Is there a trend of teams losing their best players being the best thing to ever happen to them?

[King Mapes]

Toronto has made the playoffs 3 out of the 4 years since trading away Kessel. As I said that trade was VERY QUICKLY (not immediately) by the most success they've had in years.

But they finished dead last right after which is how they improved. They got AM who is better and they had some good young players developing. The logic is flawed.

 

[njdevils1982]

Rick Nash was an excellent NHL player but he is absolutely not a guy you build your team around.

The fact that he's CBJ's best player ever is more of an indication of why they've won two playoff series ever than it is an indication of his ability.

um, you might want to check your stats on that one…

they went all in 'for the glory' of their first ever series win last season……after 18 seasons

 

[LeafsNation75]

But they finished dead last right after which is how they improved. They got AM who is better and they had some good young players developing. The logic is flawed.

Even when they finished last place overall that was not a guarantee it would happen. They had to lose their 82nd game against New Jersey which they did 5-1 and if you look up the standings from 2016 Toronto was only 1 point behind Edmonton for 29th overall.

 

[Machinehead]

um, you might want to check your stats on that one…

they went all in 'for the glory' of their first ever series win last season

Oh, I'm sorry ONE!

 

[HisIceness]

Eric Staal being traded at the 2015-16 deadline didn't right away equal success for the Hurricanes. We still had two more non-playoff seasons, a blockbuster trade at the 2018 draft, and a coaching change to get through. That said, the money that was used in not re-signing Staal (he was gone at that deadline no matter what, but there was some speculation he would come back that off-season) was used to sign Slavin and Pesce, two core pieces on the blue-line which was a huge weakness in the latter Staal years.

 

[Kaner9]

Call me crazy but I think keeping the best players is a better idea.

 

[JT Kreider]

Call me crazy but I think keeping the best players is a better idea.

OK, maybe the correct title was "Come dump your aging stars on the Rangers, it will be the best thing you'll ever do!"

 

[Kaner9]

OK, maybe the correct title was "Come dump your aging stars on the Rangers, it will be the best thing you'll ever do!"

By gum I think you're onto something there.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

Well considering 3 of those 5 teams had barely existed in 1995... and Tavares is absolutely one of the best players in Islanders history. Probably only behind Potvin and Bossy.

Need to include Trottier in that list.

 

[SensontheRush]

So THAT's why the Sens traded Hoffman, Karlsson, Duchene, Dzingel, & Stone...

 

[Lays]

It's also 11 million distributed differently/sometimes better, to other players.

In a cap world, when you lose "tavares", it opens a space for same value.

I’d rather have a Tavares than 2 top 6ers who make 11 mil combined. Sure you open up cap space but you lose a roster spot

 

[King Mapes]

Even when they finished last place overall that was not a guarantee it would happen. They had to lose their 82nd game against New Jersey which they did 5-1 and if you look up the standings from 2016 Toronto was only 1 point behind Edmonton for 29th overall.

Yeah but they still finished last. The thread is flawed because he talks about Toronto improving after Kessel when they actually finished last after which is the reason for improvement

 

[LeafsNation75]

Yeah but they still finished last. The thread is flawed because he talks about Toronto improving after Kessel when they actually finished last after which is the reason for improvement

I completely agree and like I said before when Toronto finished last they still had 69 points which is a lot for a last place team. So if they had Kessel playing for them there is no chance they finish last place.

 

[JT Kreider]

Yeah but they still finished last. The thread is flawed because he talks about Toronto improving after Kessel when they actually finished last after which is the reason for improvement

I never said immediately improved, I said quickly improved. And my point was not limited to the Leafs.

I sincerely think Nash requesting a trade out of Columbus was the best thing that ever happened to them, and if it's not then dodging the bullet on Bobrovsky and his $10 million contract was. CBJ has generally been one of the better teams in the East since they traded Nash.

And Boston trading away Jumbo set off a chain events that very quickly had them rise to have a sustained run of success as one of the best teams in the league (and one of the best decades of hockey in franchise history).

The Islanders record since losing JT speaks for itself.

The Hurricanes were kind off caught running in place in no man's land with Eric Staal and it seems trading him was the launching pad to get them back to the ECF and set up to be long term contender.

 

[Sam Spade]

Over the course of his career the Penguins are much better when Crosby is out of the lineup. It's just one of the those fluky things I guess.

By the Numbers: Pittsburgh's success without Crosby

Can you imagine the haul he would return?

p.s. Obviously this is regular season stuff, in the playoffs I doubt they could do much without him.

 

[JT Kreider]

How many Cups have those teams won since?

So don't come up with that kind of advice to STL, WSH, PIT, CHI or LA. They are keeping their stars and are I think just fine with it.

Th Blues lost three key face of the franchise players in Oshie, Backes and Shattenkirk and won a Cup shortly thereafter?

 

[Kuznetsnow]

Best Players are overrated.

Just about everyone who makes it to the NHL is pretty f***ing good and can be a consistent bit of icetime or coaching or stick change or moment of inspiration away from going from Williams Karlsson to William Karlsson or Anthony Duclair to Anthony Duclair. A best player who gets disproportional pay/attention/etc leaving jolts the other Really Good Hockey Players into playing like Really Good NHL Players.

2018 is a good example, cup winning Capitals were the most depowered team on paper from their 2017 playoff roster and they met the Vegas Golden Knights most of whose impact players were just ok up until that point in their careers.

 

[PlayersLtd]

I was just thinking about how bizarre it was that when CBJ, Tampa, Arizona (to a lesser extent) and Carolina traded away Nash, MSL, Yandle and Staal to the Rangers that was very quickly followed by the most success those teams have had in a long time? The same thing happened with Colorado trading away Duchene, literally the next day they took off and have been on a tear ever since. The Islanders have been one of the best teams in the league since JT left for the Leafs. CBJ also losing Bobrovsky looks to be a massive blessing in disguise.

Same thing with the Bruins when they traded away Jumbo... is this a crazy coincidence or is there more to it?

Edit: also add TOR trading Kessel to Pitt.

You've been called out enough in this thread but it wasn't "literally the next day." The next day Colorado went to Sweden to play Ottawa and lost both games.

As a SENS fan I know this intimately because post Sweden the direction the two teams went in could not have been more opposite, Colorado going on a tear as you say, Ottawa somehow lamenting the loss of Kyle Turris.

You've been off by inches in this thread but its been magnified into miles. Choose your words better.

 

[KovalchukFistPump]

The o

I was just thinking about how bizarre it was that when CBJ, Tampa, Arizona (to a lesser extent) and Carolina traded away Nash, MSL, Yandle and Staal to the Rangers that was very quickly followed by the most success those teams have had in a long time? The same thing happened with Colorado trading away Duchene, literally the next day they took off and have been on a tear ever since. The Islanders have been one of the best teams in the league since JT left for the Leafs. CBJ also losing Bobrovsky looks to be a massive blessing in disguise.

Same thing with the Bruins when they traded away Jumbo... is this a crazy coincidence or is there more to it?

Edit: also add TOR trading Kessel to Pitt.

The OP is based on a very faulty premise. Tampa became great because they had a bunch of young prospects all hit at the same time, not because of trading MSL. Arizona and Carolina didn’t get good until years after they traded their “stars” to the Rags. Nash is a maybe, but only because he was overrated to begin with and the Blue Jackets got a good amount back.

 

[King Mapes]

I never said immediately improved, I said quickly improved. And my point was not limited to the Leafs.

I sincerely think Nash requesting a trade out of Columbus was the best thing that ever happened to them, and if it's not then dodging the bullet on Bobrovsky and his $10 million contract was. CBJ has generally been one of the better teams in the East since they traded Nash.

And Boston trading away Jumbo set off a chain events that very quickly had them rise to have a sustained run of success as one of the best teams in the league (and one of the best decades of hockey in franchise history).

The Islanders record since losing JT speaks for itself.

The Hurricanes were kind off caught running in place in no man's land with Eric Staal and it seems trading him was the launching pad to get them back to the ECF and set up to be long term contender.

Isles is obvious why they improved same with Leafs. If you aren’t talking immediately then what is the point?

Jumbo leaving helped sign Chara so they just got a better franchise player.

 

[King Mapes]

The o

The OP is based on a very faulty premise. Tampa became great because they had a bunch of young prospects all hit at the same time, not because of trading MSL. Arizona and Carolina didn’t get good until years after they traded their “stars” to the Rags. Nash is a maybe, but only because he was overrated to begin with and the Blue Jackets got a good amount back.

Which is exactly why Leafs improved. The thread Makes no sense.

 

[GreatSaveLuongo]

Sedins retiring? Trading Luongo?
Sometimes the most effective team is not just putting best players together (is. See St. Louis last year)

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

Well it's more of a team driven sport than it is an individual driven sport. So this is not surprising. Plus a lot of the time, some of these star players only impact one side of the game.
And goalies are very replaceable.

 

[Henkka]

Best Players are overrated.

They are not.

But "best player leaving" and, if you have great young and underrated and still underpaid replacement kids, can have bigger impact together on the team than that market priced or overpriced "best player".

Just what happened at NYI when he left.

Same happened in Columbus after Duchene, Panarin, Bobrovsky left.

Basic thing in a cap world.

Some teams can survive without the best player, because they are drafting so well. Some teams will regress. You have to draft well.

 

[gorangers0525]

Thornton may crack the top10 Bruins since 1995

Chara, Rask, Thomas, Bergeron, Marchand, Pastrnak, Bourque, Kessel, Savard, Oates, Krejci, Seguin, Guerin, Iginla ...

Uh, Thornton would be the second or third best player on that list.