Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
Monahan was a fine pick at #6. I love the guy and I believe he met realistic expectations for a 6th OA.
But that 2013 draft to me seems like a perfect example of how important top 3 picks are and how those tier ledges really matter. Colorado and Florida got MacKinnon and Barkov 1st and 2nd OA. Both are franchise players and centers that put the team on championship trajectories. Three picks later, Carolina got Lindholm at #5 and the right after the Flames got Monahan at #6. Both really good players worthy of their selection place, but neither was ever going to have the franchise altering effect of Mackinnon or Barkov. Those tier ledges that drop at around the top 3 or 5 are pretty typical and really show what a just a few points in the standings can do for the next decade.
It also shows how the draft order determination doesn't really reflect the parity that exists in the NHL. The Flames and Carolina both finished with 42 points that season (48 game schedule). Florida finished with 36 and Colorado with 39. So a measly 6 and 3 points were the difference between getting Monahan or Lindholm versus MacKinnon or Barkov. You can't tell me that a team that finished with just 3 fewer points deserved that much more of a talent injection. A few points in the standings is often just random luck.
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This is such a great point. Is anyone reminiscing about those amazing 2-3 extra wins we got in 2013? Don't we all much rather have MacKinnon or Barkov instead?
Similarly, anyone here going to look back fondly at the hot stretch we had in December 2025, 10 years from now? Instead of watching McKenna or Stenberg don the Flaming C, we get to watch our 12th OA pick and say, "at least Demeber 2025 was a month to remember!"
