McPhee softening on the plan.

[Vegas Mac]

That whole year 3 is another head scratcher to me. If you build a team from drafting and using other team's overlooked players, is year 3 really when you get good enough to make the playoffs? Are Glass, Suzuki and Brannstrom, among others going to be good enough to contribute at a plus NHL level that year? Doesn't seem likely. The guys you get in year 2 draft even less likely to be plus players by then. So you have to sign free agents and find real quality out of the expansion draft. I think as well as the team has done it still feels like a lot of their "finds" are 3rd and 4th liners while the true 1st and 2nd liners seem to have a very cloudy future with the team. Doesn't feel like more than one of Neal, Marchessault or Perron is going to be signed long term. Smith is getting paid like a first liner, but sure doesn't feel like one. Same on the defense, except no one there feels like a first pairing guy except Theodore and he's a few years from that.

So how is GMGM making this a 3rd year playoff team?

3 years is a head scratcher for you, but not for McPhee. You know, he has a boss. Here's a direct quote from Bill Foley, the owner, on ESPN radio:

“We got some really good players in the expansion draft,” said Foley, shown here with first pick Marc-Andre Fleury. “So we just need do well for a couple years, then make the playoffs in three years as we start transitioning in some of the younger guys."

There is no guarantee that by year 3 the first wave will be ready, but given what I've seen thus far of our draft haul there will probably be a couple filtering in during season 3. This is why he's going to want to stack the 2018 draft as well as he can with an extra early pick or two. Then come season 4 things should be hitting pretty good, assuming of course they draft well. And I'm sure you're gonna say "the draft is no guarantee." To which I will agree and add that there is no guarantee when it comes to winning, but McPhee's no fool so I'm pretty confident he's gonna play this right with a long term vision that includes big drafts the first few years.

 

[hockeywiz542]

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

Hi all. Isles fane here. Vegas is now my western team. Keep your players. You’re in a good position to make the playoffs. Don’t take that for granted.