Hootchie Cootchie said:
How so? Is it mismanagement that they won't pay Doug Weight over $8,000,000? How about Bill Guerin? Curtis Joseph? Where is the money going to from, genius? I'm dying to hear your explanation, so make it snappy.
It is mismanagement to not have developed players who can step in and replace those players. It is mismanagement to not have traded Joseph when they could have received assets for him.
It is mismanagement to have the draft record the Oilers did during the 90's.
Why would they choose the Rangers? Why did Jagr choose the Capitals? Why did Weight choose the Blues? Why did Yashin choose the Islanders? Why did Nedved choose Phoenix? Is it because we aspire for mediocrity?
Few top free agents choose the Rangers. They get guys who are paid to play a role that they are not good enough to play on a good team.
Jagr, Weight, and Yashin didn't choose those teams. They were traded to them.
Nedved chose Phoenix because there weren't any good teams looking to sign him. He was relegated to mediocre teams like Phoenix and Edmonton.
After almost 10 longs years of suckage - thats goes for Tampa Bay and Ottawa.
Your math is a little off. Ottawa was bad for five years. They've made the playoffs every season since then. Tampa missed the playoffs for six years before they became a good team.
Were you even a fan then, or did you don the blue-and-white?
I still have my ticket stub from the Senators first NHL regular season game at the Civic Centre.
Is that the only way for small markets to develop a good team? I disagree. Smart drafting and shrewd trades are a bigger part - and being able to keep your core, not see some GM wave $10 million in front of their faces to lure them to a bigger market. That is hardly parity. Is it Edmontons fault that they cant pay $30 mil for 3 players?
It is Edmonton's fault that they haven't been able to develop really good players. Colorado and New Jersey have lost players to free agency and they've still been able to be competitive. The difference is that they develop younger and cheaper players who can take the place of the older and more expensive players.
Is it Ottawa's fault that they'll soon have to ship their stars off under the old CBA?
Who? Who are they going to have to ship off? Alfredsson is locked up long term and the rest are years from UFA.
How will Tampa retain their core when the players demand big money? Ottawa?
With the playoff revenues from being good as well as the higher regular season ticket revenues that come from being a really good team.