Any sports fan would want his or her team to acquire a player considered to be among the best in the league. That is a given.
The only means of acquisition are through the entry draft, a trade with another franchise, or free agency.
The obvious preference for acquisition is the entry draft, because the initial costs to the team for doing so are zero.
Sure, the argument could be made that team scouts are paid to make informed decisions on who to draft, and thus are the costs of the draft picks. The entertainment business would classify this as a below-the-line cost, in that no "talent" or important assets are deducted.
This is the opposite of acquisition through trade, in which some sort of asset(s) would be directly swapped for said player. These assets could be a rostered player, a prospect, a draft pick, or in some cases, cold hard cash. In most cases trades end up with pretty equal results for both teams. But in some cases (especially if Roberto Luongo is involved), the results are disastrously one-sided.
Free agency seems simple: Offer desired player a contract, and if he accepts, everyone is happy. But ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Reed Kaufman
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