iceburg
Don't ask why
- Aug 31, 2003
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It might be jus me but I think that the current understanding of the value of cap space by NHL GMs is much more sophisticated than it was in 2009/2010. Hamhuis was a great signing. But signing a 28 year old UFA who is a legitimate top 4 D (who easily can be effective playing top pairing minutes) would likely come at much more than 7% of the cap (Hamhuis % over the course of his contract).Last go round the team built the D in quite an unorthodox way. Tanev (undrafted), Hamhuis (home town FA signing), Ehrhoff (opportunistic trade with cap strapped team), Edler (non first round draft pick).
While I don’t think that this is replicable as there was some luck involved plus the team had the cap space to make favourable trades/signings, given the current state of our D prospect pool, we have to take advantage of all avenues and hope for some luck with later round draft picks hitting. Freeing up cap space next off season would certainly be a great first step and drafting some young D earlier in the draft would also help.
Edler and Tanev are perfect examples of what a club needs to do to bolster their depth. Quality D men found in later rounds or out of college. Again, though, isn't the sophistication in scouting much great than it was even a decade ago? It's possible to get guys like Edler and Tanev but it's less likely. They still need to try.
Like you said, drafting D in earlier rounds is an options and, IMO, the option with the greatest probability of building a strong D prospect pool. Look at the Rangers, Detroit, Ottawa among others.