As the main source of NHL player acquisition, the NHL draft is a huge and often debated area of the game and -- as we discussed recently -- the most critical source of good players in the salary cap era.
People often discuss hits and misses in an NHL team's draft record: finding that gem in the fourth round, striking out on a top-10 pick, etc. As we head to the 2015 NHL draft, where many teams' futures will be heavily influenced, this column asked one important question: Can individual NHL teams show skill in being \good or bad at the NHL draft? The answer is yes; skill at the draft is about 25 percent of the results. But for the most part, the outcome is not due to the team selecting. This column explains why.