Kukla's Korner Hockey
A Missed Opportunity
by Paul on 06/27/12 at 12:21 PM ET
Comments (4)
from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch,
The New York Islanders offered the Blue Jackets their entire slate of draft picks in exchange for the No. 2 overall pick at the NHL draft on Friday night. ....
My first reaction was that both Snow and Howson had to be daft. If this draft had a wrinkle, it was that it was chock full of defensemen. It did not have the depth of quality that we saw in 2008 — when Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian, Alex Pietrangelo, Luke Schenn, Tyler Myers, Erik Karlsson, Jake Gardiner, Michael Del Zotto and John Carlson were taken in the first round. But it had defensemen.
The way I figured it, the Jackets would have been smart to accept the Islanders’ offer, slide down to No. 4, take a thumper like Matt Dumba — and add a windfall of six more picks. Dumba was one of eight defensemen taken among the top 10 picks. Was there that much that separated them?
With 11 picks instead of five in rounds two through seven, even the Jackets scouts, four of whom were fired on Saturday, might trip over some useful pieces. Maybe they could even unearth a late-round gem like the Detroit Red Wings do when they take guys no one has ever heard of, guys like Zetterberg or Lidstrom and Datsyuk. To find a guy like that, the Jackets would have bettered their odds by a half if they took the Islanders’ offer. Right?
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Comments
Maybe they could even unearth a late-round gem like the Detroit Red Wings do when they take guys no one has ever heard of, guys like Zetterberg or Lidstrom and Datsyuk.
Yeah, if you’re Detroit and you’ve got great scouts. But when you have a scouting staff that you fire the day after the draft you can’t really expect to be able to find a gem in the 7th.
Posted by Garth on 06/27/12 at 12:54 PM ET
What we were discussing prior to the draft is the value of first round defenders compared to forwards. When you look at number 2 picks overall versus defenders and wingers you have a vastly different career landscape. Based on the statistics you can usually get an equivalent defenseman in the second round so picking a defenseman high is rarely worth it.
Based on the parameters of the trade, if I were Columbus, I make the deal, use the number 4 to pick a forward who is far more likely to meet his career potential because 18-year old defenseman are notoriously hard to predict . Then use the next 6 picks on defenseman since you have the same likelihood of finding an equivalent defenseman in a later round with enough darts.
Posted by hockey1919 from mid-atlantic on 06/27/12 at 01:19 PM ET
Yeah, if you’re Detroit and you’ve got great scouts. But when you have a scouting staff that you fire the day after the draft you can’t really expect to be able to find a gem in the 7th.
But the thing to consider is that the same scouts were drafting for CBS whether this deal was made or not. So, why not go for quantity? When you’ve got crappy scouts, the buckshot method seems like a better option.
It’s also worth noting that Howson may have rejected the deal because he knew the league would have rejected it for its unfairness. Why engage in the drama if its just going to be rejected by the league?
Posted by John from Pittsburgh, PA (Wings fan for life!) on 06/27/12 at 10:57 PM ET
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The fact is, CBS has so man holes/needs, quantity should have trumped quality. Look at some of the guys CBS could have gotten with that extra second-rounder.
They can defend the rejection all they want…. but as much a moron as Snow is for making the offer, Howson is an even bigger one for rejecting it.
Posted by Primis on 06/27/12 at 12:33 PM ET