Andrei79
Registered User
- Jan 25, 2013
- 15,378
- 27,544
I think alot of those high picks were in the 80s. I know they took muller 2nd. They got Shanahan 2nd as well, and Guerin 5th.
Looking at their cores from that 10 year period where they were winning cups, I think of brodeur, sykora, stevens, neidermayer, rafalski, Arnott, Gomez, gionta, lemieux, Elias etc..
I define high pick as a top 5. Arnott was close, but they got him through trading guerin.
Stevens is a strange one. I think the devils were losing Shanahan as a rfa to the Blues, but the Blues didn't have the compensatory draft picks to complete their obligations, and then the compensation turned out to be stevens.
I think much of their club was homegrown, and were not top 5 picks, but their 80s high picks did indirectly play a role in getting a couple of those core pieces (Shanahan for stevens and Guerin for arnott)
I mean, fine, we can use the Devils and Red Wings as example. But if we do, we should also mention how much they emphasized development, keeping their prospects for years in Europe or in the AHL. You're likely to get better long term success being patient and sacrificing a few wins that way then by chasing the 15th pick.