Mike Modano leads all USA born hockey players in points and goals but now mans the fourth line in Dallas. After he and Marty Turco blamed the team's woes on agitator Sean Avery, which amongst other things led to his exodus from Dallas, the Stars have not played any better than their mediocre 10th seed standing.
Third in the Western Conference, the Vancouver Canucks currently rank as the fourth oldest team in the NHL (at 28.08 years). Oddly enough, only eight of the twenty-six members on their current roster are over the age of thirty. The Canucks don’t, however, have any players under the age of twenty-three (a rarity in the league today).
Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Washington are all Stanley Cup favorites this year. What do these teams have in common? How did they build their successful teams? Through the draft, specifically through obtaining high draft picks for multiple years. Teams like New Jersey, San Jose, and Detroit, prove that a team can win consistently and still build a solid team from within. But the common thread within all these teams is that they have all drafted well.