Pronger Traded? Draft Dealing Commences

If every team drafted like Detroit then you wouldn’t see teams like Pittsburgh, Washington, Chicago, Columbus and LA (just watch) make such significant headway after several years picking in the bottom five. Because every team would be landing elite players in all rounds of the draft…will some times luck out and find an elite player with the 200th pick? Maybe, but at that point it’s a huge gamble.

Face it: The elite players are typically selected in the top 5. That doesn’t mean it is impossible to find elite players down the line but the odds become much worse…and that’s what the draft is all about: odds. Hell, the odds of a player even making it to the NHL get worse and worse as you go down the list.

As for getting swept in the playoffs…so you’re saying you would trade Luke Schenn (your chosen namesake) for four extra games and a player like Karlsson or Colborne? No knock on them as I’m sure they’ll be quite good but I wouldn’t trade Schenn for something like that.

What about all our picks since the lottery draft (which I won’t count because it’s not really fair)…we had a slightly better team back then, good enough to land us the 13th overall pick in back-to-back seasons. Would you prefer Tlusty and a handful more wins or one of E. Johnson, J. Staal, J. Toews, N. Backstrom, Kessel…hell, even Brassard, Okposo and Mueller. Just ten fewer points and we could have had Mueller.

In 2007 we traded our pick but it likely would have been Eller or Shattenkirk…would you prefer them or P. Kane, van Riemsdyk, Turris, Hickey, Alzner, Gagne, Voracek, etc. Just about ten or 11 fewer points and we could have had Logan Couture (and anyone who watches 67s games will tell you he’s a future NHL for sure).

As for your first comment, Schenn, I would love to see the Leafs make the playoffs…but I want them to be able to compete in the playoffs. I would rather finish low for one or two more years and add some elite talent and then actually be able to do more than just get swept in the first round than get stuck in the perpetuating cycle of being just good enough to compete for a spot but do no damage and then not get good enough prospects via poor draft positioning so you don’t improve enough to be able to make that push.

@schenn
Ya I totally agree, After 2 top 5 picks thats enough losing for me. I want them to make the playoffs next year. I think we all agree that they will not be in the bottom 5 next year ecause with better goaltending they would have been almost in the playoffs this year, and the team is only going to get better. From 10-20 pick there is going to be a lot of talent, and yes I would trade that in a second to actually CHEER for them to win this year

@ Leafer_84, good point. But it seems silly to compare a 6th rounder with a top 10 choice. If you want to make your point, you should be pointing out mid/late 1st rounders VS top choices.

Also, the notion of not picking top 5 and still getting a good/great player, IMO, is more about good scouting and player development than anything. There are always players that are above average drafted throughout the 1st round, and quite often into the second round. I don’t think that top 5 is the only way to go. If you have a young team that grows and matures and learns how to compete and is in the hunt for the playoffs, and then makes the playoffs and continues to make steps within the playoffs year after year then those young players will be getting better and more experienced That’s a good thing in my books. Couple that with mid-late firsts where you are able to find guys like Getzlaf, Perry, Carter, Richards, Green, Kesler, Parise that will make you even better. In the other situation, the young guys on the roster aren’t progressing well, hence the high end pick. Now you are just adding a top end talent to a team that isn’t progressing, or at least is progressing very slowly.

@Burn: I agree with everything you said and I’ve never said that it’s impossible to find elite talent after the top five only that TYPICALLY (a word I use a lot in regards to the draft) the best talent is found at the top.

As for a young team competing for the playoffs: That’s exactly what I want. If we have a team carried into playoff contention by Schenn, Bozak, Hanson, Grabs, Tlusty, etc. I’ll be happy as hell. I want a young team to compete hard and preferably succeed and bring us into the playoffs, I personally just don’t think we’re there quite yet.

@ Leafer_84 I agree. I’d much rather miss the playoffs and get at least a top 5 pick, as opposed to the 13th or something. But I think that the development of the young team around Grabs, Kulimen, Tlusty, Bozak, Hanson, Mitchell, Stalberg, Schenn, Stralman and Gustavsson(hopefully) trying to, and maybe, making the playoffs would be of great benefit. Some people seem to forget about the development of the guys on the team in favor of a top pick. There are pros and cons to each.

@robert boucher
so you want to trade
so you think edmonton would take kaberle pogge and a second round pick
for there first there second and penner… you must think the oilers management is on glue first off they have souray Vladmir V gilbert and grebs and they have some young dmen there.. so i doubt they want kaberle… they would want pogge when they could probably get roy or hackett and there first overall pick will most likely be a dmen like ellis… that trade will never go down… then your saying you want brian burke to sniff some glue and trade kubina (best dmen on the team) grabs (probably our best young talent offencively) and a second round pick for a guy who hasnt played a game in the nhl.. i know he might be good down the road but thats way to much to give up for a draft pick…

Josh G

You got it….why in the world would EDM want another Dman….they are already rumoured to be trying to my Souray becuase they are stocked on the backend.

I think that Kabs or Kubs are headed to boarderline teams like CBJ or STL, maybe ATL.

@ Jmac
I think kaberle may be gone but not grabs especially for the 4th overall pick, if its for JT yes probably i see that because hes a lock to be a 40 goal man in this league but kane or schenn they will have to play a few years to see what they will actually become… and kubina i think burke will make a deal if its worth it he wont make it just to get rid of him… possibly at the trade deadline when he knows if we are out of the playoff race which most likely will happen unless we sign some big time free agents… ya i can see kaberle going to stl because they need a qb on the pp unless one of there young guys step up and they have alot of prospects and they also owe us a favor for giving up steen and carlo for stempy haha

I am not a proponet for trading Kubina…I actually think that he should be waering the “C” He is one of the only vets that puts forth an effort day in and day out….he hates to lose and that is a trait these young guys need to learn early…

I hope BB trades Kabs long before Kubina

like i said i dont think kubina will be traded unless its a big deal i believe theres a better chance he is resigned because wilson likes him… and kaberle will probably be gone if the right deal is out there

Not dealing Kubina is exactly the managment problems we have had before. It will just prolong this rebuild even longer. It is a MUST to trade him. I like him, I like his play, I wouldnt doubt he wuld be their captain, but the plain matter of fact is, he has to go. YOU have to treat this as if it were the trade deadline 2010 because his NTC kicks in for the whole year, and if we keep him hes not going to wave it (he didnt this year and wont next year), so we will get squat. Seems a whole lot like Tucker, Kaberle and Sundin. I say you ask him to sign an extension at about 4 mil a year for 2 years, and if hee takes it then you know he wants to play here and is dedicated, and I would like to see him here. If not then he has to be traded