The Islanders built their dynasty team at a time (the 1970s) when players could only be drafted when they were 20. That changed in 1980, and a lot of GMs have said over the years that drafting 18-year-olds is much more of a crapshoot.
Look at two draft picks who were considered solid when they were made: Wahlstrom picked 11th overall; and Dobson picked 12th overall. Wally is close to a complete bust; and Dobson's game, at least on D, has declined precipitously.
That doesn't mean it's impossible to do a rebuild your way, just that the odds of success have dropped.
- JohnScammo
No question drafting 18 years is not ideal. Other teams manage to do a better job than the Islanders though. The Islanders do not seem to have strong scouting which does not help. Even drafting 20-year-olds, the Islanders had great scouting back in the day. How many teams passed on Bossy when the Islanders were smart enough to draft him? What is the alternate for the Islanders than building through the draft if they have trouble signing quality UFA's? They had a hall of fame GM and coach and still had trouble signing top FA's.
