A few lucky bounces? ... you could say that as well for Toronto, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, and right up to half of the teams in the NHL. All the top half of the NHL teams have solid cores and if yours is not better than the others and capable of taking them on and beating them, then you don't win. All the teams as well as the HABs are also improving. It comes down to more than just improving a team, you have to improve more than the other teams are improving if you want to win and I just don't see that happening. I see the HABs improving somewhat, but only to keep pace and not enough with what they have now or in the near future to do much more than run on the treadmill.
Yes you COULD say that about Toronto, Ottawa and Tampa Bay...which is why those three and Montreal are all considered young up and coming teams with promise. I'm not sure why you would compare us to those teams in an unfavorable manner as they are all franchises with great future potential.
Ottawa looks really promising with Karlsson, Lehner, Ryan, Cowen etc.
Tampa Bay has a nice looking future with Stamkos, Drouin, Hedman, Bishop
Toronto has some good young pieces in Kessel, Kadri, Rielly, Reimer/Bernier
Montreal has Galchenyuk, Subban, Price, Pacioretty, Eller
and all of those teams have some work to do with their lineup. Point being that parity has ensured that the top half of the NHL will be a VERY competitive landscape, and expecting the Habs to be head and shoulders above everyone else is pretty unrealistic.
as for "lucky bounces"...any team that has ever won a cup had a few of them. Not just game to game, but in the way things played out for their franchise. You make the best moves you can based on the information you have, but sometimes things happen that you didn't account for and you just hope it goes your way. For example:
- Jonathan Quick emerging as a top level goalie for LA despite being drafted in the third round and being an afterthought to Jonathan Bernier. The Kings had Kopitar, Brown, Doughty and Johnson as their cornerstones. They traded JOhnson for Carter who re-invented himself, Quick emerged as an elite goalie, they traded prospects and quality depth for Mike Richards, made a saavy signing in Justin Williams and then went on an absolute tear in the playoffs. A solid mix of shrewd moves and luck.
- The blackhawks drafted Kane, Toews, Keith and Seabrook and built around them. They made shrewd deals for Sharp and Leddy, got Hossa via UFA, got tremendous value from their prospects (Bickell, Saad, Sharp, Hjalmarsson, etc.) and are now a powerhouse.
- The bruins stanley cup core consisted of Bergeron, Krecji, Lucic, Chara, Marchand, Thomas and Seguin. That's a solid core and they are still a competitive team, but keep in mind that it took them a couple of years to gel before they became a legitimate force...and that's only after getting the most dominant defenseman in the league as a UFA.
My point is: lucky bounces are what any team needs to go from treadmill running middle of the pack franchise to elite, legit contender. If you think that bottoming out and gunning for top picks is how the Habs ensures that, then so be it.
Right now, i think the habs have most of the essentials down as far as key elements to a cup winner go. NO we don't have everything we need...but we have elite talent, both potential and actual, at just about every position that matters. That, to me, is the difference between this club and previous versions.
It remains to be seen if Bergevin can make the moves necessary to build a contender...but i think there is enough in the cupboard now that the chances are actually pretty good the Habs can become a legit team.
