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Originally Posted by TheoFleury
They were also gifted guys like Theodore, Marchessault and Fleury. It's also a huge advantage that other players want to go there so bad. We don't have that obviously. They literally signed one of the best D in the game because Vegas is so desirable. That's not some skill, that's basically just a huge benefit we can't counter.
Pittsburgh has Malkin, Crosby, Guentzel and Letang. They pretty much have to keep going for it when you have that.
Draft picks are really important to teams that aren't gifted superstars and generational talents. Of course you should be willing to move them in the right deal but in the end, the draft is literally the lifeblood of mid to small market teams. Screw it up and you have no chance. Calgary's been average to bad for 90% of the last 30 years. You can thank the draft for that and the general attitude and undervaluing of picks (ownership probably a factor). The idea you should trade 2nds and 3rds for depth players is stupid quite honestly.
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You trade draft picks when your window is open.
Edmonton, for example, has drafted their own 1st round pick every year since 2006 (huh, the one year they trade a 1st for someone who can help, they go to the finals and damn near win it all. Who knew)
Since drafting McDavid, they have selected Puljujarvi, Yamamoto, Bouchard, Broberg, Holloway, and Bourgault.
That’s ####ing stupid. Not a single one of those selections should have been used on a prospect. And even if they were, those prospects should have been packaged up for NHL talent that could play with Connor McDavid.
They could have traded a 1st and 3rd to Buffalo for Sam Reinhart - Instead, they signed Zack Hyman for seven years. Just one example.
Christ, the Oilers have two players on their roster that were acquired via trade - Keith and Warren Foegele.
How is that possible? I get NTCs and NMCs exist, but come on. You can’t convince anyone to waive to come play with McDrai for a few years?
You can’t package a 1st and 2nd for a goalie who couldn’t drink on 9/11?
Look at Pittsburgh. Three of their 1st round picks post-Crosby became legitimate NHLers - Jordan Staal, Olli Maatta, and Kasperi Kapanen.
Everyone and everything else was traded for help, and nobody became so
much as an NHL regular. Remember Derek Pouliot?
Because they had Sid, Geno, Letang, and Fleury/Murray. Every other noteworthy draft pick they’ve had this era has been a later round guy who became something.
That’s how you operate when you have foundational players, or at least it should be.
Draft picks are for losers.