Frank E said:
My argument is about drafting high-ceiling talent being an important factor whether or not you're Chicago or Toronto in 2015. If we're using the Pittsburgh example, the team needs a 2008 Jordan Staal in their lineup...there, not that impossible.
Jordan Staal scored 49 points that year. You don't need to find that at the top of the draft.
Frank E said:
I'm not referring to Philly. I'm arguing that teams should be looking to draft in the top 10-15 (high-ceiling) whenever possible, and good teams and bad teams should value that almost equally.
But that doesn't make any sense. A top line center is more valuable to a team that doesn't has one, and can play them 20 minutes a night and on the #1 PP, than to your fantasy team that will play him 15 minutes a night and struggle to get him PP time.
The more you have of something, the less value you'll place on it. That's just one of the fundamental concepts of supply and demand.
Frank E said:
What's that got to do with the price of eggs? They're high-ceiling talent on cheaper deals that were drafted high while the team had "elite talent" established on the roster.
This is starting to sound like your "The Oilers did a good job drafting" argument all over again. Your point is that teams should draft good players when they can?
Again, name a team that has a top flight center on their third line. Name a successful team that desperately tries to get into the top 10 of the draft. Good teams, teams that can draft and develop well, know they can fill out their roster with guys who can contribute what Jordan Staal did in 2008 without having to trade high up in the draft to do it. There's no value there. It's like saying that a guy who owns a Ferrari shouldn't look for a Minivan but instead buy a second Ferrari to take his kids to school because Ferraris are awesome.
Frank E said:
Oh good, this argument.
You should really have said Zetterberg and Datsyuk to bring this point home.
Except drafting superstars in the 7th round isn't reasonable or realistic. Drafting good players in the back half of the first round is. Bennett's failure to be a contributor for Pittsburgh isn't a factor of the Penguins
only having the #20 pick available to them. Rather, the fact that Pittsburgh got very little out of the #20 pick is symptomatic of the lousy job they've done drafting everywhere in the draft.
If a team is looking to add depth, they don't need top 10 picks to do it. What separates Pittsburgh from Chicago isn't elite talent, it's depth.