Next perennial bottom feeder

[Frolov 6'3]

Kings are currently pretty bad, and their top 4 scorers last year are Kopitar, Brown, Doughty, Kovalchuk. Theres not too much to get excited about for young players. That's gonna be a desert of talent in a couple years and it's gonna get worse before it gets better

What desert of talent ?

Bjornfot, Vilardi, Kupari, Clague, Anderson-Dolan, Turcotte, Thomas, Fagemo, Kaliyev & Anderson is an awesome pool.

Now if it will pan out, is another story.

 

[GOilers88]

To me perennial would constitute having a bad management group in place. San Jose just doesn't fit that so I don't get why everyone is clamouring to point their way.

Even if they have an off year this year and people are like "I told you San Jose!" (Which they will) You'd still be wrong because we'd need to see them at the bottom for a good 5+ years in a row for it to hold true.

Gotta be Ottawa. Maybe Los Angeles?

 

[Clint Eastwood]

This. They look like a "good" long-term candidate (like, when EK and Burns and Couture are all fading), but they've pulled too many rabbits out of their hat in the draft for me to be confident in picking them.

If you asked this question back in the 2014, you'd be getting the same answers. SJ knows how to keep a good team going.

 

[I Hate Philadelphia]

Devils IMO.

Hall leaves, Hischier continues to not live up to his #1 overall expectations and Hughes tops out as a 40-50 point 3rd liner.

 

[Pancakes]

Sharks, Penguins, Blue Jackets and Wild are all good options.

Years away still for the Pens I think. Crosby is still too good, and they have Murray/Guentzel.

I do think the Pens and Caps are at the point though where they aren't slamdunk playoff teams. If they had injuries or a bad start, they could miss. I doubt either would bottom out without substantial injury problems though.

 

[WILDTATE10]

Very well could be the Wild. Depends on how Kaprizov and Boldy work out

 

[Butch 19]

What desert of talent ?

Bjornfot, Vilardi, Kupari, Clague, Anderson-Dolan, Turcotte, Thomas, Fagemo, Kaliyev & Anderson is an awesome pool.

Now if it will pan out, is another story.

5 of those guys have to hit for the Kings to get out of their funk - and Vilardi is off to a tough start. He's quite the long shot.

 

[abo9]

The closest we've gotten to seeing that latter show up recently was Minnesota, but they quickly amputated so the patient may have been saved. Montreal might have been a candidate, except the Domi trade actually worked.

Not only Domi, but the Pacioretty trade also looks amazing from Montreal's point of view. If Montreal received Vegas's version of Tatar and 2017 version of Domi… things would look prettyyyyyy bad in Habs land.

 

[LetsGoBLUES91]

The Wild are going to have a long way to go.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

Wild are the easy answer. I'd also include Detroit just because of how talented (and young) the other teams are in their division. They might not want to be, but I don't think they're making it out of the draft lottery for a while.

On there other hand, Doug Wilson is probably the best GM in the league at keeping a team competitive and re-tooling on the fly, so I don't get why people are saying the sharks. They have enough talent on the team to remain competitive for a while, and if the cap continues to rise (especially with Seattle entering the league), these bad contracts will look a little better.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Devils IMO.

Hall leaves, Hischier continues to not live up to his #1 overall expectations and Hughes tops out as a 40-50 point 3rd liner.

This response top to bottom is incredibly bold. Only thing is Hall maybe leaving.

 

[Bazeek]

Very well could be the Wild. Depends on how Kaprizov and Boldy work out

Yeah, I wouldn't argue with "bottomfeeder", but I wouldn't ink in the "perennial" part yet. If Boldy spends the year at center looking like he has in his first few games it goes a long way toward answering one of the team's biggest problems. Kaprizov coming over and doing well would answer the other.

If neither one pans out well? Could definitely be a long few years.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

5 of those guys have to hit for the Kings to get out of their funk - and Vilardi is off to a tough start. He's quite the long shot.

I think four is enough and eventually others will stand up that you never expected (via trade or within the organization).

 

[Elysian]

Frankly could see Dallas joining this club in the next few years...

 

[666]

The Canucks half-assed their rebuild under Benning and have failed to build a strong enough core of young talented players to compliment guys like Pettersson and Boeser.

I wouldn’t classify them as a bottom feeder but I anticipate several years of mediocrity, ranging from 7th-12th in the West for many years.

This is the worst situation. They aren't bad enough to draft early and they aren't good enough to contend. The Leafs were like this for decades.

 

[ZeHockeyFan]

Frankly could see Dallas joining this club in the next few years...

Based on recent-most history they're more likely to be a middling, on-the-bubble playoff team that gets mired in perpetual mediocrity.

It will require a complete organizational change to do a rebuild, which can see them being bottom-feeders for a while. IIRC, I don't think they're been at the bottom a la Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, etc. during their lean years in early-to-mid 2000s since their time in Minnesota.

 

[Elysian]

Based on recent-most history they're more likely to be a middling, on-the-bubble playoff team that gets mired in perpetual mediocrity.

It will require a complete organizational change to do a rebuild, which can see them being bottom-feeders for a while. IIRC, I don't think they're been at the bottom a la Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, etc. during their lean years in early-to-mid 2000s since their time in Minnesota.

Everyone gets their turn sometime. Just feel there's a major organizational problem, hence why we see the same problems every year, despite any roster, ownership, or coach changes. Something is rotten in the Dallas Stars org.

 

[Benttheknee]

Ottawa again.

I think you are correct. The Sens can't be good unless they are willing to use cash to build the team assets rather than use the team assets to build cash.

 

[kings11]

The answer is Blackhawks and Kings ainec. Maybe the Stars, Devils, and Wild.

The Kings are on the way back up, top 5 prospect pool which includes 2 legit top 4 Dman prospects in Tobias Bjornfot and Mikey Anderson, a laundry list of Goaltending prospects which we churn out like clockwork and top 6 talents in Turcotte, Kaliyev, JAD, Kupari, Fagemo and Thomas.. Plus our vets are starting teh season off right meaning we can move their asses and speed up our rebuild. We still have a longshot, wildcard in Gabriel Vilardi who has gamebreaking talents in a 80 YO body unfortunately..

 

[Chrisinroch]

The Wild’s calling card has always been defense and a bit of goaltending. Even a mediocre offensive team can limp along and find middling success if they are lockdown defensively. So, they probably won’t be “bottom feeders”.

 

[izzy]

Jets, devils, flames.

Shoutout to all them Sens fans, lafrieneire hopefully goes there.

devils have an incredible amount of promising young players who are already nhl level and solid prospects

what are you talking about

 

[TrueTT]

Based on recent-most history they're more likely to be a middling, on-the-bubble playoff team that gets mired in perpetual mediocrity.

It will require a complete organizational change to do a rebuild, which can see them being bottom-feeders for a while. IIRC, I don't think they're been at the bottom a la Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, etc. during their lean years in early-to-mid 2000s since their time in Minnesota.

Dallas won’t be able to withstand a full-scale, long-term rebuild.

At best, they are the #3 ticket in town moving forward. Likely #4 behind the Rangers as it’s still a non-traditional hockey market compared to baseball.

With the Cowboys being the Cowboys from September to December/January, and the Mavericks being exciting as hell now with Doncic and Porzingis, Stars fandom will slowly dissipate and ratings can tank given the better sports alternatives in town. The Stars bottom line will be hit with the exodus.

Conclusion: no chance in hell ownership gives management the green light for a long rebuild.

 

[The90]

Yeah. With all that they're sitting at 7 points in 6 games...a 96 point pace over a season. What did 96 points do for a team in last season's playoff race?...early golfing.

Add in a bottom 16 defense and a goalie now over 30 to those multiple albatrosses of contracts and the future looks bleak for the Leafs.

Or do you just want it to look bleak?
Whether you do or do not like them, you can’t deny they have a boat load of talent.
They’re also one of the youngest teams in the league. But hey, if you want them to be bad / judge teams off 6 games...

 

[Drewcifer]

I would expect the Wild to be bottom feeders this year. Their forwards are all either too old or young players who's ceiling is good third liner. But they do still have the defensive top four of a very good team. If Kaprizov and Boldy pan out and they get a top pick this season they may not be bad for too long.

 

[Aceboogie]

The answer is not the Sharks and thats for sure. In order to be a bottom feeder, you need to have two distinct characteristics

1) Terrible management/ownership
2) team plays in an undesirable city. Either due to the location, or the media circus

Edmonton/NYI/Toronto/Buffalo etc all had both factors. Some had more of 1 than the other, but both were present

San Jose- Good management (borderline great) and a desirable city. No to bot
Minny- Very much yes to 1, but a desirable city. Borderline
Columbus- Ok management, not a desirable city
Winnipeg-alright management, not a desirable city. Drafting might keep them afloat

To be honest, I think it might be Pittsburgh. Management/ownership had made some very bonehead moves the past 5-7 years. Crosby/Malkin/Letang and MAF just keep them great for that long. They have had some good drafting/college ufa pick ups. But once Crosby and Malkin decline, they dont have the good management right now, and Pittsburg is a less than desirable city