I'm liking Jacob Trouba better than anyone else from that draft right now, and I can't remember even a single person saying he should go 1st overall.
That's the difficulty with draft projections. When players are drafted it is often too early in their development to project what kind of players they will become. I look at it a little differently. One of the keys to successful drafting is the successful development of players. Detroit has its player development very well honed. Edmonton is becoming that way, but it has taken time, largely because of the exodus of players that took place after the 2006 Cup final. Our young players have often been forced into overly demanding situations, where it is difficult for them to thrive. Without strong veteran leadership and support, the result is often a loss of player confidence. Player confidence is hugely important for the long-term success of young players. We've seen it numerous times on the Oilers, where a player comes into the league and performs very well, but production trails off after a season or two. The loss of confidence and reduced production is often called the sophomore slump, but it sometimes lingers on for players. Gagner springs to mind, as one of numerous examples. What we must remember is that it takes time for players to establish themselves in this league and development rarely occurs in a straight line for players. It is a much more difficult process for players to do so without adequate veteran leadership and proper development. The situation of players not performing to expectations doesn't happen as often when players are properly developed. Our players, many of whom are victims of our system, sadly bear the brunt of fan abuse. Our system is improving, however; we our light years ahead of where we were a few years ago. We are reaching a point where our prospects are being properly developed by coming up through the system, but it has come on the backs of a lot of talented young men being victims of circumstance. Hopefully, their talent can carry them over. I think that we are seeing mostly positive signs in that regard, but it has been a forced and painful learning curve, for players and for fans.
