your top six players

[KLPNO]

Hello everyone,

From the book 99: Stories of the Game by Wayne Gretzky:

"[FONT=&quot]Today, because of the cap, a player’s true value as a draft pick is maximized during development. That way a team can supplement their roster with players on entry-level contracts. If they’re drafted high, your top six players have to be part of your overall roster because the veteran guys who are carrying the majority of the bag-gage are seven-, eight-, or nine-million-dollar players.[/FONT]"

Does "your top six players" refer to "[FONT=&quot]If they’re drafted high[/FONT]"?
And what is the meaning of the whole sentence? Does it mean that the top six players do not play often because the veteran players play most of the time to justify the money they get?

Thank you.

 

[emsr2d2]

Yes, the word "they" in "If they're drafted high" refers to "your top six players".

I don't understand the draft system of American sports so I'll leave it someone from across the Atlantic to explain the rest.

 

[Tarheel]

You get to be a veteran player because you're good at what you do. They play their veteran players because they are the best. It's not to justify the money. The star players are the ones people come to see. They fill the seats.

 

[KLPNO]

You get to be a veteran player because you're good at what you do. They play their veteran players because they are the best. It's not to justify the money. The star players are the ones people come to see. They fill the seats.

Thank you, Tarheel.
So the general point is: the teams pick up good/promising players on the draft, but they don't use them often (they are simply on the roster) because they use veteran players, right?

 

[Tarheel]

If a team drafts somebody high in the draft there is a good chance that person will make the team and play regularly. But there are no guarantees. And the NHL has a minor league system. There players can prove they are good enough to play on the team of whatever club drafted them. Or they might get traded.