The life span of any executive in the NHL is a never-ending cycle of self-preservation. Those that are effective manage to stave off the vultures and produce a successful product on the ice for the franchise. In New York, it took a while for Glen Sather to find his footing as team president and G.M. but he eventually came around and understood the importance of the draft.
Teams in the NHL that struggle for the long term can often be attributed to chronic mismanagement. Whether it be draft picks being busts, making bad trades or handing out terrible contracts, it does not take much to derail a franchise and become a running joke amongst those within the league.