Everyone puts so much emphasis on acquiring high position in the draft. In fact, a proportion of Leaf fans wanted to see the team tank the last part of the season in order to get a shot at the first pick overall. But the best team in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings, haven't had a high first round pick in two decades and the majority of their roster was Red Wing draft picks. Out of their top players, only Niklas Kronwall was a first rounder and he was picked 29th. Here is how their other top players were drafted:
Nicklas Lidstrom (3rd round/53rd pick)
Johan Franzen (3/97)
Pavel Datsyuk (6/171)
Henrik Zetterberg (7/210)
Tomas Holmstrom (10/257)
There is no question that the European scouts employed by the Wings are doing an outstanding job. So the lesson for others is obvious. Invest in a strong scouting system and you may never will need to rebuild.
12 years ago
