Quote:
Originally Posted by TheProfessor1
strongly disagree..sure edmonton didn't care if hall was LW / C / or RW but teams certainly draft for their needs. Example us this year taking coyle over etem even though etem was widely considered a better player. Coyle, however, began to fill our need for 2 way wingers with size and top 6 potential
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Yes, teams do it but it's dependent on their situations. A team in the last third of the draft order shouldn't be one of those teams. That team's goal should be the Cup and not filling an organizational need that is irrelevant to the result of the pro team and especially if it means taking a worse player.
A team in the Sharks position should be focused on taking the best prospect available as it will give them the highest possible trade value and not worried about having certain players in their prospect pool. The only time the Sharks need to do that is if they trade up in the 1st round for a specific player that they plan to use in the short-term. Considering their history, they shouldn't hold someone like Coyle or whoever they end up picking with their 20+ picks to do that.
And really, in general, the only time a team should draft by position is if they feel two players are equal but play different positions.
One instance where it bit the Sharks in the ass was in 2003. They drafted the guy that would make the NHL the quickest in Michalek...not the best. And they passed on Phaneuf, Suter, Coburn, Carter, Parise, Seabrook, and Brown. All of them even at the time were argued to be better selections but needed time whereas Michalek was close to a completed product.
