Those kinds of players can be a real difference in providing depth and quality. Give some credit to Ted Hampson, who is among the best at finding players like Pavol Demitra, who blossomed on the NHL stage after being set aside by the Ottawa Senators. A general manager has many responsibilities, and he must have the right guys in place to locate talent. And he showed great work in finding players like Demitra. It takes patience and persistence, but it pays off.
Teams get lucky, too, and finding hidden talent is sometimes a matter of timing.
Teams must beat the bushes to find talent at the pro level as well as in the juniors and college levels. The job has expanded to Europe as well. Teams are finding quality players in European leagues and in the world championships. No source is insignificant as teams look for players. While I was with the Canucks, the team found a good prospect in Jarkko Ruutu out of Finland.