Number8
Registered User
- Oct 31, 2007
- 18,638
- 18,663
The current depth at any position should never dictate a move. It's like a team passing on a player they have rated higher in the draft because they need help at another spot. You always take the better player. In this case, if they feel that Spooner's ceiling is ultimately higher than an available guy that may fit their current needs better, they need to do the right thing and hang onto the better player. You can't start making moves based on needs, because like others have pointed out, you're only an injury away from now having a weakness at an area that you felt was deep.
Normally I would agree, however I do think there are sometimes circumstances that could cause a GM to take a slightly different tack.
Take Edmonton, for example. They've had an embarrassment of riches in terms of the draft and one could argue have always taken the "best player" -- usually forwards. That said, their defense is an embarrassment. Why they didn't leverage one of those picks and trade down to grab a top notch dman + is a failure of management.
I sort of see the Spooner situation the same way. I don't think he's going to get a shot at a center slot at the level he needs to be, so why not consider trading one asset for another that better fills a obvious hole in your depth chart.