rikster wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 7:16 pm
To apply a blanket statement to the Canucks situation and defend it by saying trading picks is a bad idea is complaining for the sake of complaining...
Sorry, its the way I see it ... if you want to go into detail as to why trading away a draft pick today which will be at worst 2 drafts away is a bad idea for the Vancouver Canucks I'm open to a change of opinion...
Hey, Rikster,
Good to see you back posting on a regular basis.
Rather than a complete blanket statement would you prefer to call it a rule of thumb, particularly for a GM who, I think most would agree, has shown his greatest skill to be at the drafting table?
I agree that trading and signing UFA's or players out of college are all possible ways to improve the team in addition to drafting.
But to date, on your assessment of JB's actions, would you say that JB has improved the team most by:
1) trading picks for players,
2) signing players in free agency,
3) signing players out of college, or
4) drafting players?
I am not going to take the time to list every move JB has made and compare them but I think it is pretty clear from any somewhat reasonable assessment that JB has made the greatest improvements to the team (to date) by drafting. And it isn't even close.
My opinion is that JB's drafting skills have shown a trend line of improvement (with a bit of a blip in 2016 but the story isn't yet written
) and I don't see any reason why this won't continue or flatline. Based on that, I would submit that a late 1st round pick can be converted by JB into a player of Brock's talent or even better. And it wouldn't seem a stretch that an earlier first round pick could be converted by JB into a player of Pettersson's or Hughes' talent. Of course, there is always risk and nothing is a sure thing. There would have to be a player of that potential available to JB wherever he picks and development would have to go properly. But even with Miller, there is a chance this past season wasn't an anomaly, there is a chance he could get hurt, there is a chance he could not find chemistry on the team, etc.
I can understand how you would disagree, but, notwithstanding the above-noted risk, I would rather have another gamebreaker like Boeser (or Petterson or Hughes) in two to four years and another 3rd round pick than I would have Miller now. That isn't to say I don't like Miller. I do. But I am of the opinion that the opportunity cost (given JB's "genius" as drafting) is too great. That said, I can fully understand how the "now" nature of Miller would play into your assessment of the trade.
Now if JB is gone by the time we get to make the pick and (heaven forbid) we have a GM with Gillis skills at the drafting table, this trade will go down as being (at that point) an uncontested win. But I think we are all hoping that won't happen.
Cheers.
Invincibility lies in oneself.
Vincibility lies in the enemy.
- Sun Tzu