We still can't put that on BA fully, and the reality is we may not be able to put any of it on BA. None of us has the full story, maybe that last call up was a courtesy to Bunting, allowing him to showcase himself to earn a deal closer to home. We just don't know beyond the rumor that Bunting wanted out. I still put a lot on RT for being a complete failure of a coach.
It's the tradable asset loss, but the problem is no one saw his production being this high this season. He may never hit it again but hindsight is getting the better of some.
This is what we do know. We have to build through the draft and our AHL affiliate. Somehow we had Bunting for many years, he produces at the AHL level, he produces in a short stint in the NHL and we lose him to TM, boom 60 points. We have to figure out how to keep our home grown players. Recently, players with some success at the NHL level are: Chych/Keller/Garland/DVO/Bunting. After Chych gets traded, we will have 1 left in Keller. This isn't the way to build through the draft and develop players. BA has been here 2 years, it's on him.
The 4 / 7 / 10 timeline would be hard for me to digest. I said a LONG time ago that the rebuild was going to be 3 / 5. It is what it is, so far I'm enjoying the ride.
It's hard for me to digest as well, but the more I considered the difficulty of a great rebuild, the more I realized how unlikely that is. Multiple teams are going through a rebuild each year and most of the teams winning cups now, did theirs over a decade ago. Some teams get it right on the first try but most of them have to go through a 2nd, or even 3rd retool to get there. I want to set realistic expectations for myself, and being a contender (if only for a few years) could take 10 seasons. Doesn't mean we'll be bad for 10 years, we just may be a normal playoff team.
Yeah, I generally agree it's on the Coyotes/Roadrunners. I find it hard to believe a player breaks out that hard without having been overlooked or getting the wrong playtime and situations, but I suppose it is possible. I do think it's highly unlikely he comes back, but it's not an outrageous possibility. We might not need him to either based on team needs and how well he holds up by then.
It also likely would have been the right move to re-sign Bunting and trade him this season for more picks, which Bunting's agent could have told him. He didn't have the history and needed to sign for essentially a bridge contract which could have been torched by a trade to a poor fit that wasn't under Bunting's control.
That's true, but the team has lacked depth in prospects. It's been a couple guys, then a gap or three, then a couple guys. To really get there you need to keep hitting on guys year after year. It's reloading, not rebuilding. We have to atone for failures in building depth because it would not get the team to a competitive state and the cost has been players who seemingly would fit onto contenders because of their age. This team really has needed to be stripped to the bolts.
I hope you're right because a lot of teams go through lengthy rebuilds, I'd really prefer we got ours done quickly and accurately.
Excellent chronology, the 33/34-36/37 makes my eyes pop out. I guess I'm looking at the 5 year goal of being a perennial playoff participant and maybe catching lightning in a bottle.
Bro! Haha, you should have seen me before I posted it! I wasn't sure if the board would even want to see that, it's a scary narrative. That's another 12 years away, likely with a good 6 or so post season appearances included, but still, 12 years for a cup. That's a lot to invest for a single championship, like my sons will be 13 and 16. It's insane to think about. Hell, I'll be 46. 40 F'ing 6. I've been cheering for this team since I was 8, that's 36 years for a single Stanley Cup. Brutal.
Ha- 12 years for a Cup????????? I'll be freaking 80!! Are you kidding me?? I'll be lucky if I'm NOT F**KING DEAD!! LOLOL...
You're giving a GM 6 years to be on the bubble? And 9 years to be a solid playoff team? You, my friend, are more patient than I'd ever be.
You have to first acquire the talent, then train them to be NHL athletes. I'd wager that's a 5 year process. So in 6 years, 2 draft classes will have made it (only a percentage).
I look at the 6 contracts leaving, being replaced by Guenther, McBain, Smith.
