The Skew Of The Draft

Those of you paying attention will have noticed that the Boston Bruins today traded their own forst round draft pick (15th overall) in a bunble that was sent to Florida for Nathan Horton.

Analysis of that trade aside, let's dwell a moment on the 15th pick shall we?

Does it puzzle anyone else how Boston earns the right to the very best pick for playoff teams when Montreal garners pick #27?

Boston won the same number of regular season games as the Canadiens, yet gathered 3 more OTLs and points. Boston won a playoff round and won exactly two less playoff game than the Habs this spring. Yet there they are 12 picks ahead.


Now I understand what the draft rankings we see all over the place have done. The non-playoff teams come first in reverse order (barring a shift with due to lottery pick, which didn't happen this year). Following that, it seems to me that all the playoff teams that won either one round or none are again stratified on regular season results. Then, because the reward of losing later must be so great, the conference finalists, Stanley Cup runner up and Champion Blackhawks.

My question is this: Why factor playoff success at all if you're not going to do it properly?

As I said, the Canadiens won 9 of 19 playoff games, the Bruins 7 of 13. Sure it's an extra round. But then why don't the sabres then get a better pick than the Bruins. Surely the sometimes hapless Avalanche, a first round victim and final playoff qualifier in the West deserve a better pick than the Habs, but why not better than the Bruins?

It's a strange formula it seems, with latter winners like Boston and Pittsburgh.

For one round, this might pass. But the fact that Montreal will pick 12 places less than its rival Boston in every round is silly.

And I'm only a Habs fan. How do you tell a Buffalo Sabres fan that they'll pick 3 places after Pittsburgh in every round. Pittsburgh had more points than the sabres in the season, more wins, won an extra playoff round, had more playoff wins and earned more revenue in doing so. Not to mention the NHL has never done Buffalo any favours, but its sweetheart Pens somehow come out winners here again.


Once again, the NHL just doesn't seem to find ways to make sense.