47% of the captains in the NHL were drafted by that franchise. Here’s the current list:

Hurricanes – Eric Staal
Blackhawks – Jonathan Toews
Flyers – Mike Richards
Avalanche (Quebec) – Adam Foote
Blue Jackets – Rick Nash
Stars – Brenden Morrow

Red Wings – Nicklas Lidstrom
Kings - Dustin Brown
Wild - Mikko Koivu
Senators – Daniel Alfredsson
Coyotes (Winnipeg) – Shane Doan
Penguins – Sidney Crosby
Lightning - Vincent Lecavalier
Capitals – Alexander Ovechkin

Most teams and franchises have become more reluctant to trade high draft picks and prospects because there is a cost to develop a player and why would you want to develop players for other teams? We know it’s happened but it’s starting to happen less and less especially since the salary cap has arrived and the number is likely to go down next year.

Teams will still make trades for that quick fix, and there will still be draft day deals, but now teams are starting to place more importance on player development. Sometimes the best deadline move is to promote a prospect whose been waiting for his big break. Fresh legs and a can-do attitude can really help teams down the stretch.

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