value them more highly than some other teams do.
How does it not make sense? You've read my arguments as to why it makes sense for like the last month. Guess I did a really poor job explaining my argument?
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Totally agree here with BPA.
I honestly think that if a team is not taking BPA, they are setting themselves up for possible failure. Most of these kids drafted will never make it. You want to hit as well on a prospect as possible, regardless of position played, or organizational depth in said position. If that player hits, he adds a lot of value to the organization.
You draft a 1st pairing defencemen, you save yourself the expense of trying to trade for one on the open market - they are expensive. Don't let Dougie Hamilton fool you. Conversely, if you find that your organization has an abundance of top-pairing defencemen, you can trade them for valuable assets to fill other holes.
Instead of just filling a top line winger hole, you fill that winger hole + another asset on top of it, seeing as defencemen do hold much more currency than wingers - few exemptions notwithstanding.
Organizations take BPA because franchise players - at any position - are the most difficult to acquire. If Juolevi is the closest thing to a franchise defencemen in this draft, while Sergachev and Chychrun are a step (or more) below that, then it becomes foolhardy to draft one of the other defencemen just because it is different.
I am hoping that the Flames draft Brown due to his size and skill combo - but I would be horrified if the Flames felt that he would only be a 2nd line winger while thinking Keller or Nylander would be a 1st line 'franchise' type winger.
You always draft the BPA because they add the most value to the organization long-term.
If two or three players are essentially tied, then you can pick for organizational need first, value be damned.
The draft is all about adding value to the organization, and the goal is to add the most value as possible. You can always trade players to fill positions - and you will be much more successful doing so because your organizational depth chart has a lot of value.
You want to trade for a Seth Jones - a young but 'franchise type' defencemen? It costs you your 1st line center with size. Nashvilles laughs at the Oilers and an RNH offer.
Conversely, I would imagine only a franchise-level defencemen would be acceptable to Chicago in exchange for Kane's services. Elite franchise player trumps position. That is why as an organization, they simply must draft by BPA- whether it be winger, center, defencemen or goalie. If there are ties, then an organization gets to decide between a position that holds more value down the road (defencemen over centers, centers over wingers) or pick the guy that helps to address a hole organizationally. It just doesn't make sense to do it differently.
Draft to fill holes, and what holes would have been filled by Calgary over the last 5 years? This team has seen itself as having one of the best defensive cores in the NHL, to perhaps one of the worst, to one of the best again. Defencemen take a few years usually - the landscape could be vastly different.
This organization has also seen RW being an embarrassment of riches during Iginla's tenure, and it quickly evaporated into LW players playing their off-wing.
Lastly, just look at LW. 2 years ago, look at the depth charts people were making. Now look at them again. Gaudreau.. and??? What happened to Baertschi? Glencross??
Trades and FA signings are there to fill the holes. Drafts are all about adding the most value to the organization as possible.