Man im so torn. Coming into the season i felt we really needed to miss the playoffs and get another shot at a lottery win; or at least be near the 10th pick. Pushing the 1st we lose to next year is a win-win imo:
A. 1 less developmental year for whoever we draft
B. forces us to either make the playoffs next year or, if we dont, hopefully finally put the nail in Benning's coffin
I look at our prospect pool (and lineup) and don't see how we're ready to go all-in on turning the corner:
On the roster: Solid U25 core + Virtanen & Gaudette showing promise.
Forward Pool: Okay i guess. I'd give Podz an A- & Hog a B- to be a top 9 guy w/i 3 years. Everyone else is a long shot.
Defense Pool: Good grief. We have literally 1 dman on the roster who we can safely project to still be impactful in 3 years. One. Then a pool with a bunch of B/C skill & C likeliness of making the team (by old hf standards). Lots of potential diamonds in the rough but no one that id bank on. How can you look at our current & prospective Dmen and think "yah we're ready to go all-in and turn the corner"?'
Rafferty is a great example, so many ppl saying ditch stetcher we got Rafferty to fill in! Yet we've been burned by older dmen racking up points in the AHL multiple times?! (Gragnani, Connaughton, Clendening)
So we barely have enough push from below to keep us as a playoff bubble team. My issue is when a guy like Trouba for ex becomes available. We can't even make a legit offer because we have no surplus anywhere! The teams that are good & stay good usually have a pool brimming with prospects when they turn the corner and manage to keep it stocked.
I will admit though with how the team is playing its impossible for me to cheer for them to lose. I'm just gonna let it play out and try to enjoy the ride. Would be an absolute nightmare though if we make the playoffs this year and draft ~20, then don't make it next year and give up a potential lottery pick. For me, the goal is to be a cup contender though, not another Minnesota that's never good or bad enough and just prays they get that 3-5th round elite player to turn their tide.