from Damien Cox of Sportsnet,

So let’s say there was no draft right now. Teams would have a week to wine and dine eligible 18-year-olds. Aaron Ekblad might well choose Buffalo or Florida. He might want to be a Leaf. He could, theoretically, choose to go to Chicago if the Blackhawks had the room, even knowing he might not be able to break into the NHL for another couple of years.

Next year, Connor McDavid could be courted. Those teams that didn’t get him might have the wherewithal to chase Jack Eichel. Might a team be able to get both? Theoretically, sure. But they’d have to do it within the confines of a rookie cap and a salary cap.

Why reward teams for being terrible with high picks? Why force talented young players to join lousy organizations?

The draft is an orderly way to distribute talent, sure, but whether it’s an effective way to distribute talent, maintain competitive integrity and motivate teams to improve their organizations is much less clear.

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