good luck
I think the real problem is that sure Cam Baker played 310 games but how many were from the team hoping he finds his game? I mean if Cam Baker had been a 7th round pick but the same skill level would teams have kept trying to play him? It is an unanswerable question but I think most high picks will have their games played increased based solely on draft position and you can't account for it.
True. But take Matt Pelech for example. Sure, he was a mid 1st rounder and a highly touted prospect in the Flames system, but he only played a hand full of games. So he was never pushed beyond his abilities. And I'm sure the data will support that. I've seen first rounders play no NHL games.
And I could argue that these early picked defenseman are only busts because they weren't developed properly. I look at Tyler Myers and wonder if he was pushed into 25 minute nights because he had a Calder year, when really, he only had sheltered minutes that year and still needed incubating. Given Buffalo's defense and urge to get going, I could see that being the case. Late round picks have no pressure to jump into roles and are given all the time in the world because GMs expect them to take long. Look at how Brodie is being impacted by his recent, huge responsibilities.
Same thing happened to Ryan Whitney when he went to Edmonton. I guess Edmonton is where Decent defenseman go to be barely playing in the NHL later on.
