Drafting young isn't the only way to win. (Insider: NHL).

The adept drafting of 18-year-old prospects remains the foundation for success in the NHL.

Blue Jackets president and general manager Doug MacLean cites the "10-30" theory of building a winner: After 10 years, a team should have 10 draft picks on the roster and 30 playing somewhere in the league.

But for teams that have traded their top draft picks---and for expansion teams looking to speed the building process--there are shortcuts to getting fresh talent.

The Blues, for example, have lost picks in every conceivable way--through missing an entire draft while sitting ownerless and through trades, free-agent compensation awards and league sanctions for tampering. This year, the Coyotes owned the team's first-round pick from the Keith Tkachuk deal.

Still, St. Louis hasn't missed the playoffs since 1979, so it has been able to rebuild in other ways. The team has used alternative means to bring in Mike Van Ryn, Bryce Salvador, Brent Johnson and Pavol Demitra.

"We're always looking at every possible scenario to revamp and reload;' says Blues director of hockey operations John Ferguson Jr. The Blues have proved a team can be built in ways besides drafting 18-year-olds.

Signing major Junior free agents. Van Ryn, a former first-round pick by the Devils, jumped from the college ranks to major junior, putting the Devils on the negotiating dock. When they couldn't sign him, he became a free agent.