I'm pretty sure that's what they did when they brought in Klip though. He was with Brandon of the WHL when he was hired in 2016.
The Avs atrocious drafting outside (and sometimes inside) the 1st round happened under the watch of Alan Hepple as Director of Amateur Scouting (2015 to 2021). Personally, I believe that Avs management started relying on Klip and his opinion for players like Makar and Byram and started trusting him more which led to Hepple's release.
I believe it's still too early to suggest that the Avs drafting has or hasn't improved under his watch up to this point.
Klip wasn't just with Brandon either. He was their Director Of Scouting. And he was the AGM and Director of Player Personnel with Prince Geroge before that.
I would bet they had plans of promoting Klip when they bought him in. I think they were just waiting for the right time to give Hepple a shot and see how Klip was fitting in.
I wouldn't be surprised if they have similar plans in mind for Scott Harris down the road too if they need to shake things up again. They brought him in last off season.
He's relatively young still at 36, but he was the Director of Amateur Scouting for three years with the Devils. He was there to pick Dawson Mercer who was a pretty good pick at #18.
He's listed as Director of Amateur Scouting Operations with the Avs, while Klip is the Director of Amatuer Scouting.