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

[Hobble]

Jets would have beat them if not for their flight delay.

But impressive nevertheless. It would be unbelievable if they make it to the SCF.

I will resent them eternally if they win the Cup.

 

[Critical13]

I don't see the comparison. What Vegas is doing is...legendary. Winnipeg has something even better which is the same current success but with some of the most electrifying young talent in the NHL.

 

[Luigi Habs]

Wondering whether GM completely lucked out or it was all calculated decisions.

All I know is that Gerard Gallant is the best coach all sports included.

 

[Raym11]

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.

everyone was wrong here

I cant remember a single person who said Vegas would finish 1st in the league and sweep the first round.


GM's were wrong and so were fans, its kind of hilarious how this all turned out, the way HF gets when a trade happens, or hates on management. The people who call someone armchair and defend managements.

The next expansion team could have the same rules and be the worst team in the league. What happened in Vegas, stays in Vegas. It's such a rare feat

 

[bukwas]

Pretty impressive that they beat 17 and 18 year old franchises to the punch.
But don't stop now Vegas.

 

[Tuna Tatarrrrrr]

Wondering whether GM completely lucked out or it was all calculated decisions.

All I know is that Gerard Gallant is the best coach all sports included.

Gallant is a fantastic coach but I think this hoodie head coach in New England would like to have a word with you.

 

[NeedleInTheHay]

Gallant is a fantastic coach but I think this hoodie head coach in New England would like to have a word with you.

Or Pop

 

[ES]

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.

With the protection numbers in the old days, the younger players being exempt made it even worse.

 

[Crede777]

The Jackets and Wild expansion fee was 80 million, in an era with no cap and some pretty crummy expansion draft rules. Vegas paid 500 million for their fee, they had a cap floor to get to and better draft rules.

According to Forbes, the average value of an NHL franchise in 2000 was about 1/6th of that of one in 2017 ($150 million versus $600 million).

So the fact that Vegas had to pay roughly 6x as much makes sense regardless of quality of roster.

 

[Evil Janney]

Here's what I enjoy. People complain about how unfair it was for the expansion teams of the 90s and 00s. They couldn't get proper 1st or 2nd liners in the Expansion Draft, young prospects would dissipate because they were playing with a bunch of 3rd liners, and many owners had trouble securing money to run the team due to the lack of success.

Then, NHL management said, "Hey, remember those problems teams had before? Maybe we should do something to make sure Expansion Teams have somewhat of a fair chance to be competitive."

What happens? People gyrate these inane conspiracy theories.

The two biggest names going to Las Vegas were James Neal and Marc-Andre Fleury. Both of them, were lambasted by people on this site for only being "good" because their team was good.

 

[tarheelhockey]

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.

I completely concur with what he said. Looking at that pre-season roster I was convinced McPhee had ****ed up a good situation, and even halfway through the year I was expecting the bottom to fall out eventually. Even now, it still makes little sense that they can dominate with that group of personnel. It really is a testament to the power of having no weak links in the chain, and how important it is to have everybody on the same page with regard to discipline and responsibilities. I have to actively watch their games to believe what they're pulling off.

 

[lwvs84]

Wondering whether GM completely lucked out or it was all calculated decisions.

All I know is that Gerard Gallant is the best coach all sports included.

I think it is a combination of both. He got a bunch of second/third liners and a very good coach. Every player, pretty much, on that team had a career year or at least a very good one. The system worked extremely well for their personnel and they had few, if any, lapses in effort all season. If I remember right, they had a fairly easy schedule early which I think boosted a lot of their players' confidence so by the time they started playing tougher teams, they had already bought in to the system and were confident in their abilities. The players also developed chemistry really fast (which is probably a product of good coaching). It'll be interesting to see if they can keep that effort up next season too, but they'll probably have enough money and pull to draw in some FA's to help out a solid core. I thought they would challenge for 3/4 in the division... but didn't think they'd be this good.

 

[Johnny HFBOARDS]

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

In the Jets defense Minny was missing Suter and Pareeezy or we would have won in 4 as well.