You do realize that Hanafin was a 5OA pick and Pietrangelo was drafted 4OA. Vegas has very little in terms of a prospect pool so eventually they will run into trouble once key players get injured especially after the league did away with the allowance for playoff salary for IR players.
Not to mention with the large salary cap increases the FA market has become a minefield to navigate because most teams ave money to do things in FA. Tight cap constraints often make it easier for trades to occur.
Vegas is aware of this of course, but they will hit a wall. The Sharks have babies helming this team. The Sharks are in no position to acquire 30-year-olds unless it's on a short-term deal. For all we know the team could regress next year and then what?
Injuries and regression/lack of development can happen to anyone.
Look at the Stanley Cup contenders of the last decade. How many built their blue line exclusively through the draft? Almost none. Successful teams use every tool available: drafting, trading, and free agency. The model isn't "draft your defensemen or fail." The model is "build the best roster you can,
however you can."
Look at Colorado. Yes, they drafted Cale Makar, but they also acquired Devon Toews through trade. Championship teams rarely rely on one pipeline alone. They identify weaknesses and add talent wherever they can find it.
Vegas did this as well. Their Stanley Cup-winning defense corps was built through a combination of acquisitions and development. Alex Pietrangelo arrived through free agency. Alec Martinez was acquired by trade. Shea Theodore came from Anaheim expansion draft. Nicolas Hague was the only one drafted and developed by Vegas. The lesson isn't that you must draft every key defenseman. The lesson is that elite teams find top defensemen through multiple avenues.
And if top-pair defensemen are truly impossible to acquire, so why can we name so many who changed organizations during their careers? Pietrangelo left St. Louis. Devon Toews moved from the Islanders to Colorado. Mattias Ekholm went from Nashville to Edmonton. Erik Karlsson played for Ottawa, San Jose, and Pittsburgh. Brent Burns went from Minnesota to San Jose and later Carolina. History shows that elite defensemen do become available through trades and free agency.
Now look at the other side of the coin. How often do truly elite franchise wingers become available in their prime? Players like Alex Ovechkin, David Pastrňák, Nikita Kucherov, and Mikko Rantanen are the kinds of game-breaking offensive talents that teams desperately try to keep. Elite wingers who can drive offense, score 40–50 goals, and change games on their own are rarely available, especially during their prime years. When teams find those players, they usually build around them.
Yes, injuries and development setbacks happen. That's true for every prospect, including defensemen. The idea that a defenseman is
automatically the "safe pick" is often overstated. NHL history is filled with highly drafted defensemen who became solid players, while forwards selected later developed into franchise-changing stars. Every prospect carries risk, regardless of position.
That's why the real question isn't whether elite defensemen can be acquired. History shows they can. The real question is whether Chase Reid is clearly the
best player available. Is he so much better than the top 2 forwards on the board that passing on potential elite offensive talent is justified?
The Sharks aren't drafting a position; they're drafting a player. The real question facing GMMG and the scouting staff is simple: Which prospect is most likely to become a franchise-changing talent over the next decade?
