Drafting overrated? - 9-9-09

The Penguins and numerous other teams have shipped their prospects too exotic locales such as Kitchener, Ont. and Traverse City, Mich. for prospect tournaments. Franchises see these get-togethers as important ways to measure and cultivate their developing talent.

We'll be the first to admit we've sung the praises of drafting and developing players from within. We've used this forum many times to point that out.

But when you look at the rosters of the four Stanley Cup champions in the salary cap era, we wonder if the whole idea of building through the draft is a bit overrated.

All teams are listed with every player who appeared in at least one playoff game the year they won the Stanley Cup:

                                            2009 Penguins (23 players)

Note: Ironically enough, Dupuis and Kunitz, who each spent time on the first line at times last season, were dealt in part for four drafted players - Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito and Ryan Whitney - as well as a first-round draft pick.

                                          2008 Red Wings (23 players)

Note: McCarty and Osgood were originally drafted by Detroit but left the organization before rejoining it for the 2008 Cup run. We listed them as "other" for the sake of argument.

                                            2007 Ducks (28 players)

Note: We're still blown away by the fact that Ric Jackman's name is on the Stanley Cup.

                                           2006 Hurricanes (23 players)

Note: The Hurricanes lost players like Recchi and Weight in the 2006 offseason and weren't able to really replace them. They missed the playoffs the next two seasons.

Does this mean the draft is inconsequential? Hardly. It's still the cheapest, most efficient way to restock the talent in your organization. You won't acquire someone like Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin on your roster via a trade or free agency without giving up something significant in return.

And we're only four years into the NHL's salary cap experiment. Time will ultimately tell what is the best way to collect players. The first few Super Bowls in the NFL's cap era were won by the Cowboys and 49ers, teams which splurged on free agents but then suffered salary cap issues in the following seasons. Today, teams like the Steelers and Patriots win Super Bowls because they draft well.

But still, it does kind of poke a few holes into the premise that the only way to build a Cup contender is through drafting and developing talent.

(Photo: Gerry Broome/Associated Press)