SLAPSHOT723
QU! Bobcats!
Blah, blah, blah...Funny story most Devils fans I know don't give a crap about the Islanders (good or bad). Don't be salty Islanders' team management sucks. Tavares (1OA) and no cups.
What a rude response.
Blah, blah, blah...Funny story most Devils fans I know don't give a crap about the Islanders (good or bad). Don't be salty Islanders' team management sucks. Tavares (1OA) and no cups.
We have Hall (1OA). That's the same number of top picks as LA.
You also said three teams have won the cup since 2008, then listed four teams.
Hall's a great player and you guys crushed the Oilers in terms of trade value, but it's not exactly comparable to drafting and developing a 1OA or 2OA (if the year is strong enough) and trying to rebuild your team around them.
You can play the draft hindsight game all you want - "oh man how good would the Isles be if they took Lundqvist instead of Ryan Caldwell in the 7th round of the 2000 draft" - but there really only is one way to get a Crosby, Malkin, Doughty, Kane, McDavid, Tavares level talent. Even a drop of one spot can be awful - look at the 2008 draft where one extra point at the end of the season took the Islanders out of Pietrangelo territory and into Luke Schenn/Filatov/Bailey territory. Sometimes a later pick develops into a Tarasenko or Benn-level player, sure, but that's a very dangerous basket to be putting your eggs into if you're looking to win a Cup.
Hall's a great player and you guys crushed the Oilers in terms of trade value, but it's not exactly comparable to drafting and developing a 1OA or 2OA (if the year is strong enough) and trying to rebuild your team around them.
You can play the draft hindsight game all you want - "oh man how good would the Isles be if they took Lundqvist instead of Ryan Caldwell in the 7th round of the 2000 draft" - but there really only is one way to get a Crosby, Malkin, Doughty, Kane, McDavid, Tavares level talent. Even a drop of one spot can be awful - look at the 2008 draft where one extra point at the end of the season took the Islanders out of Pietrangelo territory and into Luke Schenn/Filatov/Bailey territory. Sometimes a later pick develops into a Tarasenko or Benn-level player, sure, but that's a very dangerous basket to be putting your eggs into if you're looking to win a Cup.
How do you get signed and then waived before you even play a single regular season game?
Some players just don't know when to step back and reflect on their careers and consider a new path.
Since 2008, three teams have won the cup: The Pens, the Hawks, the Kings, and the Bruins.
Bruins don't really follow the mold but the other three absolutely utilize top-of-the-draft talent: Crosby (1st OA), Malkin (2nd OA), Doughty (2nd OA), Kane (1st OA) are all vital cogs to their respective teams. Now replace them with guys who went 3rd-7th: let's say Pittsburgh takes Ladd instead of Malkin and Benoit Pouliot instead of Crosby. Los Angeles builds its defense around Luke Schenn, not Doughty. Chicago pairs Toews with Turris or Gagne instead of Kane. Do these teams still win a cup?
There's still a very good chance that the 1OA succeeds and develops into a much better player than guys like Zacha or Larsson. I mean, I can't begin to think how bad the Islanders would be right now if we had taken Evander Kane or Brayden Schenn in the draft instead of Tavares. Or how good we'd be if we ended up with Seguin over Nino, Landeskog over Strome, Ekblad over Dal Colle, etc.
So I guess Dallas should just give Seguin back to Boston since they didn't get him the right way.
You need good players to win the Cup. It doesn't matter how you get them.
I'm sure all Edmonton fans are agreeing to your post above!
Might want to check that math again
How do you get signed and then waived before you even play a single regular season game?
Some players just don't know when to step back and reflect on their careers and consider a new path.