We have talent to compete. But it takes more than that to be a long term successful franchise. It takes more than that to put it all together. You don't just draft Matthews/Nylander/Marner/Cup. The end. Hey we have 2 60+ point players. What do you have Tampa? St. Louis? Washington? Got any of those New York? What about you Pittsburgh? Nashville just wasted their time trading for Turris cause we're doing it now.
Out of the past 10 years, only 6 of 30 teams have won the Cup. It's too bad nobody else has the talent to compete.
Let's see this team give us a sample size before we start trading 1st round picks and losing all our UFAs for nothing.
We are currently on 1 playoff appearance in a row with 6 playoff games as our resume. Let's go for 2 in a row first and see where we are.
I still think we should look to be moving those not in the long term plans. There are missing components on this team and organizational depth missing at key positions plus higher quality positions. In order to make higher grade trades, we need higher grade tradeable prospects. Once we promote Marlies for departing UFAs, we need higher talent developing behind them.
Higher talent development coming behind current players that were gotten with strong drafting position in most cases. Making playoffs lowers your draft quality on percentage basis alone but you can get lucky still.
Asset management while winning.
Trades occurring for cap management are ever important.
Keeping quality prospects through trade is equally important to drafting while maintaining a quality perennially competing playoff team.
Recognition of the core tells me we still don't have a elite core defenseman. A contender with average scoring most likely needs one but a elite scoring team might not need one to the same degree pr even at all.
Morgan rielly is a core piece! The rest are not going to be viewed as core dmen by a majority of fans.
Way to many contender rated teams have much stronger defenses than us. It is a serious weakness made very hard to focus on because of extremely talented offensive players and elite goaltending.
Very much not a team finished rebuilding here.
As nice as it was making the playoffs last season and scaring the hell out of the caps, it has really blurred the process to many.
What made me realize this was my own frustration at Babs lineup decisions.
Great coach. He looks really bad right now while the team is teying to figure something out about what they have though.
Lou has his goalie!
He has always liked a true #1 horse defenseman. I think he will get one and wants one.