Blade Paradigm
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- Oct 21, 2017
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In March of 1986, Vancouver Canucks coach and assistant general manager Tom Watt famously said "there's no question we have too many young players."
Three months later, the Canucks traded Cam Neely and their first-round pick in 1987 for Barry Pederson.
"There's no question we have too many young players. It's difficult to compete, for example, when you have less than 1,000 games of NHL experience among your six defencemen some nights. Mistakes made behind your own blueline cost you, and we have a lot of young fellows back there. It takes time to mature in the National Hockey League, especially on defence.
With youth, there's optimism that things are going to get better. But youth doesn't always mean good, and older players doesn't always mean bad. There's a danger that you can always be building and you never get there.
Sometimes, I get concerned that we put too much (emphasis) on young players and try to rush them to be leaders before they're really ready." - Tom Watt, March 1986
"Cam Neely, a rugged, 205-pound right winger at age 20, is a prime example. Neely was rushed into the Canuck lineup as a raw rookie in 1983. He's had moderate success, with 21 goals last season, but this year has been a disaster.
Neely has scored only eight times and his confidence has deteriorated. A product of the underage draft, Neely's career would have been better served by a longer training period in junior." - Grant Kerr, The Globe and Mail, March 7, 1986
The Canucks had planned to sign Pederson and pay the compensation, which would have been two first-round draft choices or one first-round choice plus the fifth-best player on their roster. By making the formal trade, compensation did not need to be worked out." - William Houston, The Globe and Mail, June 7, 1986
Three months later, the Canucks traded Cam Neely and their first-round pick in 1987 for Barry Pederson.
"There's no question we have too many young players. It's difficult to compete, for example, when you have less than 1,000 games of NHL experience among your six defencemen some nights. Mistakes made behind your own blueline cost you, and we have a lot of young fellows back there. It takes time to mature in the National Hockey League, especially on defence.
With youth, there's optimism that things are going to get better. But youth doesn't always mean good, and older players doesn't always mean bad. There's a danger that you can always be building and you never get there.
Sometimes, I get concerned that we put too much (emphasis) on young players and try to rush them to be leaders before they're really ready." - Tom Watt, March 1986
"Cam Neely, a rugged, 205-pound right winger at age 20, is a prime example. Neely was rushed into the Canuck lineup as a raw rookie in 1983. He's had moderate success, with 21 goals last season, but this year has been a disaster.
Neely has scored only eight times and his confidence has deteriorated. A product of the underage draft, Neely's career would have been better served by a longer training period in junior." - Grant Kerr, The Globe and Mail, March 7, 1986
"Yesterday, the Vancouver Canucks avoided a compensation issue by trading forward Cam Neely and their first-round draft choice in the 1986 entry draft to the Boston Bruins for star centre Barry Pederson, whose contract was about to expire on July 1.
The Canucks had planned to sign Pederson and pay the compensation, which would have been two first-round draft choices or one first-round choice plus the fifth-best player on their roster. By making the formal trade, compensation did not need to be worked out." - William Houston, The Globe and Mail, June 7, 1986
"Sure, we gave up a lot. But we had to get Pederson. Last year, we didn't have a centre who scored 20 goals. How would you like to play the Edmonton Oilers eight times a year without a 20-goal centreman?" - Tom Watt, December 1986
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