Importance of the Draft: Captains
By Michael Schneid
The NHL draft took place last night and only those really hardcore hockey fans seemed to notice. With so many other big stories in sports, why would hockey get any love? I mean they usually aren't the top story even when there is a major story so why would an insignificant event like the draft take priority over baseball?
I'll tell you why...because the draft is not insignificant at all. It is how you build your team. Spending money and trading assets is sometimes a good idea. Sometimes a bad one. But you have to draft well in order to be successful in the long run.
In hockey, each team has a captain. While the captain is not always the best player, he is the leader of the team, often the face of the franchise. He is the guy you want to build around. So where did each team get their captain from? Was he a high-priced free agent? Did a team mortgage their future by trading all their prospects for him? Or was he a previous draft pick?
So if you want to shrug off last night's draft event, that's fine. But keep in mind that a few of those guys may become a captain in a few years.
The NHL draft took place last night and only those really hardcore hockey fans seemed to notice. With so many other big stories in sports, why would hockey get any love? I mean they usually aren't the top story even when there is a major story so why would an insignificant event like the draft take priority over baseball?
I'll tell you why...because the draft is not insignificant at all. It is how you build your team. Spending money and trading assets is sometimes a good idea. Sometimes a bad one. But you have to draft well in order to be successful in the long run.
In hockey, each team has a captain. While the captain is not always the best player, he is the leader of the team, often the face of the franchise. He is the guy you want to build around. So where did each team get their captain from? Was he a high-priced free agent? Did a team mortgage their future by trading all their prospects for him? Or was he a previous draft pick?
- 20 of the 28 teams that have captains, DRAFTED their captain
- 4 teams signed their captain as a Free Agent
- 4 teams acquired their captain in a trade
So if you want to shrug off last night's draft event, that's fine. But keep in mind that a few of those guys may become a captain in a few years.
| Team | Player |
How Acquired |
|
| Anaheim Ducks |
Ryan Getzlaf |
Draft | |
| Boston Bruins |
Zdeno Chara |
Free Agency |
|
| Buffalo Sabres |
Vacant |
Draft |
|
| Calgary Flames |
Vacant | ||
| Carolina Hurricanes |
Eric Staal |
Draft |
|
| Chicago Blackhawks |
Jonathan Toews |
Draft |
|
| Colorado Avalanche |
Gabriel Landeskog |
Draft |
|
| Columbus Blue Jackets |
Vacant |
||
| Dallas Stars |
Vacant |
Draft |
|
| Detroit Red Wings |
Henrik Zetterberg |
Draft | |
| Edmonton Oilers |
Vacant | ||
| Florida Panthers |
Ed Jovanovski |
Draft* | |
| Los Angeles Kings |
Dustin Brown |
Draft |
|
| Minnesota Wild |
Mikko Koivu |
Draft |
|
| Montreal Canadiens |
Brian Gionta |
Free Agent |
|
| Nashville Predators |
Shea Weber |
Draft |
|
| New Jersey Devils |
Bryce Salvador |
Trade |
|
| New York Islanders |
Vacant |
||
| New York Rangers |
Ryan Callahan |
Draft |
|
| Ottawa Senators |
Vacant |
||
| Philadelphia Flyers |
Claude Giroux |
Draft |
|
| Phoenix Coyotes |
Shane Doan |
Draft |
|
| Pittsburgh Penguins |
Sidney Crosby |
Draft |
|
| St. Louis Blues |
David Backes |
Draft |
|
| San Jose Sharks |
Joe Thornton |
Trade |
|
| Tampa Bay Lightning |
Vacant |
||
| Toronto Maple Leafs |
Dion Phaneuf |
Trade |
|
| Vancouver Canucks |
Henrik Sedin |
Draft |
|
| Washington Capitals |
Alexander Ovechkin |
Draft |
|
| Winnipeg Jets |
Andrew Ladd |
Free Agent |
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