VGK winning their franchises first ever playoff series before CBJ and WPG/ATL?

[Bobcat110]

Columbus: 17 seasons, 1,377 games played, 0 playoff series wins
Atlanta/Winnipeg: 18 seasons, 1,453 games played, 0 playoff series wins
Preds: Didn't win a playoff series until their 13th season
Wild: 3 first round wins, one advance into conference championship in 17 years

Vegas: Can finish sweep tonight to win their first playoff series in 86 games played.

After almost 2 decades, it's great to see the four teams of last expansion period being competitive in the playoffs, with WPG and CBJ having a chance to advance to next round for the first time in their nearly two decades of existence and NSH a favorite for the Western Conference.

I think the NHL did right by changing draft rules. They can't put other fans through what NSH, ATL/WPG, CBJ and MIN fans have gone through.

• The crappy expansion draft rules back then: In 2000, the Wild and Jackets had to share scraps among 26 teams (ATL and NAS were exempt). The protection rules were: One goaltender, Five defensemen, and Nine forwards or Two goaltenders, Three defensemen, and Seven forwards.
  
• The expansion draft rules last year: Vegas gets big help from CBJ and 29 other teams after league only allows protection of: Seven forwards, Three defencemen, and One goaltender or, one goaltender and eight skaters regardless of position
• Preds, Jackets and Thrasher fans deal with constant "Gary Bettman and his Sunbelt NHL teams need moved or retracted." in Mid-to-Late 2000s due to lack of attendance due to crappy on ice product.
  
• Thrashers move to WPG, but flounder in WPG too for 7 or 8 years.
• Preds management tries to move Nashville to Kansas City in 2007

I'm not cheering against Vegas. I'm not even sure they have a team that can continue to be a playoff winner for next few years. But as a 17 year season ticketholder of CBJ, I can't help but having mixed emotions regarding their out of the gate success they've had versus the dues paid by fans of the last expansion class. And then the insult to injury of having to give up quality assets to them when we're just finally getting a semi-competitive team.

How do other NSH, ATL/WPG, MIN, CBJ fans feel? Indifferent? Hoping Vegas wins? Hope they lose?

Click to read more...

 

[rent free]

most likely. i think the caps take at least 1 game in columbus and the other series goes atleast 5 imo

 

[puckIuck]

 

[illpucks]

Prepare for 16-0. It's coming.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Columbus: 17 seasons, 1,377 games played, 0 playoff series wins
Atlanta/Winnipeg: 18 seasons, 1,453 games played, 0 playoff series wins
Preds: Didn't win a playoff series until their 13th season
Wild: 3 first round wins, one advance into conference championship in 17 years

Vegas: Can finish sweep tonight to win their first playoff series in 86 games played.

After almost 2 decades, it's great to see the four teams of last expansion period being competitive in the playoffs, with WPG and CBJ having a chance to advance to next round for the first time in their nearly two decades of existence and NSH a favorite for the Western Conference.

I think the NHL did right by changing draft rules. They can't put other fans through what NSH, ATL/WPG, CBJ and MIN fans have gone through.

• The crappy expansion draft rules back then: In 2000, the Wild and Jackets had to share scraps among 26 teams (ATL and NAS were exempt). The protection rules were: One goaltender, Five defensemen, and Nine forwards or Two goaltenders, Three defensemen, and Seven forwards.
  
• The expansion draft rules last year: Vegas gets big help from CBJ and 29 other teams after league only allows protection of: Seven forwards, Three defencemen, and One goaltender or, one goaltender and eight skaters regardless of position
• Preds, Jackets and Thrasher fans deal with constant "Gary Bettman and his Sunbelt NHL teams need moved or retracted." in Mid-to-Late 2000s due to lack of attendance due to crappy on ice product.
  
• Thrashers move to WPG, but flounder in WPG too for 7 or 8 years.
• Preds management tries to move Nashville to Kansas City in 2007

I'm not cheering against Vegas. I'm not even sure they have a team that can continue to be a playoff winner for next few years. But as a 17 year season ticketholder of CBJ, I can't help but having mixed emotions regarding their out of the gate success they've had versus the dues paid by fans of the last expansion class. And then the insult to injury of having to give up quality assets to them when we're just finally getting a semi-competitive team.

How do other NSH, ATL/WPG, MIN, CBJ fans feel? Indifferent? Hoping Vegas wins? Hope they lose?

The joys of being a small market fan lol, wait until your team gets really good then the league goes into lockout mode only to have new rules on the other side which now in fact cripple your franchise, good times lol!

 

[nhlfan1991]

They way the king's have played so far it's a very good chance.

 

[Rygu]

Big market success, just like Uncle Gary wants it.

 

[BlueBaron]

No one saw this coming, people act like Gary forced everyone to give up franchise players.

Give credit where it is due, they saw things in players other GM's were willing to part with in favour of what ultimately proved (this year) to be lesser players.

Did Gary threaten Florida and say "You have to make a brain dead trade with Vegas"? Not that I am aware of.

Did he tell Pittsburgh they had to have 2 good goalies and the 2nd best one should have a no trade clause?

Their pro scouts were brilliant. Even after the draft most of us thought they were garbage on paper. Then we said oh they will come down to Earth eventually.

Give credit where it's due, GMGM was brilliant and lucky.

 

[Jeti]

Thrashers move to WPG, but flounder in WPG too for 7 or 8 years

Woah, hold on there, you're making it sound like the Jets fault that they inherited a pile of shit from Atlanta.

The best prospect they got from Atlanta was Postma, who never made the NHL full time (I think he's a #8 D somewhere). That cupboard was bare. The roster also sucked. Most of the guys on the 2011 roster aren't in the league anymore (Wellwood, Antropov, Burmistrov, Miettinen... I don't even know how many others).

 

[BlueBaron]

Woah, hold on there, you're making it sound like the Jets fault that they inherited a pile of **** from Atlanta.

The best prospect they got from Atlanta was Postma, who never made the NHL full time (I think he's a #8 D somewhere). That cupboard was bare. The roster also sucked. Most of the guys on the 2011 roster aren't in the league anymore (Wellwood, Antropov, Burmistrov, Miettinen... I don't even know how many others).

I would not take it too personally, it sounded more like he was just describing the history of the franchise to me.

 

[TorstenFrings]

No one saw this coming, people act like Gary forced everyone to give up franchise players.

Give credit where it is due, they saw things in players other GM's were willing to part with in favour of what ultimately proved (this year) to be lesser players.

Last summer you were ridiculed, if you did not agree that McPhee assembled the worst team ever and was obvs just trying to tank for half a dozen seasons first.

 

[HanSolo]

Last summer you were ridiculed, if you did not agree that McPhee assembled the worst team ever and was obvs just trying to tank for half a dozen seasons first.

People conveniently forget this as they continue to bang the gong on "unfair draft rules"

Here's a thought: those rules were dumb to begin with.

 

[wingsfan17]

I think the expansion draft rules for Vegas were very fair, but man were the old ones freaking terrible. Basically you were selecting every team’s #6D or 4th line forwards? Thank goodness they changed them.

 

[Pez68]

Vegas may be opening a lot of eyes with the way that roster is constructed. There are some pretty obvious trends when you look at their lineup.

 

[libertarian]

Vegas is much better then I have given them credit for all year.

That said we will see how they do against a very good Sharks team.

Expected LA to be better but they just can't score.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

I think the expansion draft rules for Vegas were very fair, but man were the old ones freaking terrible. Basically you were selecting every team’s #6D or 4th line forwards? Thank goodness they changed them.

Not only that, there was alot less talent around the league than there is now. So not only did Vegas get better rules, but more talent to choose from and receiving more draft picks because of it.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Vegas may be opening a lot of eyes with the way that roster is constructed. There are some pretty obvious trends when you look at their lineup.

We'll see what happens when they have to start dealing with the cap and success. Players won't want peanuts for very long.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

No one saw this coming, people act like Gary forced everyone to give up franchise players.

Give credit where it is due, they saw things in players other GM's were willing to part with in favour of what ultimately proved (this year) to be lesser players.

Did Gary threaten Florida and say "You have to make a brain dead trade with Vegas"? Not that I am aware of.

Did he tell Pittsburgh they had to have 2 good goalies and the 2nd best one should have a no trade clause?

Their pro scouts were brilliant. Even after the draft most of us thought they were garbage on paper. Then we said oh they will come down to Earth eventually.

Give credit where it's due, GMGM was brilliant and lucky.

Very true. Like it or not they're completely rewriting the book on team construction in the NHL.

 

[SotasicA]

If any existing franchise wanted to construct a roster like what the Knights did, there is no-one stopping them. All other 30 teams have assets way greater than the group of scrubs the Knights ended up acquiring.

Assuming there was no expansion last summer, even the Sabres could have got that exact roster with ease. Minor trades, waiver wire pickups, swap Eichel, Ristolainen etc for a few assets to trade for the "bigger" pieces like MAF and Neal (who in truth weren't that hard to get). No problem. You'd get a bunch of first round picks as sweeteners too, I'm sure. You'd be in a position BETTER than what the Knights are in today.

It's just that you need vision to able to pull it off. The Knights management had that vision.

 

[jetsforever]

I don't mind how Vegas is doing - just happy that we're finally good

 

[Jeti]

I would not take it too personally, it sounded more like he was just describing the history of the franchise to me.

The point I was alluding to is that having good management and owners is just as important as the expansion draft. The Jets took 6 years to rebuild. The Thrashers definitely had a huge disadvantage to start with compared to Vegas, but the last 10 years were their own fault. Even if they had the expansion draft rules that Vegas did, they probably still would've sucked, but maybe that's a question better posed to Atlanta fans.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

The point I was alluding to is that having good management and owners is just as important as the expansion draft. The Jets took 6 years to rebuild. The Thrashers definitely had a huge disadvantage to start with compared to Vegas, but the last 10 years were their own fault. Even if they had the expansion draft rules that Vegas did, they probably still would've sucked, but maybe that's a question better posed to Atlanta fans.

The point is, you're agreeing with the original poster you quoted. He simply stated that the Jets sucked the first 6 years. You're just stating why.

 

[bobholly39]

I'll be honest.

I had Vegas finishing last this year.

But then they started really hot. It's ok beginner's luck, they were going to crash down to earth and still finish last, I was certain.

Then December/January they're #1. It's ok. They won't finish last anymore, but they'll definitely crash back down to earth and miss playoffs.

Then February/March. Ok. They'll make playoffs. But they'll lose out divisional title. SJ/Anaheim or someone will top them.

Then playoffs start. Ok. Great run. Best season from a new franchise ever, maybe all sports combined. BUT - they're out in round 1. In fact I predicted LA would sweep.

I don't know if Vegas should be pissed at me for not believing in me or thanking me for my anti-jinx lol.

This is pretty incredible. Can't believe they just swept LA.

 

[BlueBaron]

I'll be honest.

I had Vegas finishing last this year.

But then they started really hot. It's ok beginner's luck, they were going to crash down to earth and still finish last, I was certain.

Then December/January they're #1. It's ok. They won't finish last anymore, but they'll definitely crash back down to earth and miss playoffs.

Then February/March. Ok. They'll make playoffs. But they'll lose out divisional title. SJ/Anaheim or someone will top them.

Then playoffs start. Ok. Great run. Best season from a new franchise ever, maybe all sports combined. BUT - they're out in round 1. In fact I predicted LA would sweep.

I don't know if Vegas should be pissed at me for not believing in me or thanking me for my anti-jinx lol.

This is pretty incredible. Can't believe they just swept LA.

Always refreshing to see someone admit they were wrong. You sir are a rare breed here on HF. Pretty sure I voted them the most likely team swept as well.

 

[AcerComputer]

I have Vegas going to the WCF in my bracket, but losing to Nashville. They may be going to the SCF, oh boy this could get crazy!