Kin
New member
It's an interesting idea. I don't know how much it holds up though. In the seven drafts you mention there are/were 9 defensemen taken in the top 5. In the 7 drafts previous to those(2003-2009) there were 10 defensemen taken in the top 5. It's tough to compare as we don't really have a full idea of the newer guys careers but it seems like you have roughly the same percentage of busts/stars/ok players.
Go back another 7 drafts(1996-2002) and again it's roughly the same number of top 5 defensemen(11) but this time it's an absolute trainwreck in terms of quality. It's Jay Bouwmeester as unquestionably the best and then guys like Chris Phillips and Joni Pitkanen. Go back another 7 drafts and there are 12 top 5 defensemen although the quality improves with Niedermayer and Pronger.
So the number of defensemen picked in the top 5 seems pretty consistent. The quality of them too except for the awful 1996-2002 stretch. So changes in the draft seem like a tough sell. I think the value of defensemen is more just about coaches valuing the transition game and realizing how valuable the guys who can skate and play with smarts are. It used to be that the big slow physical guys were just as valued and (maybe) just as valuable. Now that's no longer the case. So the pool of highly sought after defensemen shrank and the guys in it became more sought after.
Go back another 7 drafts(1996-2002) and again it's roughly the same number of top 5 defensemen(11) but this time it's an absolute trainwreck in terms of quality. It's Jay Bouwmeester as unquestionably the best and then guys like Chris Phillips and Joni Pitkanen. Go back another 7 drafts and there are 12 top 5 defensemen although the quality improves with Niedermayer and Pronger.
So the number of defensemen picked in the top 5 seems pretty consistent. The quality of them too except for the awful 1996-2002 stretch. So changes in the draft seem like a tough sell. I think the value of defensemen is more just about coaches valuing the transition game and realizing how valuable the guys who can skate and play with smarts are. It used to be that the big slow physical guys were just as valued and (maybe) just as valuable. Now that's no longer the case. So the pool of highly sought after defensemen shrank and the guys in it became more sought after.