Do the Anaheim Ducks fill a need or select the best player available at the 2018 NHL Draft?

We are less than two weeks away from the NHL Entry Draft. The Anaheim Ducks brain trust is putting the final touches on their draft board. When it’s time for them to choose, do they pick a player based on need or select the best player available?

Should the Anaheim Ducks draft to fill a need or get the best player available (BPA)? It’s the great debate in almost every draft. Of course, the question isn’t limited to the Ducks or the NHL for that matter. Fans in the other major sports ask the same thing. We can break it down and find an answer.

Target a Need

If your team has holes, of course, they need to be filled. The holes may not even be at the NHL level, they could be throughout the organization’s minor league system. If the Anaheim Ducks need help at say left wing, for example, it’s logical to draft one.

Another advantage of need-based drafting is that a team doesn’t wind up with a logjam at any one position. The Ducks have a great group of defensemen in the system. None of the current blueliners are 30 years old yet (Cam Fowler is the elder statesman at 26).

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Additionally, the future looks bright with Jacob Larsson, Andy Welinski, Josh Mahura, and Jaycob Megna looking for an opportunity to crack the lineup. Why would General Manager Bob Murray want to use a high pick to draft a player who will be stuck behind this group?

Best Player Available

The NHL and MLB are different than the NFL or the NBA because hockey and baseball have a long standing structure of player development (aka the minor leagues). If an NFL club needs a cover cornerback and a player they like is available, that’s who they will draft. At times, NFL teams will sacrifice someone they know is a better player because they have a greater need at a specific position.

The NHL, on the other hand, operates differently. In each NHL draft class, a small hand full of players break camp with the main roster. The other players are either returned to their respective juniors or college teams or sent to the minor leagues. In the Anaheim Ducks case, the organization isn’t big on throwing young players immediately into the fire.

One of the advantages of drafting the best player available is you can always trade to fill a need. Here is a specific example: Two months into last season Anaheim was depleted at forward due to injuries. As a result, the Ducks traded defenseman Sami Vatanen to New Jersey for center Adam Henrique.

Murray was able to look through his organization and see that players like Marcus Petterson (second round, 2014) was ready to be promoted and Larsson (first, 2015) wasn’t far behind. He knew there was enough depth in the organization to make the deal he needed to.

The Answer

Looking into a crystal ball and wagering on how an 18 or 19-year-old will develop is a crapshoot. If this was easy, I’d be making the draft picks in Dallas on June 22 and 23. The answer is a combination of both need and BPA. I’m in the BPA camp for at least the first and second rounds. Build some depth and work from a position of strength.

After that, holes in the system should be addressed. If there aren’t enough left wings in the organization, then the GM should get one. Goalies are harder to project than skaters. It’s why the majority of goalies are selected later in the draft. Unless there is an outstanding prospect, for example, the Anaheim Ducks drafted John Gibson in the second-round (39th overall, 2011), most backstops go in round three or later.

Another answer to need vs BPA is none. If the Ducks have a need to fill and feel they can get better value for a pick with another team’s player, that will happen. It happens quite frequently as a matter of fact, although usually in season.

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Murray’s record shows he is a BPA drafter. Don’t expect him to select a right-wing goal scorer if there are better players on the board at different positions.

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