Experience
You don’t just pull off what the Leafs did Friday night without having experience coupled with excellent teamwork.
All of those guys – Shanahan, Lamoriello, Mark Hunty, Kyle Dubas, Mike Babcock – are always on the same page.
Did you watch any of their interviews after the first round?
I didn’t include videos for all, but there are some of their quotes after drafting Liljegren in this article.
They all have experience in this kind of business and it pays off.
It also relates to the on-ice team.
Yes, you need young guys to really work with, but without the players that have experience at the NHL level, the team will fail.
Shameless plug warning.
Guys like Matt Martin.