Changing Up The Keeper Draft

[New Jersey Devils GM]

We've discussed it in the past, several times, and I'd like to bring up the 10 year(season) old debate/discussion.

Let's make the keeper list shorter.

There's dozens of ways to change it up, my suggestion is this;

Five keepers and ten draftees

With NO auto protection, so that means there will be goalies in the draft.

Here is what I submitted for this up coming keeper draft;

GREEN = Keeper
BLUE = Auto-Keeper
RED = Into Draft
BLACK = Neutral

D - Scott Stevens - 90 - DFD
LW - Ilya Kovalchuk - 91 - SNP
C - Evgeni Malkin - 91 - PLY
D - Scott Niedermayer - 90 - OFD
LW - Zach Parise - 91 - PLY
C - Gilbert Perreault - 88 - PLY
RW - Mike Bossy - 91 - SNP
LW - Paul Kariya - 87 - SNP

G - Martin Brodeur - 85
G - Antti Niemi - 85
G - Henrik Karlsson - 82

C - Marc Savard - 85 - PLY
D - Mark Giordano - 84 - OFD
LW - Scott Hartnell - 84 - PWF
LW - Sean Avery - 82 - GRN
D - Paul Mara - 82 - DFD

D - Andrej Meszaros - 82 - TWD
D - Johnny Oduya - 82 - DFD
C - Martin Hanzal - 82 - TWF
RW - Alexander Radulov - 82 - SNP
D - Adam Larsson - 81 - TWD
RW - David Clarkson - 81 - GRN
C - Dainius Zubrus - 81 - TWF
RW - Mattias Weinhandl - 80 - GRN
LW - Mattias Tedenby - 80 - PLY
D - Dougie Hamilton - 80 - TWD
D - Jonathon Blum - 80 - OFD
C - Mika Zibanejad - 80 - PWF
C - Adam Henrique - 79 - TWF
RW - Nick Palmieri - 79 - PWF

Here's what it has the potential of looking like;

GREEN = Keeper
BLUE = Auto-Keeper
RED = Into Draft
BLACK = Neutral

LW - Ilya Kovalchuk - 91 - SNP
C - Evgeni Malkin - 91 - PLY
LW - Zach Parise - 91 - PLY
D - Scott Niedermayer - 90 - OFD
D - Scott Stevens - 90 - DFD

RW - Mike Bossy - 91 - SNP
C - Gilbert Perreault - 88 - PLY
LW - Paul Kariya - 87 - SNP
G - Martin Brodeur - 85
G - Antti Niemi - 85
C - Marc Savard - 85 - PLY
D - Mark Giordano - 84 - OFD
LW - Scott Hartnell - 84 - PWF
LW - Sean Avery - 82 - GRN
D - Paul Mara - 82 - DFD

D - Andrej Meszaros - 82 - TWD
D - Johnny Oduya - 82 - DFD
C - Martin Hanzal - 82 - TWF
RW - Alexander Radulov - 82 - SNP
G - Henrik Karlsson - 82
D - Adam Larsson - 81 - TWD
RW - David Clarkson - 81 - GRN
C - Dainius Zubrus - 81 - TWF
RW - Mattias Weinhandl - 80 - GRN
LW - Mattias Tedenby - 80 - PLY
D - Dougie Hamilton - 80 - TWD
D - Jonathon Blum - 80 - OFD
C - Mika Zibanejad - 80 - PWF
C - Adam Henrique - 79 - TWF
RW - Nick Palmieri - 79 - PWF

Benefits;

• It makes the draft more interesting and more powerful and increases activity. Teams will not want to miss out on a top player and will be more inclined to participate or at least send a list.
  
  
• Creates parity, I know we usually have a new Cup winner each year, but a lot of the time it's the same teams contending year after year for the top spot in the conference.
  
  
• Increases activity through trading, if you lose someone you really wanted to keep, too bad, but you can always trade for them, with less keepers you're much more likely to lose a piece you didn't want to.
  

I know it's been said and discussed and rejected, but I'd like to hear everyone's opinion on it, and if there's a lot of activity I think a league wide vote should be in order.

Just an idea.

[Detroit Red Wings GM]

My only problem with 10 draftees is, even with the bonus rounds, you'd be losing 3 guys a year.

I'd suggest 6 keepers (Any combination, but it would allow for your top forward line, top defense pairing, and starter to be protected) and you lose your top 6 after that.

The thing with losing 1 more guy than there are rounds is this:
-It gives people motivation to at least show up near the end of the draft, if you don't, then you'd lose 1 roster player a year
-It is possible to actually still gain 1 roster player a year (with the bonus rounds you'd be picking up 7 players, instead of 5)

[New Jersey Devils GM]

Increase the draftees and increase the rounds we draft.

Should have added that.

I was just assuming we were thinking 1 draftee = 1 round, 5 draftees = 5 rounds and then in this case 10 draftees = 10 rounds.

Ten is a little high, but we can always split the draft up, make it two days, gives Yotes more time.

That's my only thing against this system, it's up to Yotes for the final say, it seems like a bit more work.

[C00kies - Retired Kings GM]

The bad thing about this is that you will be severely punished if you win the cup (30th pick for all the rounds). If teams are going to be losing that many players, we might as well just do a fantasy draft (which I wouldn't mind lmao).

[Boston Bruins GM]

I'm all for changing things up. The draft has the same players every season. Most teams have the same keepers year after year. This would definitely help with that. But this has been discussed every season and nothing ever changes. There are some teams that have their 8 and will never give any of them up.

[Wynne - Retired Flyers GM]

That's my main problem with something like. It rewards teams by giving them an easy out to building a team, and dismantles teams that were put together over seasons of work.

[New York Islanders GM]

How about keep 8 players, have the auto protect on the goalies, lose the next 6-7, cuz some teams still have 83s on their roster after the draft. Then have 6-7 draft picks

[Colorado Avalanche GM]

How about before every turn around into a new season, we have less keepers (6) and lose 8 guys. No auto keepers, therefore goalies are fair game.

With new ratings coming out, many people are in the dark and it'd make for one helluva interesting draft.

During the seasons, keep things as is but the season prior to the turn around make it different?

[Lilwayne - Retired Canucks GM]

No Thanks.

spent too long building this team lol

[Ottawa Senators GM]

I like this idea, but the big teams (the ones that always compete AKA the people who have been here forever) won't approve, so this will never come into fruition.

[Deleted]

@philly- I don't think it's rewarding the bad teams, and most GM's are active here, so you can't say all the bad teams arent trying. Second, It just gives the bad teams a way to rebuild, and gives the draft a meaning. Right now, we might as well take the draft out, because it's meaningless

I do understand though, you guys have spent time getting the good players, so it's sorta out of line to ask you guys to give them up

[Wynne - Retired Flyers GM]

Lol, again with the homer comments. The "big team" in this league would be NJ, the guy purposing the idea. Your idea of the "big teams" is who? I'm going to take a wild guess and go with Pittsburgh, myself, and who else?

[Wynne - Retired Flyers GM]

Mar 1, 2012 21:00:21 GMT -5 @cor99 said:

@philly- I don't think it's rewarding the bad teams, and most GM's are active here, so you can't say all the bad teams arent trying. Second, It just gives the bad teams a way to rebuild, and gives the draft a meaning. Right now, we might as well take the draft out, because it's meaningless

I do understand though, you guys have spent time getting the good players, so it's sorta out of line to ask you guys to give them up

It is though. Take a look at last season's standings. I bet most of the bottom feeders, minus a selected few, made little to no transactions this season.

Not saying GMs aren't active, but they aren't transaction active, and they won't make deals unless there is no doubt they win the trade.

"Bad teams" have auctions which is a proven method, and there always seems to be a team trading stars for depth, so that shouldn't be a problem either.

[55587crosby - Retired SJ GM]

I think Auctions are better than the draft in terms of rebuilding. Takes a few years to get better so it's realistic too.

[Pittsburgh Penguins GM]

I have rebuilt my team 4 or 5 times now. I would gladly trade players for picks at anytime. I could easily build a contender every year frrom just the draft players and well a goalie. I get message's all the time during the draft from teams asking which player to choose. I will never steer you wrong. I have given up players I was about to pick probably 50 times just because somebody asked. I am here to help anybody and everybody the best I can. You want to know my teams setup, just ask. I'm not hiding anything