Ever wonder the tangible value of picking first or second in the NHL Draft?
The truth is, you don’t often win Stanley Cups without a first or second overall pick on your roster — yours or somebody else's.
The last two Cup champions had Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fleury on the Pittsburgh list. All three were top-two picks, Crosby and Fleury were first overall.
Chicago won with first overall pick Patrick Kane.
Los Angeles won with second overall pick Drew Doughty.
The only team post-lockout to win a Cup without a first or second pick was Mike Babcock’s Detroit Red Wings, led by Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk, both late picks who would have been first or second had there been do-overs for their draft years.