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NHL Draft: You Don’t Need A Top Two Pick

By Adam Savard

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Mar 14, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Florida Panthers defensemen Aaron Ekblad (5) skates with puck against the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. The Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2-0. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

By now if you haven’t heard about the NHL Draft and the ‘generational talents’ in Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, you’re purposely avoiding it for some reason.  All season long it’s been tanking this, tanking that to try to finish dead last in the league and guarantee one of these two young future stars.

Only one team is going to finish last, which begs the question: what if you don’t? What if your favorite team finishes in 28th or 29th place and doesn’t win the lottery?  Well, clearly if that happens your team is going to fold up operations.  There will be no more NHL in your favorite city.  I’d imagine the empty arena then gets used for indoor volleyball and board game tournaments.

Maybe not, but you get the point.  If you don’t just stay with me.  I’m going to go back over some recent draft classes and show you that sometimes scouts are wrong and élite talent is passed over in the first few picks.  Or, in the case of the 2015 NHL Draft, there is still going to be élite talent available.  It isn’t necessary for teams to pack up and go home after McDavid and Eichel come off the board, despite rumors to the contrary.

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Buffalo Sabres were correct to take Rasmus Dahlin in 2018
Buffalo Sabres were correct to take Rasmus Dahlin in 2018 /

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    • When digging through the past I’m going to skip the 2014 NHL Draft class because the majority of players haven’t had the opportunity to make their mark. If you’re into snap judgements Aaron Ekblad looks like the real deal, as does David Pastrnak with his 22 points in 37 games as an 18-year old with the Boston Bruins. Pastrnak was drafted 25th overall.

    I know Pastrnak isn’t McDavid or Eichel so save your hate mail. But teams need the Pastrnaks of the world to go with the ‘generational talent’. Sidney Crosby has Evgeni Malkin, John Tavares has Kyle Okposo, Pavel Datsyuk has Henrik Zetterberg and so on. Elite players still need help. Depending on how you feel about the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings rosters, you can win a Stanley Cup without a generational player.

    The 2013 NHL Draft class tells a similar story of players yet to make their impact.  Of course Nathan MacKinnon and Aleksander Barkov are both playing well and likely cornerstones for the Avalanche and Panthers, respectively. And this draft class is DEEP, similar to the 2015 class.  While most of the top ten has begun their NHL careers fans are still looking forward to Max Domi, Anthony Mantha and Fredrick Gauthier among others.

    As you travel back in time with me remember this:  picking in the top two does not guarantee a Stanley Cup.  It guarantees relevance for an extended period.  If that’s good enough for you then keep paying attention to only Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel.  For fans that want the Stanley Cup parade in their home city, let’s look back at the NHL Draft classes from 2008 through 2013 and see what building blocks were drafted outside of the top two.

    Next: 2008 NHL Draft - Norris Trophy Winner Anyone?

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