Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
St.Louis - 11 years after Pietrangelo pick
Washington - 13 years after Ovechkin pick
Tampa - 12 years after Stamkos pick, 11 years after Hedman
Colorado - 13 years since Duchene pick, 9 years since Mackinnon pick
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Yes and they aren't really coincidences. Your best bet is to win when you have elite players on ELCs (Malkin, Toews, Kane) or at the tail end of RFA "second" contracts of elite players which usually happen a decade into their careers. Your best bet in drafting those players is with top picks. Sure you can find Kucherov and Gaudreau later but they come around so infrequent comparatively and are usually needed as the final pieces to take a team over the edge, not as easy when you're building around "solely" them.
St. Louis, 11 years after the Pietrangelo pick so he was making 6.5M despite playing like a 10M+ player (would sign for 8.8M shortly after with a retirement contract that brings him to 37).
Washington, 12 years after the Backstrom pick so he was making 6.7M despite playing like a 10M+ player (would sign for 9.2M shortly after with a retirement contract that brings him to 37).
Chicago, 8 and 9 years after Kane and Toews pick so they were making 6.3M despite playing like a 10M+ players (would sign for 10.5M+ before winning the Cup).
Los Angeles, 6 years after Doughty pick so he was making 7M despite playing like a 10M+ player (would sign for 11M a couple years later).
Colorado, 9 years after MacKinnon pick so he was making 6.3M despite playing like a 10M+ player.
The Flames shot was this past season when the top line was making 20M despite being a 30M+ line. But that won't be the case in the future.