Determining value in a draft's return - 06-18-12

With the NHL draft taking place in Pittsburgh this weekend, it has become timely to examine the Penguins' drafts under Ray Shero's tenure as general manager.

While the numbers in terms of making an NHL impact haven't been good, several factors should be considered when examining Shero's body of work with the draft.

1.) The 2006 draft was done largely with the scouting staff of his predecessor, Craig Patrick. Hired only weeks before the draft, Shero did not have enough time to fully hire his own staff so he used Patrick's scouts to run that draft. Shortly after, those scouts were let go and Shero brought in his own people. And don't forget that a major reason for Patrick dismissal in 2006 was the Penguins' inability to draft well in the late 1990s and early 200s.

2.) Shero has traded several picks or prospects in exchange for immediate help for the team. Prospect such as Angelo Esposito and Luca Caputi (right) have been dealt away for the likes of Marian Hossa and Alexei Ponikarovsky respectively. Additionally, draft picks were moved in order to acquire players such as Hal Gill and Bill Guerin, integral parts of the 2009 Stanley Cup championship.

3.) This is a pretty good team at the NHL level. It's not easy for a prospect to crack the lineup. Much like the Red Wings, the Penguins have made prospect earn their way on to the roster. Unlike the Islanders and Blue Jackets, there aren't ample opportunities to make the NHL roster in this organization. If Simon Despres (above), had been drafted by the Islanders, he probably has at least 100 games of NHL experience already. With the Penguins, he has been limited to 18.

That said, the numbers don't look all that good on paper for the Penguins. Especially when you consider Dustin Jeffrey and his 66 games of NHL experience are the second most man games for a Penguins prospect selected during Shero's tenure.

But when you compare the Penguins' numbers to the other 30 NHL teams, things aren't necessarily bad for the Penguins.

The following is a list of all 30 teams and how many players they have drafted since 2006 (Shero's first year) and how many of those players reached the NHL for that organization. Additionally, each player is listed by the amount of regular season man games they appeared in for the franchise which drafted them.

(Example: Eric Tangradi has appeared in 40 NHL games during his career, all with the Penguins. He was a 2006 draft pick of the Ducks. For the purposes of this list, he does not register for either team.)

*-Have only played in postseason games.

A few thoughts:

-The top and bottom of this list is telling. The Islanders and Blue Jackets, two of the worst franchises in the NHL have produced the most man games. Meanwhile, the Red Wings and Canucks, who have won the last two Presidents' Trophies, are at the bottom.

-The Kings' list of players is dotted with key parts of the Stanley Cup championship they won last week. And in the case of Simmonds and Schenn, those players were used to acquire other key parts of their championship team through trades.

-No one drafts goaltenders like the Capitals. They have found three potential No. 1 goaltenders - Holtby, Neuvirth and Varlamov - in six years.

-The Sharks sure know how to mine the seventh round. They have found four NHL regulars in the last round of the draft.

Regarding the Penguins, things definitely could be better in terms of homegrown players, but compared to other teams, the Penguins aren't exactly in bad shape.

(Photo: Top-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Esposito-Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)