You gotta be bad, before you get great [LA kings Draft success]

[Merci]

Rangers benefited from a few fantastic trades. They got McDonagh, Higgins, Stepan, Moore, etc. from trading away UFA signings - so didn't cost them anything to acquire the assets. Then they got an elite scorer who wanted out of Tampa and only wanted to go to New York.

But New York is, in the eyes of many (myself included), the best city in North America. They have the benefit of players wanting to go there. Vancouver is also a great city, but it's hard to enjoy it as a hockey player in a fishbowl.

this

[Junkyard Dog]

Posting LA's draft history the past decade so people here realize the only way the Canucks can rebound is by trading Kesler

Notice how many players came from the 2nd and 3rd rounds that Gillis basically traded away for Roys and Ballards.

LA:

03: Brown (13th)

05: Kopitar (11th)Quick (72nd)

06: Bernier (11th) ----> Frattin -----> Gaborik

07: Hickey(4th)(Bust)Simmonds(61st)---->Richards

08: Doughty(2nd)(Teubert)(13th)-----> Penner

09: Schenn(5th)---->Richards(Clifford)(35th)

10: Forbot(15th)Toffoli(47th)

So the Kings had 10 draft picks that essentially built their team over the course of 6 years, as well as some free agents like Johsnon to get Carter let's see what the Canucks have in true order of 1st round readiness.

1. Kassian (13th)

2. Jensen (28th)

3. Corrado (150th)

4. Stanton

5. Horvat (9th)

6. Shinkaruk (24th)

7. Gaunce (26th)

-now let's add the Kesler trade

8. Etem (29th)

9. Virtanen(10th)

10. 24th overall 2014

-now let's add our 6th this year

11. Ritchie/Nylander (6th)

12. Cassels

13. Subban

That is how you rebuild or restart a team. No combination of UFA will fix what we have, we need to trade Kesler now. And start giving this endless stream of oyung players a chance to fix our organization.

If we are adding two wingers with size with Etem and Virtanen with the 10th then lets pick up a skilled center in Nylander with the 6th. Man I hope Leon drops to 6th instead. Then grab right handed defenseman Ronald Mckeown with the 24th overall.

Nylander/Draisaitl

Horvat

Gaunce/Cassels

Amazing depth down the middle plus with wingers like Kass, Jensen, Etem, Shink, Virtanen, Fox.

The future would look good.

[Angry Goose]

Toffoli was a 2nd round stud. I'm hoping Cassels can be that impact player/steal as well.

But yeah, Kesler really needs to go to set up the Canucks long term. I don't think they would be that much worse off without him, but they'll need to snag another C or two for sure if he is going to go.

[warrchief]

Agreed, the Gillis era was a failure in finding players in the later rounds....Conversely ,he was above average in finding undrafted players like Tanev,and possibly Fox...We're now in the Benning era..cross your fingers.

Corrado, Cassels, Subban, Tommernes and Cederholm? those are failures in later rounds?

[Darkstar]

Corrado, Cassels, Subban, Tommernes and Cederholm? those are failures in later rounds?

Considering that none of them are full-time players and only one of those players has played a game in the NHL, yes. It's pure speculation that any of those guys will become regulars at the NHL level with the exception of Corrado.

[warrchief]

Considering that none of them are full-time players and only one of those players has played a game in the NHL, yes. It's pure speculation that any of those guys will become regulars at the NHL level with the exception of Corrado.

With the exception of Subban, managed to sign a contract with the Canucks. With Corrado signing with Jensen. So from Mike Gillis' legacy (if he had one) he did some good picks last year which was his best draft.

[Undrafted]

I get a different take-away from the OP. What I find notable is that apart from Doughty at 2nd, none of the key players who are currently in the Kings line-up were in the top 10 overall.

To me that just illustrates that it's more important to scout and pick wisely, especially after the first-round, than it is to have a top-ten or even a top-five draft pick. And I think it's just as important to develop those young players properly, not just at the NHL level but before they make it to the bigs.

[jejejester]

Posting LA's draft history the past decade so people here realize the only way the Canucks can rebound is by trading Kesler

Notice how many players came from the 2nd and 3rd rounds that Gillis basically traded away for Roys and Ballards.

LA:

03: Brown (13th)

05: Kopitar (11th)Quick (72nd)

06: Bernier (11th) ----> Frattin -----> Gaborik

07: Hickey(4th)(Bust)Simmonds(61st)---->Richards

08: Doughty(2nd)(Teubert)(13th)-----> Penner

09: Schenn(5th)---->Richards(Clifford)(35th)

10: Forbot(15th)Toffoli(47th)

So the Kings had 10 draft picks that essentially built their team over the course of 6 years, as well as some free agents like Johsnon to get Carter let's see what the Canucks have in true order of 1st round readiness.

1. Kassian (13th)

2. Jensen (28th)

3. Corrado (150th)

4. Stanton

5. Horvat (9th)

6. Shinkaruk (24th)

7. Gaunce (26th)

-now let's add the Kesler trade

8. Etem (29th)

9. Virtanen(10th)

10. 24th overall 2014

-now let's add our 6th this year

11. Ritchie/Nylander (6th)

12. Cassels

13. Subban

That is how you rebuild or restart a team. No combination of UFA will fix what we have, we need to trade Kesler now. And start giving this endless stream of oyung players a chance to fix our organization.

There are two things that really stand out to me, the first would be how lucky they were to get a goalie like quick out of no where.

The second thing I see is that they have a top 3 pick that is outstanding in talent. A player who really is the cornerstone of the team. I think an LA team with out Doughty is a lot worse than without Kopitar or Brown.

This team was definitely built on some very good picks made in the middle of the first round as well as extremely good picks in later rounds. Not only has LA drafted well they have made some trades that have worked out very well.

The funny part about this team is if Canucks beat them in 2012 a GM and Coach most likely would have been fired and this team could have been ripped apart.

[jdatb]

If we wanted to rebuild we'd need to trade away more than just Kesler. Trade Hamhuis, Burrows, and one of the Sedins as well. Keep the other along with Bieksa as veteran mentors. With that said I seriously doubt we'd trade all these players away. Neither management nor most of the fans seem to want a full rebuild.

LOL. Trade away one of the Sedins? They'll never be separated, and will both retire together. Where did people get the stupid idea that they would? And trading Hamhuis? Ranks among the dumbest ideas on CDC. Hammer is one of the top shutdown defenseman in the league, and he signed for a bargain contract to play for his hometown team. Sometimes the fans here have too much time on their hands.

[DefCon1]

Apart from Horvat I don't see anyone on our prospect pool that would even come close to the level Brown, Doughty, and Kopitar are at. MAYBE Shinks... but that's a big maybe.

If we wanted to rebuild we'd need to trade away more than just Kesler. Trade Hamhuis, Burrows, and one of the Sedins as well. Keep the other along with Bieksa as veteran mentors. With that said I seriously doubt we'd trade all these players away. Neither management nor most of the fans seem to want a full rebuild.

Trading all the veterans isn't good either. Just look at the Oilers, they keep drafting 1st overall picks and keep stockpiling young talent yet they still suck after 10 years of drafting in high order. Building a team isn't just about drafting, its also about development, trades and seeing which player fits the style or mould of a team that you envision. Yes, we need young players and prospects but we also need leadership and vets to lead the team to success along with a good coach that can teach the younger players how to play the game.

[DefCon1]

LOL. Trade away one of the Sedins? They'll never be separated, and will both retire together. Where did people get the stupid idea that they would? And trading Hamhuis? Ranks among the dumbest ideas on CDC. Hammer is one of the top shutdown defenseman in the league, and he signed for a bargain contract to play for his hometown team. Sometimes the fans here have too much time on their hands.

I agree. Hamhuis, Bieksa and Sedins should not be traded. They need to stay even in a rebuilding situation to allow continuity and be mentors for the younger players. I don't mind trading Edler but I would be against trading character players just for the sake of draft picks. That isn't how you build a successful team. The best example of how to not rebuild is the Oilers team that might never go to the Stanley cup finals.

[willhouse]

The second thing I see is that they have a top 3 pick that is outstanding in talent. A player who really is the cornerstone of the team. I think an LA team with out Doughty is a lot worse than without Kopitar or Brown.

Exactly. LA got lucky they sucked real bad in a year where a real franchise Dman in Doughty was available. Imagine where they would have been if they had the 3rd pick that year and they got Bogosian. They'd be a good team because they still drafted well but I doubt they would've won a cup.

[Plum]

Detroit got lucky, plain and simple. They got two elite players in late rounds (Datsyuk and Zetterberg), and a generational talent in the 2nd round (Lidstrom). Since Nik retired, they've gone down a notch, and it will likely continue as the former two age.

Detroit's drafting isn't lucky.

[Jaimito]

Nux should have taken Kopitar instead of Bourdon.

[Honky Cat]

To be fair, you have to give Gillis some credit for last years draft. We can talk about the Benning era all we want, but Gillis really had a tremendous 2013 draft.

Along with this draft, the kids from last year are going to be building the foundation of this franchise just as much.

Gillis and Co did have a good 2013 draft,but then again most other teams did as well...The 2013 draft was rich in talent,....The proof of the pudding will be who can spot the talent in a weaker draft ,like this years.

[Keslerific]

Some good points here, great post.

[Piggy Bank]

Nux should have taken Kopitar instead of Bourdon.

Now yes. But Bourdon was a gem. I would imagine bourdon as a much more elite Brent Seabrook, but a lesser Drew Doughty

[mejohnathan]

What Kesler trade?

Yah what trade?

[gjoseph89]

Posting LA's draft history the past decade so people here realize the only way the Canucks can rebound is by trading Kesler

Notice how many players came from the 2nd and 3rd rounds that Gillis basically traded away for Roys and Ballards.

LA:

03: Brown (13th)

05: Kopitar (11th)Quick (72nd)

06: Bernier (11th) ----> Frattin -----> Gaborik

07: Hickey(4th)(Bust)Simmonds(61st)---->Richards

08: Doughty(2nd)(Teubert)(13th)-----> Penner

09: Schenn(5th)---->Richards(Clifford)(35th)

10: Forbot(15th)Toffoli(47th)

So the Kings had 10 draft picks that essentially built their team over the course of 6 years, as well as some free agents like Johsnon to get Carter let's see what the Canucks have in true order of 1st round readiness.

1. Kassian (13th)

2. Jensen (28th)

3. Corrado (150th)

4. Stanton

5. Horvat (9th)

6. Shinkaruk (24th)

7. Gaunce (26th)

-now let's add the Kesler trade

8. Etem (29th)

9. Virtanen(10th)

10. 24th overall 2014

-now let's add our 6th this year

11. Ritchie/Nylander (6th)

12. Cassels

13. Subban

That is how you rebuild or restart a team. No combination of UFA will fix what we have, we need to trade Kesler now. And start giving this endless stream of oyung players a chance to fix our organization.

I like it but instead of Virtanen, what do you guys think about Alex Tuch and Conner Bleackley? Everyone has a pick, so i would take Ritchie, and if we get a 10th for Kesler i would take Tuch. Then try to get a 3rd liner with intangibles in Bleackley. Its a pipe dream but i was following scouting reports and it was fun. I would like to build up our size and skill plus intangibles.