Speculation: Is the current core ready to become a perennial playoff team?

[logan5]

You have a pattern of pushing a certain agenda on here. You know what would change the face of this franchise? The 9th overall pick used to select Guenther along with over $12 million in cap space.

Well, we are where we are, so we strategize from here. Imo we have a lot of good forwards that we could trade for a right d. Miller and Boeser are my candidates for that, though with Boeser you would have to add something like Hoglander.

I assume by agenda you are talking about Benning? Not sure actually. Benning is long gone in my mind m, so I hope this new management group can help the team make the next step.

 

[604]

Interested to know, can you guys rank our players as follows:

1) great/good value relative to cap.
2) okay value relative to cap.
3) bad value relative to cap.

Let's ignore contract lengths for now.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Interested to know, can you guys rank our players as follows:

1) great/good value relative to cap. Miller, Hughes, Demko, Schenn, Pettersson, Martin, all players on ELCs, Horvat

2) okay value relative to cap. Pearson and most of our bottom 6 and depth defenders. Boeser if he can bounce back a bit and depending on his new contract
3) bad value relative to cap. OEL, Myers, Dickinson, Poolman, Halak, Boeser,

Let's ignore contract lengths for now.

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

The current core is 0/3 honestly making the playoffs. Perennial appearances? How about a premiere appearance?

 

[PuckMunchkin]

If Bruce does move on will the coach JR hires get only a one year deal? Doubtful, right? He will very likely get three years. So why not offer two more to keep Bruce, unless JR is actually trying to force Bruce out?

Because maximising winning next year and the year after is not what will get us to a cup.

 

[geebaan]

Watching teams like Colorado and Toronto make me question even picking bubble playoff team, let alone perennial contender.

 

[Petey O]

Watching teams like Colorado and Toronto make me question even picking bubble playoff team, let alone perennial contender.

Yep. This team is so behind the top teams it isn't even funny. The bubble playoffs really muddied so many peoples' perceptions, and the FO is going to get a lot of shit from these same people for making moves for the future. There's not even close to enough help coming in the prospect pool to be able to keep around some key players on this team as it stands.

 

[DFAC]

No, not even close

 

[Fatass]

Because maximising winning next year and the year after is not what will get us to a cup.

I agree that we need to rebuild. But is Bruce too good of a coach to be the guy with a rebuilding team? Would he create too much winning?

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

I agree that we need to rebuild. But is Bruce too good of a coach to be the guy with a rebuilding team? Would he create too much winning?

God forbid we want that to happen.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

God forbid we want that to happen.

Look at it go!

 

[iceburg]

There are some things that seriously need fixing before one can conclude that they're ready. But that's an ongoing process of cap management, acquiring younger assets, while switching out contracts for older players.
If the questions is: Can Pettersson, Hughes, Demko and who ever else you would put in the core, carry the team to the playoffs consistently? No. They will need help in the form of a better right side D and better bottom six all while rejigging the cap.

 

[Fatass]

God forbid we want that to happen.

When rebuilding is it better to draft 10-16 or 1-5? Too much winning, and missing the playoffs so drafting where we are, is what breeds long term losing.

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

When rebuilding is it better to draft 10-16 or 1-5? Too much winning, and missing the playoffs so drafting where we are, is what breeds long term losing.

He’s just going to copy and paste some quote from Rutherford that omits the 2 year retool part. And then if/when the team never becomes truly competitive and undergoes another rebuild, he’s going to have some bogus argument like how new management owed it to the Horvat, Demko, Pettersson, Hughes core to compete now, just like he has done countless times with the Sedins/Benning (despite the Sedins saying they were happy to stick around for a rebuild).

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

When rebuilding is it better to draft 10-16 or 1-5? Too much winning, and missing the playoffs so drafting where we are, is what breeds long term losing.

Unless we mysteriously win the lottery..Our days of drafting 1-5 are firmly in the rear view mirror.

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

God forbid we want that to happen.

I bet you cheered harder than anyone every year the team went on a garbage time run, well after the playoff ship had sailed, that did nothing but crater draft position.

“It’ll carry over!”

“They’re starting to figure it out!”

“Next year will be different!”

 

[Fatass]

Unless we mysteriously win the lottery..Our days of drafting 1-5 are firmly in the rear view mirror.

And drafting 10-16 is better?

I bet you cheered harder than anyone every year the team went on a garbage time run, well after the playoff ship had sailed, that did nothing but crater draft position.

“It’ll carry over!”

“They’re starting to figure it out!”

“Next year will be different!”

I love Pods, but Zegras went one spot before him. If missing the playoffs finishing with even a one place higher pick can be huge. Boudreau did great, but he likely hurt us getting a higher pick (for sure really) and getting better assets at the TDL for Miller, and others, than we will get now.

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

And drafting 10-16 is better?


I love Pods, but Zegras went one spot before him. If missing the playoffs finishing with even a one place higher pick can be huge. Boudreau did great, but he likely hurt us getting a higher pick (for sure really) and getting better assets at the TDL for Miller, and others, than we will get now.

The only thing Bruce saved was a bigger PR problem for our blueberry slumlord.

 

[RandV]

The current core is 0/3 honestly making the playoffs. Perennial appearances? How about a premiere appearance?

I think it's kind of slanted to say the current core isn't good enough when you consider that after our core dman Hughes the next guys on the roster are OEL/Myers/Poolman/etc.

What really holds the team back right now is Benning's mess on the blueline and clear cutting our prospect depth the last few seasons. As new management starts to repair these problems though I think the core is closest to being a Minnesota/Dallas/Nashville type regular but not guaranteed playoff team. But barring a miracle they're not going to reach a Colorado-like contender level.

And regardless of my opinion (as long as a Jim Benning isn't running the team I'm pretty laissez-faire), a lot of fans playing arm chair GM should understand that the NHL is a business and no team comfortably in the 11-20 range in the league is going to slash their team to drop them to the 21-32 range to reset because only top 10/Cup contender status is acceptable. We'll see soon enough what new management will do but aside from trading a player or to for cap space it's most likely going to be committing too and retooling around the current core.

 

[me2]

I think it's kind of slanted to say the current core isn't good enough when you consider that after our core dman Hughes the next guys on the roster are OEL/Myers/Poolman/etc.

What really holds the team back right now is Benning's mess on the blueline and clear cutting our prospect depth the last few seasons. As new management starts to repair these problems though I think the core is closest to being a Minnesota/Dallas/Nashville type regular but not guaranteed playoff team. But barring a miracle they're not going to reach a Colorado-like contender level.

And regardless of my opinion (as long as a Jim Benning isn't running the team I'm pretty laissez-faire), a lot of fans playing arm chair GM should understand that the NHL is a business and no team comfortably in the 11-20 range in the league is going to slash their team to drop them to the 21-32 range to reset because only top 10/Cup contender status is acceptable. We'll see soon enough what new management will do but aside from trading a player or to for cap space it's most likely going to be committing too and retooling around the current core.

Is 3 people big enough to call a core? It feels like the size of the core is shrinking to make the quality look better.

 

[me2]

The only thing Bruce saved was a bigger PR problem for our blueberry slumlord.

Looking back as far as I could in the cap era, only two teams have missed the playoffs with league best 5v5 sv%. One of those teams was missed the playoffs consistently before achieving the inglourious feat, and followed it up with 2 playoff appearances in the next 10 years. The other is Vancouver 2021-22.

 

[Petey But Really Jim]

Is 3 people big enough to call a core? It feels like the size of the core is shrinking to make the quality look better.

I think this is a very fair thing to examine.

 

[dep]

No， this core needs help and soft, some cant even skates well and have hard time to handling the puck, a overrated core built by JB

 

[Diversification]

...
And regardless of my opinion (as long as a Jim Benning isn't running the team I'm pretty laissez-faire), a lot of fans playing arm chair GM should understand that the NHL is a business and no team comfortably in the 11-20 range in the league is going to slash their team to drop them to the 21-32 range to reset because only top 10/Cup contender status is acceptable. We'll see soon enough what new management will do but aside from trading a player or to for cap space it's most likely going to be committing too and retooling around the current core.

I agree with this realpolitik view of our roster. I think it's quite likely that the moves this offseason will disappoint those who want to take a step back this season. It's not that I don't see the value in doing so to replenish our barren prospect pool; I do. It's that it's just not going to happen for the reasons you stated.

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

No， this core needs help and soft, some cant even skates well and have hard time to handling the puck, a overrated core built by JB

The core players are not overrated..the supporting cast on the other hand..?