The purpose of a tank is to, while already old and near the bottom, at the end of a cores lifespan, bottom out and start building a new core. The draft is a good place to build a core, this is obvious. Elite, franchise players come from those first 10 picks in the draft, with more certainty at the top.
The Canucks have a core of elite players. You can say oh they didnt tank on purpose blah blah whatever, but they got the return from a tank nevertheless. A better than average return from a tank. Pettersson and Hughes (and Demko if he returns to form) are excellent players that you cannot bet on getting even from those first 5 picks in the draft. Ask NYR, the team who apparently did everything oh-so-perfectly in rebuilding, how that's gone for them. They are a good team - obviously; but that's even more evidence to the positive that not all good players, and especially not all good depth, come from the top of the draft.
The Vancouver Canucks, with their core assembled, will only become a good team contingent on coaching, development, and savvy management. Just like Carolina, just like Pittsburgh, just like Boston, and just like Tampa. All of these teams at the absolute apex of the league who have, evidently, not just f***ing blown it up and tanked as soon as their players were at "peak value".
Our team needs depth, and structure, and culture. In that regard, I would argue having good development, a good farm team, good coaching; are more important than the specific guy you pick in rounds 2-6. It's not realistic to just acquire and build a good team of players that are good. You have to make the team good, and make the players on the team good. This is how contenders become contenders and sustain success, and has never been more important than now in the cap era (which is what Seattle clearly understood).
