What is the most successful rebuild since 1990?

[3074326]

It's nobody clearly, and only the Pens and Blackhawks are in the discussion. I'm biased, so I'm going with my team. But, removing a team because they won the lottery and got Crosby and then got Malkin at #2 is pretty hilarious. It's almost as stupid as saying Draisaitl is a product of McDavid.

The rebuild went as well as it possibly could have gone and I'm going to recognize that instead of remove it from the discussion. What Chicago did was also incredible.

 

[CartographerNo611]

Pre Lockout, what Lou did with Devils in their Cup Runs was astounding. Mickey Mouse organization to mascot of an entire era of NHL hockey.

Post lockout I really liked what St. Louis did. Didnt cheat the cap with 13 year deals or have 3+ generational talents fall in their lap draft day while having a heavy team in a skilled era.

 

[JTToilinginToronto]

I'd say Pittsburgh, but they did get extremely lucky in winning that Crosby draft.

A tad better than 1 in 30 odds if you believe that it wasn't rigged. Without Crosby, I don't think they would have even won one Cup.

 

[alko]

Washington started their rebuild when they traded Jagr and others well known names (Bondra, Gonchar...). And they ended with Stanley Cup. Success!

 

[sabresEH]

I would also add Los Angeles.

Good add.

Let's not forget that Tallon was the one who built that 2010 team.

I think the picture just went well. Nothing saying it was all him.

How many of these teams conducted a proper rebuild and how many were just ****fests that hit the jackpot?

Good question. My thoughts exactly. Would love to detail my post more but on my phone right now.

Can't ***** on the lottery about Pens and say doesn't count. Chicago won Kane and Toews was a great pick at #3. Luckily Pittsburgh took Staal that year at #2 or what could've been. I still put Hawks at 1. 3 cups in 5 years is magnificent.

Definitely good job by both teams hitting on picks(minus barker) early on and supplementing their high end talent well.

You can make a fair case for the Capitals. They missed the playoffs and sold off. After that they missed the playoffs only twice and then made the playoffs with only 2 top 5 picks in the lineup. From that time to the present the Caps have the best record in the NHL. They have 1 cup, 3 presidents trophies, and umpteen division championships. They missed the playoffs once in that time.

There are teams that have won more cups, but those teams have both had more down periods and took longer and had more top 5 picks in their lineup when they finally started to win.

It wont be a popular choice but I think its a fair case

Good add as well. I think most would go with a Chicago or Pittsburgh but I think Wash is a great debate. Good sustained level of success as well as reaching the pinnacle. Window doesn’t appear to be closing very soon either.

Edit: Kinda young to remember the 90’s. But did anyone really rebuild? The times were different then. Don’t really think a full scorched earthed rebuild was a thing back then was it?

 

[MrThomas]

Winnipeg Jets has been really fast at rebuilding. Of course they got lucky with the best young european scorer Laine but still

 

[Necrobutcher]

i would say new jersey in the early 90
....and a long text so on

Great post with actual effort put into it. There should be documentary about this. The fact that it happened in Jersey of all places rather than for example New York or Toronto makes it even more intriguing.

 

[blue425]

Wings.

Might be on hard times now, but from 95 to 09? Four cup wins sandwiched in between two appearances in the Final. Six trips to the last round in 15 years? Yes please.

 

[ElLeetch]

the endless tanking of Pitt and Wash seemed to eventually pay off very well.

 

[Beauner]

the endless tanking of Pitt and Wash seemed to eventually pay off very well.

TIL 3 years = endless tanking

 

[ElLeetch]

TIL 3 years = endless tanking

you finished with less than 30 wins for 4 seasons in a row., you also did the same thing, only worse, in the early 80s.

 

[BrooklynCapsFan]

Kings are underrated here. They had great lottery talent and made big, smart moves when they knew they had a good shot.

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

TIL 3 years = endless tanking

3 = 5 now?

Pittsburgh did the Edmonton rebuild model before Edmonton did. They simply tanked and sucked their way into good players

Picked 5-1-2-1-2 in order over 5 drafts

 

[Beauner]

you finished with less than 30 wins for 4 seasons in a row., you also did the same thing, only worse, in the early 80s.

01-02 they were very much still trying to compete. Unfortunately Lemieux was limited and the team underacheived. 02-03 and 03-04 were the rebuild, and 05-06 was supposed to be a compete year, but like 01-02 it didn't work out at all.

Don't mistake plain bad teams for tanking

 

[Beauner]

3 = 5 now?

Pittsburgh did the Edmonton rebuild model before Edmonton did. They simply tanked and sucked their way into good players

Picked 5-1-2-1-2 in order over 5 drafts

see above. 5th overall in 02 was a team with hopes of competing that fell flat. In 03 they didn't even own 1st overall, they traded up, though that was the start of a rebuild. the 05 season didn't even happen so I'm not sure how it's possible to tank a season that wasn't even played. And again, the 05-06 team legit tried to compete by signing Gonchar, Recchi, Palffy and Leclair. History tells us how that went...

 

[playasRus]

Discredit the Penguins because of winning the Crosby lottery like it takes one superstar to win a Stanley Cup. It’s so easy that every team has done it.

I think the difference between Pittsburgh is that Pittsburgh lucked out with the lockout for Crosby (they probably wouldn't have been 1OA if a season happened AND tanked for 1OA 2 years with Fleury, Malkin. Then add Staal at 2OA and that puts a salty taste in people's mouths. The team made other moves that put them all the way to the Cup though, so kudos to their management for that (home run on Letang, trades for scoring wingers like Kessel, Hornqvist, Neal). But those last three aren't really rebuild moves, they're the opposite if anything.

In the same fashion, if Edmonton won the cup th elast 2-3 years, it wouldn't have been considered an amazing rebuild by their FO. They weren't smartly picking first overall. They were just bad.

Chicago's rebuild meanwhile, did consist of some really good picks. Kane aside and lucking out on Toews, Keith, Seabrooke, Panarin, Saad, Shaw, Hjarlmarlsson were all either homerun late picks or hidden gems, and the Patrick Sharp trade was an big win also.

I'd say the Chicago rebuild is more impressive and their management had more of a role in actively turning it around, while Edmonton and Pittsburgh were more passive. Comparable to Chicago today, I'd say is NYR's rebuild. Great bunch of trades, selling high on Brassard, Zuccarello, McDonagh) with a couple nice picks and one lottery, and acquiring some big names like Panarin in UFA, trading for Trouba and Zibby.

 

[Sparty]

The current Red Wings have not lost since acquiring Robby Fabbri, don't see how you can top a team that has never lost.

 

[illpucks]

Chicago was a joke in early 00's. Perennial bottom feeder.

 

[shello]

Blackhawks. Penguins don't really count for me because they got Malkin and Crosby in back-to-back years, which is ridiculous. Honestly, before 2016 they were a major disappointment.

A cup in 2009 is a disappointment?