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A deep analysis of the NHL draft over the last decade leads to this conclusion: When it comes to success, or lack thereof, it’s not about what you do in the first round, but what you do in every round after that.

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Without question, scoring with first-round draft picks, especially ones in the top 10, is vital. But the teams going deep in the playoffs are consistently stocked with hidden gems taken in the second round or lower on draft day.

In a salary-cap era with limited free agency and minimal player movement, the importance of the draft-and-develop model can’t be overstated.

“You can’t be a successful team building through the draft with one player a year,” Craig Button, TSN’s scouting expert and former NHL general manager, says. “That’s No. 1. It’s not about first-round picks.”