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Originally Posted by yourbestfriend
I also don't think it's unreasonable to think that if i'm drafting a forward in the top5, I don't want a project player. I'm expecting the player to have an impact before the end of his ELC, other wise whats the point of drafting so high? Players picked in that range are picked because they have top line potential and are expected to reach it soon.
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What's the point of drafting so high? Timeline shouldn't factor in. Only ceiling, floor, likelyhood to hit ceiling, and likelyhood to find similar talent later in the draft.
If a project player has a legitimate chance to be impactful as the next Joe Thornton, Pavel Datsyuk or Peter Forsberg, has the floor of an NHL player, you should take that player every time, regardless of where your draft position is or how long it may take to develop into the projected player. Burke, who I often criticize, knows this... he's a guy who has drafted guys like Kadri, the Sedin twins, Pronger, Bobby Ryan, even Morgan Rielly very high in the draft... where were these guys during their draft+4 or 21 year old seasons VS their prime?
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For most top5 drafted forwards, their career trajectory can be directly correlated to how they performed in their first 3-4years.
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Most top 5 drafted forwards also get plopped into scoring roles on shallow teams with a probable hole at every position. Bennett's situation wasn't so convenient. Bennett would not be the #1 center on the New Jersey Devils with Taylor Hall on his LW? Unless you think Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Monahan, or Backlund don't deserve to be top 6 forwards at LW or C respectively, you're basically stuck with Bennett in an unideal situation to break out - which is still okay.