.
This is why picks should be stockpiled and blunders at the draft table minimized especially in the top 10.
For me, its about finding a future core group of about 5 to 8 elite players in order to be a legit Cup contender and until they find those players the upside is a middle of the pack team...
So much angst over not getting later round picks at the deadline with little consideration to the lousy odds that any player drafted outside of the first two, maybe 3rd round have little to no chance of having an NHL career let alone developing into a significant player...
Its unfortunate that prior to Benning and with the exception of the 2013 draft (Horvat) you have to go back to the 2004 draft before you find an elite player (Schneider) drafted by Vancouver...And because it took Schneider to land Horvat you end up with 1 core player drafted in the 10 years prior to Bennings arrival...
Its no wonder that Malloy predicted a 10 year rebuild....
And coupled with the number of no movement/no trade clauses that awaited Bennings arrival coupled with the Luongo contract, it surprises me the number of fans who think Laurence Gilman deserves a GM position...
Its still early but the team may have another 3 or 4 future elite players in the system if Demko and Petterssen and Boeser and Juolevi turn out as expected to join Horvat....
Adding another elite player at this and next years draft to add to the group above will mean that they have begun the ascent back to being a competitive club...
In the meantime, adding and icing a bunch of 4th and 5th and 6th and 7th round picks to fill out the roster while waiting for the core group to be assembled and developed seems to me to be a waste of time, I'd rather the team have the Sutters and Eriksson's and obviously the Sedins to mentor the kids....
Even if they are over paid in some fans minds...
Take care...