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By ERIC FRANCIS, QMI Agency, April 4 2011

Interesting study by the Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont, who took a snapshot of every team’s 20-man roster last week to determine how many players were still with the team that drafted them or signed them out of college, junior, the minors or Europe. Of the 274 ‘originals’ in the league only four were playing for the Flames — lowest in the league. What’s worse, only two (Mikael Backlund and Mark Giordano) are regulars, as the other two were recent call-ups: Lance Bouma and Greg Nemisz, who combined for three minutes of action Friday. By comparison, seven teams had more than a dozen originals, including Buffalo and Nashville with 14. New Jersey, Detroit and the Islanders all have 13 originals, while Ottawa and Colorado have 12 apiece. While such a study re-emphasizes how horrible the Flames draft record has been, most veteran teams have few originals.
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Debating the merits of the self-contained roster
By Kevin Paul Dupont Boston Globe Sports
April 3, 2011

The deal that sent Bruins Mark Stuart and Blake Wheeler to Atlanta at the end of February pulled two “originals’’ out of Boston’s lineup. Stuart was a first-round pick (21st overall) in 2003 and Wheeler, after initially being chosen as a first-rounder (No. 5 overall) by Phoenix in 2004, turned pro with the Bruins upon signing as a free agent out of the University of Minnesota.

All of which leaves the Bruins today with only five players who entered the league as Boston draft picks. The subset consists of, by order of draft selection: Tyler Seguin (2), Patrice Bergeron (45), Milan Lucic (50), David Krejci (63), and Brad Marchand (71). (Aside: Shouldn’t Marchand surrender that No. 63 sweater to the true 63, Krejci?)

A review of all 30 NHL game rosters this past week found that the Bruins now are at the bottom of the totem pole for drafting players and retaining them on the varsity. Please note that using game rosters slightly skewed the picture in that players such as Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, not to mention Edmonton’s Taylor Hall, could not be included because they are sidelined by injury. The exercise provides an imperfect snapshot rather than a complete representation of how organizations assemble their playing assets.

Nonetheless, of the 600 players who suited up, 274 were “originals,’’ in that they either were drafted by their clubs or signed as free agents out of college, juniors, minors, or Europe. That last free agent group, by the way, accounted for only 16 players leaguewide.

The Bruins, with only those five originals, ranked above only the Calgary Flames, who had four (Lance Bouma, Mikael Backlund, Greg Nemisz, and Mark Giordano). The other clubs very short on originals included Montreal, Phoenix, and Tampa Bay, all of whom had six.

The clubs that ranked best at drafting players, promoting them to the NHL, and keeping them were Buffalo (14), Nashville (14), New Jersey (13), Detroit (13), the Islanders (13), Colorado (12), and Ottawa (12).

Draw whatever conclusions you wish from all that.

Of those five clubs short on “original’’ talent, the Bruins, Lightning, Coyotes, and Canadiens are in playoff positions. The Flames are poking around the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference, but likely will miss for a second straight season, despite an impressive resurgence after the holidays.

Among the seven clubs with game rosters rich in their own stock, the Devils, Islanders, Avalanche, and Senators will wrap up their 2010-11 season next weekend, all of them DNQs. It’s important to keep in mind here that their high number of on-the-job draft picks reflects, in part, their regular-season failure. If the Senators were prepping for the playoffs this week, some of the draft picks now in the NHL assuredly would be in the minors.

It’s clear, however, that the Bruins, in part because of the Stuart-Wheeler trade that brought Rich Peverley to Boston, lag well behind the league average (slightly more than nine) for getting their own picks in the game and keeping them in the fold.

Focusing solely on the draft as an organization’s lifeblood for talent and keeping those players around, the Bruins are on the anemic side. The trade of former top pick Joe Colborne (16/2008) to Toronto in the Tomas Kaberle deal won’t help the number. Nor, it seems, will Zach Hamill (8/2007), who is wrapping up his third pro season in Providence and looks as if he won’t progress beyond the Wanna-B’s.

There are no guarantees, in any draft or in any sport, but organizations need No. 8 picks to become impact NHLers.

Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli, reviewing the snapshot tally Friday, noted the franchise’s recent record in identifying other clubs’ draft picks and developing them as key franchise components. To wit: Tuukka Rask (Toronto/2005), Adam McQuaid (Columbus/2005), and Steve Kampfer (Anaheim/2007). None was a Boston pick, but each was identified, obtained, developed, and brought to market by the Bruins.

“In an ideal world,’’ acknowledged Chiarelli, “you’d like to have players come up through your system, and it’s what I’ve tried to do, we’ve all tried to do. At the same time, you want to win, of course. We’ve made trades to do that, and in some of those deals we’ve moved our own picks and, sure, you’re always trying to find that balance. Overall, I think we’ve drafted well.’’

As for that number of originals standing at five, he added, “It doesn’t concern me. I think you have to look at it as part of the whole exercise of team-building, and the draft is one of all the options. When we try to reinvigorate our lineup, whether that’s through draft or trade, I’m OK with either.’’

A more specific, perhaps more accurate measure, Chiarelli conjectured, might be found over a full season, totaling the days the franchise’s own draft picks remain on the roster. In that case, Boston’s number would improve this year because Stuart and Wheeler would be included.

Perhaps the most interesting number of all in last week’s review is that 14 in Buffalo. During the 2004-05 lockout, the Sabres essentially wiped out their amateur scouting department, shifting to a system that has front office employees scrutinizing game tapes of college, junior, and European hockey. Sure looks as though the tale is in the tape.

The move to wipe out amateur scouting in Buffalo was viewed around the league as penny-pinching at the time, and led to a number of longtime scouts leaving Buffalo, including Jim Benning, now one of Chiarelli’s assistant GMs. Now, with that 14 hanging there (some of whom were drafted in the Benning regime), we have to ask whether the Sabres were skinflints or savants.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
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