Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
One of the things that fans seem to ignore is that GMs can't simply go out and get whatever players they want, in order to execute their vision. You can have a plan to acquire certain types of players, but you are still limited by what is actually available at the time.
For example, the Flames covet speed. However, in 2013 and 2016, the best player available to them were Monahan and Tkachuk. Neither is a fast skater, but both were correct picks.
That's why it is important to understand that management needs to be flexible, and needs time to execute. Drafting, developing, and trading players is not an exact science. You can make all the right decisions, but how the players, and the team, turn out is still largely up to the players. You simply can't predict development paths.
Which, again, brings it all back to process, vision, and stability.
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This prompts me to think that the best read on a GM's vision is to watch how he handles the later rounds of the draft, where the "best player available" is considerably less obvious, and the options much more fluid. To my eye, Treliving and his scouts have been crushing the later rounds of the draft.