Up until the last two or three years, the Canucks have done a phenomenal job of Patrick Whiteing their first round picks away (see the 2007 NHL entry draft). To the Canucks’ credit though, for every first round pick Nathan Smithed, they’ve been able to Alex Edler and Kevin Bieksa some later round picks into legitimate NHL players. It seems as though the trend will continue with 2012 fifth round pick, Ben Hutton.

Connor McDavid is a wonderful prospect. He’s probably going to be one of the top players in the NHL, if not the top player, before he turns 20 years old. There’s a chance he could be better than Sidney Crosby, arguably the best player this generation has seen. His skating is already elite, his first two and three strides leave all-star defensemen in the dust. His vision and hockey IQ are also off the charts, he seems to be able to create chances that nobody else can see. People are making a very big deal about McDavid and don’t get me wrong, he’s a wonderful hockey player but I’m not interested in talking about Connor McDavid. I want to introduce everyone to Jack Eichel, the other future superstar that everyone is forgetting about.

Who?

Many people may not know the name of the last man to be the General Manager of the Atlanta Thrashers, but anyone who followed the team before they relocated to Winnipeg truly understands the impact he had on the franchise. The man is Rick Dudley, who was plucked from the Blackhawks organization after being the assistant GM from 2006, taking the same position with Atlanta in the spring of 2009. He replaced long-time GM Don Waddell in 2010, and took upon the duty of giving the franchise their first ever successful season, a task Waddell completed zero times.

To give a little perspective as to just how bad Waddell was, we can delve into some easy examples that highlight just how pitiful his tenure was.

Since the Edmonton Oilers drafted consecutive 1st overall picks Taylor Hall (2010) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), they have been considered hockey’s scapegoat anytime a rebuild is brought up.

On the flip side of things, hockey’s rebuilding legends are the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chicago drafted Jonathan Toews 3rd overall in 2006, then Patrick Kane 1st in 2007; becoming Champions of hockey within 5 years of beginning their rebuild.

Pittsburgh was almost identical, drafting Evgeni Malkin 2nd in 2004 and then Sidney Crosby 1st in 2005. They would win their first Stanley Cup in 2009, also within 5 years of their franchise changing first overall pick.

So what’s the difference? What happened with Edmonton that has kept them from making the jump? Or even a leap? Why was Pittsburgh able to make the playoffs one single year after drafting Crosby first? How was Chicago able to hoist the Cup so quickly after ending their playoff drought just one year prior?

There are a couple of factors.