In a salary cap sport, finding cheap talent is the difference between winning and losing. Finding all of the right parts to go around your long term controlled players is the recipe for today’s league. Capitalizing on the entry level contract structure is paramount to fielding a serious contender. In addition to the entry level contract, there are players that are undervalued by the league’s decision makers.
Simply put, in any complicated system, there will be assets improperly valued. In the case of the NHL, the league’s dinosaur mindset has held several organizations back. Instead of being open to new ideas, the old guard has clung onto their old ways.