Drafting can be key to success of franchise

Making the right choice on draft day not only effects a team in the following seasons, but it could also deeply affect the entire franchise.

One need not look any further than the 1983 NHL entry draft for proof.

Considered by many as one of the deepest and most talented drafts in NHL history, it also served as a strong blow to the foundation of two franchise that ultimately collapsed: the Minnesota North Stars and the Hartford Whalers, who drafted first and second overall, respectively.

The North Stars selected Brian Lawton first overall that spring, one of the most memorable draft busts in NHL history. Lawton was counted upon to lead the Minnesota franchise to glory, but never delivered, being traded after five frustrating seasons and bouncing around the NHL for the better part of a decade, before finally fading away.

Sylvain Turgeon, the Whalers’ pick, actually started off his career with three successful seasons, but was eventually hampered by injuries and fan pressure before being traded away. He spent a handful of respectable, though not spectacular, seasons in New Jersey, Montreal and Ottawa before taking his skills over to European leagues.

These regrettable selections were only made worse by looking at the two players drafted immediately afterwards: Pat Lafontaine at third, and a little someone called Steve Yzerman at fourth.

Lafontaine, one of the most explosive offensive threats of his time, came into the New York Islanders franchise right as their late ‘70s - early ‘80s dynasty was beginning to sink, and almost single-handedly kept them afloat through many dark years in the late ‘80s. One of the best American-born players to ever lace up the skates, Lafontaine was the type of player that you could build an entire team around.

As for Yzerman, well, what really needs to be said? Three Stanley Cups, one Olympic Gold Medal, numerous All-Star game appearances and 1755 career points (all of them in a Detroit Red Wings uniform). No other player personifies the Wings’ nearly century-old organization better than goold ol’ Stevie Y. He truly was the definition of a franchise player.

Unbeknownst to the North Stars and the Whalers at the time, their ultimately regrettable draft choices played a major role in the downfall of their franchises.

Both teams lumbered through the mid ‘80s in a sense of mediocrity, never finding the success needed for a deep playoff drive. Their poor performances, topped off with tough monetary issues, left both teams to seek relocation in the mid ‘90s.

But would drafting differently have helped either franchise? It’s amazing that the effect that one superstar player can have.

Look at the Pittsburgh Penguins: here was a team on the verge of complete collapse, on numerous occasions, before heading into the 1983-1984 season. Many sources indicate that the team purposely bombed the latter half of that playing year in order to move up in the draft. The plan worked, and they drafted Mario Lemieux first overall. Lemieux’s dynamic play single-handedly brought the franchise up from the ashes, bringing in fans and media attention that ultimately turned into more and more sponsorship money. By the time the team won back-to-back Cups in 1991 and 1992 the thought of the team going under was not on anyone’s radar.

On the other hand, the Quebec Nordiques, despite being led by young phenoms such as Joe Sakic, Owen Nolan and Peter Forsberg, weren’t able to avoid the same fate as the Whalers and North Stars, moving to Colorado in 1995.

Maybe having a superstar player isn’t always enough to keep a franchise alive, but it certainly helps. And having if Hartford and Minnesota had players like Yzerman or Lafontaine leading them to victory each year it’s hard to imagine them folding like they did.

With the 2010 NHL draft only weeks away all the talk is on Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin, and which player will get drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers. Who knows; maybe one day, twenty years down the road, that draft decision could be the key factor in the survival or death of that franchise as well. Only time will tell.