Sorry to go tangent a bit, but what you just said. I have wondered over these years whether our coaches played a role in the drafting of players and what determines BPA. You can say its separate, but how can it be ?
For about 30 years we have had coaches who demanded a north -south, non possession , chip the puck up ice kind of game. So when you have players who dont fit that style, they dont play. Remember MB getting Briere, Vanek , PAP, , MT had no time for them. So unless the GM is ready to fire the coach, he brings in the kinds of guys the coach wants, like Weber for PK.
Does it not make sense then that it develops into a team identity and affects what a team decides is BPA ?
So all of a sudden, we have a management that wants uptempo, smarts, skill, size and speed and has a coach in place that shares that desire for that style of play. And so we are drafting guys with high ceilings. Now it does not mean that they suck defensively, just that the upside needs to be there for most picks.
During a pre draft meeting, Gorton said the guys who are good role players in the NHL were good producers in the lower levels, so we should not draft players who are role players in the junior leagues thinking they can be good role players at the NHL level. Big case in point, one of the greatest two way players, defensive centres Habs have ever had was Guy Carbonneau. Carbo was a scoring machine in the Q and the AHL.
